A few weeks ago, we proposed to the community of Aces to ask Shushan questions about the First Nations. Well, here are the few questions she selected, and her answers, on video!
Why spy on Canada?
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
Yuesheng Wang
Two weeks ago, Yuesheng Wang, an employee of Hydro-Quebec, was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the country’s police. You can see him in the photo above. The 35-year-old man is accused of having obtained secret information concerning Hydro-Quebec, in order to send it to China. This espionage could harm Canada’s economy. We explain to you!
What happened ?
Yuesheng Wang had been an employee of Hydro-Québec since 2016. The acts of which he is accused took place over a period of four years, between February 2018 and October 2022.
Mr. Wang worked as a researcher to develop advanced technologies for electric vehicles. He mainly researched battery materials.
He was fired from the company earlier this month. What exactly was wrong? It is believed that he was doing research at Hydro-Quebec and sending the results to Chinese research centers without permission from his employer. He would also have used computers without authorization and defrauded to obtain secrets from Hydro-Québec.
The former employee living in Candiac is accused, among other things, of fraud and breach of trust. During his hearing at the Longueuil courthouse, he confessed that he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, but denied having come to Quebec to spy for the benefit of the Chinese government.
What interest would China have?
When companies have interesting technologies, other companies or certain countries may want to steal their research in order to use these technologies. Companies must therefore protect themselves well to prevent cyberattacks and espionage.
China has an interest in battery technologies, which would allow it to increase its power and improve its economy and military.
An ongoing investigation
The RCMP investigation began in August 2022, after a complaint from Hydro-Québec was forwarded to the police. The company had suspicions.
The police are currently trying to verify whether Mr. Wang had any partners in China. In recent weeks, the police have been shadowing him, that is to say, they were following him in order to obtain information for their investigation. Mr. Wang was reportedly seen with a group of hikers at Mont Saint-Bruno. One of them would be linked to the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei as well as the Chinese company HiNa Battery, which would have benefited from the secrets obtained by the accused.
A weekend of smoky camping!
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Daniel Vézina maintains that his three asthmatic children were seriously bothered by smoke during a recent camping trip.
A nice campfire with marshmallows and chocolate, what better way to end a family camping weekend? Despite this pleasure, you have probably noticed that campfires emit a lot of smoke which spoils the experience for some campers.
This is what happened to a family who recently went camping in Mont-Tremblant National Park. The three children, all asthmatic, therefore having a more fragile respiratory system, had serious health problems due to the smoke from the campfires. They were medicated on the spot, but symptoms persisted in the following days and since then their asthma seems to have worsened.
Even the dad, who doesn’t have asthma, has felt the ill effects of poor air quality and still struggles with his weekend outdoors. He was affected by a burning throat, itchy eyes and headache.
No prevention
On the website of the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ), which brings together many campsites in Quebec, there is no warning about the possible health problems associated with this typical camping activity.
Yet a 2009 study found that the air was highly polluted in the evening, when many campfires were lit.
Exposure to smoke from campfires can cause serious health effects within hours or days. It can even make an existing disease worse, which is very dangerous.
According to the study, fragile people, including asthmatics, should be particularly careful not to expose themselves to pollutants such as those emitted by campfires. Despite this recommendation, SEPAQ has not published a notice on its website.
A very popular activity
In SEPAQ advertisements and on its website, there are many images of families gathered around a campfire. For the organization, this is a practice that has always been rooted in the culture of campers. He believes the health risks are low and do not apply to all campsites.
In Quebec, there is no campground where campfires are prohibited. If you are a person with more fragile health, it is difficult to completely avoid pollution.
The father of the family is very unhappy with his stay and would like to see changes. For example, issuing warnings to campers about the risks associated with campfires and banning fires in certain areas, based on air quality data.
According to an article by Frédérik-Xavier Duhamel, The Press
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