Special rescues help ailing owners find pets’ next home

By LEANNE ITALIE

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Caitlin Koska, left, and Michael White appear with their 14-year-old rescue dog, Luna, at their wedding on May 1, 2021, in St. Joseph, Mich. The couple adopted their pet after her owner died through Tyson’s Place Animal Rescue, a specialized organization focused on helping the terminally ill and seniors headed to residential care. (Cat Carty Buswell via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Who will take your pet when you die?

The question often doesn’t have an easy answer, especially for ill or older people headed to residential nursing care or assisted living. During the pandemic, specialized rescue, advocacy and adoption services run by volunteers are trying to fill the void, one pet at a time.

Leaders in the small movement said the past couple of years have opened the eyes of many.

“The thing about COVID is a lot of people are thinking, I can’t be guaranteed to be around forever. A lot more people are trying to make plans in advance, which is the best thing to do because unfortunately, a lot of people wait until they’re in hospice or there’s a desperate situation,” said Amy Shever, founder and director of 2nd Chance 4 Pets in suburban Sacramento, California.

A shelter dog looks out from a crate after having been unloaded from a cargo plane, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP File)

The number of pets surrendered to shelters due to caretaker health or death is up from 7.3% in 2009 to 10.2% during the pandemic, according to the Best Friends Network of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations in all 50 states.

The pets of seniors are often seniors themselves, languishing in shelters or the first to be euthanized after they’re declared unadoptable, Shever said. They’re routinely given up by relatives who can’t take in a dog or cat. The life spans of other pets, such as parrots, are far longer, which sometimes scares off loved ones.

Shever’s focus is educating veterinarians and shelters on how they can get involved. Her organization also tries to help pet owners in need of direction. She urges owners to identify a committed caregiver, provide written instructions for a pet’s routine and put a financial plan in place. Her group has distributed thousands of emergency-card door hangers, for instance, to pet food banks and animal welfare organizations so owners can make their wishes known.

Another organization, Pet Peace of Mind, works directly with about 250 hospices around the country to provide and train volunteers who care for pets of the seriously and terminally ill, said Dianne McGill, the president and founder in Salem, Oregon. Most of the hospices are providing home services, where pets are often giving comfort and support.

“These specialty volunteers bring pet care knowledge with them so they can do whatever is needed to help,” she said. “So they’re walking, feeding, playing, cleaning up or helping to arrange a plan for rehoming.”

While providing pet care or adoption services often isn’t top of mind for social workers or nurses, it’s a huge emotional driving force for patients and loved ones living far away, McGill said.

“Care workers hear about the issues from family members,” she said. “They say, my mom is really, really upset about what’s going to happen to her pet. I live out of state. I can’t help her. How do we get some pet care in place while she’s navigating her end-of-life journey or when she passes?”

“I’ve got a million stories about patients who literally hung on until they heard that their pet had received a new home,” McGill said.

Kathy Reister and her pet Chihuahua Jackson at her home in Grandville, Mich. on Sept. 18, 202. (Kathy Reister via AP)

Enter angels-on-earth like 79-year-old Kathy Reister.

She adopted a 12-year-old Chihuahua named Jackson with the help of Tyson’s Place Animal Rescue in Holland, Michigan. The nonprofit helps people with terminal illnesses find new homes for their pets. Reister, who has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, had recently lost her own dog and was having a hard time at home alone when she took in Jackson last August.

“I’ve never been without a dog since about 1965,” said the widow. “His previous owner had passed away.”

Soon after, Jackson was also diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and Tyson’s Place stepped in with a grant to help Reister cover his medical bills. She promised to return him to the agency for rehoming should her health take a turn for the worse.

“Having him has really helped me want to continue to live and keep fighting,” said Reister, of Grandville, Michigan. “I started walking one block down and one block back home with him. Now we walk at least 20, 25 minutes a day. He needs to walk and I need to walk. He’s made such a big difference in my life.”

Caitlin Koska, 31, and Michael White, 34, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, included 14-year-old Luna in their May 1 wedding after Koska adopted her through Tyson’s Place around Thanksgiving 2020. Luna, also a Chihuahua, was their ring bearer.

“Her owner had gone into a nursing home and could no longer take care of her,” Koska said. “She has a lot of dental issues, cataracts and very poor hearing. She’s just the sweetest dog. Everybody who knows her loves her.”

Jill Bannink-Albrecht founded Tyson’s Place about six years ago. It services the entire state of Michigan, working directly with a pet owner before rehoming becomes an urgent matter, or with family members after a death, using a small network of foster homes.

For Koska, Tyson’s Place took care of extensive dental work for Luna before she was adopted.

“I used to work for a high-kill animal shelter, and I knew what happened to the old dogs when they came in. I remember one dog who animal control literally picked up from the side of his dead owner’s body, and he didn’t even have an opportunity to be adopted. He was put to sleep because we didn’t have space,” Bannink-Albrecht said.

Now, hospices and social workers refer patients to Tyson’s Place. Bannink-Albrecht is struggling to expand her foster reach.

“I just can’t meet the demand for this kind of service, especially when it comes to cats,” she said. “In the last two months, I’ve turned away 40 cats that meet our mission just because we don’t have a place to put them.”

Bannink-Albrecht knows of just a few other rescues like hers. One, in Canada, also needs help.

Angela Rafuse, 27, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, founded My Grandfather’s Cat on May 18, her grandfather’s birthday. He died in 2019 and left behind his grumpy 14-year-old cat, Mackenzie.

Angela Rafuse and her cat, Mackenzie, at home in Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada, in July 2021. (Angela Rafuse via AP)

“She was my grandmother’s best friend and when she passed away, my grandfather took care of her for the next year before he passed away,” Rafuse said. “He wouldn’t put his name on the list for a nursing home knowing nobody would take the cat, who has the grumpiest meow I’ve ever heard.”

Rafuse promised her grandfather she would take Mackenzie. She began posting TikTok videos of their adventures. One video, of Mackenzie scratching Rafuse’s face as she held her up to the camera, has been viewed nearly a million times.

“Then so many people started sharing stories with us about how their grandparents’ cats ended up in shelters and how their grandparents worry about what will happen to their cats or their dogs because there’s nowhere to take them,” Rafuse said. “I’ve worked at a nonprofit for the past four years so I thought, it should be pretty easy to find resources to help these people. Nothing existed that empowered a senior and helped them arrange this and empowered their family. Everything was just shelters.”

After she launched, emails asking for help and offering donations rolled in, but she didn’t have enough foster homes to meet demand. She’s working to expand. One of Rafuse’s goals is to help keep a pet at home until the final moment.

As for Mackenzie, she’s living her best life, hiking and kayaking with Rafuse.

“She’s still grumpy,” Rafuse said. “She’s developed a really special connection with my dad, and I know my dad loves that because she’s the last thing he has of his parents.”

___

Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

Judge says FTC’s antitrust case against Facebook can proceed

By BARBARA ORTUTAY

FILE - Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on, Oct. 28, 2021. A federal judge has ruled, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, that the Federal Trade Commission’s revised antitrust suit against Meta, formerly known as Facebook, can proceed, shutting down the social media company’s request for a dismissal.

 (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

A federal judge has ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s revised antitrust suit against Meta, formerly known as Facebook, can proceed, shutting down the social media company’s request for a dismissal.

In a revised complaint filed last August, the FTC argues that the company pursued a “buy or bury” strategy against rivals to suppress competition.

This is the FTC’s second antitrust run at the company. A federal judge in June dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by the agency and a broad coalition of state attorneys general that were among multiplying efforts by federal and state regulators to rein in tech titans’ market power.

The FTC is seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of Facebook’s popular Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services, or a restructuring of the company.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who in June ruled that the FTC’s original lawsuit was “legally insufficient” and didn’t provide enough evidence to prove that Facebook was a monopoly, said in Tuesday’s ruling that the the first complaint “stumbled out of the starting blocks.”

But he added that, though the “core theory” of the lawsuit — that Facebook is a monopoly engaging in anticompetitive behavior — remains unchanged, the facts alleged this time around are “far more robust and detailed than before.”

Meta said in an emailed statement it is “confident the evidence will reveal the fundamental weakness of the claims.”

“Our investments in Instagram and WhatsApp transformed them into what they are today,” the company said. “They have been good for competition, and good for the people and businesses that choose to use our products.”

Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s bureau of competition, said the agency presented a “strong amended complaint a strong amended complaint, and we look forward to trial.”

JANUARY 11 1949, Los Angeles noted a record-setting snowfall, a rare event for the city's semitropical climate. A three-day storm in early 1949 dumped more than a foot of snow through much of the San Fernando and outlying valleys.

Exposing the myths of the skilled trades

Mike Holmes 
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During our recent office move, I was reminded of a series of interviews in 2006, focusing on the future of skilled trade workers, their significance to our communities, and the many options available for a viable and lucrative career. The message is as relevant today as it was nearly two decades ago

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Mike Holmes has been an advocate of the skilled trades for over two decades, and will continue to help #endskilledtradesstigma. Mike's daughter, Sherry and son, Michael share in his passion. On location of Holmes and Holmes.

Aside from a lack of visibility, the trades have long faced a perception problem. Despite stringent health and safety requirements and above-average pay, skilled trades have a reputation for being blue-collar jobs that demand heavy, dirty, physical labour that are best suited to students who lack the skills for white-collar jobs.

I knew I wanted to be a contractor like my father from a young age, and at the age of 19, I was managing my crew. I’ve passed on my passion for construction and building it right, to my children, Sherry and Michael, who are both advocates and mentors to the next generation of skilled tradespeople.

Women make up only five per cent of skilled trades workers, with hairstyling and esthetics accounting for the vast majority. Don’t get me wrong, hairstyling and esthetics are fantastic skilled trade careers, but there are so many more to choose from.

My team and I work hard to support the skilled trades, which is why we collaborate with organizations such as Skills Canada and their provincial counterparts. It is also why we push for more diversity on our crews, and hire apprentices. Our responsibility is to employ new skilled tradespeople to create a more robust workforce for the next generation and break down and end the stigma against skilled trades.

However, there are still persistent myths that need to be exposed.

Myth No. 1: Working in skilled trades is just a job, NOT a career

Many skilled trades require technical skills, hands-on smarts, and many hours of training. Plus, programs today focus on developing skills for success like 3D technology, digital and diagnostic tools while also concentrating on soft skills, like critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and communication.

A career in the skilled trades or technology sector is very stable, particularly right now, with a high number of labour shortages. According to a recent RBC Economics report, the number of registered apprentices needed to stem the deficit is expected to rise to 60,000 by 2025. The pandemic has also impacted the number of registrations, which has dropped by 37 per cent since 2018.

Myth No. 2: You don’t have to be very smart

Granted, not everyone learns the same way, and many people are visual learners who benefit from hands-on instruction, but skilled-based jobs aren’t “all brawn and no brain.” As an electrical lineman you need to problem solve using mathematics. Try building an HVAC system, or using a diesel mechanic’s sophisticated diagnostic tools. Many people would be unable to handle it.

Myth No. 3: Skilled trades means construction worker, plumber, and electrician

With more than 40 skilled trades supported by organizations like Skills Canada and more than 400 designated skilled trades recognized across Canada (many are Red Seal), the career opportunities are endless. The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program is a Canada-wide skill standard that ensures a tradesperson has the necessary training and certification to work anywhere in Canada.

Myth No. 4: No room for advancement

There is an abundance of opportunities for advancement in the skilled trades and technology sectors. Experience and knowledge go a long way, plus additional certification and accreditation also help advancement.

Myth No. 5: These jobs aren’t suited for women

Again, simply not true. I have women on my crew and work with many women in the industry. Last season two women graduates from the WIST program (Women in Skilled Trades) joined our team, and Bailey is now a full-time member of our crew.

There are so many great opportunities for women in the skilled trades and technology sector that offer excellent compensation, benefits, flexibility, variety, and rewarding employment. These are great job opportunities. Women need to know that they are out there for the taking. There is a huge support team ready to help.

Myth No. 6: You can’t earn a good living

Not true. According to Talent.com, entry-level salaries start around $47,755.00 per year, while more experienced workers can make up to $77,774.00 or more per year. General labourers range from $18 to $36 per hour, depending on experience, and skilled trades technologists can go as high as $50 per hour.

I’ve been an advocate for the skilled trades and technology sector for more than two decades, and I will continue to be for as long as I’m able. Through a strong support team and engaging with educators, industry leaders, organizations, parents, and students together we will continue to be champions for the next generation of skilled trades, break down barriers and end the stigma against skilled trades.

Follow Mike Holmes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more renovation and maintenance tips.

Alberta unions call for circuit-breaker COVID-19 lockdown but Premier Kenney says no

EDMONTON — The leaders of Alberta's largest public and private sector unions are calling for drastic lockdown measures immediately to fight the spiralling COVID-19 Omicron variant.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The leaders are calling for no in-person service at restaurants and bars, closing theatres and casinos, shuttering gyms, suspending recreational sports, and sending students home to learn online as a last resort.

They say it's a difficult call but necessary to prevent the rapidly spreading variant from flooding hospitals and overwhelming an exhausted, depleted staff of frontline health workers.

But a spokesman for Premier Jason Kenney says the United Conservative government is following and acting on the scientific data for the Omicron wave and that a lockdown is not being considered.

Alberta Health reports 708 people are in hospital with COVID-19 — a rise of 73 from a day earlier — with 80 of them in intensive care.

There are now well over 58,000 active COVID-19 cases in Alberta but Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health, has said the case numbers are low and the actual infections are likely 10 times higher.

The unions made the call for a lockdown in an open letter Tuesday.

The letter is signed by the United Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which is the largest public sector union in the province.

They say the latest wave of COVID-19 could have been avoided last month if Kenney's government had implemented stricter health restrictions and initiatives, such as supplying workers with higher grade N95 masks and installing high-efficiency air filtration systems.

"Because of the government's dangerous political pandering and its wilful policy negligence, we now have only two options to choose from: temporary circuit-breaker measures, on one hand, or a health-care system collapse and rising disease, disability and death, on the other," write the union leaders.

"We, along with what we expect would be a clear majority of Albertans, choose temporary circuit-breaker measures as the lesser of two evils."

The unions are also calling for a ban on concerts and sports events, and for religious services to move online.

They add that the government has to renew income supports to keep affected businesses solvent.

Justin Brattinga, a spokesman for Kenney, responded to the letter in a short statement: "As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will follow the science and the advice of our public health officials.

"A circuit-breaker is not on the table and not being considered."

Kenney's government implemented new restrictions on public gatherings in late December, including half capacity at major venues and events.

Most universities have already moved online this month for an indeterminate time.

Kindergarten and grade-school students returned to class this week after an extra week off so that staff could prepare for Omicron.

The province is delivering more masks and rapid tests to schools and has said students and staff will be the priority as millions more masks arrive this month.

The Opposition NDP says Kenney has failed yet again to deal seriously with another wave of COVID-19 and is calling on the province to release its projections of the Omicron wave so that parents, students, employers and employees can see what is coming.

Hinshaw said Monday that health officials are bracing for what she termed "significant impact" to the health system with a provincial positivity rate around 40 per cent.

Both Hinshaw and Kenney say that vaccines are the best protection against the Omicron wave.

Close to eight million COVID-19 vaccinations have been delivered in the province.

Almost 90 per cent of those eligible — age 12 and older — have had at least one dose and more than 85 per cent are fully vaccinated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2022.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

'They're not filling all those bus seats:' Edmonton transit union says some bus trips being missed due to increase in driver absences amid rising COVID-19 spread

Dustin Cook 

EDMONTON JOURNAL

01/11/2021

Edmonton's transit service has about 28 active cases of COVID-19 and other drivers off in isolation, which the union said is resulting in some bus trips being missed.

Edmonton’s transit service is facing staffing challenges amid the spread of COVID-19 with 28 active cases currently among drivers.

The city’s transit union says absences as a result of illness or fatigue have forced some trips to be missed despite attempts to have shifts covered through overtime hours in order to maintain service levels. The city has about 1,700 transit operators.

In the latest count Friday, there are about 130 active cases of the virus across the City of Edmonton. Updated numbers on city employees in isolation as a result of the virus weren’t available Tuesday. The city reported 200 cases last week.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw said there are many overtime requests in the absence of drivers and they haven’t all been met, meaning some trips have been missed. If cases start to rise, Bradshaw said he expects the city would need to make targeted service changes and shuffle around operators to ensure main routes and school specials continue to be covered.

“It’s all hands on deck right now and they’re not filling all those bus seats and the possibility of trimming the service is very much there,” Bradshaw said in an interview with Postmedia Tuesday. “They’ve got overtime requests out at full throttle and even at full throttle, they’re not even able to get enough to get all the work done.”

To mitigate impacts to services as much as possible, spokesman Geoffrey Driscoll said the city is working to adjust shift schedules and allocate overtime hours where possible.

“The City of Edmonton continues to assess its ability to deliver core programs and services and make adjustments as necessary, including in Edmonton Transit Service,” Driscoll said in a statement to Postmedia. “The safety of Edmontonians and those who work for the city is critical. We will continue to make timely and informed decisions on priority services and workplace protocols based on the information we have available.”

Edmonton’s fire department is also facing staffing shortages amid a COVID-19 outbreak that started at four fire stations across the city. As of Friday, the city reported 40 active cases among firefighters and an additional 111 employees in isolation. There was no update available from the city Tuesday, but a postponement in routine fire inspections is expected to last until Friday.

In the latest data provided from the Edmonton Police Service last Wednesday, services haven’t been impacted but 100 employees had COVID-19, including 77 sworn members, and a total of 194 employees were in isolation. Another update is expected Wednesday.

Animal care and control service change

Edmonton’s Animal Care and Control Centre continues to run at a reduced capacity in suspending the intake of lost or stray animals considered to be healthy. Operations were reduced on Jan. 1 initially as a result of three illnesses within the small staff of trained veterinarians. But Driscoll said the intake suspension will continue indefinitely due to the rise of the Omicron variant and potential future impacts on staff.

Animals that are sick, injured or in distress are still being accepted by appointment. The city updated its criteria to note that animals found outside in the cold in temperatures below -20 C with the windchill qualify as in distress and will be accepted. Residents who find an animal in these conditions is asked to call 311.

Court finds Métis Nation of Alberta not the lone voice for off-settlement Métis, sides with province

The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) is not the undisputed voice for Métis people off-settlement in the province.

A decision rendered by Court of Queen’s Bench Alberta last week said that not only had the MNA failed to prove itself as the sole representative of off-settlement Métis in Alberta, but the court would not force the provincial government to continue negotiations with the MNA on the Métis Consultation Policy (MCP).

“The requested declaratory relief (by MNA) requesting Alberta to continue negotiations … is coercive in nature as it seeks to compel Alberta to enter a negotiation process,” wrote Justice Bernette Ho in her 75-page decision Jan. 4.

“Moreover, I am of the view that the relief sought by the MNA is inappropriate because it seeks a determination of issues that exist, not just between Alberta and the MNA, but between other stakeholders as well.”

On June 17 and 18, 2021, the MNA challenged Alberta Indigenous Relations in court for doing an “about face”, deciding unilaterally to end negotiations that had been ongoing for five years on the creation of a MCP.

MNA said the United Conservative Party had “breached the honour of the Crown” and had given insufficient reasons for terminating negotiations.

Indigenous Relations suggested that negotiations for the MCP could be picked up at a later date and until then, consultation with the Métis would be guided by the revamped credible assertion process with other Métis groups on a case-by-case basis.

The credible assertion process, updated in December 2019 by the UCP, outlines nine points that if met by a Métis organization commits Alberta to consulting with that Métis organization on Crown land management and resource development. The credible assertion process is not proof or recognition of rights.

In the fall of 2015, Indigenous Relations was given the mandate by the then New Democrat government to engage with the MNA and other stakeholder groups to work toward the development of an MCP.

Documents presented to the court show that throughout the five years of discussions, which spanned two different provincial governments, MNA President Audrey Poitras asserted that the MNA had established itself as “the” voice of Alberta’s off-settlement Métis.

Among the documents drawn on by the MNA to validate its position was the Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement (SGA), which the MNA signed with Canada in July 2019.

However, Ho did not view the document as validation, pointing out that the SGA “speaks only to Canada’s recognition of the MNA for the purpose of addressing Métis issues on the federal level.”

Ho also noted that the SGA said the MNA was able to represent the “Métis Nation within Alberta,” which was a term defined by the document, as was the term “Métis government.” Finally, she pointed out that the self-government implementation date was to be set by a federal order-in-council, which had not yet been proclaimed.

The province continued to maintain it was conducting talks with the MNA, Métis locals and other non-settlement Métis communities, especially as it became clearer that some Métis organizations and communities did not want the MNA to speak for them.

This point was highlighted in early 2019 when the Fort McKay Métis terminated its relationship with the MNA. A year later, the Fort McKay Métis Nation became the first Métis organization to receive “credible assertion” of Aboriginal harvesting rights.

Also in 2020, Fort McKay Métis Nation was joined by Willow Lake, Athabasca Landing, Owl River, Lakeland, Chard and Edmonton in splitting from the MNA to form the Alberta Métis Federation.

“(Poitras) opined that there could only be one provincial policy for dealing with non-settlement Métis, and that it must be developed in collaboration with the MNA,” wrote Ho in her decision.

When the UCP came to power, at least one meeting and a number of communications happened between Poitras and the Indigenous Relations ministry. Engagements concluded in September 2019 with new Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson saying that “(at) this time, Alberta will not be moving forward with the draft consultation policy …”

The MNA argued it engaged in negotiations with the province and had not simply had policy discussions, as the government asserted. Ho agreed that the depth and length of the “engagement between the parties was more than a mere policy discussion.”

However, she did not agree that the honour of the Crown had been breached.

“Alberta’s intention to deal with the MNA in a respectful, transparent and cooperative manner in developing the MCP are thoroughly documented in the Record,” said Ho.

Ho also did not agree with the MNA that when Alberta broke off negotiations that an agreement was about to be reached.

The Justice pointed out that the MNA “consistently sought a commitment from Alberta to be recognized as the sole entity authorized to act as the point of contact under the MCP” while “Alberta was aware that various non-settlement Métis were not in favour of representation though the MNA, and some locals took the position that even within the MNA structure, it was the locals, as opposed to the regional or provincial representatives, who should have a voice ….”

Ho said the “record demonstrates that Alberta continuously stated it was not in a position to tell the Métis how they were to be represented for the purpose of consultation” and that disputes should be resolved within the MNA’s governance structure.

“The MNA has not provided a conclusive answer to the question of who speaks for the non-settlement Métis,” said Ho.

Ho added that Alberta’s decision although reasonable could have been “more fulsome (but) perfection is not the standard.”

Windspeaker.com

By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com, Windspeaker.com

Alberta man, winner of wire recycling raffle, charged in copper wire theft

Two southern Alberta residents, one of whom recently won hockey tickets in a raffle put on by a wire recycling business, are facing several charges related to wire thefts from oil lease sites northeast of Calgary.

RCMP cruiser.

On Dec. 16, Mounties with the RCMP’s southern Alberta crime reduction unit were investigating recent copper wire thefts from oil lease sites in the Three Hills and Hanna area, around 90 minutes out of Calgary. Officers saw a man and a woman enter one such site east of Three Hills, and as a covert police vehicle drove toward them, both suspects fled.

Officers confirmed wire had been cut and removed from the site, amounting to about $7,000 in damage. They later again evaded police after an officer pulled them over, speeding off as the officer exited their vehicle.

Mounties later arrested Tyree Ewing, 23, and Wanda Charlton, 51 — of Three Hills and Hanna, respectively — finding them attempting to sell copper wire at a wire recycling business in southeast Calgary, Bare Wire Recycling.

Bare Wire regularly runs contest draws for its clients, with the prize being Calgary Flames tickets. The admission fee? Bringing in 100 pounds of insulated wire for recycling.

Ewing won one of the recent contests at Bare Wire, winning tickets to see the Flames’ pre-season bout with the Winnipeg Jets in October, confirmed the business’s general manager, Taylor Cowley.

“At the time, there was no indication that anything was on the bad side,” said Cowley.

And that was the case until Dec. 16, when Cowley saw the two suspects being arrested outside his shop.

“The person has a vehicle, they have registration, they have all the proper identification to be able to sell scrap metal so, you know, he got entered into the draw and I guess he got the ticket,” he said, adding Bare Wire will continue to run similar contests, but in the future, will be a little more careful with the prize.

“We’ll maybe do a little bit more planning when we’re doing this to make sure they go to proper businesses that are electricians and stuff like that,” he said.

Ewing and Charlton are charged with theft under $5,000, flight from police, mischief exceeding $5,000 and possession of break-in tools. Ewing faces three further charges for failing to comply with a police order and unlawful possession of both methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Both are scheduled to appear in court in Drumheller on Feb. 18. They’ve been released from police custody.

A college in upstate New York is shortening the work week to 32 hours, but pay and benefits are staying the same

insider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan)

© Provided by Business Insider Dobson Field Athletics Complex. Courtesy of D'Youville

D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying a 32-hour workweek for the next six months.

The new policy impacts about 140 staff members, who will have no reduction in pay or benefits.

D'Youville president Lorrie Clemo said that she hopes the shorter week will bring in high-quality workers who want balance.

Like many around the world, D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying something new in 2022.

The college announced it's instituting a six-month trial of a 32-hour workweek for around 140 workers — and employees will still receive the same pay and benefits as they did during their five-day week. Those workers include mostly staff and administration members, as well as librarians. Non-librarian faculty members, who already do not work D'Youville's traditional 37.5-hour week, are not included in the current trial.

The 32-hour workweek first arose at D'Youville as part of a work-share program in the summer of 2020. The school had to get "creative" amidst the onset of the pandemic, experimenting with the shorter week as part of New York's Shared Work Program. Under that plan, employees' hours could be shrunk and they could collect unemployment insurance on the hours they were no longer working.

"During that time, we were very successful, very engaged with our students — surveys that we did with our students indicated improved engagement," Lorrie Clemo, D'Youville's president, told Insider. The school was still remote during that time.

As workers around the country rethink what they want out of work, and yearn for flexibility, Clemo hopes that the shorter week will reduce attrition and bring in high-quality workers who want that balance — and create a school of graduates who understand the benefits of a "modernized" work environment and potentially reshape their own future work.

Lorrie Clemo. Courtesy of D'Youville

"We think that work will be more satisfying to our employees if they're more rested, and they feel happier about their overall lives," Clemo said.

A 32-hour workweek has gained more prominence in recent years. Progressives in Congress have thrown their support behind a bill that would shrink weekly working hours to 32. A four-day workweek pilot in Iceland made headlines as workers saw their happiness go up and stress fall — but their productivity remained the same. Other countries like Scotland and Japan are trying out the concept.

"After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote work options, it's safe to say that we can't – and shouldn't – simply go back to normal, because normal wasn't working," Rep. Mark Takano, the California Democrat behind the shorter workweek legislation, said in a statement announcing the bill.

Laura Hechtel, the interim president of the school's faculty union and who is serving as the chief negotiator amidst contract negotiations, told Inside Higher Ed that while professors support the new policy, faculty have "nothing similar," and they "are assuming additional responsibilities that have been thrust upon them due to the actions of the administration." Jason MacLeod, D'Youville's chief of staff, told Insider that the Vice President for Academic Affairs is "working on a proposal to help structure more faculty release time and fellowships to support faculty research and scholarship," and that they're anticipating new benefits will get rolled out during the spring semester.

In the meantime, Clemo said that she's already heard from some nonprofits and business partners who are interested in the plan and how they're rolling it out. She also said some staffers have gotten calls from colleagues at other schools.

"I think most employers are really generally trying to create work environments that are going to be better workplaces coming out of a period where the 60 hour workweek, 70 hour workweek was expected," Clemo said.

And, broadly, "we really do hope that it helps others," Clemo said, noting that the school is going to document their process and share results.

"We thought it was important to experiment with something, and to not try to go back to what we all felt like was not a perfect world of work prior to the pandemic," Clemo said.

Hundreds more Afghan refugees arrive in Canada, including human rights defenders

CBC/Radio-Canada 

© Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images People attempting to flee the Taliban climb on a plane at the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021.

The federal government announced on Tuesday the arrival of more than 250 Afghan refugees.

The refugees — most of whom are described as human rights defenders by the federal government — are the latest to arrive in Canada since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban last year.

A charter flight carrying the refugees arrived in Calgary from Islamabad, Pakistan.

"It is a privilege to welcome today this cohort of Afghan refugees, who face persecution as a result of their work to protect the human rights of others," said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in a media statement.

"I am grateful for their work to document and prevent human rights abuses and proud that they now call our country home.

Ottawa says about 6,750 Afghan nationals have been resettled in Canada since the Taliban took over. They include Afghans who assisted the Canadian military during its mission in Afghanistan.

The refugees also include Afghans deemed vulnerable, such as women leaders, members of religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals and journalists.

The group of 252 refugees includes 170 people considered human rights defenders by the government.

The remaining 82 are people whose employment involved a "significant and/or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada, and their families," the government said in a news release.

Those individuals, who are judged by Ottawa to have contributed to the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms, are eligible to apply for resettlement in Canada as part of a new dedicated stream.

The government has pledged to resettle up to 250 human rights defenders per year from around the world.