LIBERALS IN TORY CLOTHING 
Charest, Brown both promise to honour federal childcare agreements with provinces

PATRICK BROWN


Yesterday
 The Canadian Press


OTTAWA — At least two of the candidates running for leadership of the Conservative party say they would do something the former party leader wouldn't: honour childcare agreements signed between the federal Liberal government and provinces.

Those running to be Tory leader must stake out a position on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to provide Canadians with $10-a-day child care by 2026.

The options before the Conservative hopefuls include scrapping the program entirely, replacing it with something else, or keeping it and adding extras.

During last fall's federal election campaign, former leader Erin O'Toole — who was dumped by caucus in a majority vote in February — faced criticism over his plan to kill the Liberal program,unveiled in that spring's budget, and introduce a refundable tax credit.

Since then, all provinces have signed onto the plan, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford in late March.

On Tuesday, Former Quebec premier Jean Charest promised that a Conservative government led by him would keep existing childcare deals in place.

On top of that, he pledged to introduce a tax credit to rebate up to 75 per cent of childcare expenses for low-incomes families that don't use subsidized daycare and providepayments monthly than rather annually.

Charest also committed to extending parental leave benefits to two years and moving eligibility for the Canada child benefit to the beginning of the second trimester.

He made the promises under the pitch that childcare is an essential service and families are struggling under the weight of the expense.

Several hours later, Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown issued a statement saying he would also honour provincial childcare agreements and offer tax credits to extended family members who help raising children.

"I would make it easier for extended family members living abroad to come to Canada to provide childcare for new Canadian families," he said in a statement on his campaign website.

“I would ensure that parents working in gig economy jobs or who have started small businesses have equal access to parental leave benefits as others currently do."

Brown attacked rival Pierre Poilievre, accusing him of wanting to tear up the Liberals' national daycare plan and having "regressive views on families and childcare."

A spokesman for Poilievre's campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment.

So far, 11 candidates have declared they want O'Toole's old job, with exactly one week left to put their name forward and until the end of the month to submit $300,000 worth in fees and the necessary number of nomination signatures.

The Conservative party announced on Tuesday that Poilievre, Charest and former 2020 leadership contender Leslyn Lewis had crossed that threshold and are official candidates in the race.

As for Lewis's plan when for childcare, a campaign spokesman said she would be making an announcement on the issue and the Canada child benefit that "we believe Canadians families are really going to be excited about."

On Tuesday she promised greater protection for parental rights by pledging to make them into law.

"We currently have a society where many parents are afraid of even having conversations with their children about certain subjects," her campaign website read.

No specifics were provided, but on social media Lewis said government shouldn't interfere with a parent's ability to raise their children according to their own values.

She earned considerable backing from the party's social conservative wing and Prairie grassroots in the 2020 race, and her campaign said she has been drawing crowds of several hundred at tour stops around the region.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

GOOD FOR HER

U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning loses bid to visit Canada, but promises another battle

Adrian Humphreys - Yesterday - NATIONAL POST 

© Provided by National PostIn this file photo taken May 02, 2018 former U.S. soldier and whistleblower Chelsea Manning speaks at the digital media convention

After almost five years of legal squabbles, U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been found inadmissible to enter Canada because of her convictions for leaking a massive trove of U.S. military and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks.

The declaration by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) means one of the world’s best-known whistleblowers won’t be able to cross into Canada for speaking engagements, work or to visit friends.

Manning’s lawyers say the decision, sent to them April 8, will be appealed to the Federal Court, and they will press a constitutional challenge of Canadian law that “criminalizes whistleblowing.”

Joshua Blum and Lex Gill already claim some measure of success because the IRB rejected Canada Border Service Agency’s “alarming argument” that releasing information to the media could constitute communication to a foreign entity or terrorist group.

The IRB agreed with Manning on many key issues, in fact, but she could not avoid the thorny issue of her convictions.

In 2010, while a military analyst with the U.S. Army deployed to Iraq, Manning leaked hundreds of thousands of documents, including an explosive video of two U.S. helicopters opening fire and killing 11 people on the ground, including two children and two journalists.

She testified at an immigration hearing in October that she did it to alert the public to what was really going on in the war on terror and how it differed from official versions.

Manning was convicted under the U.S. Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and sentenced to 35 years in prison, the longest sentence ever issued in the United States for whistleblowing. In 2017, after seven years in prison, Manning’s sentence was commuted by U.S. President Barack Obama.

IRB adjudicator Marisa Musto reserved her decision after hearings in October. In her 54-page written decision, Musto agreed that Ottawa’s handling of Manning’s immigration file was “somewhat puzzling.”

After being told her case had been referred to the IRB for a hearing in 2017, Manning was then told a year later her hearing was cancelled and her rejection from Canada was final.

“This action was not supported in law,” Musto said in her decision. The Federal Court ordered an immigration hearing, but none was convened until April 2021 after more legal threats from Manning. Ottawa originally accused Manning of being guilty of “treason.”

At her immigration hearing last year, Manning did not deny her convictions in the United States but challenged Ottawa’s interpretations on the equivalency of the U.S. laws she violated to Canadian laws.

Musto said Manning was partly right.

Musto rejected the government’s claim that one equivalent Canadian law is the Security of Information Act of Canada.

Under Ottawa’s position, any public reporting by news media of whistleblower information that could be read by a terrorist or foreign government was liable to prosecution. Instead, Musto said, the obvious intent was to punish direct and purposeful leaking to these groups, not incidental.

“The (IRB) finds that the Minister’s arguments are simply not founded. Disclosing documents to Wikileaks would not constitute an offence in the Canadian statute. In order for the Canadian offence to be committed, the information must be communicated to a foreign entity or terrorist group. The Minister has not established that WikiLeaks is either one or the other.”


U.S. whistleblower and transgender rights advocate Chelsea Manning at the C2 business conference in 2018 in Montreal. 

GEE MONTREAL IS IN CANADA LAST TIME I CHECKED 

However, the same did not apply to Manning’s unauthorized access to U.S. government computers to obtain the information, Musto said.

The two countries’ laws on computer fraud were aligned enough to consider Manning’s conviction a serious enough violation to preclude her entry into Canada.

Musto rejected Manning’s defence of necessity — when someone does something illegal but out of an important and laudable need.

That rejection, however, was not so much for her whistleblowing on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which was hailed by experts as important information for the public on a matter of serious public concern.

It was the 250,000 confidential diplomatic cables that Manning also gave to Wikileaks that did her in.

Musto said the nature of some of that data was not as high-minded and justifiable.

“It is difficult to conclude that in order to protect the lives of Afghan and Iraqi civilians and detainees, it was necessary for (Manning) to obtain cables pertaining to entirely unrelated matters.

“For example, there is a marked difference between a cable exposing prisoner abuse and a cable revealing that U.S. diplomats in Ottawa think Canadian television stereotypes Americans.”

U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning challenging secrecy laws barring her from Canada

Chelsea Manning ordered released from jail a day after attempting suicide in Virginia prison

Musto differentiated the two types of data Manning leaked.

“Depending on the circumstances of each case, a legitimate act of whistleblowing might not be found to be objectively dishonest,” Musto wrote. “In the case before the panel, the acts of the person concerned, specifically with regards to the diplomatic cables, were found to be objectively dishonest.”

Manning’s lawyers said an appeal is warranted.

“The decision is characterized by legal errors,” Blum and Gill said in a written statement. “We therefore intend to seek judicial review and continue her constitutional challenge to section 342.1 of the Criminal Code in Federal Court, including on the basis that the provision is overbroad and criminalizes whistleblowing.”

A CBSA spokeswoman said CBSA was unable to speak to the specifics of this case for privacy reasons.

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys

Unions look for details on federal budget pledge to ease access to training funding

Yesterday 
The Canadian Press


OTTAWA — The head of the Canadian Labour Congress expressed worries on Tuesday that labour groups could be left out of talks over a federal pledge to let workers access skills training programs before they become unemployed.

Congress president Bea Bruske said her concern is some provinces won't consult unions on how to redirect the federal training cash to help workers before they land on employment insurance.

The Liberals are also proposing to update agreements on the over $2 billion the federal government sends annually to provinces for skills training programs.

The budget proposes directing cash toward tackling current and future labour market needs, including helping mid-career workers transitioning to new sectors.

Bruske said expanding the scope of the labour market development agreements, as they're known, is a positive step.

"But we are worried about whether or not it's going to be done in the right way," she said, arguing that provinces like Alberta and Ontario don't value consulting unions.

"If workers aren't at the table to address the issues that we need to address in terms of where the shortages are going to be and where there's going to be pain in terms of unemployment, then how do we make sure that workers are actually covered by the very issues that we're trying to address?"

The budget released last week also proposes changes to the Employment Insurance Act to provide direct support to employers to retrain workers, and make more workers eligible for help before they become unemployed.

The federal government annually sends money through the agreements to provinces and territories to provide services to unemployed people, many of whom are eligible through the EI system, find and hold a job.

A federal review of the agreements released in May 2021 suggested funding was helping train workers for in-demand jobs, but also highlighted a series of hurdles preventing many from taking part. Among the problems identified were a lack of essential skills or knowledge of programs, learning disabilities and living in remote communities.

Widespread labour shortages and a historically low unemployment rate has helped drive demands for a rethink of skills training and the EI program itself that is under review. Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough is expected to release a report on the future of EI in the fall.

"We haven't touched the EI program for 70 years. Optimistically and truly, this is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to crack this wide open," said Leah Nord, senior director of workforce strategies at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Nord said EI should evolve toward a talent development process, one where help is provided to workers during a job loss to land a position in sectors with the greatest need. That help could come before someone loses a job, she said, or targeted to those out of the labour market the longest.

Statistics Canada's latest jobs report showed that in February there were 225,000 out-of-work Canadians whose ongoing job search had stretched for at least six months, which was 45,000, or almost 25 per cent, above pre-pandemic levels recorded in February 2020.

Michael Wilcox, an economist with the Labour Market Information Council, said filling available positions and boosting employment figures will require employers to tap into those long-term unemployed as well as other underutilized groups like older workers, immigrants and youth.

"Eliminating barriers to access and encouraging those who have left the labour force to rejoin is critical," he said. "Skills training and better labour market information are two supports that could help."

Deloitte Canada's post-budget analysis said the government should pay attention to those at risk of being excluded from labour market gains, including women, low-income households, Indigenous Peoples, and newcomers.

While the budget included $272.6 million over five years to help people with disabilities enter and stay in the labour force, Deloitte Canada's report released Tuesday suggested more may be needed to train Indigenous youth.

"Investing in overall labour force participation would increase Canada's average real GDP growth and lift the annual trend pace of economic growth," the report said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

Jordan Press, The Canadian Press

CANADA

Federal department questioned quality of 2021 Indigenous census data, documents show

Yesterday

OTTAWA — Federal officials questioned the quality of the 2021 census data for Indigenous communities after collection efforts were hampered by factors including the discovery of unmarked residential school graves, documents show.

Briefing notes obtained by The Canadian Press through access-to-information legislation reveal Statistics Canada's struggle to survey more than 600 First Nation and Inuit communities.

The documents were prepared for Indigenous Services Canada — the department that funds housing on reserves, along with other infrastructure and social programs.

Last October, weeks after the nearly five-month census window closed on Sept. 24, officials provided an update to the department's deputy minister. It noted while the overall response rate was 98 per cent, it was only around 85 per cent for Indigenous communities.

That was down from 92 per cent in the 2016 census year.

"While data collection results have surpassed expectations given the circumstances, questions remain about the quality of data," it read.

"Lower data quality will likely limit the ability to develop a sound evidence base for decision-making whether it be federal, provincial or Indigenous governments using the 2021 census data."

Indigenous Services Canada has not yet returned a request for comment.

In Canada, the census is done every five years to collect population and demographic information that assists governments in making funding decisions. Communities also rely on it for infrastructure planning.

Statistics Canada spokesman Peter Frayne said in the previous two census years, the number of reserves not fully counted had fallen to 14 in 2016, down from 36 in 2011.

In 2021, that figure shot up to 63, with Frayne saying the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with forest fires and heat waves, impacted results.

The federal agency needs permission to enter a First Nation. It reported that out of the 63 communities, 25 did not allow entry.

Documents tell a more detailed story of what went on behind the scenes.

Before data collection even began, Statistics Canada, trying to sort out how to conduct a census as the pandemic raged, opted to rely more heavily on Canadians filling out their forms online rather than through face-to-face interactions.

Efforts were made to hire local counters for Indigenous communities, but that workforce saw fewer than 1,000 out of some 2,200 available positions filled.

Over that summer, Indigenous Services officials flagged lagging census participation as an issue for First Nations and Inuit communities.

"Despite an unprecedented level of effort by Statistics Canada, the 2021 census data collection in First Nations and Inuit communities has been significantly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic," reads a mid-August update to the deputy minister.

"Participation rates have further been dampened by the uncovering of burial sites at former Indigenous residential schools, as well as the recent forest fires which have disrupted the lives of so many Indigenous families in northern Ontario and western provinces."

It goes on to say the discovery of unmarked graves "is exacerbating negative sentiment towards the federal government, potentially leading communities to reject participation in the 2021 census."

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and sent to federally funded church-run residential schools, where physical and sexual abuse was rampant.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians were confronted with that reality last May, when a British Columbia First Nation announced it had found what are believed to be the remains of 215 children buried at a former residential school.

On the advice of Statistics Canada's Indigenous liaison advisers, census director general Geoff Bowlby said the agency suspended collection for a period of time of out respect for communities.

That delay, coupled with how First Nations grappled with the painful discovery, affected response levels, he said.

"It's intangible … but it would have had some impact for sure."

How willing people are to fill out the census comes down to trust, and is tied to what experiences they have had with governments, said Bowlby.

"There's a burden that is placed upon people by the census and we have to be careful and aware of what is going on in people's lives."

At one point, officials saw only 63 out of the country's more than 600 Indigenous communities had been counted, so by mid-July Statistics Canada decided to deploy travel teams to help the situation.

By mid-August, that figure began to increase, but officials noted census information was still missing from some 500 communities while the window to collect it was closing. The consequence of having such a large gap is "considerable at many levels," they said.

"The sheer magnitude of the work remains a concern for all involved," a briefing note to Indigenous Services read.

Census data is a "critical resource," officials wrote, used by the department to track process on closing the socio-economic gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

"Efforts to ensure that this data remain of the highest quality are key to maintaining the federal government's ongoing commitment to transparency and results, and its dedication to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples," it read.

With more census data missing for individual Indigenous communities than previous years, Bowlby said gaps can be filled by creating forecasts from 2016 numbers as well as gleaning aggregate data from tax records and the Indian register, which is controlled by Indigenous Services Canada.

"But there's nothing like the census data and that's why it's so important that we get it, and we get it right with each census," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

Thinking inside the box: U of A researchers showcase new COVID-19 sanitization product

Kellen Taniguchi - Yesterday EDMONTON JOURNAL

© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Teser Technologies Phil Alle, right, president and CEO and John Fox, vice-president of business operations, demonstrate the TESER ACT unit at the University of Alberta's Biosafety Level 3 Lab in Edmonton, April 12, 2022.

Alberta researchers are rolling out a product they say can leave items sanitized of COVID-19 in just 60 seconds.

The Alberta-made sanitization product uses Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light from hundreds of LED light bulbs to kill viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19, and will be launched in Edmonton and Calgary this spring.

The TESER Act unit is a decontamination box, which shines UVC light on items, such as electronics, for 60 seconds and has been tested at the University of Alberta’s Biosafety Level 3 Lab. John Fox, vice-president of business and operations at TESER, a Calgary-based advanced cleaning solutions company, said the device is able to achieve a 99.99 per cent sanitization rate within a minute.

“We’ve been able to test it against a variety of bacterias and viruses, and seeing a really good kill rate, especially against viruses, which is going to be the bigger concern for the next pandemic as people prepare against it,” said Phil Alle, president and CEO of TESER.

The box was designed to be user friendly and operates with the push of just two buttons — the bottom one to open the door and the top button to begin the 60-second sanitization cycle. The lights on the box will beam red during the cycle and turn blue once it’s completed.


Phil Alle, CEO Teser Technologies, demonstrating its Covid-19 virus killer.

The box’s glass is 100 per cent UVC blocking, which keeps the light inside the box due to the harm it can cause to human eyes and skin, said Fox.

The TESER Act unit meets all the Health Canada regulations and Alle said with the help of a grant from the federal government, the first 10 units will be implemented this spring.

The first 10 units will be installed at locations such as Edmonton International Airport and government offices in Calgary and Edmonton.

To meet Health Canada regulations, the device had to be tested and proven to kill COVID-19 and other viruses. The work at the U of A was led by research associate Ryan Noyce and project supervisor David Evans, a professor of medical microbiology and immunity.

“It’s intriguing technology. We were very happy that we had a chance to test it,” said Evans.

“It’s a well established technology and UV is well known as a good tool for killing all kinds of biological organisms, as we know it is in fact quite dangerous to the skin and eyes. We knew it was going to work.”

Alle said the creation of the unit began about 10 days after the pandemic was declared and aims to address concerns heard early on.

“In the very beginning (of the pandemic) people were afraid to be around people, they didn’t want to touch other objects that people have touched, so we were really focused on that because it was something that we felt we could do,” said Alle.

He added the company will focus on laboratory settings and places where the touch of the virus matters, but they are currently working on an air-sanitization unit to combat viruses passed through the air.

Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation wants return of mask mandates, expanded PCR testing

Yesterday 
The Canadian Press


REGINA — The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation wants the province to bring back a mask mandate because Canada's chief public health officer says COVID-19 cases are rising across the country.

The federation says it wants the Saskatchewan Party government to reinstate public health measures, including isolation requirements and increased case reporting to the public.

It also wants expanded PCR lab testing for teachers and all school staff who deal directly with students.

Lab testing in the province is currently limited to priority populations, including people with chronic illness, Indigenous communities with no access to rapid tests, international travellers from areas of concern and health-care workers.

Federation president Patrick Maze says the provincial government has a responsibility to keep students and staff safe.

Last week, the province's chief medical health officer acknowledged COVID-19 cases are increasing in Saskatchewan, but said masking would remain a personal choice, and added that children are less likely to experience severe outcomes from the virus.

"Learning to live with COVID-19 must mean learning to take appropriate and reasonable measures when the situation calls for them," Maze said in a statement Tuesday.

"The government’s decisions have left us with very limited data available to assess the risk in our communities. Absenteeism is unusually high for teaching staff and students, and there is a lack of available substitute teachers.”

The latest wastewater data from the University of Saskatchewan shows COVID-19 viral levels are up over 740 per cent in Saskatoon and 250 per cent in North Battleford.

Earlier Tuesday, Canada's chief public health officer said as public health measures have lifted across the country, there are indicators of COVID-19 increasing, driven by the highly contagious sub-lineage of the Omicron variant known as BA.2.

Dr. Theresa Tam said hospitalizations are also on the rise and advised everyone to get vaccinated, wear a mask and improve ventilation to limit the spread.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

The Canadian Press

COVID 19 SIXTH WAVE
Surge capacity forces Saskatoon hospital to expand ER into waiting room

Yasmine Ghania, Sam Maciag - CBC

The waiting room at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon was turned into an extension of the emergency department on Monday due to overcapacity.

The waiting room was turned into patient care cubicles on Monday at 6 a.m. CST, according to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN).

"We spoke with registered nurses from St Paul's Hospital yesterday and they shared with us that this is the worst they've ever seen it," SUN president Tracy Zambory said Tuesday in an interview with Sam Maciag, host of CBC Saskatchewan News at 6.

"It's wide open in front of windows. There's no privacy. Imagine if your loved one comes in there with a heart attack and has to be treated in the waiting room," Zambory said, insisting that nurses' top concern is patient safety.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) confirmed hospitals across Saskatchewan, including those in Saskatoon and Regina, are experiencing capacity challenges, especially in the emergency departments.

"There were three spaces created for patients in the waiting room at St. Paul's Hospital Emergency Department, which required moving some of the waiting room chairs from the dedicated waiting room," wrote Graham Blue, executive director of acute care in Saskatoon hospitals, in a prepared statement.

"This was to try to achieve some capacity for the sickest patients to receive care in the Emergency Department proper."

Twenty-five visits (out of 85) to the adjacent ambulatory care department had to be rescheduled, according to Blue. The department provides several services including wound care, minor treatments and procedures.


© Submitted to CBCThere were three spaces created for patients in the waiting room at St. Paul’s Hospital Emergency Department on Monday, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

CBC News could not verify the source of the above photo, which was submitted to CBC, but multiple sources within the health-care system have confirmed it depicts the St. Paul's waiting room being used for patient care on Monday.

The waiting room appeared to be back to normal operations when CBC visited it early Tuesday afternoon.

As of 5 p.m. CST, 21 patients in St. Paul's emergency department were admitted without having a bed, according to the Saskatoon Health Region Current Capacity Report, which is updated online every five minutes.

"There's going to be pressure on the hospitals to think about who they can discharge. People then get discharged before they should to try to get rid of this flow that's stuck in the emergency room," Zambory said.

Zambory has a clear message for Saskatchewan residents.

"Don't get sick. Don't get hurt. Put your kids in bubble wrap because you can't be going to an emergency room in this province right now because the chances are you're going to have to sit and wait for it," she said.
Nurses burned out

Zambory said union members are overwhelmed by the relentless health-care pressures.

"It's taking such a toll on their mental health. They're leaving every day crying," Zambory said.

"They can't keep the stress up. They are not unbreakable. And they are starting to break under the pressure of this."


© Matt Duguid/CBC

Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, says union members are incredibly overwhelmed by the relentless healthcare pressures.

Zambory is calling on the provincial government to reinstate the indoor mask mandate. This comes as Canada's Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam confirmed Tuesday that the country is in a sixth wave of COVID.

Saskatoon has seen a massive increase in the viral load detected in its wastewater.

On Monday, researchers from the University of Saskatchewan released their latest report, showing a 742 per cent increase in viral load taken from sewage samples in Saskatoon compared to the previous week.

The amount of viral load in wastewater also increased in Prince Albert and North Battleford. In Regina, the latest similar study from the University of Regina simply says the levels "remain high."

The NDP's health critic says the Opposition is concerned by what ER capacity issues mean for the health system as a whole.

"Our emergency departments, we know that they are the canary in the coal mine for the whole health-care system," said Vicki Mowat on Tuesday. "There simply are not the beds available to allow for people to leave the emergency department, which puts additional pressures throughout the whole system."

Health Minister Paul Merriman said the government is not considering mask mandates at this time.

"Our hospital capacity is increasing for other reasons, not just COVID related, but also general admissions. We've opened up our hospitals where we had them somewhat tightened up in the fall. We're opening it up for other admissions and other surgeries, which also obviously increases our capacity too," said Merriman on Tuesday.

"The hospitals should be running very close to 100 per cent. There are some areas, certainly in Saskatoon, where they're exceeding 100 per cent. And that's why we're trying to load level across the system."

Lab official fears new normal of health staff absences if COVID not controlled

Michael Gorman - Yesterday 

CBC


The head of Nova Scotia Health's central zone microbiology lab says hundreds of health-care workers off the job due to COVID-19 could become the new normal if the current outbreak isn't brought under control.


© CBC News

Dr. Todd Hatchette, seen in this file photo, is concerned hundreds of health-care workers off the job due to COVID-19 could become the new normal.

Dr. Todd Hatchette made the comments during an appearance at the legislature's health committee on Tuesday. Most recent data show an average of 1,000 PCR positive tests each day. This week, almost 600 health-care workers at the health authority are off the job for COVID-related reasons.

"I think the state of health-care has been tenuous because the number of people that are in it to support it has always been just enough," Hatchette told reporters.

"Now, if you add a number of people who are going to be absent, you have to account for that so that you can maintain the services that are needed."
'There is no silver bullet'

The interim CEO for Nova Scotia Health, Karen Oldfield, said if this is going to be the new normal then steps need to be taken to account for that. Oldfield said that means overstaffing to ensure service delivery.

But that's easier said than done in a system that, at the best of times, does not have enough doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals. The province bolstered the new health-care professional recruitment office with $9.8 million and 33 staff in the most recent budget.

"We have to turn over every single stone and we're going to have to go to retired folks, we're going to have to increase the recruitment efforts," Oldfield told reporters.

"There is no silver bullet. We have to do every possible thing that we can think of to get people back into the system."

The province has a backlog of more than 27,000 surgical cases and services were recently reduced again in the central zone due to COVID. Oldfield said the system is focusing on doing as many day surgeries as possible until it's able to ramp up capacity and resume doing more cases that require hospital stays for patients.

Several weeks ago, when surgeries were back close to 100 per cent, the system did 1,400 surgeries — 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels — said Oldfield.

"The system is very resilient," she said.

She paid tribute to staff who keep coming to work each day and doing everything they can to deliver care in trying times.

"It can't get a whole lot worse. We're going to go forward and we're going to do the best we can in terms of the resources that we have."

Boosters improve immunity

Hatchette said that unless community spread can be stopped and infections reduced, cases will continue to stay high and, in turn, put pressure on the health-care system. People can help by wearing masks, distancing where appropriate and getting COVID-19 boosters, he said. Only about 64 per cent of Nova Scotians have a third shot.

"Getting your booster shot is actually a very effective way of increasing your body's own immunity to the Omicron virus."

With positivity rates continuing to hover around 30 per cent, Hatchette said he doesn't think this wave has peaked yet.

"That is the highest numbers we've seen. It is still creeping up. It is concerning that it's just an indicator of ongoing, unmitigated spread in the community."

Although some medical professionals and others have called for the province to restore the mask mandate for public places, Premier Tim Houston has resisted those calls, saying people know what they need to do and don't need a mandate from the government to know how to protect themselves and others.

Hatchette wouldn't offer comment on whether masks should be mandatory again, but said his own view is that everyone should wear one if they're going to be in a social situation where they're close to other people.

"It is something that can be done, should be done and there are behavioural scientists that suggest that mandates are an effective way to do that. I know that the public appetite for that is very low, as is the political appetite."

Oldfield would not comment on whether the government is doing enough to preserve the health-care system during the ongoing wave of the pandemic. The only public places where mask mandates remain in Nova Scotia are hospitals, schools and Province House.

Female firefighters urge City of Leduc to release results of department investigation

Madeleine Cummings - Monday
cbc.ca

Two women who have alleged they were harassed while working for Leduc Fire Services are urging the city to release the results of an external investigation into the department.

Christa Steele and Mindy Smith have applied for a class-action lawsuit against the City of Leduc, alleging decades of systemic harassment, bullying, discrimination, abuse and sexual assault.

Leduc fire chief George Clancy, who is not named in their statement of claim, resigned last month. At the time, city manager Derek Prohar told CBC News that Clancy had made a personal decision to leave.

Steele showed CBC an email Prohar sent to staff on March 29 in which he said that as a result of an investigation, two fire services employees were no longer working for the city.

Megan Wright, a firefighter and paramedic, resigned during last week's council meeting, alleging she too had been harassed.

None of the women's allegations have been proven in court.

At Monday's meeting, Steele and Wright urged the mayor and city council to release the results of an independent workplace investigation that Veritas Solutions conducted for the city.

Steele's daughter, Anika, and her friends, Carlie Timmons and Payton May, also spoke at the meeting, asking the mayor and council members about the integrity of the process of reporting abuse allegations to authorities.

Steele said retired detectives spent months listening to dozens of firefighters' stories and reviewing hundreds of documents.

"People who have seen the reports say they are explosive and very detailed," she told council.

"I was, in fact, contacted by police on the basis that this conduct at the fire department is likely criminal in nature."

Steele said she and Smith asked the city's human resources department to see the investigation results, but they were denied.

CBC has also asked for the report but a city spokesperson said it contains personal information and would not be made public.

Wright, who also asked for the report to be made public at last week's meeting, told council on Monday that freedom of information requests to obtain it have been denied.

Among the more than a dozen questions Wright posed to council on Monday was a request to see the contract the city signed with Veritas Solutions. She also asked why the city has decided to hire another external firm to review the organization.


© Peter Evans/CBCChrista Steele speaks to CBC after filing a civil suit against the city of Leduc.

'We hear you'

After the women spoke, Mayor Bob Young said, "We hear you. It's time for real and lasting change."

He said the city launched a third-party investigation last year after allegations were first brought to the city manager.

Young said the investigation report, which was delivered to the city in January, examined specific allegations and identified "areas of concern" but did not make recommendations.

He said council has been regularly updated on its findings, and in response to the report, there will be a national search for a new fire chief.

He said the city wants another company to review the organization to create "an action plan to ensure a holistic culture change."

Young said fire services employees will be able to receive additional mental health counselling and that the city's administration has committed to increase communication.

"The issue has been and continues to be a top priority," he said.

After the meeting, Steele told CBC she and other women will continue to fight for a fire department that safe for employees.

"Hopefully the city starts listening but I don't think they liked what was in the report," she said.

P3 PUBLIC PENSIONS FUND PRIVATIZATION
CPP Investments and Tata Realty and Infrastructure form joint venture in India

Yesterday 


TORONTO — The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd. have announced a joint venture to develop and own commercial office space in India.

Under the deal, the Canadian pension fund manager will make an equity commitment of about $438 million.

The total equity value of the joint venture will be about $866 million.

The joint venture will begin with two assets, Intellion Park Chennai and Intellion Edge Gurgaon, which are owned and managed by Tata Realty and Infrastructure.

It will also pursue developments in several key cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Tata Realty and Infrastructure is a subsidiary of Tata Sons, a real estate development company in India.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

The Canadian Press