Canada's next federal election leaders' debates includes APTN as broadcast partner

OTTAWA — The commission overseeing leaders' debates during federal elections says Indigenous media outlet APTN will be one of the broadcast partners producing the next event.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Leaders' Debates Commission announced today some details of the next two official election debates — one in English and one in French — as speculation continues to mount in Ottawa about the timing of the next federal vote.

A group of broadcast news organizations that includes CBC, CTV, Global and APTN will produce, promote and distribute the English-language debate during the next campaign.

The French-language debate will be produced by Radio-Canada, Noovo, La Presse, Le Devoir, the magazine L'Actualité and a co-operative of six regional media outlets in Quebec and eastern Ontario.

The debates will be carried across Canada by those in the broadcast group, as well as by OMNI Television, CPAC, the Toronto Star and third-party platforms, and it will also be translated into Indigenous and other non-official languages.

The timing of the debates will depend on when Canadians next head to the polls, which could be sooner than the next fixed-election date in 2023 if the Liberal minority government is dissolved before then.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

The Canadian Pre

RCMP watchdog waiting over two years for Mountie views on its own foot-dragging

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.


OTTAWA — The RCMP watchdog has waited more than two years for the national police force to respond to its interim report that found, perhaps fittingly, the Mounties were too slow in reviewing the watchdog's findings in an earlier matter

.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

An official in the watchdog's office details the wait — one of dozens of such delays — in an affidavit filed in the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association's court case against RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

The association is seeking a Federal Court declaration that Lucki violated the RCMP Act by failing to submit her response to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission's interim report about allegations of spying on anti-oil protesters "as soon as feasible."

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP was granted permission to intervene in the case so it could assist the parties and the court by presenting evidence and making arguments about the complaints process and the systemic RCMP delays affecting the commission's work.

Nika Joncas-Bourget, general counsel for reviews with the complaints commission, says in her affidavit that as of Jan. 18, 156 interim reports by the complaints body were awaiting a response from the top Mountie.

This included 130 outstanding interim reports that had been awaiting replies from the RCMP commissioner for more than six months.

In 106 of those cases the complaints body had been waiting on a response for at least one year.

The watchdog cannot make final findings and recommendations on a complaint until the RCMP commissioner responds to an interim report. In turn, the complainant and the public are left waiting for resolution of the matter.

As a result, the civil liberties association also wants the Federal Court to declare that the commissioner's "unconscionable delay" in responding to the interim report on the anti-oil protests violated the association's right to freedom of expression.

Extreme delay has been the hallmark of the complaints process for over a decade, said Paul Champ, counsel for the association.

"It is time to hold the RCMP commissioner accountable for these systemic delays," he said Thursday in a statement. "We hope a strong judgment by the court will compel the RCMP to treat public complaints with the seriousness and respect they deserve.”

In an affidavit filed with the court, Michael O'Malley, director of the RCMP's National Public Complaints Directorate, says the force has hired new staff with the aim of eliminating the backlog of cases awaiting responses from the RCMP.

Joncas-Bourget says in her affidavit that the commissioner's unreasonable delays thwart the watchdog in carrying out its mandate.

“The delay also undermines the legitimacy, fairness, and efficacy of the public complaint process. Both the complainants and the RCMP members who are the subjects of the complaint must live with the stress and uncertainty of an unresolved complaint,” she said.

Any remedial action, such as training or policy changes, that the complaints commission recommends must also wait, she added.

In many cases, these delays have led to situations where the RCMP members who are subjects of the complaint have retired or resigned before the commission's report is completed, she said.

In one case, the commission investigated a complaint from a member of the public who was frustrated at waiting for the RCMP's response to an interim report on the behaviour of two civilian force members.

The complaints body's March 2019 interim report about the delay found the RCMP commissioner had not replied on the matter of officer behaviour "within a reasonable time frame."

It also recommended the Mounties apologize to the complainant for the "unreasonable delay."

More than two years later, the watchdog awaits the RCMP commissioner's response.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M BIG PHARMA
Company producing J&J vaccine had history of violations

The company at the centre of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard 15 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality control problems.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Emergent BioSolutions, a little-known company vital to the vaccine supply chain, was a key to Johnson & Johnson's plan to deliver 100 million doses of its single-shot vaccine to the United States by the end of May. But the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly has cited Emergent for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials and problems managing mould and other contamination around one of its facilities, according to records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act. The records cover inspections at Emergent facilities since 2017.

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that a batch of vaccine made by Emergent at its Baltimore factory, known as Bayview, cannot be used because it did not meet quality standards. It was unclear how the problem would affect future deliveries of J&J's vaccine. The company said in a statement it was still planning to deliver 100 million doses by the end of June and was “aiming to deliver those doses by the end of May.”

“Human errors do happen," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Thursday in an interview on CBS' “This Morning.” "You have checks and balances. ... That’s the reason why the good news is that it did get picked up. As I mentioned, that’s the reason nothing from that plant has gone into anyone that we’ve administered to.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that none of the J&J vaccine doses on the market are affected and the company was on track to deliver 24 million doses in April and 100 million doses by the end of May.

“These are doses that the U.S. government has purchased, but we also have plenty of doses from Pfizer and Moderna, regardless, Psaki said.”

J&J locked arms with Emergent in April 2020, enlisting the lesser-known company to manufacture the vaccine J&J was developing with federal money. At the time, Emergent’s Bayview facility wasn’t scaled for making millions of doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, according to the FDA records, which describe the plant as a contract testing laboratory that “did not manufacture products for distribution.” Upgrades in technology and personnel were required before Bayview could begin making what is known as “drug substance” material for the vaccine, a two-month process during which the required biological cells are grown.

The FDA inspected Emergent’s Bayview plant in April 2020, just as the agreement with J&J was being announced. The federal agency criticized Emergent for problems with its testing of a potential treatment for anthrax, according to the records obtained by the AP. The FDA’s lead investigator cited the company for failing to train employees “in the particular operations they perform as part of their function and current good manufacturing practices.”

On the same day, Johnson & Johnson, in a separate news release, heralded its partnership with Emergent as a step toward the pharmaceutical giant’s goal of supplying more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine globally by the end of 2021.

But the FDA’s inspection of Emergent’s Bayview plant had faulted the company for a series of quality control shortcomings, according to the records. Although the inspection was not triggered by work on a COVID-19 vaccine, the issues listed by agency inspectors stand out due to the large role Emergent would soon have to combat the pandemic.

The FDA criticized the Bayview plant for failing to ensure that electronic data generated through testing of drug ingredients “was protected from deletion or manipulation.” A closer review found 202 deletions and 543 reprocessed files, yet the company had not investigated how those alterations had occurred or their possible impact, according to the records. The FDA’s lead investigator, Marcellinus Dordunoo, wrote that Emergent had not investigated what he described as “data integrity concerns.”

Emergent also did not follow proper testing and lab procedures at Bayview, the FDA said, noting that “deviations from test methods are not investigated, and are manually corrected days after performance, with no supporting data or documented justification.”

The FDA also criticized Emergent for carelessness in the handling of rejected materials in the Bayview plant. An inspector observed items in a “reject cage” that did not have reject labels, and wrote that “separate or defined areas to prevent contamination or mix-ups are deficient.”

The inspection was the most recent in a series of critical reports from the FDA about Emergent, including one following a December 2017 inspection at a plant in Canton, Massachusetts, in which the FDA said the company had not corrected “continued low level mould and yeast isolates” found in the facility.

In September 2018, agency investigators questioned why Emergent had “an unwritten policy of not conducting routine compliance audits” at a separate plant in Baltimore, known as Camden, where an anthrax vaccine, BioThrax, is filled into vials.

A few months earlier, FDA inspectors noted that the company's processes there were flawed. “Your firm received 3 complaints for residue on the outside of the vials for 3 different lots,” the FDA's inspection report said. Tests on that residue confirmed it was vaccine, according to the June 2018 report.

The agency, in another finding from that inspection, noted Emergent's ongoing problems managing contamination at the Camden facility: “Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile are not adequately established and followed.” FDA's inspectors also noted that Emergent staff filling vials of vaccine held “their hands directly above open vials” in a way that violated sterility safeguards.

The FDA declined repeated requests to discuss the inspections at Emergent’s facilities. A spokesman said the agency “cannot comment on any particular company or any potential or ongoing compliance matters.”

In an emailed statement, Emergent spokesman Matt Hartwig said the company’s “rigorous quality checks” identified a batch of drug substance that did not meet its standards.

“Discarding a batch of bulk drug substance, while disappointing, does occasionally happen during vaccine manufacturing, which is a complex and multi-step biological process,” he said.

Emergent’s revenues skyrocketed during the Trump administration, from about $523 million in 2015 to more than $1.5 billion in 2020. Emergent has invested heavily in lobbying the federal government, according to disclosure records that show the company spent $3.6 million on lobbying in 2020 alone.

Emergent is one of about eight companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved coronavirus vaccine, the company said. The Bayview factory where the tainted vaccine ingredient was found had not yet been approved by the FDA, so no vaccine in circulation is affected.

President Joe Biden has pledged to have enough vaccines for all U.S. adults by the end of May. The U.S. government has ordered enough two-dose shots from Pfizer and Moderna to vaccinate 200 million people to be delivered by late May, plus the 100 million single-dose shots from J&J.

A federal official said Wednesday evening that the administration’s goal can be met without additional J&J doses.

A J&J spokesman said earlier Wednesday that the company met the end-of-March goal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online vaccine tracker showed J&J had provided about 6.8 million doses to the U.S. vaccine effort. J&J has been shipping finished vaccines from its factory in the Netherlands to the U.S.

J&J said it was putting more of its manufacturing and quality experts inside Emergent’s factory to supervise production of the COVID-19 vaccine, a move meant to enable delivery of an additional 24 million vaccine doses through April.

J&J said it still expects to deliver more than 1 billion vaccine doses globally by the end of the year.

The J&J vaccine has been viewed as crucial for vaccination campaigns around the world because only one shot is required and it can be shipped and stored at standard refrigeration temperatures, unlike some other vials that must be kept frozen. The company also has pledged to sell the vaccine without a profit, but only during the pandemic emergency.

The problem with the vaccine batch was first reported by The New York Times. The FDA said it was aware of the situation but declined further comment.

___

Lardner reported from Washington, Dearen from Gainesville, Florida, and Johnson from Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org. Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at @RPLardner. Follow Jason Dearan on Twitter at @JHDearen and Linda Johnson at @LindaJ_onPharma

___

This story has been corrected to show the name of the company is Emergent BioSolutions, not Emergent BioSolutons.

Richard Lardner, Jason Dearen And Linda A. Johnson, The Associated Press

Biden launches community corps to boost COVID vaccinations

WASHINGTON — Seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy, the Biden administration on Thursday stepped up its outreach efforts to skeptical Americans, launching a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots in hard-hit communities.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The administration's “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads, but it also relies on a community corps of public health, athletic, faith and other groups to spread the word about the safety and efficacy of the three approved vaccines. The campaign comes amid worries that reluctance to get vaccinated will delay the nation’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic — and is kicking off as the U.S. is anticipating a boost in vaccine supply that will make all adult Americans eligible for vaccines by the beginning of May.

President Joe Biden encouraged more than 1,000 faith leaders on Thursday to continue their efforts to promote vaccinations in their communities. “They’re going to listen to your words more than they are to me as president of the United States,” Biden said.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy held a virtual meeting with the more than 275 inaugural members of the community corps on Thursday to kick off the effort. The Department of Health and Human Services was also encouraging other groups, as well as everyday Americans, to join the effort.

“You are the people that folks on the ground know and rely on and have a history with,” Harris said. “And when people are then making the decision to get vaccinated, they’re going to look to you.”

A White House official said Harris plans to take on a larger role in promoting the uptake of vaccines, in addition to her efforts selling the president's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and working to address the root causes of migration driving an increase in unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. along the southern border.

The focus on trusted validators stems from both internal and public surveys showing those skeptical of the vaccines are most likely to be swayed by local, community and medical encouragement to get vaccinated, rather than messages from politicians.

Courtney Rowe, the White House's COVID-19 director of strategic communications and engagement, briefed governors on the new initiative Tuesday, telling them that people “want to hear from those they know and trust.” She added that the initiative would be “empowering the leaders people want to hear from."

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted late last month finds that three-quarters of American adults now say they have or will get a vaccine, compared with 13% who say they probably will not, while 12% say they definitely will not. The share saying they probably or definitely will not has ticked down since January, when a combined 32% said that.

The coalition includes health groups like the American Medical Association and the National Council of Urban Indian Health, sports leagues like the NFL, NASCAR and MLB, rural groups, unions and Latino, Black, Asian American Pacific Islander and Native American organizations, as well as coalitions of faith, business and veterans leaders.

The community corps will receive fact sheets and social media messages to share with members of their communities, as well as regular updates from the Biden administration with the latest vaccine confidence resources.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it will devote $3 billion to support outreach by community leaders and groups to boost vaccine confidence.

HHS was also launching its first national ad campaign promoting vaccinations, aimed at senior, Latino and Black Americans, with the roughly $250 million initial ad campaign. And in partnership with Facebook, it was deploying social media profile frames so that ordinary Americans could share their intent to get vaccinations and their experience with the shots to their peers.

The White House is also deploying Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who chairs Biden's COVID-19 equity task force, to speak directly to the public about the benefits of the vaccines. On Wednesday, the pair conducted an interview with rapper and actor LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

By the end of May, the U.S. will have enough supply of COVID-19 vaccine to cover all adults in the country. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, has estimated that 70% to 85% of the population needs to be immune to the virus to reach herd immunity.

___

Associated Press writer Emily Swanson contributed to this report from Washington.

Zeke Miller, The Associated Press

Christian Pastor Claims Biden Surrounded By 'Demonic Hedge of Protection'

TEFLON PRESIDENT BY ANY OTHER NAME

Pastor Mario Murillo claimed this week that President Joe Biden is surrounded by a "demonic hedge of protection," urging fellow Christians to pray for a "powerful move of God" to bring it down.

© Screenshot/YouTube In this screenshot, Pastor Mario Murillo speaks during an interview with Christian program Flash Point, claiming that President Joe Biden is protected by a "demonic hedge."

Murillo's remarks came during an interview with the Christian TV program Flash Point. The evangelical Christian minister leads Mario Murillo Ministries, based in Reno, Nevada, and frequently criticizes Biden and the Democrats. He has previously suggested that former President Donald Trump is still the legitimate president, not Biden. Right Wing Watch first reported Murillo's remarks this week.

"War has been declared on your faith," Murillo said during the interview, discussing his staunch opposition to LGBTQ rights, specifically the transgender community. The pastor argued that "this is not a gentle moment, this is not a courteous moment, this is a declaration of war," before taking aim at Biden

"There is a demonic hedge of protection around Joe Biden. That's why he can say and do the most insane things with no backlash," Murillo said. He then urged viewers to "pray," saying God had changed the way he prayed for America. "He helped me to understand how to pray," the pastor said.

"Tear it down. So that the nation will wake up from this spell and not only understand that they were ripped off from their votes, that they're now going to have their children taken from them, their rights," he continued. "They're gonna have womanhood itself erased. And somehow the scales will fall off the eyes of pastors and a powerful move of God can begin if we will declare that those strongholds of demonic power will come down in the name of Christ."

Murillo made the same claim in a blog post this past Sunday. "The Holy Spirit let me see the demonic hedge of protection around Biden and the leftist agenda. This hedge is what is blinding millions. It is dulling the natural sense of danger and outrage that America should be feeling right now," he wrote.

Christians—and particularly white evangelicals—have long been a key base of support for Trump and Republicans. In 2016 and again in 2020, exit polling showed that about eight in 10 white evangelicals voted for Trump. The conservative religious community has been motivated to vote for right-wing candidates largely because of their opposition to LGBTQ rights and women's reproductive rights. Many Christian pastors have also promoted conspiracy theories and Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was "rigged" or "stolen."

However, dozens of election lawsuits filed by the former president and his supporters in state and federal courts have been rejected, including by judges appointed by Trump and other Republicans. Last November, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security, which was led by a Trump appointee, asserted that the 2020 election was the "most secure in American history."

The agency also said there was "no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."

Multiple recounts and audits in key battleground states confirmed Biden's victory. And former Attorney General William Barr, who was widely viewed as one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, said in December that there was "no evidence" of widespread voter fraud that would change the election's outcome.

Newsweek reached out to Mario Murillo Ministries for further comment but did not hear back before publication.

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Steelworkers united in defending Canada against perils of American protectionism

WASHINGTON — The largest industrial union in North America came to Canada's defence Thursday, vowing to protect businesses and workers north of the border from the growing peril of protectionism in the United States.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

United Steelworkers international president Tom Conway issued a joint statement with Canadian counterpart Ken Neumann aimed at making Canada's case for an exemption from Joe Biden's "Buy America" regulations.

“Canada is not the problem facing U.S. manufacturing and workers," said Conway, citing the exemption Canadian businesses won when similar restrictions were imposed in 2009.

"Co-operation between Canada and U.S. will build on our long-standing and productive trading relationship."

Neumann — addressing a persistent concern in the U.S. when it comes to imports of Canadian steel — urged Ottawa to get more aggressive in its efforts to prevent illegal dumping of foreign products to ensure they don't find their way south.

"With a clear procurement strategy, Canada must prioritize the use of environmentally sustainable, low-carbon materials that will create and maintain jobs," he said.

"The Canadian government must also employ stronger tools to address the transshipment of illegally dumped imports, and take pride in the products that Canadians harvest, mine, manufacture and produce."

The statement from the union, which represents more than 850,000 workers in both countries, came one day after President Joe Biden delivered a long-awaited $2-trillion infrastructure plan.

That plan came with a now-familiar caveat.

"We're going to make sure that we buy American," Biden said. "That means investing in American-based companies and American workers."

During his first week in office, Biden signed an executive order imposing more rigid Buy American rules on federally funded projects — restrictions from which Canada is already exempt, thanks to U.S. commitments to the World Trade Organization.

However, "Buy America" — another suite of made-in-the-U.S. rules designed to apply to federally supported state, regional and municipal projects — promise to be more problematic for Canada.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng emphasized the distinction Thursday as she testified before a special House of Commons committee that's exploring the economic ties between Canada and the U.S.

"If there's a (U.S.) effort to expand or introduce new domestic content requirements, we will absolutely work to ensure that it does not apply to Canada or affect Canadian supply chains," Ng said.

Conservative committee member Leona Alleslev expressed little faith in Ng, noting that the governing Liberals had already failed to prevent Biden's cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline project.

Ng promised a "Team Canada" group effort, the same bipartisan strategy that ultimately proved fruitful in the federal government's marathon talks with the Trump administration to update NAFTA.

"What I'm going to do is work in a Team Canada approach, as we have done and we have demonstrated over the last five years, to stand up for Canadian interests."

Buy America, as it stands, is written to primarily ensure manufactured end products used in eligible projects, as well as iron and steel, are made entirely in the U.S. Experts say they can be difficult to navigate, given the multiple levels of government, bureaucracy and red tape involved.

A lot can and likely will change between now and when Biden's infrastructure plan gets passed, if indeed it does, Steve Verheul, assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, told the committee.

Verheul, who served as chief negotiator during the NAFTA talks, acknowledged the possibility that the Buy America caveats could get even more stringent as the package makes its way across Capitol Hill.

"We have heard some suggestions this could be expanded to cover construction materials, such as cement, aggregate, asphalt, potentially some other products," he told the committee.

"The package that was announced (Wednesday) has none of these specifics, so we're going to have to see how this evolves as it starts to move through Congress to determine what kind of coverage the U.S. may be considering."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021.

James McCarten, The Canadian Press

CURSE OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Canada joins G7 in condemning Ethiopia violence, calling for humanitarian aid

OTTAWA — Canada and other G7 nations are denouncing what they describe as human rights violations and calling for immediate access for humanitarian aid groups in Ethiopia's conflict-ridden Tigray region.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau and his counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States say in a joint statement they are extremely concerned people are starving as conditions in Ethiopia's northernmost region worsen.

They denounce reports of mass civilian killings, sexual and gender-based violence, and the forced displacement of thousands of local residents and Eritrean refugees living there.

They say it is "essential that there is an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the crimes reported," including holding those responsible for human rights abuses to account.

Ethiopia declared war on the region in November in battle between Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy's national ruling party and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which had ruled the semi-autonomous region.

The conflict escalated quickly with accusations of war crimes, massacres and rape, many of which have been difficult to confirm because of restricted access to the region by aid workers and journalists.

"We condemn the killing of civilians, sexual and gender based violence, indiscriminate shelling and the forced displacement of residents of Tigray and Eritrean refugees," the G7 foreign ministers said in the joint statement.

"All parties must exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law. "

Ethiopians in Canada have protested recently outside Parliament Hill, demanding the world pay attention to the situation and calling on Canada to act.




Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who visited Ethiopia a year ago, spoke to Abiy by phone in late February and raised the ongoing war in Tigray. A summary of their conversation said Trudeau raised the importance of humanitarian access and aid, and the need to restore access for journalists.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front had been one of the dominant parties in the precursor to Abiy's coalition Prosperity party. But the TPLF refused to join Abiy's new party.

In the fall the TPLF went ahead with regional elections, after Abiy postponed national votes due to COVID-19.

The group later attacked a federal military base in early November. That attack prompted Abiy to declare war on the region.

It's estimated as many as million people have been displaced by the conflict, and local aid groups say people are starving, lack access to clean water and basic medical care.

The region was already hurting from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and an infestation of locusts that harmed crops.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for leaders to improve access for aid groups, saying millions of people are at risk.

The G7 ministers say they took note of commitments made by Abiy's government to address the human rights abuses and hold those responsible to account and "look forward to seeing these commitments implemented.

"We call for the end of violence and the establishment of a clear inclusive political process that is acceptable to all Ethiopians, including the citizens of Tigray, and which leads to credible elections and a wider national reconciliation process," the statement read.

"We the G7 members stand ready to support humanitarian efforts and investigations into human rights abuses."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2021.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

GOOD  GREAT NEWS

High vaccination rates decreasing COVID-19 cases in Indigenous communities

 the number of active (CASES) dropped from a peak of 4,875 in mid-January 

to just 860 as of March 30.

OTTAWA — The number of active COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities has declined by 80 per cent since mid-January thanks to the high uptake of vaccines, says the top doctor at Indigenous Services Canada.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Dr. Tom Wong, the department's chief medical officer of public health, says the number of active dropped from a peak of 4,875 in mid-January to just 860 as of March 30.

"It's very encouraging to see that," Wong said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"We are back to where (we were) in November ... when we had that low number of active 

According to Indigenous Services Canada, a total of 246,675 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in 612 First Nation, Inuit and territorial communities by the end of March.

While the number of new COVID-19 cases has been spiking elsewhere across the country, Wong said there's been a downward trend in Indigenous communities because of vaccinations and public health measures.

More than 50 per cent of adults living in First Nations, Inuit and territorial communities have already received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine — four times higher than in the general adult population in Canada, he said.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday that the vaccine uptake has been high, despite the complexities involved in delivering them to Indigenous communities.

"We are succeeding thanks to the continued collaboration and strong partnerships of Indigenous leaders," he told a news conference.

Miller said more than 70 per cent of the population in the northern territories has already been vaccinated.

Video: Vaccination rate on First Nations communities 4X the Canadian population (Global News)

"Nunavut, in particular, has now received enough doses to vaccinate three quarters of their adults, and over 20,000 total vaccine doses have been administered."

Miller said all eligible Indigenous adults should have received their first dose by June 30.

Wong said the high vaccination rates in First Nations communities are contributing to fewer outbreaks, although some are still occurring.

"We can't be complacent. The reason why is that the variants of concern are much more transmissible," he said.

"If we get complacent, then we'll let our guard down (and) the variants of concern will rapidly spread."

Miller stressed the low number of COVID-19 cases doesn't mean people should ignore public health measures.

"A third wave is coming, and we must remain vigilant," he said.

The B117 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom is the dominant variant now spreading in Canada.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both mRNA vaccines, are very effective against this variant, Wong said. He predicted the continued vaccine rollout should allow Canadians to get to a "new normal" this summer.

"We look forward to having enough people vaccinated, together with all of the public health measures, to be able to get to that stage in the coming months."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2021.

———

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press

Uber ordered to pay $1.1 million to blind passenger who was denied rides 14 separate times

Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing and food-delivery companies have aggressively fought efforts in multiple states and countries to reclassify drivers as employees, which would add significant additional costs to their already unprofitable business models.

tsonnemaker@insider.com (Tyler Sonnemaker)

4/2/2021

© RJ Sangosti/Getty Images A blind passenger gets into an Uber in Denver, Colorado (Lisa Irving is not pictured). RJ Sangosti/Getty Images

Uber must pay a blind passenger $1.1 million for illegally denying her rides, an arbitrator ruled.
Uber drivers denied Lisa Irving rides 14 times because of her blindness and guide dog, Bernie.
Uber unsuccessfully argued it wasn't responsible because its drivers are contractors.

An independent arbitrator on Thursday ordered Uber to pay $1.1 million to a blind passenger for illegally discriminating against her after its drivers refused her rides on 14 occasions.

The arbitrator also rejected Uber's argument that it wasn't liable for discrimination by its drivers because they're contractors.

Uber said it strongly disagreed with the ruling.

Lisa Irving, a San Francisco Bay Area resident who is blind and relies on her guide dog, Bernie, to help her get around, brought the claim against Uber in 2018 after "she was either denied a ride altogether or harassed by Uber drivers not wanting to transport her with her guide dog," the arbitrator's ruling said.

Uber drivers left Irving stranded late at night, caused her to be late to work (which eventually contributed to her being fired), and on two occasions, verbally abused and intimidated her - and that discrimination didn't stop even after she complained to Uber, her lawyers told Insider in a statement.

"Of all Americans who should be liberated by the rideshare revolution, the blind and visually impaired are among those who stand to benefit the most. However, the track record of major rideshare services has been spotty at best and openly discriminatory at worst," Catherine Cabalo, one of Irving's attorneys, said in the statement.

"The bottom line is that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a guide dog should be able to go anywhere that a blind person can go," Cabalo added.

"We are proud Uber's technology has helped people who are blind locate and obtain rides. Drivers using the Uber app are expected to serve riders with service animals and comply with accessibility and other laws, and we regularly provide education to drivers on that responsibility. Our dedicated team looks into each complaint and takes appropriate action," Andrew Hasbun, a spokesperson for Uber, said in a statement.

But the arbitrator found that Uber employees who investigated possible incidents of discrimination were "trained, in some instances, to coach drivers to find non-discriminatory reasons for ride denials," and even to "'advocate' to keep drivers on the platform despite discrimination complaints."

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it's illegal for transportation businesses that are subject to the law to refuse to transport people with guide dogs, but Uber tried to shift the blame to its drivers, arguing that it wasn't responsible for any ADA violations because its drivers are independent contractors.

The arbitrator disagreed, ruling that Uber was also liable for ADA violations because of its "contractual supervision over its drivers and for its failure to prevent discrimination by properly training its workers."

But classifying drivers as contractors is a strategy that has allowed Uber to avoid legal liability in other contexts, such as when a pedestrian alleged that she nearly lost her leg after being struck by an Uber.

The strategy has also allowed Uber to avoid paying drivers' health insurance, sick pay, and unemployment insurance, shifting those costs to taxpayers - who paid $80 million last year to keep Uber and Lyft drivers afloat during the pandemic, making the companies two of the larger beneficiaries of a subsidy program aimed at small businesses.

Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing and food-delivery companies have aggressively fought efforts in multiple states and countries to reclassify drivers as employees, which would add significant additional costs to their already unprofitable business models.

Earlier this week, UK food-delivery company Deliveroo's initial public offering tanked by 30% after investors expressed concerned about how it had exploited its drivers.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Edmonton Public Schools will not pilot Alberta’s new K-6 curriculum

WHERE IS THE HISTORY OF

CHILDREN IN COAL MINES IN ALBERTA

[PICTURE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO IS UCP MINISTER OF EDUCATION WLL NOT BE SHOWN HERE SHE IS NOT QUALIFIED ON THE OTHER HAND ANY SCHOOOL CUSTODIAN WOULD BE QUALIFIED IN COMPARISON]

GLOBAL NEWS

4/1/2021

The Edmonton Public School Division will not be taking part in piloting the UCP government's draft kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum this September.

CURRICULUM PDF'S Programs of study | Alberta.ca

The decision was based on concerns around continuity for students learning online due to COVID-19, as well as a barrage of feedback trustees have received from parents about the content of the curriculum.

"It's one of those moments where we have to speak up and share what our constituents are sharing with us," said Edmonton Public School Board Chair Trisha Estabrooks.

Read more: Métis Nation of Alberta has ‘monumental concerns’ with proposed curriculum

According to Estabrooks, the feedback includes concerns around the age-appropriateness of the curriculum, that it doesn't uphold the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and even has an "us-versus-them" mentality in social studies.

Cree Elder who reviewed Alberta’s new K-6 curriculum says she can’t endorse it

Read more: Social studies, religion, Indigenous history sections of proposed Alberta curriculum under fire

"When we are receiving so many emails and phone calls from people who are sharing their concerns -- even though we don't have direct control over curriculum -- we do represent an important voice in public education," she said.

Elk Island Public Schools has also announced it won't be taking part in the pilot, while Edmonton Catholic Schools says it plans to consult with its teachers, administrators, Council of Elders and other community members before it makes a final decision.

The Calgary Board of Education, the largest school division in the province, says it needs to learn more about the rollout before it makes a decision as well.

Video: Alberta’s revamped curriculum raises questions over history, religion and equal representation

Piloting the curriculum in the classroom is the next step before it is fully rolled out in September 2022.

"The entire point of a pilot for the draft curriculum is to provide in-classrooms feedback to affect potential changes for the final documents," Justin Marshall, the press secretary for Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in a statement.

"If some school divisions do not wish to pilot, they simply will not be able to provide direct in-classroom feedback."

READ MORE: Alberta’s proposed K-6 school curriculum focuses on basics, practical skills

Education advocates hope divisions opting out will send a clear message to the government.

"This needs to be a province-wide movement," said Wing Li, the communications director with SOS Alberta.

The group is working with parent councils across Alberta to pressure school boards to opt out, and force the government to go back to the drawing board.

"School boards have an obligation to maintain the integrity of the school system and what is being taught, and we have seen such a barrage of concerns from community members."

Video: Alberta government releases revamped K-6 school curriculum

St. Albert Public Schools also said it will not participate in the pilot to implement the proposed Alberta curriculum in the 2021-2022 school year.

The district wrote a letter outlining its concerns -- and concerns expressed by parents and staff -- to Minister LaGrange on Jan. 21.

It described the guiding framework of the curriculum as "distressing" and said the document indicates the programs of study will "be a significant departure from the evidence-based curriculum that has made education in Alberta a world leader."

Some of St. Albert Public Schools' concerns include:

A highly prescriptive scope and sequence within each subject and grade

An emphasis on rote learning and memorization

The framework maintains a Euro-centric narrative of knowledge and progress.

The construction of First Nations, Métis and lnuit histories and communities as historical entities, without acknowledging their roles and contributions to present day Alberta.

In addition to the style and content, St. Albert Public Schools also has concerns with the pilot project's timeline -- specifically implementing a new curriculum in the midst of a pandemic.

-- With files from Emily Mertz, Global News