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Politics • Business
Whether we like it or not, politics determines our future. To stay in control of our future, we need to stay informed. Taboo as it may be, it's time to talk politics!
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It's time to get honest about homelessness

The headlines last week were filled with stories of police removing homeless camps in Edmonton. These stories always catch my attention because I spent ten years helping the homeless. It began with volunteering at the local soup kitchen to becoming an intake worker at a day program. From there I took another job working with a team to help the hardest to house stabilize their personal chaos in order to get and maintain housing. They had to earn their housing making move in day an incredible celebration.

Years later as a landlord, I accepted a number of tenants from the housing first program. Mostly because I truly wanted to help, but also because I didn’t believe the housing first program worked and wanted to be proven wrong. I wasn’t.

Homelessness is both very emotional and very political. The demand for ‘government to do something’ is huge, and we have to look at it objectively. How many homeless people and how many dollars spent provides part of the picture but not the whole picture. The inhumane living conditions within the encampment as well as the effect on the community can be devastating. So, let’s start there.

Leading up to the removals, several reports of sexual assaults within these encampments were responded to. Police have also found people dead either from overdoses or because they had been burned alive. There was no suggestion anyone tried to help the victims or that those fires were accidental. There were also no bathrooms, no real social order; use your imagination.

Global News reported that 100 people were affected by the removal of these eight ‘high-risk’ encampments. From just one, sixty weapons were removed, everything from pocket knives to machetes to brass knuckles. Add to that, over 2,000 needles were collected overall. Think about that. One hundred people, very likely all of them armed, with an average of 20 needles each which represents a lot of drugs. When police arrived, they would have to watch for trip wires and other types of traps. The amount of waste removed from those encampments was 50,000kg, that’s over 110,000 pounds (I had to read that a few times, too).

We’re not talking about a bunch of folks down on their luck in a communal camp trying to get by. These are people, men and women, human beings, in 24/7 survival mode, while simultaneously dealing with whatever emotional or mental health issues they have, armed with weapons, higher than kites on whatever they can get their hands on.

Overdose calls to EMS in Alberta last year was up 44% from the year before and that’s after doubling in some places the year before that. Last year also saw a 25% increase in death from overdose just in Edmonton alone. Communities all over the province are suffering and people are dying. Crime rates are up, Albertans have never felt so unsafe, yet our jails aren’t full.

Nothing about this suggests harm has been reduced. As a consequence, crimes against residents and businesses have increased exponentially as well. Those living and working in the communities where these encampments were located have every legitimate reason to not want them there.

The Edmonton Journal reported the NiGinan Housing project, formerly the Sands Hotel, received $3million for 100 emergency shelter spaces. With 87 available, they were at half capacity. The Enoch Cree Nation received $2.3million to cover 100 emergency spaces at the former Coliseum Inn. These are just two of many shelters. Don’t forget all the government funding (taxpayer funding) that goes toward all the other shelters and programs in Edmonton, Calgary, and across the province. Police said there are enough shelter spaces for those who were living in these encampments and I believe that to be true.

This very much reminds me of our healthcare system. Buckets of cash are being poured in yet the problem has only gotten worse. Minister Nixon announced another $10million as Mayor Sohi decides he’s going to declare some sort of state of emergency from his vacation in Hawaii.

It is past time to get brutally honest about the situation and all involved. First, there is no way to end homelessness entirely so just forget about that. There will always be those who choose to live outside of society’s norms. Those folks also tend to stick to themselves and aren’t the ones wreaking all the havoc. As for the others, we can implement a three-step program.

Step 1- Has two parts

a) Shelter to treatment
People are choosing to stay outside in extreme weather rather than inside a shelter. There must be a reason so there needs to be some sort of audit done at these shelters to find out why. Once that’s been remedied, those who use the shelters around the province should be strongly encouraged to take advantage of further help. Open communication between the shelters and treatment centers is a must, with proper transportation provided when the person is ready and a bed available.

b) Jail to home/treatment
If someone breaks the law, they go to jail. This is not rocket science. Once time is served, they can either go home or to a treatment center. If that person does not turn their life around and gets in trouble again, the jail time gets longer with no parole. Once time is served, the option of treatment or home is offered again. If that person finds themselves guilty before a judge for a third time, they will now be in jail for a real long time.

Step 2- Treatment
Millions of dollars are currently being spent building treatment centers on reserves and there are several others around the province. I sincerely hope they are utilized to capacity and that it isn’t some stupid 21-day program. It needs to be 12 months with tangible help to deal with addiction, manage mental health issues, along with learning healthy life skills. It sounds simple, but it isn’t. For someone accustomed to stealing food while fighting the voices in their head, it’s quite the game of mental gymnastics to walk into a grocery store not only to buy groceries but budget for them beforehand.

Step 3- Housing/Employment/Schooling
Governments make awful landlords so building more ‘social housing’ or low-income housing is a terrible idea. Instead, treatment centers should work closely with their pre-grads to set them up for success upon graduation. Part of that is learning how to find somewhere to live as well as how to be a good tenant and neighbor.

If that person would like to go back to their home reserve, and it’s determined that will not impede their progress, communication with the band is critical. How can they welcome the graduate home and provide the support he/she needs otherwise?

If the graduate does not have a home reserve or has another community in mind where they would like to start fresh, connections need to be made for housing possibilities and follow up programs there. This provides as smooth a transition as possible to support that persons’ plans for either getting a job or furthering his/her education to get a job. Sitting at home doing nothing is not an option. For those whose mental health issues make holding a job challenging, there are opportunities to explore for them as well.

Think of the transformation that could happen. In one year, if even some of those who are our most broken take the help to get themselves out of that situation, they now have a hope and a future. Within two years that same person could be much healthier and part of making the community better rather than worse.

Let’s also be honest and admit not everyone will accept the help. That is just a reality. Of those who do, some may not make it through treatment the first time around. It’s not easy facing our demons. They may not make it the second time either, but that’s no reason to give up on them.

Many will chime in and say we have this now. No, we don’t. If we did, we wouldn’t have the problems we do. The illusion is there that these supports and programs exist, but the reality of what’s happening reveals otherwise. The system is broken.

The plan I have laid out is obviously very simplified. There would be a lot of moving parts to ensure everything required is in place and outcomes carefully measured. Very likely the first measurable outcome will be seen in our communities. Are they cleaner, safer, more welcoming? Yes? Great! Are there less homeless and more people living healthy productive lives? Yes? Mission accomplished.

It will take a lot of work to turn this around and some won’t be happy about it, but it can be done and everyone will benefit. Especially those who are living outside right now.

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What does the federal election mean for Albertans?

To understand the present, we need to look at the past. Especially when it comes to politics.

Though our province was colonized into Confederation in 1905, our history goes back further than that. The Europeans started showing up in the 1600’s and the Hudson’s Bay Company laid claim to most of central and southern Alberta in 1670. Fur traders and explorers came on the scene breaking trail, making maps, and creating commerce at every opportunity. Today, we have highways (Anthony Henday), buildings (Peter Pond Mall), and even a resort (David Thompson Resort) named after a few of them.

On July 1, 1867 Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became The Dominion of Canada under the British Commonwealth. Not long after that, Alberta and Saskatchewan became territories of the Province of the Northwest Territories. Over the next handful of decades, the other provinces negotiated their place in Confederation as well.

The Minister of the Interior, Sir Clifford Sifton, had a vision for the Province of the Northwest Territories. The ...

Healthcare and Headlines

Healthcare tends to make headlines and, sadly, rarely is it good news. While the original premise of a public healthcare system had merit, what it has become is a government corporation where tons of public money goes in with no explanation as to where it all went. As stewards of the taxes that fund our healthcare system the UCP, rightly, started asking questions. When fireworks followed they dug deeper and a plan to refocus our public healthcare system was created.

As changes began to unfold so did headlines containing accusations from both sides. The fired CEO of AHS decided to sue for wrongful dismissal to the tune of $1.7million. This isn’t the first time she has sued a government she worked for. Eventually a judge will get to the bottom of it, though there isn’t a lot of faith in that system either.  

Also making headlines was AHS agreeing to make a $28 million prepayment for imported drugs two weeks after telling doctors not to use those drugs. They blame the UCP for this debacle even though the ...

Who needs Reality TV when we have Politics?

Politics. Better than any reality TV you’ll ever come across, except it’s actually real and can be even harder to keep up with. Thanks to social media, never before have we seen world leaders duke it out publicly like this, in real time. It’s dizzying but good because it forces politicians to stay on their toes. For example, the tariffs. First, they were coming, then they weren’t, then they were, now they aren’t, for now, we think, but who knows.

The idea of Alberta becoming the 51st State or becoming independent has been the hot topic on every platform for weeks and seems to be gathering steam. Put both of those groups together and it’s possible we are close to a majority who want out of Confederation. Now that Carney is crowned Prime Minister, he may declare an economic and/or climate emergency and the independence movement in Alberta will skyrocket. It’s fair to say the ‘establishment’ has never been so nervous.

As far as I can tell, conservative Albertans want to trust their ...

A politically strong Alberta isn’t good for Ottawa
Shh... don't tell them we know

Politics is messy and, depending how much you want to get involved, it can be downright ugly.

Though there are exceptions, Albertans don’t tend to have a lot of bandwidth when it comes to federal politics. Ottawa is thousands of km’s away and our mere 33 seats out of 334 hardly amounts to a hill of beans. Given Canada’s Parliament is riddled with one scandal after another, it’s also exhausting and depressing.  

From the beginning, our place in Confederation has been contentious. In the 1980’s it came to a head and the west wanted out. It was looking like the Alberta separatists of that generation were gaining some significant steam. If something wasn’t done, it was going to get ugly. A few Alberta federalists got together and came up with a plan. Maybe a western based conservative party would help give the west a voice in Parliament. In 1987, the Reform Party of Canada was born with Preston Manning as its leader. Stephen Harper worked hard on the project as well and, in 1993 they won 52 seats. The west was in but it didn’t take long for The Reform Party to have aspirations of winning government. That can’t happen without eastern votes so, in 2000, the name was changed to the Canadian Alliance Party with Stephen Harper at the helm.

Now there were two national conservative parties with seats in the House of Commons, the Canadian Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party. In 2003, ‘unite the right’ negotiations were had and the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) was born with Harper as the Leader. So much for a western block.  

While all of that was going on federally, Ralph Klein became our premier in 1992 and really shook things up. Determined to run the province like a business, he had a mission to get us out of debt and did. Klein was also no slouch when it came to standing up to Ottawa or the anti oil and gas campaigns. Remember in 2002, when environmentalist Stephen Guilbeau trespassed onto the Premiers private property in an attempt to illegally install solar panels? Jerk.

Anyway, back in Ottawa, Calgary’s own Stephen Harper led the CPC to form a minority government in early 2006. The ‘west was in’ again but there was just one problem. A politically strong Alberta is not good for Ottawa. It’s rumored Premier Klien was paid a visit and encouraged to retire. In December of that same year, Ed Stelmach was elected the new leader.

Premier Stelmach didn’t have the same charisma or tenacity Ralph did. Now that Albertans saw what true conservatism could accomplish, we wanted more. But that was going to take someone really ready to stand up to Ottawa. Stelmach tried, but decided to step down as leader and let another take on the challenge. This is also when Danielle Smith was helping to put the Wildrose Party on the map.

From 2011-14 Alison Reford was our Premier. Prior to becoming an MLA, she advised various federal politicians and even worked for the UN at one time. Perhaps it was that experience that caused her to make the mistakes she did. Never before nor since, have we seen a Premier who felt so entitled to have anything and everything she wanted. Her spending scandals are so legendary that if she did actually do anything good for Albertans, nobody remembers.

After resigning in disgrace, Redford stayed on the down low for a while in Palm Springs, and eventually took a job with the World Bank in partnership with Afghanistan.

A former federal politician, Jim Prentice then came out of ‘retirement’ to lead the PC’s, which made him Premier in 2014. His arrogance helped the Wildrose Party gain momentum as the Official Opposition, and those in Ottawa were taking notice. Remember, a politically strong Alberta isn’t good for Ottawa.

With the help of some of his friends, including Preston Manning, Prentice convinced a number of Wildrosers to cross the floor, including their leader, Danielle Smith. Albertans were gob smacked and furious. Adding insult to political injury, before the remaining Wildrosers had a chance to regroup, in May of 2015, Prentice called a snap election. Albertans sent a message via the ballot box. Unfortunately, too many either cast a protest vote for the NDP or simply stayed home in frustration that year. Some say we split the vote and that’s true in some ridings though not all. At the end of the day, we voted the conservatives out which put the Notley NDP’s in.    

A dream come true, the NDP had no idea what to do, so they got to work destroying the province. Five months later, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals formed government and Albertans were catapulted into a politically induced recession. A mass exodus resulted and those remaining began talking about independence and separation louder than ever before. Conservatives in Ottawa were freaking out. While a politically strong Alberta isn’t good for Ottawa, Alberta’s independence from Ottawa would be catastrophic. In their eyes, anyway. The Conservatives, both provincial and federal, needed to come up with a plan.

The front runner for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada at the time was Jason Kenney but, desperate times call for desperate measures. Chosen to take a short hiatus from federal politics, Kenney was sent on a mission to ‘save’ Alberta. He could return to federal politics later, and besides, what better platform could one ask for. In 2017, Kenney won the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives. Taking a page out of the federal conservative playbook from decades prior, ‘unite the right’ talks began. The Wildrose, now led by Brian Jean, joined forces with the PC’s and the United Conservative Party of Alberta was the result. The details of how it all went down aren’t without controversy, including how Kenney won the Leadership. In April, 2019, many Albertans held their nose while voting and Kenney became Premier.   

Six months later, the Trudeau Liberals won the federal election again. Despite having the UCP government, Albertans knew that wasn’t enough and the independence movement exploded. Never before had it been so tangible and this is where it gets a little crazy. Wexit became a household name and before long the Wildrose Independence Party (not to be confused with the original Wildrose party) was gaining momentum across the province. Polls showed support had passed the tipping point, reaching 25% support for the party and even higher than that for independence. Conservative parties, both provincially and federally but mostly federally, were freaking out. This was not how things were supposed to go and Kenney really had his work cut out for him now.

What is the best way to kill a movement? Attack it from within. And that’s what happened. It wouldn’t be long before the Wildrose Independence Party (WIPA) spiraled creating a vacuum. Part of the WIPA diaspora created the Unity Project and then changed its name to the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP). The independence movement and appetite for it continued to grow despite the independence parties gasping for air.  

Kenney continued to make mistake after mistake after mistake and Albertans were not happy with the UCP at all. He had failed his mission. Capitalizing on this emotion, Take Back Alberta showed up to help mobilize Albertans and many came together to bring about change in the UCP leadership. With the Alberta Sovereignty Act in hand, Danielle Smith became our Premier. Singing a few good lines from the Separatist songbook, UCP membership and support was growing and attendance at the next AGM was record breaking.

This was great for Albertans but, remember, a politically strong Alberta isn’t good for Ottawa.

Our Premier stood even stronger and began pushing back harder against Ottawa. Travelling to other countries, she put Alberta on the map including attending COP28. Talk continued about having our own police force and pension and as the months went on even more separatists joined the UCP, including yours truly.

Maybe because the acronym was the same, I’m not sure, but the Alberta Prosperity Project narrowed its focus to sharing the advantages of having an Alberta Pension Plan and started touring the province to educate the people. Take Back Alberta has had a few ups and downs but now encourages Albertans to concentrate on Municipal and School Board elections. Give credit where it’s due. These political organizations have managed a great accomplishment. Albertans are paying attention, getting involved, and more are acknowledging Confederation isn’t what it seems.

As we’ve seen, every time Albertans mobilize to do something that is good for us, forces come in to sabotage. Trojan horses and wolves in sheep’s clothing are the tried-and-true method. The horses are usually Albertans with ties to Ottawa. Prentice, Manning, Harper, and Kenney are all examples. The wolves are usually Albertans who infiltrate the various grassroots political movements after being promised some pie in the sky reward.  

Looking back to when Danielle Smith was leader of the Wildrose Party in 2014, the conservative movement was strong and the next provincial election was hers to win. However, Premier Prentice and Preston Manning, both federalists, talked her into a terrible decision that put Albertans and Alberta into a tailspin. Was that tailspin on purpose? I think so.

Fast forward to today with Smith as Premier, Alberta has been doing pretty darn good and feeling rather scrappy toward Ottawa. We should have known an attack was coming but instead let our guard down.

While at an event recently, our Premier ran into Preston Manning and Stephen Harper. Very shortly after, out of nowhere, former Premier Alison Redford is handed a board position. Albertans have long memories. We have forgiven Danielle. We have not forgiven Alison. This wasn’t a good move.

Almost to the day of this announcement, also out of nowhere, the 1905 Committee appears. Renaming one of Wexit Alberta’s old Facebook pages to help get its message out, part of that message is questioning our Premier’s decisions and track record.

Is this a coincidence? Whether it is or it isn’t, there’s no denying it follows the pattern. Alberta starts doing well (this time really well), conservatives in Ottawa get nervous, and suddenly there’s mayhem. It’s hard not to wonder who is bankrolling these various ‘grassroots’ political organizations that tend to fizzle out once the Alberta dust up settles.

Now that we’ve identified the problem, how do we solve it? Albertans clearly have no appetite to simply fall back in line with whatever the federal conservative party wants us to do. Blowing up a provincial party over a leaders’ bad decisions won’t get us anywhere. So, now what? We go with what we know works.  

If the Premier of Alberta isn’t doing his/her job, then either that leader needs to either get back to the business of doing what’s right for Albertans despite any and all opposition from Ottawa, or, we need to identify someone else who will. That’s the first thing. The second is, we do what we have always done when there’s a need or a crisis. We come together. So what if a politically strong Alberta isn’t good for Ottawa. That’s their problem. What we can’t do is allow trojan horses or wolves in sheep’s clothing to divide us again. Instead, let’s use this time to unite and make Alberta so politically strong, Ottawa can do nothing about it.  

Hope to see you at the AGM.               

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The Art of Civil Civic Engagement

These last few years have done much to garner peoples’ attention on several topics, not the least of which is politics. Trust in the federal government is at an all-time low and, provincially, depending which province one lives in, it’s the same. Thankfully, Albertans have fairly solid representation with our provincial government, freeing us to focus on other matters. Municipal politics and the activities therein are getting noticed and, in a lot of cases, what we are seeing is not good.

When we elect a Mayor and Council, there is an expectation that we can trust them to make proper decisions for our communities. Every municipality has a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) hired by Council who oversees and manages all the operations of that municipality. It is a very powerful position, not to mention lucrative. Even small municipalities often pay their CAO’s multiple six-figure salaries.

One of the many duties of these appointed bureaucrats have is to work with heads of the various departments and come up with Area Concept, Structure, and Development Plans. Outside consultants are very often brought in to help create them. Those plans are then presented to Council for review, discussion, and to be voted upon. Sometime later, the CAO and his/her administration go back to Council asking them to pass Land Use Bylaws to facilitate those plans. This all sounds well and good until it isn’t, which is what many municipalities are experiencing now. Additionally, municipal departments come to Council seeking funding to cover their budgets without a lot of transparency as to where all that money is going.

We have over 300 municipalities in Alberta and, thank goodness, not every municipality is being run poorly or inefficiently. However, if your property taxes continue to climb (looking at you, Edmonton), and debatable decisions are being made while questions are left unanswered (looking at you, Edmonton, Calgary, and others), that is not good.

There are currently a number of municipalities in our province being investigated and/or potentially audited for various reasons. We have also seen recall petitions circulated. We also found out the legislation around recall is severely lacking and will, therefore, be revisited. The political problems municipally can be overwhelming making it hard to know what to do or where to start.      

It used to be that holding public office was an honor. When the people put their trust in you, it should not be taken lightly. It also used to be that those who worked for the government were called ‘civil servants’. Their job was to serve the community within their government role or position. Yet, in a very short period of time, government ballooned into a system of departments, bureaucrats, and unions, insulating everyone within from outside scrutiny. While the tendency is to blame ‘the system’, it is the people within the system creating the problems.

What really makes this sting is that the people creating the problems, while wasting stupid amounts of ‘government money’ on projects, are the same people sitting in the bleachers beside us at community events on Saturday and sharing a pew with us at church on Sunday. We run into them at the grocery store and local coffee shops. They are our neighbors, family members, and friends.

So, what’s the solution?

Just about every piece of information you could ever want or need about your municipality can be found on its website. Take some time to click around and learn about what plans your CAO and municipal administration have come up with. Learn which councilors voted for and against the various motions. Find out what is going on in your community, what decisions are being made, and why. And don’t stop asking questions of your elected officials. Email, call, go to public hearings.

Too many of us, myself included, sat back for far too long and let ‘others’ do what we should have been doing. Now, in many cases, things have gone off the rails. The good news is there is no problem that can’t be fixed through civil civic engagement. We have already seen this in action in several of our municipalities. The people spoke, Mayor and Council were forced to listen, changes were made.

Letting outside consultants use unelected bureaucrats to determine the future direction of our municipalities isn’t good. Watching our elected officials vote upon and decide our future is excruciating. We need to take that power back by coming together to create the communities we know we need and want. A future with our local interests at heart rather than aligning with the schemes and plans of three letter agencies who couldn’t find our communities on a map.

If you breath and pay taxes, politics affects you. We all do both, so we are all affected. It can be very frustrating, there is no getting around that. Nevertheless, we have an obligation to protect and secure our future politically.

There is an art to civil civic engagement. As we continue networking with each other, creating municipal allies across the province, change will happen. It will take time and effort, but Albertans are worth it. We may even make some surprising connections and friendships along the way. I know I have and am better for it!

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Running as an Independent
It just might work
It's possible the chances of scaling Mount Everest successfully are better than winning an election as an independent candidate. I get it. So why would anyone choose the hardest route to try and make a difference? Because as far as I can tell, at this particular time, the hardest route is the only one that can and Albertans are worth the uphill climb.
 
What is it about the legacy parties, UCP and NDP, that cause me to not want to get involved with them? They have some political quirks that make it challenging to really get things done. For example, having a party whip. That person's job is to make sure every MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) knows how the leader wants him/her to vote. There have been times contentious issues were raised and MLA's have been asked to vote against their conscience. That's a problem. It could also happen that your MLA is told to vote against how you, the constituent who voted that MLA into the Legislature, would like him/her to vote. And that's not good.
 
Here's another inconvenient quirk to consider. The UCP has ties to the CPC (Conservative Party of Canada), which most think shouldn't matter, until it does. For example, Stephen Harper changed the equalization formula to include 50% of resource revenue. This was a direct hit to Alberta and not one conservative MLA (provincial politician) said anything about it because, well, it was Stephen Harper. Not one conservative MP (Member of Parliament, federal politician) did either. Now, even during a recession, we overpay into equalization. A lot. And that's not good.
 
Speaking of being joined at the hip, the provincial NDP and federal NDP are, in fact, the same party. You buy a membership for the provincial NDP, you automatically have a membership for the federal NDP. In other words, a vote for your provincial NDP candidate is a vote for Jagmeet Singh is a vote for Justin Trudeau, both of whom are anti-Alberta to the core. This also means the local unions (and your dues) who support the provincial NDP (particularly the AUPE) are also supporting anti-Alberta legislation. And that's not good.
 
As you can see, there are some structural issues within the two parties, but those aren't the only issues. Career politicians have track records and Albertans tend to have long memories about these things. While Danielle Smith is making some positive changes, there is still a little bit of hesitancy. After the 2015 debacle, the majority can't stomach the thought of voting NDP. Therefore, the answer lies in a bit of unconventional thinking. And this is good.
 
Albertans deserve another conservative choice. The best way to provide that choice is by having an independent candidate to vote for. Once Elections Alberta gives the official go ahead that I can run, you can choose me to be your voice in the legislature. What's really exciting is there are others who see an advantage to running as independents as well. It's very possible there will be a few of us in the legislature holding the UCP's feet to the fire, so to speak. And this is great!
 
But, Kathy, what about vote splitting? Ah, I'm glad you brought that up and look forward to talking about it in my next post.
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