Jobs, inflation impact considered before return of Russian turbine

OTTAWA — Newly released documents show that Ottawa considered the impact on jobs and inflation in its decision to return a turbine being repaired in Montreal to a Russian energy giant.

The “memorandum for action” prepared by Global Affairs recommended Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly exempt Siemens Canada from sanctions against Russia and allow it to return for use in a pipeline carrying gas to Germany.

The document, submitted in Federal Court in response to a challenge of the turbine decision filed by the Ukrainian World Congress, notes that Siemens’ specialist Montreal facility employs over 400 highly skilled employees.

In a redacted section, the memo warns of potential job losses or the closure of the facility, although the scenario that would cause that outcome has been removed as it contains “commercially sensitive information.”

The document also cautions that not returning the turbine could weaken support for the Western allies’ stance on Russia.

It says without the turbine, Russia could maintain the narrative that Western sanctions are limiting the pipeline’s ability to operate, and this would likely further increase world energy prices and global inflation.

Wastewater surveillance expanding to new public health threats: Tam

OTTAWA — Canada's chief public health officer says plans are underway to sift through Canadian sewage to test for and measure new health threats like monkeypox and polio.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic wastewater detection became a key way to track the spread of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam says the experts at the National Microbiology Lab have now discovered a promising approach to detect monkeypox in wastewater and will use the infrastructure developed during the pandemic look for it.

How that monitoring fits into the Public Health Agency of Canada surveillance efforts on monkeypox is not yet clear.

The Public Health Agency of Canada also intends to start testing for polio as soon as possible after United States health officials say they found the polio virus in New York City's wastewater.

Tam says wastewater detection is still imperfect but there' is a lot of innovation happening now and the public health agency is looking for the best method to help standardize the process in Canada.