Calbee's Packaging Goes Black and White

Calbee's new monochrome packaging starts on May 25

The US-Israel war against Iran is hitting everyone around the world harder. Everyday in Vancouver we hold our breaths as we see how much more expensive gas is at the pumps, fewer people can afford to dine in restaurants, and many have decided to plan their summer vacations at home than shell out for overseas travel.

In Japan, the dwindling supply of oil has led to famed potato chip brand Calbee to change the colour of its packaging. 

It is temporarily ditching the colourful packaging that usually lures consumers for a monochrome look for the foreseeable future because naphtha is needed in parts of the ink manufacturing process.

Naphtha is a petroleum byproduct that is crucial in plastic production, used in cigarette lighters, and fuel for camping stoves, among other uses.

And prices for naphtha in Asia have almost doubled since the conflict began on February 28, when oil shipments halted in the Strait of Hormuz.

Calbee's new black-and-white packaging -- which could become a collector's item -- will debut on May 25 in Japan.

In a statement Calbee said the design change was in response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products."

Before the conflict, Japan imported 40 percent of its naphtha from the Middle East. Last month Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the country is looking to diversify its sources outside to other countries such as the United States.

Immigrant Frustrations and Hopes

Though expensive, Vancouver attracts many immigrants

Whenever I take Uber, I like to chat with the driver and it makes the ride more interesting.

This evening a 38-year-old Iranian immigrant picked me up from downtown Vancouver so we had a good 20 minutes to chat.

He drove a Toyota bZ4X, an electric SUV, which he said he has been driving for three years and likes the car very much. It can go 430km before the battery needs to be charged.

Before moving to Vancouver, he lived in Montreal for four years, but couldn't stand the winters. He loves Vancouver very much, despite the city being expensive to live in.

I asked if he liked driving Uber and he admitted it was a necessity now because he was laid off his job last week. For two years he worked at a company that makes aluminium doors and window frames. He not only designed them, but also worked on the shop floor. 

"Life is better for second generation, not immigrants," he said, and then revealed that he was actually a trained architect in Iran, but could not get work in his field here because he did not have the license and stamp.

I suggested he could still work in architecture, and he said he could as a draftsman, but those jobs only pay around C$22 an hour, and he has a daughter who is three years old to support.

Nevertheless he was proud to say that his daughter was Quebecois, as she was born in Montreal, and it seemed like he was putting his hopes on her to succeed further than him in Canada.

With Mark Carney as Prime Minister and plans to build some 500,000 homes every year, perhaps my Uber driver would be back to making aluminium doors and windows, I suggested, as we were nearing my destination.

He didn't sound hopeful, but I was. Carney is intent on building homes and definitely using Canadian building materials.

I left saying I hoped he would be back at his old job soon. He seemed grateful at least someone was rooting for him.

Canada Expels Chinese Diplomat

Zhao has been declared persona non grata by Canada

The Canadian government finally pulled the trigger and declared Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei persona non grata. He must leave in five days for targeting opposition MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong for intimidation. 

In retaliation, the Chinese government has expelled Canadian diplomat Jennifer Lynn Lalonde in Shanghai. She has until May 13 to leave China.

Chong says expulsion should be done earlier

This comes a week after the Globe and Mail published a report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service revealing Zhao had taken efforts to target Chong and his relatives after he sponsored a motion to condemn China's treatment of Uyghurs.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said: "I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home."

Chong called the move a victory, but not just for himself.

"It's a victory for all Canadians who have been a victim of foreign interference for the past five or 10 years, who've been subject to threats from authoritarian regimes like Iran, like the government in Beijing."

Joly will not tolerate foreign interference

But he said it has taken too long for the government to finally take action.

Former ambassadors to China like Guy Saint-Jacques, David Mulroney and Gordon Houlden have been sounding the alarm for at least a year that Canada needs to be more pro-active in dealing with Beijing's aggressive moves.

In a TV interview today, Saint-Jacques wasn't surprised if China would retaliate and expel a Canadian diplomat (which was subsequently done), but that economically Canada may not be hit too hard, as China's economy is not doing well and is trying very hard to court foreign countries to come back and do business.

Nevertheless this latest development further sinks Sino-Canadian relations further; a motion was passed to set up a foreign agent registry despite calls by Senator Yuen Pau Woo that it is racist. On the contrary, this registry applies to all countries, not just China. 

An alleged Chinese police station in Richmond

There may also be more momentum to demand China shut down its police stations in Canada, which would be a relief to a lot of people, not just those in the Chinese diaspora.