NewzIntel.com

Category: Canada

  • MIL-OSI: Trisura Group Reports Fourth Quarter and Record Annual Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trisura Group Ltd. (“Trisura” or “Trisura Group”) (TSX: TSU), a leading specialty insurance provider, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024.

    David Clare, President and CEO of Trisura, stated, “Trisura achieved strong Operating net income of $38.2 million in the quarter, or $0.79 per share, supporting our highest ever annual Operating net income of $135.8 million, driven by growth, strong underwriting, and higher Net investment income. Operating combined ratio of 81.5% for the quarter and 82.9% for the year shows the strength and potential of the combined platform.

    Growth, strong earnings, unrealized gains and the impact of foreign exchange lifted book value by 27% to $785 million, an all-time high. Profitability from core operations continued, resulting in a 19.4% Operating ROE.

    We made significant progress expanding in 2024. Premiums from our US Surety platform grew by 197% in the year, broadening our footprint and developing relationships with important distribution partners. In US Corporate Insurance we bound our first premium, continued to establish our brand and grow our network while we build out licenses.

    We observed weaker performance from a group of US programs we had previously non-renewed. These programs have been included in Exited lines, to clearly demonstrate their impact. Premium growth and profitability continued in our ongoing portfolio of US Programs.

    Despite the impact of Exited lines, Trisura achieved an 88.8% Combined ratio for the year, and a 96.7% Combined ratio in the quarter. Net income in Q4 grew by 70.1% to $19.3 million and we reached our highest annual Net income ever of $118.9 million.

    Growth initiatives remain well-funded with our highest book value yet and a conservative 11% debt-to-capital underscoring flexibility and capacity for growth.”

    Financial Highlights

    • Insurance revenue increased by 5.2% in Q4 2024 led by strength in Primary lines (Surety, Corporate Insurance and Warranty). Importantly, these are the lines that have the highest underwriting margin.
    • Net income of $19.3 million in the quarter grew 70.1% compared to Q4 2023 as a result of growth in the business, higher Net investment income, as well as a lower Loss ratio. Operating net income(1) of $38.2 million in the quarter grew 47.6% compared to Q4 2023, as a result of growth in the business, higher Net investment income, as well as a lower Loss ratio.
    • Operating EPS(2) of $0.79 for the quarter increased compared to $0.54 in the prior year, demonstrating the strength of core operations(3) through continued growth and profitability. EPS of $0.40 in Q4 2024 was greater than $0.23 in Q4 2023, as a result of growth in the business, higher Net investment income, and improved profitability. EPS in the quarter was impacted by a higher Loss ratio associated with Exited lines.
    • Book value reached a new record of $785.3 million and book value per share(4) of $16.44 increased 26.3% from December 31, 2023, the combined result of earnings from Trisura Specialty, investment returns and foreign exchange.
    • ROE(4) of 16.9% increased compared to 12.2% in Q4 2023, demonstrating a return to our mid-teens target. Operating ROE(5) of 19.4% was slightly lower than Q4 2023, as strong profitability from core operations continued, but Shareholders’ equity increased disproportionately from unrealized gains and foreign exchange.
    Amounts in C$ millions Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variance 2024 2023 Variance
    Insurance revenue 794.2 755.0 5.2% 3,118.3 2,789.2 11.8%
    Net income 19.3 11.3 70.1% 118.9 66.9 77.6%
    Operating net income(1) 38.2 25.9 47.6% 135.8 110.2 23.3%
    EPS – diluted, $ 0.40 0.23 73.9% 2.45 1.42 72.5%
    Operating EPS – diluted, $(2) 0.79 0.54 46.3% 2.80 2.34 19.7%
    Book value per share, $(4) 16.44 13.02 26.3% 16.44 13.02 26.3%
    Debt-to-Capital ratio(4) 11.1% 10.8% 0.3pts 11.1% 10.8% 0.3pts
    ROE(4) 16.9% 12.2% 4.7pts 16.9% 12.2% 4.7pts
    Operating ROE(5) 19.4% 20.0% (0.6pts) 19.4% 20.0% (0.6pts)
    Combined ratio 96.7% 105.4% (8.7pts) 88.8% 91.2% (2.4pts)
    Operating combined ratio(6) 81.5% 88.1% (6.6pts) 82.9% 81.9% 1.0pts

    Insurance Operations

    • Insurance revenue of $794.2 million, increased by 5.2% compared to Q4 2023, reflecting stronger growth from Surety and Warranty in particular. Trisura’s Primary lines (Surety, Corporate Insurance and Warranty) grew by 17.7% in the quarter.
    • The consolidated Operating combined ratio(3) was 81.5% for the quarter reflecting a lower Loss ratio(3) than the prior year, driven by strong results in Surety and Corporate Insurance, slightly offset by investments in our US expansion.
    • Strong underwriting contributed to a loss ratio in Trisura Specialty of 12.8%, a ROE of 27.4% and Operating ROE of 24.9% in Q4 2024.

    Capital

    • The Minimum Capital Test ratio(7) of our regulated Canadian subsidiary was 276% as at December 31, 2024 (251% as at December 31, 2023), which comfortably exceeded regulatory requirements(8) of 150%.
    • As at December 31, 2024, the Risk-Based Capital(9) of the regulated US insurance companies are expected to be in excess of the various company action levels of the states in which they are licensed. Calculations are finalized as statutory returns are completed.
    • Consolidated debt-to-capital ratio of 11.1% as at December 31, 2024 is below our long-term target of 20.0%.

    Investments

    • Net investment income rose 5.8% in the quarter compared to Q4 2023. The portfolio benefited from increased capital generated from strong operational performance.

    Earnings Conference Call

    Trisura will host its Fourth Quarter and 2024 Annual Earnings Conference Call to review financial results at 9:00a.m. ET on Friday, February 14th, 2025.

    To listen to the call via live audio webcast, please follow the link below:

    https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/mghkbw3a/

    A replay of the call will be available through the link above.

    About Trisura Group

    Trisura Group Ltd. is a specialty insurance provider operating in the Surety, Warranty, Corporate Insurance, Program and Fronting business lines of the market. Trisura has investments in wholly owned subsidiaries through which it conducts insurance operations. Those operations are primarily in Canada and the United States. Trisura Group Ltd. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “TSU”.

    Further information is available at http://www.trisura.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website. Investors should consult the site to access this information. Details regarding the operations of Trisura Group Ltd. are also set forth in regulatory filings. A copy of the filings may be obtained on Trisura Group’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

    For more information, please contact:

    Name: Bryan Sinclair

    Tel: 416 607 2135

    Email: bryan.sinclair@trisura.com

    Trisura Group Ltd.
    Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
    As at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023
    (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except as otherwise noted)
    As at December 31, 2024 December 31, 2023
    Cash and cash equivalents         270,378         604,016
    Investments         1,434,534         890,157
    Other assets         42,392         53,712
    Reinsurance contract assets         2,771,163         2,003,589
    Capital assets and intangible assets         29,383         16,657
    Deferred tax assets         44,043         16,314
    Total assets         4,591,893         3,584,445
    Insurance contract liabilities         3,546,053         2,769,951
    Other liabilities         162,302         120,065
    Loan payable         98,272         75,000
    Total liabilities         3,806,627         2,965,016
    Shareholders’ equity         785,266         619,429
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity         4,591,893         3,584,445
    Trisura Group Ltd.
    Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
    For the three and twelve months ended December 31
    (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except as otherwise noted)
      Q4 2024 Q4 2023 2024 2023
    Insurance revenue         794,162         754,953         3,118,322         2,789,187
    Insurance service expenses         (881,999)         (615,167)         (2,748,110)         (2,245,246)
    Net income (expense) from reinsurance contracts assets         101,624         (135,627)         (253,980)         (458,606)
    Insurance service result         13,787         4,159         116,232         85,335
    Net investment income (loss)         17,138         16,206         67,045         51,669
    Net gains (losses) & net credit impairment losses         2,886         9,058         24,699         (8,763)
    Total investment income         20,024         25,264         91,744         42,906
    Finance expenses from insurance contracts         (7,015)         (27,716)         (78,522)         (75,875)
    Finance income from reinsurance contracts         5,908         23,511         67,732         65,759
    Net insurance finance expenses         (1,107)         (4,205)         (10,790)         (10,116)
    Net financial result         18,917         21,059         80,954         32,790
    Net insurance and financial result         32,704         25,218         197,186         118,125
    Other income         508         727         7,506         7,654
    Other operating expenses         (6,804)         (10,346)         (42,932)         (32,947)
    Other finance costs         (947)         (565)         (3,270)         (2,409)
    Income before income taxes         25,461         15,034         158,490         90,423
    Income tax expense         (6,208)         (3,714)         (39,575)         (23,482)
    Net income         19,253         11,320         118,915         66,941
    Operating net income         38,181         25,875         135,850         110,201
    Other comprehensive income (loss)         17,194         8,452         43,843         6,328
    Comprehensive income         36,447         19,772         162,758         73,269
    Trisura Group Ltd.
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    For the three and twelve months ended December 31
    (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except as otherwise noted)
      Q4 2024 Q4 2023 2024 2023
    Net income 19,253 11,320         118,915         66,941
    Non-cash items (3,127) (11,727)         (20,517)         5,264
    Change in working capital 102,620 100,302         68,598         194,038
    Realized (gains) losses (784) 1,769         (2,314)         3,950
    Income taxes paid (16,609) (1,736)         (42,316)         (9,841)
    Interest paid (984) (1,115)         (2,640)         (2,439)
    Net cash from (used in) operating activities 100,369 98,813         119,726         257,913
    Proceeds on disposal of investments 140,380 12,894         342,306         102,492
    Purchases of investments (221,476) (41,001)         (795,269)         (219,121)
    Acquisition of subsidiary – –         (15,015)         –
    Net purchases of capital and intangible assets (647) 32         (3,835)         (714)
    Net cash (used in) investing activities (81,743) (28,075)         (471,813)         (117,343)
    Shares issued – (63)         2,989         51,507
    Shares purchased under Restricted Share Units plan 922 436         (2,215)         (1,409)
    Loans received – –         46,607         –
    Loans repaid – –         (23,335)         –
    Principal portion of lease payments (234) (510)         (2,006)         (2,034)
    Net cash from (used in) financing activities 688 (137)         22,040         48,064
    Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents, during the period 19,314 70,601         (330,047)         188,634
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 262,850 531,484         604,016         406,368
    Currency translation (11,786) 1,931         (3,591)         9,014
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 270,378 604,016         270,378         604,016

    Non-IFRS Financial Measures and other Financial Measures

    Table 1 – Reconciliation of reported Net income to Operating net income(4): reflect Net income, adjusted for certain items to normalize earnings to core operations in order to reflect our North American specialty operations.

      Q4 2024 Q4 2023 2024 2023
    Net income 19,253 11,320 118,915 66,941
    Adjustments:        
    Non-recurring Surety revenues – – – (4,596)
    Impact of certain changes in Fronting reinsurance structures – – 1,435 –
    Loss from run-off program – 19,196 3,714 47,229
    Non-recurring items (3,100) 4,549 3,565 4,549
    Impact of Exited lines 30,577 – 30,577 –
    Impact of SBC (839) 1,589 3,507 (1,914)
    Impact of movement in yield curve within Finance (expenses) income from insurance and reinsurance contracts (396) 2,071 1,207 723
    Net (gains) losses (2,886) (9,058) (24,699) 8,763
    Tax impact of above items, and other tax adjustments (4,428) (3,792) (2,371) (11,494)
    Operating net income 38,181 25,875 135,850 110,201

    Table 2 – ROE(4)and Operating LTM ROE(5): a measure of the Company’s use of equity.

      Q4 2024 Q4 2023
    LTM net income         118,915         66,941
    LTM average equity         702,012         549,672
    ROE 16.9% 12.2%
    Operating LTM net income(1)         135,850         110,201
    Operating LTM ROE 19.4% 20.0%

    Table 3 – Reconciliation of Average equity(10)to LTM average equity: LTM average equity is used in calculating Operating ROE.

      Q4 2024 Q4 2023
    Average equity         702,348         556,538
    Adjustments: days in quarter proration         (336)         (6,866)
    LTM average equity         702,012         549,672

    Footnotes

    (1) See section on Non-IFRS financial measures table 10.2 in Q4 2024 MD&A for details on composition. Operating net income is a non-IFRS financial measure. Non-IFRS financial measures are not standardized financial measures under the financial reporting framework used to prepare the financial statements of the Company to which the measure relates and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other companies. Details and an explanation of how it provides useful information to an investor can be found in the Q4 2024 MD&A, Section 10, Operating Metrics table.

    (2) This is a non-IFRS ratio. Non-IFRS ratios are not standardized under the financial reporting framework used to prepare the financial statements of the Company to which the ratio relates and might not be comparable to similar ratios disclosed by other companies. Details on composition and an explanation of how it provides useful information to an investor can be found in the Q4 2024 MD&A, Section 10, table 10.17.

    (3) See Section 10, Operating Metrics in Q4 2024 MD&A for the definition of Operating Net Income, and for further explanation of “core operations”.

    (4) This is a supplementary financial measure. Refer to Q4 2024 MD&A, Section 10, Operating Metrics table for its composition.

    (5) This is a non-IFRS ratio. See table 10.18 in Q4 2024 MD&A for details on composition, as well as each non-IFRS financial measure used as a component of ratio, and an explanation of how it provides useful information to an investor.

    (6) This is a non-IFRS ratio. Refer to Q4 2024 MD&A, Section 10, Operating Metrics table for its composition. Operating combined ratio excludes the impact of certain items to normalize results in order to reflect our Trisura Specialty operations.

    (7) This measure is calculated in accordance with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada’s (OSFI’s) Guideline A, Minimum Capital Test.

    (8) This target is in accordance with OSFI’s Guideline A-4, Regulatory Capital and Internal Capital Targets.

    (9) This measure is calculated in accordance with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Risk Based Capital for Insurers Model Act.

    (10) Average equity is calculated as the sum of opening equity and closing equity over the last twelve months, divided by two.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

    Note: This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, include statements regarding operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of our Company and its subsidiaries, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods, and include words such as “expects,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “seeks,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “forecasts”, “potential” or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would” and “could”.

    Although we believe that our anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of our Company to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.

    Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in the countries in which we do business; the behaviour of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates; global equity and capital markets and the availability of equity and debt financing and refinancing within these markets; insurance risks including pricing risk, concentration risk and exposure to large losses, and risks associated with estimates of loss reserves; strategic actions including dispositions; the ability to complete and effectively integrate acquisitions into existing operations and the ability to attain expected benefits; changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates); the ability to appropriately manage human capital; the effect of applying future accounting changes; business competition; operational and reputational risks; technological change; changes in government regulation and legislation within the countries in which we operate; governmental investigations; litigation; changes in tax laws; changes in capital requirements; changes in reinsurance arrangements and availability and cost of reinsurance; ability to collect amounts owed; catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or pandemics; the possible impact of international conflicts and other developments including terrorist acts and cyberterrorism; risks associated with reliance on distribution partners, capacity providers and program administrators; third party risks; risk that models used to manage the business do not function as expected; climate change risk; risk of economic downturn; risk of inflation; risks relating to cyber-security; risks relating to credit ratings; and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in our documents filed with securities regulators in Canada.

    We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements and information, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, our Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Cautionary Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures

    Reported results conform to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), in accordance with IFRS. In addition to reported results, our Company also presents certain financial measures, including non-IFRS financial measures that are historical, non-IFRS ratios, and supplementary financial measures, to assess results. Non-IFRS financial measures, such as operating net income, are utilized to assess the Company’s overall performance. To arrive at operating results, our Company adjusts for certain items to normalize earnings to core operations, in order to reflect our North American specialty operations. Non-IFRS ratios include a non-IFRS financial measure as one or more of its components. Examples of non-IFRS ratios include operating diluted earnings per share and operating ROE. The Company believes that non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios provide the reader with an enhanced understanding of our results and related trends and increase transparency and clarity into the core results of the business. Non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios are not standardized terms under IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar terms used by other companies. Supplementary financial measures depict the Company’s financial performance and position, and are explained in this document where they first appear, and incorporates information by reference to our Company’s current MD&A, for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024. To access MD&A, see Trisura’s website or SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. These measures are pursuant to National Instrument 52-112 Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Hits Trump’s Trade Policy on CNBC: “It Almost Seems Like A Tariff Tantrum”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    02.13.25
    Cantwell Hits Trump’s Trade Policy on CNBC: “It Almost Seems Like A Tariff Tantrum”
    WA depends on steel & aluminum imports; last year, the state imported $1.2B worth of steel & aluminum for aerospace, shipbuilding, electronics & more; Last round of Trump trade wars nearly decimated WA’s apple export market to India; Cantwell helped negotiate end to retaliatory tariffs in 2023 & restore the market
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to push back against President Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs, even against the United States’ closest allies, instead of focusing on opening up export markets and lowering costs for American consumers.
    “This is the fourth week of the Trump Administration, and I would hope that we would have been hearing about how we’re lowering costs on housing, food prices, and drugs. And instead, we’re now in – it almost seems like a tariff tantrum, like we’re just going to tariff everything. And what I would like to see is an engagement by both Democrats and Republicans pushing back on this notion that a ‘tariff everything’ strategy is the way to get out of this situation,” Sen. Cantwell told Squawk Box’s Andrew Ross Sorkin.
    “I’ve been critical of Obama’s tariffs. I’ve been critical of Biden’s tariffs. What I want people to understand is we live in a world, now, where alliances and dealing with these issues on a coalition basis will get us further, because 95% of consumers are outside the United States,” she continued.
    “In the last Trump administration, he did the same thing [… he] cut hundreds of apple jobs in my state that never recovered. But it decimated a $120 million market, and then, basically, because of the retaliatory tariffs, we were without an apple market to India. I worked in the Biden administration to get that restored. So, what people don’t understand is, in this environment, you don’t just lose farmland — because actually, Bill Gates or somebody will buy it — you’re losing farmers. And right now, the world, we should be opening up markets. We should be opening up agriculture opportunities around the globe.”
    Her full appearance on Squawk Box can be viewed HERE; a transcript of the interview is HERE.
    In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries.  Combined, the state imported $1.21 billion worth of steel and aluminum last year – and the major industries and employers in Washington that rely on steel and aluminum include aerospace, shipbuilding, utilities, and electronics.
    When President Trump imposed steel tariffs in 2018, our trading partners immediately responded by imposing tariffs of their own on Washington products, especially agriculture, including cherries, apples, pears, and potatoes. Nationally, across all industries, the steel and aluminum tariffs resulted in a decrease in production worth about $3.4 billion per year, according to an ITC report.  
    Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20% retaliatory tariff on American apples, which was imposed in response to tariffs on steel and aluminum and devastated Washington state’s apple exports. India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted. The impact on Washington apple growers was severe: Apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023.  In September 2023, following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.
    Last week, Sen. Cantwell also delivered a major speech on the Senate floor arguing that the president’s arbitrary tariffs would threaten domestic job creation and economic growth in an Information Age. She outlined a strategy focused on building coalitions, growing exports, and establishing principles to support innovation in the Information Age.
    Sen. Cantwell also voted against advancing the nomination of Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s choice to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce, citing concerns with Lutnick’s support for Trump’s proposed tariffs. More information on how President Trump’s proposed tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China would affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE.
    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter urging the Biden Administration to help U.S. potato growers finally get approval to sell fresh potatoes in Japan. In June 2023, Sen. Cantwell hosted U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), then-chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, in Washington state for a forum with 30 local agricultural leaders in Wenatchee to discuss the Farm Bill.
    In 2022, Sen. Cantwell spearheaded passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a law to crack down on skyrocketing international ocean shipping costs and ease supply chain backlogs that raise prices for consumers and make it harder for U.S. farmers and exporters to get their goods to the global market.
    In August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting aid funds be distributed to wheat growers. In December 2018, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the passage of the Farm Bill, which included $500 million of assistance for farmers, including those who grow wheat.
    In 2019, Sen. Cantwell helped secure a provision in the $16 billion USDA relief package, ensuring sweet cherry growers could access emergency funding to offset the impacts of tariffs and other market disruptions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Questions Experts on Importance of Increased U.S. Presence in Greenland

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing this week, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) questioned expert witnesses on the strategic importance of Greenland and the need to maintain a strong American presence in the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap.

    During the hearing, Senator Fischer questioned Dr. Rebecca Pincus, Director of the Wilson Center Polar Institute, and Mr. Alexander Gray, a senior fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council, on the importance of Pituffik Space Base and the U.S. radar systems based in Greenland, as well as the significance of the GIUK Gap in light of increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. Senator Fischer highlighted how critical it is that the Department of Defense maintain its access to spectrum airwaves so it can detect and track incoming threats to our homeland.

    Click the image above to watch a video of Sen. Fischer’s questioning

    Click here to download audio

    Click here to download video


    Senator Fischer questions experts:

    Senator Fischer:     Dr. Pincus, there’s been much discussion of late on Greenland, but I think what’s underappreciated is something that you were trying to focus on, and that’s the importance of Greenland to a whole host of U.S. strategic interests that are there. And, obviously, yes, we need to develop a good working relationship, a good partnership, with Greenland. You mentioned the Space Base that’s in Greenland. It’s a critical forward operating location. It is the Department’s northernmost installation. It hosts radar systems that are essential to our missile defense.

    You know, the comment was made that there could be flight paths of ICBMs over Greenland. Well, that may or may not happen. But what is key there is that no matter where in the Arctic ICBMs are flying, what we have to have is radars to be on Greenland so that not only can they track, but they can also detect any incoming threats.

    I’d also like to consider the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap, and Mr. Gray, maybe you’d want to add some into this discussion as well. As we look at the increased Russian submarine activity there in recent years, and you couple that with the growing Chinese and Russian presence in the Arctic, I think it’s hard to understate that Gap’s importance. So, both of you, do you assess that increased U.S. presence in the GIUK Gap would be beneficial?

    Dr. Pincus: Thank you very much, Senator, for that terrific question. You know, I think it’s very helpful to talk in terms of specifics. And in Greenland, we have long had radar installations to give us early warning of incoming ICBMs coming from Eurasia. And in the current era of hypersonics, new missiles, new missile delivery systems, it’s very important that those radars remain in place and that we recapitalize and modernize them to give us as much advance notice as possible. So, there’s a big radar system at the Pituffik Base. There’s a big airfield, there’s a deep-water port on the east coast of Greenland, that is the westernmost point of the GIUK gap. So, it is a key point for monitoring Russian naval activity and, you know, I think we are looking at a set of challenges in the GIUK gap related to Russian activity, undersea activity. That is a real problem set for us.

    The gap between Greenland, Iceland, the U.K., also I would add Norway, provides us some really important points from which to support monitoring and activity. It would be best to talk to the Department of Defense in a classified setting about what specific capabilities and access they may need. But I will say that the 1951 Defense Agreement gives us very wide access to Greenland. We have never had a problem asking for access and permissions and not getting it. And both Greenland and Denmark have made it clear that they stand ready to have that conversation again. I think the Danish defense investments that have been announced include domain awareness capabilities and presence that will help us.

    There’s certainly more that can be done, but I think being very specific about ‘what the problem is’ is helpful in terms of thinking about our appropriate response, and also recognizing that in an event of a contingency, fixed installations—whether it’s a radar asset or an airfield—they would be taken out with long range missile strikes. So, I would say that Russia doesn’t have the capability to seize and hold Greenland, and nor would there be a strong military argument for it to do so, given that its most likely response in the event of a contingency would be to strike those assets and then keep moving on.

    Senator Fischer: Which would also make it extremely important that DOD maintains that spectrum is used to be able to identify what’s coming in, not just for the homeland but also for Greenland.

    Dr. Pincus: Absolutely, and I think having a conversation about air defense and missile defense options we have. We do not have interceptors in Greenland. We do not have interceptors in Canada. We have them in Alaska. So, I think there is a conversation to be had about that specific capability. Thank you.

    Senator Fischer:     Mr. Gray, before I get called out, please.

    Mr. Gray:     Thank you, Senator. So many of our concerns, strategically, about Greenland, going back to the ‘40s, have been about the GIUK gap, and it’s been a concern across multiple great power competitors. It is a concern today. To me, the question is less—Dr. Pincus has made the comment about militarily, it would probably not be taken out. I’m more concerned about a future political arrangement in Greenland that could be influenced or controlled adversely by an adversary power in a way that would prevent us from being able to exercise the type of control or the type of domain awareness over the gap that we have had in recent years.

    That’s why I think these proposals that I’ve mentioned, others have put forward for what is the long-term political arrangement in connection with Greenland—it’s so important because we have to have the ability to maintain some sort of control and some sort of awareness over that gap. 

    Senator Fischer:     Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Freehold Royalties Declares Dividend for February 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Freehold Royalties Ltd. (Freehold) (TSX: FRU) announces that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend of Cdn. $0.09 per common share to be paid on March 17, 2025 to shareholders of record on February 28, 2025.

    These dividends are designated as “eligible dividends” for Canadian income tax purposes.

    Freehold is uniquely positioned as a leading North American energy royalty company with approximately 6.1 million gross acres in Canada and approximately 1.2 million gross drilling acres in the United States. Freehold’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada under the symbol FRU.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” on Trade

    Source: The White House

    THE “FAIR AND RECIPROCAL PLAN”: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering the development of a comprehensive plan for restoring fairness in U.S. trade relationships and countering non-reciprocal trading arrangements.

    • The “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” will seek to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and ensure fairness across the board.
    • Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of: this plan will put the American worker first, improve our competitiveness in every area of industry, reduce our trade deficit, and bolster our economic and national security. 

    AMERICA WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES: The United States is one of the most open economies in the world, yet our trading partners keep their markets closed to our exports. This lack of reciprocity is unfair and contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit.

    • There are endless examples where our trading partners do not give the United States reciprocal treatment.
      • The U.S. tariff on ethanol is a mere 2.5%. Yet Brazil charges the U.S. ethanol exports a tariff of 18%. As a result, in 2024, the U.S. imported over $200 million in ethanol from Brazil while the U.S. exported only $52 million in ethanol to Brazil.
      • The U.S. average applied Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff on agricultural goods is 5%. But India’s average applied MFN tariff is 39%. India also charges a 100% tariff on U.S. motorcycles, while we only charge a 2.4% tariff on Indian motorcycles.
      • The European Union can export all the shellfish it wants to America. But the EU bans shellfish exports from 48 of our states, despite committing in 2020 to expedite approvals for shellfish exports. As a result, in 2023, the U.S. imported $274 million in shellfish from the EU but exported only $38 million.
      • The EU also imposes a 10% tariff on imported cars. Yet the U.S. only imposes a 2.5% tariff.
      • A 2019 report found that across 132 countries and more than 600,000 product lines, United States exporters face higher tariffs more than two-thirds of the time.
    • This lack of reciprocity is one source of America’s large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods: closed markets abroad reduce U.S. exports and open markets at home result in significant imports, both of which undercut American competitiveness.
      • The United States has run a trade deficit of goods every year since 1975. In 2024, our trade deficit in goods exceeded $1 trillion.
      • Thanks to the proliferation of non-reciprocal barriers in just the last few years, the U.S. now runs a trade deficit in agriculture, worth around $40 billion in 2024.
    • Though America has no such thing, and only America should be allowed to tax American firms, trading partners hand American companies a bill for something called a digital service tax.
      • Canada and France use these taxes to each collect over $500 million per year from American companies.
      • Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America’s firms over $2 billion per year.
      • Reciprocal tariffs will bring back fairness and prosperity to the distorted international trade system and stop Americans from being taken advantage of.

    THE ART OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEAL: President Trump continues to deliver on his mandate given to him by the American People to put America First when it comes to trade.

    • As President Trump said in the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy on his first day in office, trade policy is a critical component of our economic security and national security.
    • In his first term, President Trump successfully ended the outdated and unfair NAFTA, replacing it with the historic USMCA to deliver one of the largest wins for American workers.
    • When our national security was threatened by a global oversupply of steel and aluminum, President Trump took swift action to protect America’s national security by implementing tariffs on imports of these goods.
    • In response to China’s intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and other unreasonable behavior, President Trump acted with conviction to impose tariffs on imports from China, using that leverage to reach a historic bilateral economic agreement.

    Just last week, President Trump leveraged tariffs to force Canada and Mexico to make long-overdue changes at our northern and southern borders, ensuring the safety and security of American citizens.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heart Health

    Source: NASA

    February was first proclaimed as American Heart Month in 1964. Since then, its 28 (or 29) days have served as an opportunity to encourage people to focus on their cardiovascular health.
    The International Space Station serves as a platform for a variety of ongoing research on human health, including how different body systems adapt to weightlessness. This research includes assessing cardiovascular health in astronauts during and after spaceflight and other studies using models of the cardiovascular system, such as tissue cultures. The goal of this work is to help promote heart health for humans in space and everyone on Earth. For this Heart Month, here is a look at some of this spaceflight research

    Microgravity exposure is known to cause changes in cardiovascular function. Engineered Heart Tissues assessed these changes using 3D cultured cardiac tissues that model the behavior of actual heart tissues better than traditional cell cultures. When exposed to weightlessness, these “heart-on-a-chip” cells behaved in a manner similar to aging on Earth. This finding suggests that these engineered tissues can be used to investigate the effects of space radiation and long-duration spaceflight on cardiac function. Engineered tissues also could support development of measures to help protect crew members during a mission to Mars. Advanced 3D culture methodology may inform development of strategies to prevent and treat cardiac diseases on Earth as well.

    For decades, human research in space has focused on professional and government-agency astronauts, but commercial spaceflight opportunities now allow more people to participate in microgravity research. Cardioprotection Ax-1 analyzed cardiovascular and general health in private astronauts on the 17-day Axiom-1 mission.
    The study found that 14 health biomarkers related to cardiac, liver, and kidney health remained within normal ranges during the mission, suggesting that spaceflight did not significantly affect the health of the astronaut subjects. This study paves the way for monitoring and studying the effects of spaceflight on private astronauts and developing health management plans for commercial space providers.

    Vascular Echo, an investigation from CSA (Canadian Space Agency), examined blood vessels and the heart using a variety of tools, including ultrasound. A published study suggests that 3D imaging technology might better measure cardiac and vascular anatomy than the 2D system routinely used on the space station. The research team also developed a probe for the ultrasound device that better directs the beam, making it possible for someone who is not an expert in sonography to take precise measurements. This technology could help astronauts monitor heart health and treat cardiovascular issues on a long-duration mission to the Moon or Mars. The technology also could help patients on Earth who live in remote locations, where an ultrasound operator may not always be available.

    As part of exploring ways to keep astronauts healthy on missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA is conducting a suite of space station studies called CIPHER that looks at the effects of spaceflight lasting up to a year. One CIPHER study, Vascular Calcium, examines whether calcium lost from bone during spaceflight might deposit in the arteries, increasing vessel stiffness and contributing to increased risk of future cardiovascular disease. Astronaut volunteers provide blood and urine samples and undergo ultrasound and high-resolution scans of their bones and arteries for this investigation. Another CIPHER study, Coronary Responses, uses advanced imaging tests to measure heart and artery response to spaceflight.
    These studies will help scientists determine whether spaceflight accelerates narrowing and stiffening of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, or increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, a rapid and irregular heartbeat seen in middle-aged adults. This work also could help identify potential biomarkers and early warning indicators of cardiovascular disease.
    Melissa Gaskill
    International Space Station Research Communications Team
    Johnson Space Center

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Webb Maps Full Picture of How Phoenix Galaxy Cluster Forms Stars

    Source: NASA

    Discovery proves decades-old theory of galaxy feeding cycle.
    Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have finally solved the mystery of how a massive galaxy cluster is forming stars at such a high rate. The confirmation from Webb builds on more than a decade of studies using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, as well as several ground-based observatories.
    The Phoenix cluster, a grouping of galaxies bound together by gravity 5.8 billion light-years from Earth, has been a target of interest for astronomers due to a few unique properties. In particular, ones that are surprising: a suspected extreme cooling of gas and a furious star formation rate despite a roughly 10 billion solar mass supermassive black hole at its core. In other observed galaxy clusters, the central supermassive black hole powers energetic particles and radiation that prevents gas from cooling enough to form stars. Researchers have been studying gas flows within this cluster to try to understand how it is driving such extreme star formation.

    “We can compare our previous studies of the Phoenix cluster, which found differing cooling rates at different temperatures, to a ski slope,” said Michael McDonald of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, principal investigator of the program. “The Phoenix cluster has the largest reservoir of hot, cooling gas of any galaxy cluster — analogous to having the busiest chair lift, bringing the most skiers to the top of the mountain. However, not all of those skiers were making it down the mountain, meaning not all the gas was cooling to low temperatures. If you had a ski slope where there were significantly more people getting off the ski lift at the top than were arriving at the bottom, that would be a problem!”
    To date, in the Phoenix cluster, the numbers weren’t adding up, and researchers were missing a piece of the process. Webb has now found those proverbial skiers at the middle of the mountain, in that it has tracked and mapped the missing cooling gas that will ultimately feed star formation. Most importantly, this intermediary warm gas was found within cavities tracing the very hot gas, a searing 18 million degrees Fahrenheit, and the already cooled gas around 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
    The team studied the cluster’s core in more detail than ever before with the Medium-Resolution Spectrometer on Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). This tool allows researchers to take two-dimenstional spectroscopic data from a region of the sky, during one set of observations.
    “Previous studies only measured gas at the extreme cold and hot ends of the temperature distribution throughout the center of the cluster,” added McDonald. “We were limited — it was not possible to detect the ‘warm’ gas that we were looking for. With Webb, we could do this for the first time.”

    Webb’s capability to detect this specific temperature of cooling gas, around 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit, is in part due to its instrumental capabilities. However, the researchers are getting a little help from nature, as well.
    This oddity involves two very different ionized atoms, neon and oxygen, created in similar environments. At these temperatures, the emission from oxygen is 100 times brighter but is only visible in ultraviolet. Even though the neon is much fainter, it glows in the infrared, which allowed the researchers to take advantage of Webb’s advanced instruments.
    “In the mid-infrared wavelengths detected by Webb, the neon VI signature was absolutely booming,” explained Michael Reefe, also of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lead author on the paper published in Nature. “Even though this emission is usually more difficult to detect, Webb’s sensitivity in the mid-infrared cuts through all of the noise.”
    The team now hopes to employ this technique to study more typical galaxy clusters. While the Phoenix cluster is unique in many ways, this proof of concept is an important step towards learning about how other galaxy clusters form stars.The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
    Downloads
    Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu.
    View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
    Read the research paper published in Nature.

    Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
    Hannah Braun hbraun@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
    Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

    More Webb News
    More Webb Images
    Webb Science Themes
    Webb Mission Page
    Article: Large-scale Structures
    Article: Phoenix Galaxy Cluster’s black hole
    Article: Spectroscopy 101

    What is the Webb Telescope?
    SpacePlace for Kids
    En Español
    Ciencia de la NASA
    NASA en español 
    Space Place para niños

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lunar Space Station Module Will Journey to US ahead of NASA’s Artemis IV Moon Mission

    Source: NASA

    A key element of the Gateway lunar space station has entered the cleanroom for final installations after completing environmental stress tests.

    When NASA’s Artemis IV astronauts journey to the Moon, they will make the inaugural visit to Gateway, humanity’s first space station in lunar orbit. Shown here, technicians carefully guide HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost)—a foundational element of Gateway—onto a stand in the cleanroom at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. The element’s intricate structure, designed to support astronauts and science in lunar orbit, has entered the cleanroom after successfully completing a series of rigorous environmental stress tests.
    In the cleanroom, technicians will make final installations before preparing the module for transport to the United States, a key milestone on its path to launch. This process includes installing and testing valves and hatches, performing leak checks, and integrating external secondary structures. Once these steps are finished, the module will be packaged for shipment to Gilbert, Arizona, where Northrop Grumman will complete its outfitting.

    As one of Gateway’s four pressurized modules, HALO will provide Artemis astronauts with space to live, work, conduct scientific research, and prepare for missions to the lunar surface. The module will also support internal and external science payloads, including a space weather instrument suite attached via a Canadian Space Agency Small Orbital Replacement Unit Robotic Interface, host the Lunar Link communications system developed by European Space Agency, and offer docking ports for visiting vehicles, including lunar landers and NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
    Developed in collaboration with industry and international partners, Gateway is a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis campaign to advance science and exploration on and around the Moon in preparation for the next giant leap: the first human missions to Mars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Oscar Peterson: Cherishing a legacy of technical virtuosity and soulful swing

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Barrington Coleman, Professor and Jazz camp instructor, Carleton University

    The distinction given to the virtuoso — an artist recognized for exceptional skill and talent — is generated by their prominence and unique creative fortitude.

    Through the ages and across genres, virtuosi have been revered for their ability to transcend technical limitations and transport audiences into new realms of musical experience.

    Oscar Peterson’s artistic identity as a conveyor of compelling passion, expressive freedom and technical command of the piano through jazz improvisation became a beacon of inspiration among his contemporaries, across the spectrum of music.

    Here, as a professor of vocal jazz studies at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and as a performing vocal artist, pianist, choral conductor, jazz and gospel artist, I reflect on elements that contributed to Peterson’s identity, distinctive sound and mission as a Black artist.

    As a visiting instructor at Carleton University in Ottawa, I am pleased to present these thoughts in collaboration with my colleague, James Deaville, a musicologist who has researched virtuosity.

    Trailblazer in virtuosity

    Peterson’s legacy stands as a bright beacon among the trailblazers in technical virtuosity and soulful expression.

    Peterson, who was born in 1925 and passed away in 2007, was a foundational catalyst for new generational keepers of artistic excellence due to his tremendous range, from rhapsodic spontaneity to vulnerable tenderness.

    This contributed to his iconic stature, globally evidenced in sold-out concert halls, filled jazz clubs and many commissioned works. His media personality and his television appearances, including performing his acclaimed composition “Canadiana Suite” in 1964, contributed to the pop culture of his generation.

    I was delighted to visit Peterson’s home church in Montréal with my wife on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20.

    Childhood milieu, training

    Peterson established his musical heritage through the bonds of family and church in his childhood home of the Little Burgundy community in Montréal.

    He did so as one of five siblings with his immigrant father and mother respectively from the British Virgin Islands and St. Kitts.

    Video about Oscar Peterson and Montréal’s Little Burgundy, from Historica Canada, featuring Céline Peterson, Oscar’s daughter.

    Founded in 1907, the Little Burgundy church home of the Petersons, Union United Church, still stands. It serves as a representation of faith-based progressive activism, social consciousness and a resource for the civility and human rights of its congregation. The church proudly displays its African and Afro-Caribbean heritage, and “continues to serve a diverse congregation with roots from over 50 countries.”

    Throughout centuries, Black churches have intrinsically been linked to the core of community engagement, socialization, educational programs, political activism and such initiatives as job training and raising health-care awareness.

    At Union’s observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, individuals spoke to the congregation and with me privately of their lifetime multi-generational sacrifices, accomplishments and efforts to combat racial injustice and employment inequities. These endeavours they undertook from their origin as a community of immigrants and parishioners of colour.

    One meeting of great significance took place with Annie “Mildred” Rockhead, the sister-in-law of Rufus Nathaniel Rockhead (1896-1981), Jamaican-born entrepreneur and founder of the famed Rockhead’s Paradise Jazz Club in Little Burgundy.

    Another was with Oliver Theophilus Jones, critically acclaimed African Canadian jazz pianist, composer and educator.

    Notably, Jones, like Peterson, received musical tutelage under the accomplished Daisy Peterson Sweeney (1920-2017), Oscar’s sister.

    Virtuosic fluency

    Sweeney and Peterson’s father were his first musical teachers.

    An amalgamation of concepts and cultural exposures established the platform for Peterson’s musical explorations. His training in western music theory and his immersion in Black vernacular traditions — comprising linguistic, oral and improvisational elements from Black cultural, popular and religious spaces, and music genres such as spirituals, gospel, blues and jazz — provided him with an expansive repertoire on which to build.

    Pedagogic guidance with such mentors as Hungarian concert pianist Pauly de Marky and the influence of iconic jazz pianist Art Tatum also contributed to Peterson’s unique mix of virtuosic fluency.

    Peterson absorbed a wide range of stylistic influences in tempos and dynamics into his prevailing spiritual core of swing and blues.

    ‘Soulful swing’

    Peterson’s tutelage and cultural absorption contributed to an identifiable expressive voice of stylistic grace, impeccable command of his instrument and execution of spiritual freedom.

    I refer to this freedom as the identity of Peterson’s interminable musical statement of “soulful swing.” It draws on blues from its historical roots of cries, moans, and smiles through tears, of the hope and joyful praise of gospel and the pride and grace of jazz. These may all be woven into a charismatic tapestry of rhapsodic virtuosity or solemn stillness.

    In exploring Oscar Peterson’s encompassing discography, I reference two mesmerizing excerpts from the Solo recording, featuring solo piano renditions performed for live audience in 1972, released 2002.

    Peterson’s performance of the classic Edward Heyman jazz ballad, “Body and Soul,” contains innovative depth, improvisatory brilliance and transportive eloquence. Through these elements, and its structural pace-setting, the performance may be aligned to some of great virtuosi of music history, including such masters of the piano as Franz Liszt, Vladimir Horowitz and another Canadian, Glenn Gould.

    Oscar Peterson’s ‘Body and Soul.’

    Each statement of the song is presented in incremental segments. We hear the mastery of harmonic inflection, dramatic flare — and elements of surprise. Peterson escorts the listener through multiple doors of rapture, humour, joy and personal tenderness.

    “Hogtown Blues” presents Oscar’s rhythmically precise, memorable melody punctuated by harmonic “call and response” phrases raised out of the African American diaspora from secular work songs to sacred songs of faith, hope and praise.

    Throughout each consecutive chorus, Peterson extends this lyrical simplicity into euphoric release by the application of virtuosic complexity in keyboard techniques. Yet, during this journey, the constant dance groove remains at the forefront of Oscar’s signature expressive voice — swing!

    Dignity, elegance, empowerment

    As Canada celebrates Black History Month and the centennial commemoration of Peterson, I am most inspired by Peterson’s own words about his “Hymn to Freedom,” originally featured on the Night Train album with the Oscar Peterson Trio.

    Of the song, inspired by the words and life of Martin Luther King Jr., Peterson said:

    “I wrote the song with hope because the lyrics personified exactly what I was thinking): ‘When every man joins hands and forever sings in harmony, that’s when we’ll be free.‘”

    Today, Peterson’s stardom continues to resonate as one of the first world-renowned African Canadians. He set a path for many African Canadian artists of today like The Weeknd, Drake and hip-hop legend Maestro Fresh Wes, who paid tribute to Peterson in his 1991 track “Nothin’ at All.”

    As one of our most prolific representatives of dignity, elegance and empowerment over adversity, Peterson’s artistic profile and lifetime achievement remain a legacy to cherish.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Oscar Peterson: Cherishing a legacy of technical virtuosity and soulful swing – https://theconversation.com/oscar-peterson-cherishing-a-legacy-of-technical-virtuosity-and-soulful-swing-247288

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Empowering youth, strengthening local governments

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bucks County Fugitive Wanted for Child Pornography Distribution Arrested in West Virginia

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Philadelphia, PA — Members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force have arrested Mark Wills, 60, in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Wills was wanted by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office for manufacturing and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials to children 13 and under. Over the past year. Wills is accused of manufacturing hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse material and sharing them online. The children Wills is accused of victimizing are believed to be throughout the United States and Canada. On February 6th, a warrant was issued for Will’s arrest, and the case was delegated to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia. 

    On February 13th, investigators from the Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia developed information Wills was presently in West Virginia. At approximately 8:00 p.m. Deputy Marshals from the Clarksburg office located Wills at the Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Wills was approached by Deputies and apprehended without incident. Wills is being held without bond at North Central Regional jail in Doddridge County where he awaits extradition to Bucks County.  

    “Every child deserves a safe environment, and the arrest of Mark Wills demonstrates the U.S Marshals Service commitment to protecting the innocent” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

    The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent crime fugitives. Membership agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General Agents, Immigration Customs Enforcement, Chester Police Department, Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: H&R Block and Tinder Team Up to Celebrate Singles this Tax Season

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Managing finances as a single person can be tough, especially in the face of rising costs. That is why H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), the pioneer of the tax preparation category founded 70 years ago, has teamed up with Tinder to give 10 lucky singles a financial boost on Feb. 15, 2025, National Singles Awareness Day. Through a special sweepstakes offered this tax season, the leading companies are offering singles a chance to win extra cash – recognizing that navigating money matters alone can be tough, and a little support goes a long way.

    Beyond daily expenses, tax season sheds light on the financial disparities between singles and couples. In 2022, single filers received an average refund of $1,777, while married couples received an average refund of $2,620, and heads of household received more than three times what single filers received1.

    “Married couples often benefit from a lower effective tax rate and a larger refund when they file jointly, combining their income, deductions and credits,” said Andy Phillips, Vice President, H&R Block’s The Tax Institute. “Meanwhile, the lower refund size for single filers is likely the result of other factors, such as single filers being less likely to claim child-related tax credits than head of household or married filers.”

    Easing Financial Challenges

    To help ease the financial challenges some singles may face, H&R Block and Tinder are hosting a sweepstakes that will run from Feb. 15 to March 15. How does it work? Starting on National Singles Awareness Day, Tinder users can enter for a chance to win $1,777, accessible in the Tinder app or Tinder’s TikTok bio. Entrants must be 18+ and a U.S. resident2. See here for more information and to enter for a chance to win on Feb. 15.

    What many know is that financial wellness is not just personal – it shapes relationships, starting with the one you have with yourself. And, in the dating world, financial stability is now a top priority.

    A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder found that one of the top traits men and women seek in a potential partner is financial stability (20%), along with loyalty (48%), attractiveness (42%) and honesty (37%). Reflecting this trend, “finance” became the second most popular Tinder bio mention in 2024, surging 82% from the year prior3.

    Filing Taxes: Almost As Easy As Tinder’s Swipe®Experience

    This is not H&R Block’s first partnership focused on navigating the world of taxes and finances as a single person. During the 2024 tax season, H&R Block broke the traditional marketing mold by creating Responsibility Island, a parody that aired on Roku and YouTube and is based on well-known and loved reality TV dating shows. Responsibility Island featured a group of young adults who think they are embarking on the latest dating show journey. To their surprise, what they thought would be an adventure to find true love is a responsibility boot camp. The show followed cast members as they took on a gauntlet of challenges in adulting designed to teach self-reliance and productivity. In the finale, they faced the mother of all responsibility to get off the island – filing their own taxes.

    “At H&R Block, we want to make filing your taxes as easy as the Swipe Experience,” said Jill Cress, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, H&R Block. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Tinder to connect with their audience and meet Gen Z customers where they are. After all, 87% of our Gen Z customer base is single. While we cannot guarantee a perfect match, we can guarantee stress-free filing that is accessible for everyone.”

    For more information on the sweepstakes, check out the Official Rules on Feb. 15, and head to Tinder’s Tik Tok and Instagram, keeping an eye out for a guest appearance from one of the beloved stars from Responsibility Island. You might hear a few hints dropped on what is to come for the show’s cast later this tax season.

    To learn more about H&R Block’s tax preparation services, many ways to file, and year-round financial support, visit hrblock.com. For media assets, visit hrblock.com/tax-center/newsroom or for a downloadable Tax Season 2025 media kit, visit https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/media-kit/tax-season-2025/. And for helpful tips and information, follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

    About H&R Block 
    H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time and also be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with year-round bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, and payment processing solutions. For more information, visit H&R Block News.  

    About Tinder 
    Launched in 2012, Tinder® revolutionized how people meet, growing from 1 match to one billion matches in just two years. This rapid growth demonstrates its ability to fulfill a fundamental human need: real connection. Today, the app has been downloaded over 630 million times, leading to over 97 billion matches, serving approximately 50 million users per month in 190 countries and 45+ languages – a scale unmatched by any other app in the category. In 2024, Tinder won four Effie Awards for its first-ever global brand campaign, It Starts with a Swipe™.

    Tinder®, Swipe®, the flame logo, and It Starts with a Swipe™ are registered trademarks of Tinder LLC.

    1Source: Table 1.3. All Returns: Sources of Income, Adjustments, Deductions, Credits, and Tax Items, by Filing Status, Tax Year 2021 (Filing Year 2022); SOI tax stats – Individual statistical tables by filing status | Internal Revenue Service
    2No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. 18+ U.S. only. Rules at https://fooji.info/SinglesTaxRefundRules
    3A survey of 4000 18-30-year-olds who are actively dating in the US, UK, Canada and Australia between Sept. 25, 2024 and Nov. 4, 2024 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canadian Citizen Charged With Aerial Photography Of Defense Installation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the filing of a criminal information charging Xiao Guang Pan (71, Canada) with three counts of using an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment without authorization. If convicted, Pan faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison on each count. 

    According to the criminal information, Pan used an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. On three separate days in January 2025, Pan took aerial photographs of Space Launch complexes, a payload processing facility, a submarine wharf, and munitions bunkers. Taking unauthorized photographs of vital defense installations or equipment is prohibited under federal law. 

    An information is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshals Service, the NASA Office of Inspector General, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Memoriam: Ross D. MacKinnon, Former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Ross D. MacKinnon, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and Professor Emeritus of geography, passed away from pancreatic cancer at his home in Sonoma, California, surrounded by family, on Jan. 27, 2025, at the age of 82.

    A dedicated leader and scholar, MacKinnon left a lasting impact on UConn and the many students, faculty, and colleagues who had the privilege of working with him.

    As dean of CLAS from 1996 to 2008, he oversaw a period of transformative growth and investment in the College. He played a pivotal role in guiding CLAS through the UConn 2000 capital program, a state-funded initiative that revitalized the University and strengthened its academic foundation.

    Throughout his tenure, he championed major investments in faculty hiring, research, and academic programs. He also spearheaded several multidisciplinary initiatives that continue to shape UConn’s academic community today.

    Among his many accomplishments, he led the creation of the UConn Humanities Institute, which supports humanities scholarship through funding, fellowships, and programming. He was also instrumental in establishing the Human Rights Institute and the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, now known as the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy.

    Before joining UConn, MacKinnon served as dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and professor of geography at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He previously served as head of SUNY Buffalo’s Department of Geography, during which time he strengthened the department’s graduate program and scholarly reputation. Prior to that, he was a faculty member in the University of Toronto’s geography department.

    MacKinnon earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of British Columbia in 1964, a Master of Science in geography from Northwestern University in 1966, and a Ph.D. in geography from Northwestern University in 1968.

    He was a proud Canadian and naturalized U.S. citizen who believed in the promise of America. He loved traveling, sharing a good meal with friends, live jazz, contemporary painting, new plays, UConn men’s and women’s basketball, and the Buffalo Bills. He had a great sense of humor and was quick with encouragement.

    He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Hoskin, and his two daughters, Pam and Caroline MacKinnon.

    His family asks those who wish to honor his memory to take a moment to remember Ross and consider supporting the Dean Ross MacKinnon Endowment for CLAS Graduate Fellows.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deer Lake — Two individuals arrested by RCMP NL at traffic stop on Route 430, cocaine and cash seized

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Two men were arrested on February 12, 2025, by RCMP NL’s West District General Investigation Section (GIS) at a traffic stop that was conducted on Route 430.

    As part of an ongoing investigation, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, GIS, with assistance from Deer Lake RCMP, stopped a vehicle on Route 430 near Reidville. The two vehicle occupants were arrested for possession for the purpose of drug trafficking.

    At the traffic stop, officers located and seized a quantity of cocaine, more than $2000.00 cash and other items consistent with possession for the purpose of drug trafficking. Both men were transported to Deer Lake detachment and were released on a number of conditions. The pair are set to appear in court at a later date, each to face a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

    The investigation is continuing.

    If you have information about drug activity in your community, please contact your local police or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with interim President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the interim President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

    The Prime Minister offered congratulations on the success of ending the Assad regime, which inflicted decades of suffering on the Syrian people. He underscored that Canada continues to stand with Syrians in their pursuit of a more just and inclusive society, noting Canada has welcomed over 100,000 refugees since 2015. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and Special Envoy Alghabra are currently attending the International Conference on Syria in Paris, France, where they will discuss how the international community can support the Syrian people in re-building their country.

    Prime Minister Trudeau and interim President al-Sharaa agreed on the importance of an inclusive political process to ensure lasting peace and stability for all Syrians. The Prime Minister underscored the importance of protecting human rights, including women and minority communities, as well as establishing good governance for Syria. He also emphasized Canada’s support for the immediate delivery of assistance and to facilitate the delivery of aid into Syria to support its redevelopment efforts. Both acknowledged the challenges of the current sanctions and efforts undertaken by the transitional government to put Syria on the path towards future success.

    The two leaders looked forward to a new chapter for Syria, and they agreed to remain in contact.

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Living to tell the story: Lawsuit accuses ER doctor of anti-Indigenous racism

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mary Jane Logan McCallum, Professor of History, University of Winnipeg

    On Jan. 15, 2023, Justin Flett arrived at the emergency room at St. Anthony’s Hospital, in the Pas, Manitoba.

    According to Flett’s statement of claim, submitted to the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba in December and as reported by CBC News and APTN, he told the triage nurse he was experiencing distressing abdominal pain.

    Flett was assigned a triage score of five, which is intended for non-urgent low-priority cases. The statement of claim alleges that the physician who finally saw Flett insinuated that he was hungover, saying something to the effect of: “I don’t know what to tell you, we don’t treat you here for hangovers.”. Flett was not given diagnostic tests, imaging, a physical examination or pain medication.

    In a statement made through his lawyer, Flett said, “I knew that there was something seriously wrong with me and this doctor didn’t seem to want to take me seriously or help me. In that moment, I just felt worthless.”

    Flett is a father of six, a building contractor, a resident of Winnipeg and a citizen of Tataskweyak First Nation.

    Flett’s statement of claim says he endured an 11-hour bus trip to Winnipeg to seek the care he needed while in severe pain and without other healthcare alternatives.

    Once in Winnipeg, Flett called 911 and requested an ambulance. He was instructed by the operator to take a taxi to Seven Oaks Hospital. There he was triaged as a priority but still told to wait.

    He finally underwent surgery for acute appendicitis more than 30 hours after he first sought care. The surgery left Flett with complications.

    Flett is suing the Winnipeg and Northern Regional health authorities as well as an ER doctor, accusing them of racism and failing to provide timely care.

    As scholars of Indigenous and settler colonial history, we see Flett’s story within an enduring pattern of anti-Indigenous medical racism.

    A pattern of anti-Indigenous medical racism

    Brian Sinclair is not here to personally tell his version of what happened in the 34 hours he spent in September 2008 in the emergency room of a major Winnipeg hospital.

    Structures of Indifference by Mary Jane Logan McCallum and Adele Perry.

    Sinclair, a middle-aged Anishinaabe man, died from what is normally an easily treated infection. In our 2018 book, Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City, we show how Sinclair’s tragic and unnecessary death reveals some painful truths about the ongoing history of settler colonialism, and how its legacies continue to devalue Indigenous life.

    Sinclair’s death and Flett’s accusations can only be understood within a history of settler colonialism and segregated medical care that is exemplified by the “Indian hospitals” that ran from the 1920s to the 1980s. They must also be understood in context of a society that blames Indigenous people for their own deaths.

    Sinclair was assumed to be drunk by medical staff and did not receive timely or adequate care, while Flett accuses medical authorities in Manitoba of the same treatment.

    These types of experiences are not particular to Manitoba, but are mirrored by incidents of medical racism across Canada.

    Tania Dick, Dzawada̱ʼenux̱w registered nurse and current Indigenous Nursing Lead at the University of British Columbia, explained to CBC’s The Current in 2018 that many Indigenous families have their own “Brian Sinclair story.”

    This includes the family of Joyce Echaquan. Echaquan was a 34-year-old Atikamew mother of six, who recorded hospital staff hurling racial slurs at her while withholding medical treatment causing her death in a hospital north of Montréal in September 2020.

    Inadequate treatment

    Both Echequan’s and Sinclair’s families and communities made sure that their deaths did not go unnoticed.

    In Sinclair’s case, an inquest and a number of reports resulted in significant changes to the way that patients are triaged and managed.

    Echaquan’s experience led to an inquest and the development of Joyce’s Principle, which aims to “guarantee to all Indigenous people the right of equitable access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.”

    These cases have helped fuel a growing awareness about anti-Indigenous medical racism, including among organizations of medical professionals.

    Apologies and pledges

    Two years ago, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) apologized and accepted responsibility for failing to fairly treat Indigenous patients and they pledged to take action against anti-Indigenous racism.

    And last year, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) also acknowledged the racism and discrimination that Indigenous patients and health care providers face. They apologized and pledged to “act against anti-Indigenous racism in health care.”

    When we discuss these stories and the apologies in our classrooms we find our students know it is time to think beyond quick fixes and surface remedies. Rather, we need to address racism and colonialism as powerful determinants of health.

    The inquests, reports and apologies appear to have fallen short. Flett’s lawsuit claims that his treatment violated Sections 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It seeks damages under Section 24.1, which says that those whose rights or freedoms have been violated can seek remedies from the courts.

    It is a good time for us all to think about the ongoing costs of anti-Indigenous racism in Canada’s past and present.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Living to tell the story: Lawsuit accuses ER doctor of anti-Indigenous racism – https://theconversation.com/living-to-tell-the-story-lawsuit-accuses-er-doctor-of-anti-indigenous-racism-247078

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bay Roberts — Bay Roberts RCMP seeks public’s assistance in locating vehicle stolen in Bay Roberts (UPDATED)

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    UPDATE: The vehicle has been recovered.

    Bay Roberts RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance in relation to a vehicle stolen from Bay Roberts in the overnight hours of Monday, February 3, 2025.

    The grey, four door 2017 Honda Civic Touring, NL license plate JGZ 878, was stolen from a residential property in the Water Street area. A stock photo of the same vehicle is attached.

    Anyone with any information about this crime, the identity of the person(s) responsible or the current location of the vehicle is asked to contact Bay Roberts RCMP at 709-786-2118. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app. #SayItHere

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Helping Alberta industry lead the world

    [. However, many of these technologies don’t yet exist, are still early in development or are not yet commercially available. Given our energy leadership, Alberta will continue to lead the way.

    Alberta’s government is investing $55 million from the industry-funded TIER program to help industries, big and small, test and implement the technologies they need to keep leading the world. Delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta, this funding will help 15 projects develop cutting-edge technologies that could one day be used across Canada and around the world.

    “When it comes to innovation, Alberta’s track record is second to none. This funding will help empower our industry and businesses to develop the new technologies that are in demand around the world. This funding is a win-win: creating jobs, reducing emissions, and strengthening our economy for the benefit of all Albertans.”

    Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

    This funding will support projects across the economy, including the energy, newsprint, cement, water treatment, dairy and forestry sectors. In total, $46 million will go to 12 projects through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Industrial Transformation Challenge, with an additional $8.7 million invested in three projects approved through the Partnership Intake Program.

    “By investing in these technologies today, we are helping to maintain Alberta as a global leader in industrial innovation and paving the way for a more sustainable and competitive future across our industries.”

    Heather Stephens, chief operating officer, Emissions Reduction Alberta

    Funding ranges from $500,000 to $10 million for each project, including:

    • $10 million to help Alberta Newsprint Company make best-in-class energy efficiency upgrades that will reduce costs and improve the mill’s competitiveness.
    • $8.4 million to help Dairy Innovation West advance a new approach for developing concentrated milk products that can be transported with less energy and further processed into other dairy products, increasing the province’s milk-processing capacity.
    • $7.45 million to help the City of Calgary install a first-in-Alberta and second-in-Canada technology to use thermal energy at the Fish Creek wastewater treatment plant.
    • $4 million to help Lafarge Canada explore using calcined clay in cement products, lowering the overall emission intensity of cement while maintaining strength.
    • $3.7 million to help Flash Forest Inc. advance a proof-of-concept that uses drones, AI-based site selection software and ecological science to speed up and improve tree planting and reforestation. 
    • $2 million to help Merlin Plastics develop a commercial-scale operation that will divert hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills or incineration.
    • $700,000 to help TS-Nano Canada test a new product that will more effectively seal oil and gas wells, reducing potential methane leaks and reducing operational costs.

    “With support from the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta, Alberta Newsprint Company will adopt state-of-the-art technologies that significantly reduce its carbon footprint, demonstrating Alberta’s leadership in sustainable manufacturing.”

    Ron Stern, president and chief executive officer, Alberta Newsprint Company

    “This funding support enables the City of Calgary to employ innovative low-carbon technology to heat the new infrastructure for the Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade project. By using heat pumps to recover thermal energy from wastewater effluent as a heat source, the project significantly reduces the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

    Michael Thompson, general manager, Infrastructure Services, City of Calgary

    “The support from the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta has been instrumental in driving the development and deployment of innovative technologies for the Dairy Innovation West facility. This funding not only accelerates our progress but also underscores Alberta’s commitment to advancing clean technology and sustainable solutions that have a lasting impact both locally and globally.”

    Henry Holtmann, chair, Dairy Innovation West

    A full list of funding and project details can be found at https://www.eralberta.ca. 

    Quick facts

    • These projects are estimated to reduce 119,000 tonnes of emissions each year, 394,000 tonnes of emissions by 2030, and more than 2.2 million tonnes of emissions by 2050.
    • These projects are estimated to create almost 1,600 jobs and inject $237 million into Alberta’s GDP by 2027.
    • Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Partnership Intake Program acts as a catalyst to de-risk and deploy novel technology solutions by giving applicants the opportunity to leverage funding from both Emissions Reduction Alberta and trusted partner organizations.
    • Industrial Transformation Challenge applicants and their technologies can originate from anywhere in the world, but projects must be piloted, demonstrated or deployed in Alberta and show significant emissions reduction and economic benefits within the province.  
    • Successful applicants are eligible for up to $10 million per project, with a minimum request of $500,000. Funding received through the Industrial Transformation Challenge will match private contributions on a one-to-one basis.

    Related information

    • Industrial Transformation Challenge
    • Partnership Intake Program

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stephenville — Man found inside home during residential break and enter tracked by RCMP Police Service Dog Thor

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Following a report of a residential break and enter in progress in Stephenville, 49-year-old Terrance Benoit, who had fled from the home on foot, was tracked and located by RCMP Police Service Dog Thor.

    Shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Bay St. George RCMP received the report of a residential break and enter in progress at a home located on Townview Road. Surveillance footage captured a man inside the residence. Police immediately attended the scene and searched the home for the suspect. Officers found fresh footprints in the snow at the back of the residence. RCMP Police Service Dog Thor and his handler, Cpl. Ralph, attended the area and conducted a track which led to a home on Woodland Drive in Stephenville.

    Shortly before 7:00 a.m., Benoit, who matched the individual captured on the surveillance footage, was arrested and was taken into police custody. A number of stolen items, that had been discarded in the snow near Townview Road, were recovered and returned to the owner.

    Later in the day yesterday, a search warrant obtained under the Criminal Code was executed at the residence where Benoit was arrested. Police recovered additional stolen property and other evidence in relation to the break and enter.

    Benoit attended court yesterday charged with break and enter, failure to comply with a condition of a release order and breach of probation. He was held in custody and will appear in court again today.

    On February 12, shortly before the report of this break and enter, police received a number of reports of a suspicious person breaking into vehicles in Stephenville on York Avenue, Fairview Avenue, Gallant Street and Viking Terrace. Those matters remain under investigation.

    Anyone having surveillance footage of a suspicious person in the areas mentioned above or in the area of Townview Road in Stephenville between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. is asked to contact Bay St. George RCMP at 709-643-2118.

    The investigation is continuing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: BCIT begins $48 million renewal of Burnaby Campus

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    From BCIT News: https://commons.bcit.ca/news/2025/02/south-campus-infrastructure-renewal-scir/

    The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is beginning a major revitalization project on the south side of its Burnaby Campus, which will ultimately enrich the applied educational experience for students and further cultivate a thriving work environment for employees. The BCIT South Campus Infrastructure Renewal project (SCIR) provides a unique opportunity to enhance public spaces, improve accessibility, and create a more vibrant and inclusive campus environment. It will also upgrade aging infrastructure to ensure climate resilience and support sustainability efforts.

    With a $48 million investment from the Province of British Columbia, this phase of the SCIR project encompasses the first three of five separate zones of the project with construction set to begin in early 2026 and to run until 2029.

    “Our government is committed to investing in B.C. to strengthen and diversify it, and the best way to do that, is by investing in the future workers of the province,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills. “The infrastructure upgrades at BCIT today will create a cutting-edge environment to be the foundation for training and education and foster growth, opportunity, and bigger paychecks for all.”

    “It’s great to see schools like BCIT growing and adapting to meet the diverse needs of their students,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “The updates to the South Campus will enhance the student experience while also providing more staff and visitors with an enriched environment, reflecting our government’s commitment to creating sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities that foster growth and opportunity for all.”

    An initiative that puts people and sustainability at the forefront

    The project involves significant upgrades to critical underground infrastructure in the South Campus area, including electrical, gas, water, sanitary services, and stormwater systems south of Goard Way. These upgrades will enhance climate resilience and prepare the campus for future developments.

    “The South Campus Infrastructure Renewal Project is vital to BCIT’s future – creating a sustainable, interconnected community that enhances education, supports staff and faculty, and fosters industry collaboration,” said Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, BCIT President. “We thank the Province of British Columbia for investing in this transformative initiative that enables BCIT to continue to deliver on its vision of empowering people, shaping BC, and inspiring global progress.”

    Above ground, the campus will see more open spaces, a restored urban greenway, a campus walkway connecting the new Tall Timber Student Housing building to the core of campus, and upgraded wayfinding, bicycle networks, and accessibility throughout public areas. Additionally, the project will support the continued daylighting of Guichon Creek – creating a natural ecological habitat suitable for salmon.

    Notably – this project also marks the retirement of the Energy OASIS site. This highly successful project built by BCIT’s Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART) includes a large solar panel canopy, control systems, and EV charging. Over its lifespan, OASIS successfully demonstrated how large-scale microgrids can complement and connect to utility networks as well provide resilience when the grid power is not available. The SMART team continues to leverage the learnings of OASIS and looks forward to sharing updates on future projects soon.

    Throughout the revitalization period, the SCIR will function as a Living Lab for students, faculty, researchers, and industry partners. Students, particularly those in Civil Engineering, Ecological Restoration, and Construction Management, will gain hands-on experience through collaboration with industry professionals involved with the project.

    Follow the project and learn more by visiting: https://www.bcit.ca/campus-plan/major-projects/scir/ or by following: https://www.instagram.com/bcitcpf/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: INTERPOL WASHINGTON AND CANADA SIGN HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP TO COMBAT TREN DE ARAGUA

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Lyon, France — INTERPOL Washington Director Jeffrey A. Grimming and National Central Bureau Ottawa Director Marie-Josee Homsy have signed a historic Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to strengthen cross-border law enforcement collaboration against Tren de Aragua (TdA), one of the world’s most dangerous transnational criminal organizations. Exploiting recent migration patterns, TdA has expanded its presence in North America and is now in cities and communities across both countries. This landmark agreement enhances the ability of INTERPOL Washington and NCB Ottawa to combat TdA through robust information sharing, coordinated law enforcement support, and strengthened border security efforts.

    “Today, we have taken a great leap forward in our fight to eradicate TdA in the United States,” said Director Grimming. “By bringing our combined law enforcement resources to bear, the United States and Canada have ensured that TdA will find no safe harbor in either of our nations. Together, as partners, we will work in lockstep to disrupt and dismantle TdA and remove their violent criminal operatives from our communities.”

    “Tackling Transnational Criminal Organizations like TdA requires transnational cooperation,” said Director Homsy. “These groups threaten security and stability across the Americas. This signing is an example of the strong collaboration that takes place between Canadian and American authorities every day – as well as the power and reach of INTERPOL capabilities. By working together, we can dismantle criminal networks, protect our communities, and reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law.”

    According to the MOC, both countries have agreed to take concrete actions within the INTERPOL framework to improve police coordination, information sharing, and operational support against TdA in the United States and Canada. This includes enhancing the timely and secure exchange of criminal intelligence, operational data, and best practices regarding efforts against TdA; coordinating joint investigations and activities targeting TdA; and strengthening mechanisms to detect, prevent, and respond to illicit cross-border TdA activities.

    This agreement was signed during Director Grimming’s participation in the INTERPOL Heads of National Central Bureaus Conference in Lyon, France. In addition to the signing, INTERPOL Washington engaged in high-level bilateral and multilateral meetings with key partners in the fight against TdA. Director Grimming also delivered a keynote presentation on U.S. efforts to dismantle TdA, sharing strategies and best practices with law enforcement leaders from over 140 countries.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways humans have scuppered the love lives of animals

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

    In Canada, male bears are becoming more nocturnal and overlapping less with females. Erik Mandre / shutterstock

    Frustrated with which dating app to use? Unable to find “the one”? Spare a thought for some of the animal kingdom, where humanity has hampered their efforts to find a mate.

    Humans have destroyed or polluted animal habitats. But perhaps the most obvious way that we have affected animals is by placing barriers, such as roads, between populations, making it hard for individual animals to reach each other. In response to this habitat fragmentation, reptile and bird species have increased the distances they move by 35% and 50% respectively.

    Here are five more ways that humans have scuppered the love lives of animals.

    Noise pollution causes animals to sing louder

    Song is hugely important for birds and some other animals, as it indicates their fitness – those who sing louder, or more elaborately, are better able to defend territories against rivals and attract higher quality mates. But city-living great tits have to sing at a higher frequency than those in rural areas, in order to be heard over the sound of low frequency urban noises, such as traffic and machinery. They also sing faster, shorter songs.

    Songbirds have learned to survive in a noisy world.
    Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / shutterstock

    And its not just terrestrial animals that have changed their behaviour in response to humans. As oceans are largely dark, most marine animals rely on non-visual cues, such as sound, to help them find food, navigate and attract mates. Although some whale song can be over 180 decibels in volume – comparable to the sound of a rocket launch – and heard thousands of miles away, ocean noises caused by humans can be even louder.

    Not only does noise pollution make it much harder to communicate to potential mates, it has also been linked to more frequent strandings, reduced growth and low fertility in whales and dolphins. Narwhals, for example, have even responded to loud noises by diving deeper into the oceans, using up vital resources that they could be putting into reproducing.

    Human disturbance makes mammals more nocturnal

    Given that humans are daytime dwellers, it’s not surprising that some animals have developed nocturnal habits to avoid coming into contact with us. Animals often practice this sort of risk avoidance, but typically they move in space – away from us. With a reduction in available space, animals are also moving in time.

    Mammals have been found to become more nocturnal in response to human disturbance. This disturbance could be anything from hiking to hunting: animals tend to view all human activity as threatening, whether it is or not.

    For example, large male brown bears become more nocturnal when humans are present. But this creates less competition for food during the day. Consequently, the females stick to their daytime activity, essentially separating the males and females in time, and making it increasing difficult to find a mate that won’t fall asleep on them.

    Introduced species hybridise with locals

    Species that are introduced to areas where they are not usually found, whether on purpose or by accident, often wreak havoc on the native animals, spreading disease and out-competing, or even preying, on them.

    The white headed duck is endangered, thanks to hunting, habitat loss, and the new thread of interbreeding with ruddy ducks.
    smutan / shutterstock

    The ruddy duck was unintentionally introduced to Great Britain from North America around 75 years ago, and quickly spread throughout western Europe. After finding their way to Spain, they mated with the endangered white-headed duck, managing to produce fertile offspring and a new hybrid duck. This is pushing the white-headed duck to extinction – not good if you are a white-headed duck looking for love.

    Chemical pollution turns males into females

    Imagine searching for a reproductive partner only to find none of the opposite sex. This is the unfortunate situation some fish have found themselves in.

    Some streams, containing wastewater or effluents, are polluted with synthetic oestrogens from birth-control pills. A study on fathead minnow fish found that increased levels of synthetic oestrogens caused males to have less developed testicles and early-stage eggs. The fish that developed these intersex traits – both male and female characteristics – were found to have fewer and less mobile sperm, which reduced their fertilisation success. This can lead to less sustainable populations, ultimately resulting in extinctions – hardly a good way to find love.

    A rubbish Valentine’s Day gift

    Animals often ingest plastic and other rubbish, or becoming tangled in it. But rubbish isn’t entirely bad news for all animals.

    For instance, birds often use human-made materials when building nests, implying that some species are intentionally using rubbish to show off to members of the opposite sex. One particular species, the satin bower bird, constructs highly ornate bowers – stages where the males show off to the females – decorated with blue items. The more complex the bower, the better the mating success.

    Bower building, with blue plastic litter.
    Ken Griffiths / shutterstock

    But, as there are relatively few blue items in nature, the males now decorate their bowers with as many bright blue items of human rubbish as possible, including bottles tops, crisp packets, pegs and even blue condom wrappers. So, although humans are making it increasingly difficult for animals to survive and reproduce, for this particular bird, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

    Louise Gentle works for Nottingham Trent University

    – ref. Five ways humans have scuppered the love lives of animals – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-humans-have-scuppered-the-love-lives-of-animals-249425

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The love we seek: How to build authentic and healthy relationships

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By DaLissa Alzner, Registered Psychotherapist, Adjunct faculty in the Department of Applied Psychology, Adler University

    A healthy relationship is one where you feel comfortable being your authentic self. (Shutterstock)

    Many people spend much of their lives searching for what is arguably one of the most subjective of human experiences — true love. From popular movies, TV shows and dating apps to a cultural focus on finding “the one,” the phenomenon of love is inescapable. Our preoccupation with social connectedness is biologically connected to our desire for human connection.

    But how do we establish connections across all our relationships that positively contribute to our well-being? Identifying the characteristics of a healthy relationship and being mindful of red flags is a reasonable place to start.

    Love is often one of those things that you just know when you feel it. While it is difficult to define love as an explicit experience or construct, there are certain guides we can use to understand what makes a loving relationship.

    What makes a healthy relationship?

    If you believe that friends are the family we choose, then you have been fortunate to experience a meaningful friendship that positively contributes to a reality where you feel appreciated, valued and have a sense of belonging.

    This experience of connection can be defined as compassionate love — originally coined as a component of the Two-Factor Theory of Love, which suggests love is comprised of two main categories. The first is passionate love, which is the intense longing for someone that may end in sexual connection or rejection. The second is compassionate love, which is associated with friendship, companionship and affection.

    A healthy relationship is one where you feel comfortable being your authentic self. As children, we are encouraged to contribute to social situations by being ourselves. As we grow, however, pre-conceived notions and human constructs like social comparison, stone-walling and gaslighting often push us to conform to certain standards or conceal who we are and how we feel

    Being your authentic self means aligning your actions and behaviours with your core values and beliefs. This allows you to engage in self-discovery and thrive in every environment or relationship you find yourself in.

    This alignment fosters a sense of congruence between your internal self and external expressions, allowing you to interact with others genuinely. Engaging with others authentically allows you to navigate social interactions with integrity and fosters deeper, more meaningful relationships.

    What does love look like?

    While love can be a difficult thing to define, there are some ways that we can sense when it is present, and when it isn’t.

    Celebrating differences: Embracing the authenticity and differences of friends, siblings and partners fosters appreciation. This can reduce criticism, unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction in relationships. Forcing change may work briefly, but it often leads to resentment and unhappiness.

    Putting in the work: The grass is greener where you water it. Whether it’s a 25-year or five-month partnership, relationships require effort and co-operation. Working through individual differences to achieve a common goal is crucial in relationships. Siblings may need to overlook disagreements, while friends should meet regularly.

    Leaning into language: When extending a gesture or token of appreciation, consider how it will be received by your partner — not by you. For instance, if you enjoy going out for dessert, but the other person prefers staying at home, you might initially think to take them out for dessert. However, to ensure the gesture is meaningful, present it in a way that aligns with their preferences and how they receive affection.

    Diffusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy encourages people to create psychological and emotional space when conflict arises. This makes space for them to process conflict objectively, while also de-personalizing the interaction, contributing to emotional regulation and an ability to respond intentionally. The ability to develop and facilitate this skill is a vital tool for emotional regulation across relationships and circumstances.

    To curate healthy and meaningful relationships, be intentional about nurturing connection, authenticity and mutual respect.
    (Shutterstock)

    Signs love may not be present

    Our need to belong and form meaningful connections drives our desire for companionship. When these efforts fail or relationships break, it is painful. Yet, there are some potential signs that can indicate when love is no longer present in a relationship.

    Lack of communication and avoiding conflict: Poor communication and avoiding conflict can harm relationships. Research shows that not communicating leads to misunderstandings, emotional withdrawal and unresolved issues. Avoiding conflict can result in internalizing emotions, passive-aggressive behaviour and tension. In friendships, poor communication can cause feelings of being unheard or undervalued. Studies indicate that healthy friendships rely on open communication and respectful conflict resolution.

    In family relationships, dysfunctional communication often contributes to division and resentment. Family therapy research has found that a lack of open communication can contribute to generational misunderstandings, leading to dysfunctional family dynamics.

    Lack of empathy and emotional support: Empathy is essential for maintaining a long and satisfying relationship longevity. In the absence of empathy, relationships are more likely to become emotionally disconnected and particularly one sided, where one person is identified as the giver and the other the recipient.

    Within families, particularly between parents and children, the absence of empathy may lead to significant emotional strain. Research has found that if family members fail to offer emotional support or to recognize each other’s needs, it negatively impacts family cohesion and individual well-being.

    Controlling or manipulative behavior: Controlling behaviours, like restricting autonomy or manipulating someone into believing they are the problem in every situation, poses a serious threat to the well-being of a relationship. Research has shown that controlling behaviours often reflect insecurity and can contribute to abusive dynamics in relationships.

    In friendships, manipulation may present as guilt-tripping, isolating from others or using emotional leverage to get one’s way. Research in this area suggests that healthy friendships involve mutual respect and boundaries, and when manipulation is present, satisfaction and trust is significantly reduced.

    In families, controlling behaviours from parents, siblings or other relatives may contribute to a decrease in personal growth. The creation of toxic family dynamics manipulation and control at the hands of family has been found to significantly contribute to damaging effects over time, particularly in the parent-child relationship.

    To curate healthy and meaningful relationships, be intentional about nurturing connection, authenticity and mutual respect. By celebrating differences, putting in effort, communicating openly and practising emotional regulation, it is possible to create meaningful relationships that will positively contribute to our well-being.

    At the same time, we need to be diligent in recognizing and addressing red flags like poor communication and manipulative behaviours. Doing so allows us to safeguard our emotional health. Start today — reflect on your relationships, embrace authenticity and take the steps necessary to build deeper, more supportive connections that enrich your life.

    DaLissa Alzner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The love we seek: How to build authentic and healthy relationships – https://theconversation.com/the-love-we-seek-how-to-build-authentic-and-healthy-relationships-247674

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: ASIRT investigations concluded on three files

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Saskatchewan’s Building Construction Leads the Nation

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on February 13, 2025

    Province ranks first in year-over-year growth

    Today, new Statistics Canada data shows that Saskatchewan’s building construction investment increased by 30.0 per cent in December 2024 compared to December 2023 (seasonally-adjusted). The province also saw a 9.4 per cent increase in month-over-month growth from November 2024 to December 2024.

    This ranks Saskatchewan first in year-over-year and second in month-over-month growth in this category among the provinces.

    “The increased activity we are seeing across our construction sector is a testament to the confidence individuals and businesses have in our province’s strong and stable economy,” said Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding. “Every new project contributes not only to job growth and infrastructure development, but further bolsters Saskatchewan’s economy. These investments lead to direct benefits for Saskatchewan’s communities, now and into the future.”

    Investment in building construction is calculated based on the total spending value on building construction within the province.

    Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers indicate that Saskatchewan’s 2023 real GDP reached an all-time high of $77.9 billion, increasing by $1.77 billion, or 2.3 per cent from 2022. This places Saskatchewan second in the nation for real GDP growth, and above the national average of 1.6 per cent.

    Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 2023. This is the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.

    Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan unveiled its new Securing the Next Decade of Growth – Saskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy. This strategy, combined with Saskatchewan’s trade and investment website, InvestSK.ca, contains helpful information for potential markets and solidifies the province as the best place to do business in Canada.  

    For more information visit InvestSK.ca.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David J. Galbreath, Professor of International Security, University of Bath

    European defence ministers left their meeting in Brussels on February 12 in shock after the new US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, told them they could no longer rely on the US to guarantee their security.

    Hegseth said he was there “to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe”.

    He also insisted that European countries provide the “overwhelming” share of funding for Ukraine in the future. The US has been the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine, with its weapons, equipment and financial assistance crucial in helping Kyiv resist the Russian invasion.

    Hegseth’s comments are in keeping with the stance of the US president, Donald Trump, on the Nato transatlantic military alliance. Trump sees Nato as an excessive financial burden on the US and has repeatedly called on its members to increase their defence spending.

    But Hegseth’s remarks could also be seen as a sign of America’s waning commitment to the terms of Nato’s founding treaty. Signed in 1949 by the US, Canada and several western European nations, Article 5 of the treaty requires member states to defend each other in the event of an armed attack.

    The US has the largest military – and the biggest stockpile of nuclear weapons – in Nato. So, on the face of it, efforts to recast the alliance appear a drastic shift in Europe’s security landscape in the post-cold war era.

    However, those familiar with the political sentiment around Nato and the defence of Europe in the US will see that this move follows in the footsteps of what others have sought to do – starting from the very end of the cold war.

    Changing over time

    In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nato was under considerable pressure to change for the new world order. A rising China was not yet on the minds of many in Washington, but the feeling was that the financial commitments the US had made to defend western Europe during the cold war could not continue.

    The so-called “peace dividend”, a slogan popularised by former US president George H.W. Bush and former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, allowed nearly all Nato states to reduce their military spending at this time.

    In 1992, almost as soon as European Nato countries were shrinking their forces and moving away from mass armies to professional soldiering, the alliance became actively engaged in maintaining a no-fly zone over Yugoslavia.

    A new Nato was becoming apparent. It was transitioning from being a collective defence organisation to one of collective security, where conflicts were managed on Nato’s borders.

    A US fighter jet at Aviano air base, Italy, after a mission over Bosnia to enforce the no-fly zone in 1993.
    Sgt. Janel Schroeder / Wikimedia Commons

    This collective security arrangement worked well to keep the alliance together until 2001, when the administration of George W. Bush entered the White House and involved the US in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, Nato invoked Article 5 and returned to the principle of collective defence.

    Many European countries, including the new, smaller Nato states like Estonia and Latvia, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. The persistent justification I heard in the Baltic states was “we need to be there when the US needs us so that they will be there when we need them”.

    Yet in 2011, before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were over, the administration of Barack Obama introduced a foreign policy strategy known as the “pivot to Asia”. The implication was that the US would shift its attention from primarily the western hemisphere to China.

    By this point, China had become the second-largest economy in the world and was rapidly developing its military. The reaction to this US policy shift in European capitals was one of shock and disappointment. They saw it as the US deciding that its own security did not sit in Europe like it had since 1945.

    Then, in 2014, Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. The pivot to Asia looked like it had stalled. But US interest and investment in European defence continued to decline, with American military bases across Europe closed down. The first Trump administration continued the pattern set by Obama.

    President Joe Biden, who entered office in 2021, used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to show European leaders that the US still saw its own security in Europe and that it would stand beside Ukraine.

    But the US continued to insist that European countries invest in their own defence. The UK, Poland and France have all committed to increase their defence spending over recent years – though spending by European Nato states as a whole continued to fall.

    There has been a long-held belief in the US that Europe is “freeriding” on American power. While the US saw its own security in Europe, this freeriding was allowed to continue.

    But as the perspective of the US has changed, with the focus now on countering China, it has been keen to suggest that European defence should increasingly become the job of Europe itself.

    Nato will not go out with a bang. It is much more likely to gradually disappear with a whimper. After all, who did Trump meet on his second day in office? Not Nato but the Quad: an alliance between Australia, India, Japan and the US in the Indo-Pacific.

    David J. Galbreath has received research funding from the UKRI.

    – ref. US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making – https://theconversation.com/us-says-european-security-no-longer-its-primary-focus-the-shift-has-been-years-in-the-making-249813

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will Lucy Letby get a retrial? Here’s what happens next with her case

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel Alge, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London

    Lucy Letby was convicted in two trials in 2023 and 2024 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others in her care at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England between 2015 and 2016.

    She is currently serving 15 whole life sentences for the murders. But the case has been called into question as a result of growing concerns about the expert evidence presented at her trial. Will she get a retrial? Here’s what happens next.

    In the context of usually cautious expert opinion, the press conference held on February 4 2025 was extraordinary. An international panel of medical experts investigating the medical evidence against Lucy Letby concluded that there were alternative explanations for each of the deaths. They said they found no evidence of deliberate harm, and believe Letby did not murder any babies.

    The panel’s chair, Dr Shoo Lee, is a retired neonatal care expert. His 1989 paper on air embolisms was heavily relied on by the prosecution in the Letby trial and appeals. However, Lee has previously said that his research was misinterpreted at trial. At the press conference he said, “we did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.”

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    The panel’s findings put the case in uncharted territory, given Letby’s very recent convictions and the continuing public inquiry into the case.

    The public inquiry – the Thirlwall Inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester hospital – will operate based on the assumption, following her convictions, that Letby is guilty. Letby’s barrister has called for the inquiry to be halted pending the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) review of her case.

    Despite the findings of the expert panel, Letby’s release or even a retrial is by no means imminent, let alone guaranteed. Letby has already had two applications for leave to appeal refused. The grounds of appeal were related to what her defence argued were errors in judicial decision making during the trial, rather than the medical evidence. Nonetheless, this means that the CCRC is the only route left open to Letby to challenge her convictions.

    Letby’s defence team confirmed that a preliminary application has been made to the CCRC, with a full submission to follow. The CCRC investigates potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    The commission is expected to treat Letby’s case as a priority given the public interest. But it is still likely to take at least a year to review the considerable evidence before a referral back to the Court of Appeal could even be considered.

    What evidence will be considered?

    The CCRC aims to complete cases within 12 months of receiving the application. But the organisation has recently come under criticism over how it handled the case of Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a crime he did not commit.

    When the CCRC considers the full application, they have the power to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal. In order to do so, the commission requires new evidence or other relevant factors which would support a fresh appeal.

    The findings of the medical panel will be part of the defence submission. The CCRC will decide, with other factors, whether they constitute fresh grounds for an appeal. It is particularly compelling that the prosecution case relied on Dr Lee’s research, and yet it is in part his expertise that has become a crucial element of the defence.

    To send the case back for appeal, the CCRC would also need to conclude that there was a “real possibility” of the conviction being overturned.

    It is important to remember that the case against Letby included statistical and circumstantial evidence as well as medical opinion. However, what are alleged to be numerous fallacies in the statistical evidence have been highlighted. And circumstantial evidence is just that – circumstantial. Letby was convicted on the medical evidence.

    The evidence given as part of the Thirlwall Inquiry will be within the remit of the CCRC too. Although the inquiry has not yet formally concluded, all oral testimony has taken place. As would be expected given the inquiry’s terms of reference, much of the evidence heard has been less favourable to Letby.

    The CCRC also has the power under the Criminal Appeals Act 1995 to instruct its own expert witnesses and interview previous and potential new witnesses.

    If the CCRC ultimately decides to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, it will be treated like any other appeal. It could result either in the conviction being quashed and Letby going free, or a retrial.

    A retrial would follow if the appeal judges believed that a retrial met the criteria set out in the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 and was in the interests of justice. The likelihood of this outcome depends on the strength of the medical evidence presented to the CCRC and the Court of Appeal.



    Read more:
    Lucy Letby case: the problems with expert evidence

    As the Thirlwall Inquiry and the CCRC application are separate processes, is it technically not essential that the inquiry concludes before the CCRC makes a decision. Closing submissions to the inquiry are scheduled for March 2025, with the report expected later in the year. This should fit within the expected timeframe of the CCRC taking at least a year to consider the application.

    A further complicating factor is Lee’s assertion that the Countess of Chester hospital provided such bad care that it would have been “shut down” in his home country of Canada. This will no doubt lead to legal claims against the NHS trust, particularly if Letby is exonerated and culpability for avoidable deaths is sought elsewhere.

    Some, including Lee, have gone so far as to suggest the new evidence is so compelling that Letby should be released on house arrest pending the CCRC review. This would be highly unusual, and for the time being, Letby remains imprisoned as one of the worst child serial killers in modern British history.

    Daniel Alge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Will Lucy Letby get a retrial? Here’s what happens next with her case – https://theconversation.com/will-lucy-letby-get-a-retrial-heres-what-happens-next-with-her-case-249415

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Global aviation giant lands in Alberta

    Lufthansa Technik Canada is establishing a state-of-the-art maintenance and repair facility at Calgary International Airport, specializing in Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) engines. As one of just five certified global operators for these next-generation engines, this $120-million investment positions Alberta at the heart of the global narrow-body aircraft market. This investment is a key catalyst for WestJet to enter into a 15-year, multi-billion-dollar maintenance contract with Lufthansa Technik, which will build and support Alberta’s aviation industry for years to come.

    “Alberta’s government is proud to welcome this historic partnership between WestJet and Lufthansa Technik Canada right here in Calgary. This agreement will have a far-reaching impact on our economy and it serves as a testament to the strong levels of investor confidence in our province. Alberta is a place where you can grow your business and thrive into the future. With our low corporate tax rate and highly educated workforce, Alberta continues to be one of the most business-friendly jurisdictions in North America. Today’s investment is further proof of Alberta’s national and international reputation as a leading aerospace and aviation hub.”

    Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta

    “This new, state-of-the-art facility is a major step toward making Calgary and Alberta global leaders in aviation innovation. Our government is proud to partner with the Calgary Airport Authority, industry leaders, and all levels of government to strengthen Canada’s aviation sector. We beat out strong competition to secure this opportunity, showcasing our region’s innovative spirit and commitment to  reducing emissions. Together, we’re developing and adopting cutting-edge technologies that will boost the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized businesses across the aviation supply chain.”

    Terry Duguid, federal minister of Sport and minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development

    Lufthansa Technik Canada is the latest grant recipient of Alberta’s Investment and Growth Fund (IGF), receiving $3 million in provincial funding to build a new aerospace maintenance facility at the Calgary airport. The IGF is one of several investor support services and programs offered by Alberta’s government.

    Alberta’s government is also providing $4.45 million through the Aerospace Workforce Development Grant to provide training and employment supports to ensure Lufthansa Technik Canada has the skilled workers it needs to expand into the province. This grant is administered through Calgary Economic Development as part of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund to attract investment, drive innovation and spur transformative economic development in the aerospace sector. 

    Lufthansa’s investment is helping to further diversify Alberta’s economy and create important jobs for hard-working Albertans. Lufthansa Technik Canada’s investment will create up to 160 permanent jobs and up to 170 temporary construction jobs, giving Albertans more access to stable, well-paying jobs in a growing sector. These jobs will span across various roles, from highly skilled technicians to engineers and support staff, catering to the demands of the next-generation LEAP engines. This surge in jobs is taking off at a time when Alberta is diversifying its economy and expanding key industries, making these roles a vital part of the province’s economic growth trajectory.

    “Lufthansa Technik Canada’s investment is the latest addition to our growing aviation and aerospace sector. Alberta continues to attract world-class companies like Lufthansa Technik Canada because of its pro-business policies, low taxes and innovative talent. This investment will create hundreds of jobs for hard-working Albertans and further diversify our economy.”

    Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade

    Lufthansa Technik Canada will offer mobile engine maintenance and test cell services at Calgary International Airport, providing Canadian aviation operators with a more cost-effective, efficient alternative to overseas maintenance. This boosts operational efficiency while cutting costs. Its new Calgary facility will contribute to the growth of Alberta’s aerospace and aviation sector and create valuable jobs for Albertans.

    “Our agreement with WestJet represents one of the largest awards ever granted to any maintenance, repair and overhaul provider for CFM LEAP engines worldwide. It’s a contract that underlines Lufthansa Technik’s leading position in the support of new generation engine types. At the same time, we are grateful for the strong support from our local allies in Canada, which is essential in advancing the creation of a new engine repair shop and test cell facility in Calgary.” 

    Soeren Stark, chief executive officer, Lufthansa Technik

    This investment builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 between WestJet and Alberta’s government. WestJet committed to make Calgary its global headquarters, with both parties agreeing to work together to grow Alberta’s aerospace and aviation industry – including through attracting important aviation infrastructure investments. The facility is expected to break ground in mid-2025, with completion expected in 2027. WestJet will be Lufthansa Technik Canada’s first customer at the newly created engine maintenance facility, underscoring the partnership’s confidence in local expertise and innovation. WestJet’s request for proposal award was the largest contract in WestJet’s history and the largest award granted to any premier maintenance and repair provider for such engines in the Americas.

    “WestJet was founded on the idea of improving air travel and making it affordable for Canadians. This historic contract award will allow us to bring critical engine repair operations home to Canada and provide greater efficiency and cost certainty to a critical part of our operations, all while demonstrating our commitment to improving our competitiveness and supporting the Alberta economy. We are proud to partner with Lufthansa Technik. This is an extraordinary moment for WestJet, our guests, WestJetters, Western Canada’s communities and our suppliers.”

    Alexis von Hoensbroech, chief Executive officer, WestJet Group

    “After years of hard work and collaboration to showcase our city and build connections with industry partners, we are excited to see Lufthansa Technik land in the Blue Sky City. Calgary’s competitive business environment and deep talent pool position us for future growth, and the establishment of Lufthansa Technik’s Western Canada hub in our city proves what’s possible as we continue to establish ourselves as a global aerospace leader.”

    Brad Parry, president and CEO, Calgary Economic Development

    “This project is a remarkable example of what can be achieved when our aviation ecosystem and all levels of government come together – Lufthansa Technik as the premier supplier, WestJet as a vital cornerstone customer, critical support from Calgary Economic Development and the Government of Alberta through the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade along with funding from the Calgary Airport Authority, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Prairies Economic Development Canada and Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. By building this cutting-edge facility in Calgary, we ensure that WestJet and all Canadian airlines will have access to reliable, cost-effective and efficient maintenance services while building essential infrastructure in engineering, training and enterprise to make Calgary and Alberta a centre of aviation excellence within North America.”

    Chris Dinsdale, president and CEO, Calgary Airport Authority

    “We are proud to commit $172 million in financing towards infrastructure that supports aviation services at the Calgary International Airport. Our collaboration with the Calgary Airport Authority moves its project from the planning stage into shovels in the ground. The world-class facilities will strengthen Canada’s aviation infrastructure, and bring long-term, high-quality jobs and economic growth to the region.”

    Ehren Cory, CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank

    Alberta’s government will continue to work with Lufthansa Technik Canada to expand its footprint in Alberta once this project is in operation. With strong government support and a strategic position in the international market, Alberta remains the best place to live, work and invest in the future.

    Quick facts

    • The Investment and Growth Fund (IGF) is designed to be offered in select late-stage investment decisions, when Alberta may be competing with comparable jurisdictions that may offer other benefits or incentives to investors.
    • Since fall 2021, 12 IGF grants have been announced that will create more than 1,100 permanent full-time jobs and more than 1,100 temporary jobs, with a total capital investment of more than $765 million.
      • The IGF has helped to secure nearly $29 in private investments for every $1 in IGF funding.
    • The aviation and aerospace industry in Alberta is thriving with a growth in revenues of more than 17 per cent from 2021 to 2023.
    • Alberta’s Aerospace Workforce Development Grant supports attraction and training in the aviation and aerospace sector and aims to attract new investment while supporting the expansion of aerospace companies in Alberta.

    Related information:

    • Aviation, aerospace industries to take flight
    • WestJet news release
    • Lufthansa news release

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: BC Coroners Service announces inquest into the death of Cailin Shea McIntyre-Starko

    A coroner’s inquest has been scheduled to review the circumstances of the death of Cailin Shea McIntyre-Starko, known as Sidney.

    The public inquest will begin on Monday, April 28, 2025, at the Burnaby Coroners’ Court (20th floor, 4720 Kingsway, Metrotower II, Metrotown, Burnaby), starting at 9:30 a.m.

    The death of Sidney McIntyre-Starko, 18, was reported to the BC Coroners Service on Jan. 26, 2024, in Victoria.

    Under Section 19(1) of the Coroners Act, the minister of public safety and solicitor general may order an inquest if the minister is satisfied it is necessary or desirable in the public interest that an inquest be held.

    A coroner’s inquest is a non-fault-finding public inquiry that serves three primary functions:

    • to determine the facts related to a death, including the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means the individual came to their death, as well as a classification for the death;
    • to make recommendations, where appropriate and supported by evidence, to prevent deaths in similar circumstances; and
    • to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.

    Larry Marzinzik will be the presiding coroner. He and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding this death. The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations as outlined above, though a jury must not make any finding of legal responsibility or express any conclusion of law.

    Livestreaming allows the public and media to virtually attend an inquest. The same rules apply as for in-person attendance at an inquest. Reproduction, broadcasting and publishing of inquest proceedings is prohibited, including through social media. Supreme Court accredited media are permitted to record the proceeding solely for the accuracy of their notes. The recording is not to be broadcast in any form. Accredited media members must provide proof to the sheriff and always visibly display their accreditation when they are recording or using electronic devices in court. Recording for any other purpose or by anyone without appropriate accreditation is strictly prohibited. 

    Learn More:

    For more information about inquests, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death/coroners-service/inquest-schedule-jury-findings-verdicts

    To access the livestream, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death/coroners-service/inquest-schedule-jury-findings-verdicts/inquestlivestream

    To learn more about BC Coroners Service, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/coroners/

    MIL OSI Canada News –