British Columbia·

Tech writer, activist, premier: David Eby's ambitious road to the premier's office

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Eby will be sworn in as premier on Friday at

 the Musqueam Community Centre in Vancouver

Rhianna Schmunk, Joel Ballard · CBC News · Posted: Nov 17, 2022 

B.C. premier-designate David Eby will be sworn in on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Patrick Eby remembers the day his older brother dragged their younger brother to the circus.

He thought David, barely a teenager, was taking Matthew, no older than eight, to the big top for some fun near their childhood home in Kitchener, Ont.

It wasn't the case — David wanted to protest the way the circus elephants were being treated.

"I often do come back to that memory as one of the first steps toward what he was trying to do, with advocacy for those groups that he tirelessly works for and tries to help support," said Patrick, speaking in an interview from his home in Ontario.

"When he sets his mind to something, that's what he's going to try and accomplish."

Eby, 46, will take the latest step in his career when he's sworn in as B.C.'s 37th premier on Friday — a trajectory that's seen him rise from high school council president to protester, to activist, to civil rights lawyer and career politician favoured for the province's highest legislative office.

It's a path that doesn't surprise his family and colleagues.

Childhood

Eby was born in Kitchener, Ont., in 1976. His mother was a high school principal, and his father was a lawyer.

• VIDEO
  Soon-to-be B.C. premier David Eby lays out plan for first 100 days in office

The oldest of four siblings, he stood out for his leadership and studious side.

"He was a vegetarian from an early age and a strong advocate around animal rights," Patrick recalled. "He's always been ambitious. He's always been driven."

Eby grew up in Kitchener, Ont. His family says even as a child, he fought tirelessly for what he believed in. (Submitted by Patrick Eby)

After high school — where he was elected student council president — Eby earned his undergraduate degree in "rhetoric and professional writing" from the University of Waterloo in 1999, logically choosing his hometown university "because he liked the convenience of living at home while going to school."

After graduation, he worked briefly as a tech writer for various companies before leaving home to pursue his law degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Early career

In the early 2000s, he moved to B.C.

Long before he started down the road to provincial politics, Eby was an outspoken advocate on progressive issues as a lawyer with the Pivot Legal Society in the Downtown Eastside from 2005 to 2008. During that time, he advocated for the rights of Vancouver's homeless residents.

He then became the executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, fighting for police accountability. He also wrote a how-to guide on people's rights during arrests and suing police in small claims court.

• VIDEO
  David Eby promises swift, decisive action on homelessness if he becomes B.C. premier

Political path

Eby's political career began with a pair of unsuccessful election runs.

First in Vancouver's 2008 municipal election. Followed by the 2011 provincial byelection, which saw him as the B.C NDP candidate for Vancouver-Point Grey. He lost to then-premier Christy Clark by less than 600 votes.

In 2013, the stage was set for a rematch. This time, however, Eby won with 47 per cent of the vote, toppling the premier.

He has since been re-elected twice.

B.C. premier-designate David Eby cites housing, health care and public safety as his top priorities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Since 2017, Eby has served as attorney general. His tenure was highlighted by a series of headline-grabbing policies, including his investigation and inquiry into money laundering, a ban on corporate and union political donations and reforms of — what he called — the ICBC "dumpster fire."

After the last election, Eby also took over the housing portfolio.

In the legislature, his political opponents have long recognized his intelligence.

"As a competitor... he is a worthy adversary in the course of debate. You better be prepared," said Mike De Jong, the official Opposition critic for the attorney general.

• B.C.'s premier-designate pledges to do a lot in the little time remaining in fall session

But that recognition is also tempered by critique. De Jong believes Eby was the most partisan attorney general in his memory, adding that his confidence can often come across as arrogance.

He calls Eby's run as AG a disaster.

"The degree to which British Columbians feel less safe today than they did five years ago is palpable."

Eby has said he wants to hit the ground running in the legislature, immediately introducing legislation to tackle pressing issues like housing, health care and public safety.

But with only four days remaining in the legislative session after he takes office, there's concern among the Opposition Eby will attempt to push through legislation without proper scrutiny.

"I can assure you we will make a lot of noise about that if he tries to jam something through without proper debate and discussion," said B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon.

WATCH | Eby sets priorities for first 100 days in office:

In a speech Friday, David Eby laid out his priorities for when he becomes premier of B.C. which include housing, health care and public safety.

Passing the torch

Eby is replacing John Horgan, 63, B.C.'s first two-term NDP premier, who announced in June he was stepping down after recovering from throat cancer.

He was acclaimed as the leader of the NDP after his only rival in the race, activist Anjali Appadurai, was disqualified following an investigation into her campaign's conduct.

Eby will be sworn in as premier on Friday at the Musqueam Community Centre in Vancouver.

• Former activist David Eby has 'a reputation for getting things done' and clear path to becoming premier

He lives in the area with his wife, Cailey, and their two children. His brother Patrick says he's always made a point of setting boundaries to protect his personal time as best he can, even as his professional life has evolved.

"Over the years you've seen, as his career's unfolded and the work that he's done, he definitely has not taken his foot off the gas. He's there for his family, and he's got his family time.

"But when he's in work mode, he's in work mode."

‘It was very emotional’: B.C. woman describes taking part in protests in Iran

By Negar Mojtahedi  Global News

Posted November 17, 2022 

Nazanin, a B.C. woman, recently returned home to Metro Vancouver from Iran after taking part in protests and witnessing events that have left her with nightmares.

“There was a young man shot in his chest and he had difficulty breathing,” Nazanin told Global News. She said the other protesters provided first aid because going to a hospital would get one arrested.

Global News is not revealing Nazanin’s identity for fear that speaking out could put her life in danger.

She left Iran before the uprisings were sparked in September by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died while in the custody of the so-called Morality Police for apparently wearing her hijab improperly.

1:31Vancouver resident describes his time at Evin Prison in Iran

Nazanin was in Iran to help a close family member with serious health issues and witnessed the country transform overnight.

“After the death of Amini people were so mad and upset at the Islamic Republic for 44 years of brutality, dictatorship, lack of human rights and lying to people,” she said.

She described the night she joined protests as a defining moment in her life.

“The Basiji attacked us with tear gas and shooting. We all run away and one kind man opened his door and we rushed to his home.”

She said her eyes were burning from tear gas.

READ MORE: Iranian-born Canadian fears for his friends in Iranian prison where he spent 11 years

A protestor, she said, warned her not to touch her eyes and blew cigarette smoke towards her eyes to help relieve the stinging pain.

She said it was beautiful to witness unity and bravery but devastating to witness the inhumane crackdown of protestors.

“I had a mixture of feelings. Excited and hopeful for Iran to proud of (the) young generation especially women standing up against the dictatorship, demanding their own human rights,” Nazanin said. “On the other hand, I was so sad to be witness of how they beating up people, shooting and I was worried and scared not only for myself but for all young brave people.”

Out of 290 MPs in Iran, 227 of them recently called on the judiciary to issue death sentences to all imprisoned protesters.

At least five protestors have already been sentenced to death. The United Nations said nearly 15,000 protestors are imprisoned and at least 300 killed – including nine-year-old Kian Pirfalak, killed in the crackdown.

View image in full screen

Kian Pirfalak. @1500Tasvir

While people await their death sentences, Zohreh Elahian and Kazem Gharibabadi, two of the MPs who voted in favour of calling for the execution of protesters, travelled to New York to attend UN General Assembly’s meetings.

Nazanin feared for her life travelling back to Canada.

She was anxious at the airport in Iran, terrified a security officer at the airport would arrest her. She erased all photos and videos from her cellphone and said she prepared herself for the worst-case scenario.

READ MORE: Crackdown in Kurdish region of Iran hits home for Port Moody, B.C. woman

Four decades ago, Nazanin’s cousin, a political prisoner, was executed by the Islamic Republic.

Nazanin said she waited nearly 44 years for that moment to stand up against the regime, and did so in honour of her late cousin.

She said she had tears in her eyes taking to the streets.

“It was very emotional time, I can’t explain with many words. We were waiting 44 years for that moment and I was there and that made me very happy.”

A moment she is hopeful is on the road to a revolution.

Resignations Roil Twitter as Elon Musk Tries Persuading Some Workers to Stay

Mr. Musk, Twitter’s new owner, had given employees a Thursday deadline to decide whether to leave or stay “to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0.”

HUBRIS

Elon Musk and his advisers held meetings with some Twitter workers to try to stop them from leaving.

Credit...Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images


By Ryan Mac, Mike Isaac and David McCabe

The New York Times
Nov. 17, 2022

Hours before a Thursday deadline that Elon Musk had given Twitter employees to decide whether to stay or leave their jobs, the social media company appeared to be in disarray.

Mr. Musk and his advisers held meetings with some Twitter workers whom they deemed “critical” to stop them from leaving, four people with knowledge of the conversations said. He sent out confusing messages about the company’s remote work policy, appearing to soften his stance on not allowing people to work from home before warning their managers, according to those people and internal emails viewed by The New York Times.

All the while, two people said, resignations started to roll in. By the deadline, 5 p.m. Eastern time, hundreds of Twitter employees appeared to have decided to depart with three months of severance pay, the people said. Twitter later announced via email that it would close “our office buildings” and disable employee badge access until Monday.

The exits added to the turmoil at Twitter since Mr. Musk, 51, completed his $44 billion takeover last month. The billionaire has laid off half of Twitter’s 7,500 full-time workers, fired dissenters and told employees that they need to be “extremely hard core” to make the company a success.

On Wednesday, Mr. Musk gave Twitter’s remaining employees just under 36 hours to leave or commit to building “a breakthrough Twitter 2.0.” Those who departed would get the three months of severance pay, he said. He positioned the move as a way to make the company the most competitive it could be, though the action also provided an opportunity to further cut costs and purge the firm of disaffected workers.

The shedding of so many employees in such a compressed period has raised questions about how Twitter will keep operating effectively. While Mr. Musk has brought in some engineers and managers from his other companies, such as the electric automaker Tesla, many of them are just coming up to speed on how the social media service works, five people said.

On Twitter, the hashtag #RIPTwitter began trending as users wondered whether the service would go down. Some people posted memes of gravestones with the epitaph that Mr. Musk had killed the service, while others joked that there was only one employee left. Some users said they were migrating to other social media services.

Mr. Musk and Twitter, which no longer has a communications department, did not respond to requests for comment. But in a tweet late Thursday, Mr. Musk joked about how much he had paid for the social media firm.

Twitter faces not just internal challenges with Mr. Musk’s ownership. On Thursday, seven Democratic senators called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the company had violated a consumer privacy agreement with the agency since Mr. Musk took over. The letter followed the resignations of Twitter’s security executives last week after Mr. Musk appeared to change some of the company’s data security practices.

Those “reported changes to internal reviews and data security practices” at Twitter have put consumers “at risk,” the lawmakers wrote. They included Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren were among seven senators who asked for an investigation of whether Twitter had violated a privacy agreement with the F.T.C.

Credit...Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times

A spokesman for the F.T.C. declined to comment. The agency previously said it was “tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern.” Mr. Musk has said he plans to abide by the privacy agreement.

Changes at Elon Musk’s Twitter

A swift overhaul. Elon Musk has moved quickly to revamp Twitter since he completed his $44 billion buyout of the social media company in October, warning of a bleak financial picture and a need for new products. Here’s a look at some of the changes so far:

Going private. As part of Mr. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, he is delisting the company’s stock and taking it out of the hands of public shareholders. Making Twitter a private company gives Mr. Musk some advantages, including not having to make quarterly financial disclosures. Private companies are also subject to less regulatory scrutiny.

Layoffs. Just over a week after closing the deal, Mr. Musk eliminated nearly half of Twitter’s work force, or about 3,700 jobs. The layoffs hit many divisions across the company, including the engineering and machine learning units, the teams that manage content moderation, and the sales and advertising departments.

Verification subscriptions. Twitter began charging customers $7.99 a month to receive a coveted verification check mark on their profiles. But the subscription service was paused after some users exploited it to create havoc on the platform by pretending to be high-profile brands and sending disruptive tweets.

Content moderation. Shortly after closing the deal to buy Twitter, Mr. Musk said that the company would form a content moderation council to decide what kinds of posts to keep up and what to take down. But advertisers have paused their spending on Twitter over fears that Mr. Musk will loosen content rules on the platform.

Other possible changes. As Mr. Musk and his advisers look for ways to generate more revenue at the company, they are said to have discussed adding paid direct messages, which would let users send private messages to high-profile users. The company has also filed registration paperwork to pave the way for it to process payments.

Jeff Seibert, a former head of consumer product at Twitter, called the company’s situation “sad” and “disappointing” and said Mr. Musk’s leadership had caused “confusion” for users, advertisers and employees. Twitter, which has long grappled with harassment and misinformation on its platform, “has been at the center of a maelstrom for a decade,” he said.

“Of all the companies that don’t need more drama, it’s Twitter,” Mr. Seibert added.

After Mr. Musk asked workers to decide whether to stay or go, employees were provided with an F.A.Q. document about exit packages on Wednesday. The F.A.Q., which was viewed by The Times, opened by saying Mr. Musk’s ultimatum was an “official company communication” and “not a phishing attempt.”

“As you have seen, Twitter is at the beginning of an exciting journey,” the document read.

The F.A.Q. added that employees would have to “maximize working from an office” and “work the hours necessary to do your job at the highest level,” including early mornings, late nights and weekends.

On Thursday morning, Twitter’s internal Slack messaging system appeared relatively quiet, according to two employees and logs seen by The Times. Mr. Musk’s team had spent part of this week combing through messages or tweets that criticized him and the company, which led to the firing of about two dozen workers on Tuesday.

Some employees on Slack had questions about severance packages or whether their jobs were “guaranteed” if they agreed to stay “with the new Twitter.” One employee posted lyrics from Pink Floyd’s song “Wish You Were Here” as others asked about the appropriate email addresses for human resource concerns, according to messages seen by The Times.

On Blind, a social platform where anonymous users talk about their workplaces, a poll of nearly 250 people associated with Twitter showed that about 73 percent favored taking the severance package over staying. People who decided to stay still believed in Twitter’s mission of giving people a voice or had visas tied to their jobs or other personal reasons, two people said.

More on Elon Musk’s Twitter TakeoverTargeting Critics: After laying off nearly half the company, Elon Musk has continued cutting Twitter’s work force by firing employees who had criticized him.

Musk’s Tweeting Spree: Under tremendous scrutiny since buying Twitter, Mr. Musk is using the platform to push back, spar and justify his actions.

Users’ Confessions: Sensing that Twitter’s days might be numbered, users are disclosing long-ago indiscretions, making pleas for money and revealing silly quirks.

‘Hard Fork’: In an episode of The Times’s tech podcast, two Twitter employees described the atmosphere inside the company.

On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Musk sent an email in which he seemed to dial back his stance on working from home. He had earlier said all Twitter employees must come into the office to work at least 40 hours a week.

But in his note, which was viewed by The Times, Mr. Musk wrote: “Regarding remote work, all that is required for approval is that your manager takes responsibility for ensuring that you are making an excellent contribution.”

The email arrived hours after a former Twitter employee had sued the company, claiming Mr. Musk’s new policy discriminated against workers with disabilities.

Minutes later, Mr. Musk sent another email to staff saying managers were on the hook not to lie about strong work as a cover for employees to work for home.

“Any manager who falsely claims that someone reporting to them is doing excellent work or that a given role is essential, whether remote or not, will be exited from the company,” he wrote.

Mr. Musk’s team also held meetings with undecided employees who are key to Twitter’s operations to try to persuade them to stay, three people said. In his pitch, Mr. Musk said that he knew how to win and that those who wanted to win should join him, one person who spoke with him said.

In one of those meetings, some employees were summoned to a conference room in the San Francisco office while others called in via videoconference. As the 5 p.m. deadline passed, some who had called in began hanging up, seemingly having decided to leave, even as Mr. Musk continued speaking, two people familiar with the meeting said.

Some workers found time to crack morbid jokes. In Twitter’s New York office, a giant television in a common space showed a Twitter thread from this week in which a Twitter engineer corrected a statement that Mr. Musk had made about the company. Mr. Musk then fired the engineer.

On Slack, other employees began announcing their resignations. Their farewell notes were greeted with an avalanche of salute emojis.

“I’ve met so many friends here,” one employee wrote in a message seen by The Times. “And will always remember the good times at twtr.”

Earlier this month, Twitter employees lost access to the company’s email and internal messaging system before they were officially notified of being laid off. By contrast, workers who resigned said they were still able to use the internal systems hours after saying they were leaving.

Kate Conger contributed reporting.

Twitter Under Musk

Elon Musk Gives Twitter Employees a Deadline to Stay or Leave
Nov. 16, 2022

Elon Musk Fires Twitter Employees Who Criticized Him
Nov. 15, 2022

Two Weeks of Chaos: Inside Elon Musk’s Takeover of Twitter
Nov. 11, 2022

Ryan Mac is a technology reporter focused on corporate accountability across the global tech industry. He won a 2020 George Polk award for his coverage of Facebook and is based in Los Angeles. @RMac18

Mike Isaac is a technology correspondent and the author of “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,” a best-selling book on the dramatic rise and fall of the ride-hailing company. He regularly covers Facebook and Silicon Valley, and is based in San Francisco. @MikeIsaac • Facebook

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019.

CBC  The Current

Changes at Twitter may put activists and protesters at risk, say experts

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Billionaire Elon Musk laid off Twitter’s human rights team

shortly after taking over the platform

Philip Drost · CBC Radio · Posted: Nov 17, 2022 

Demonstrators chant slogans while marching during the March of Solidarity for Iran in Washington, D.C. in October. Demonstrations have taken place inside Iran and around the world following the mid-September death of Mahsa Amini in custody. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

The Current23:41How Twitter’s new ownership could make activism more difficult

Read Transcribed Audio

Twitter has become an important tool for activists to get their message out, whether it's news of a human rights injustice, or plans for a protest.

But there's growing concern about the impact that Twitter's new owner Elon Musk might make it more difficult and, at times, dangerous for people protesting and activists trying to support them. 

"Because of measures that he's taken and layoffs that have happened and resignations that have occurred, it's as if the defences of this already weak platform have suddenly been dropped," Ron Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, told Matt Galloway on The Current. 

In October, Musk, who is also Tesla's CEO, completed his $44-billion US acquisition of Twitter. That was followed by a landslide of layoffs, including the company's leadership team, as well as its human rights team. 

Elon Musk has made changes to and dropped staff since purchasing Twitter. (Susan Walsh/The Associated Press)

Deibert says those firings are putting people at risk. 

"These are people that are doing their best in spite of some of the design features of the platform to help at-risk marginalized communities that are regularly targeted or harassed, or the focus or the object of spying over the platform," he said.

"They weren't doing it very well before because they lacked capacity and resources. Well, now they're gone."

• What's next for Twitter after Elon Musk's takeover? Social media experts weigh in

• Twitter brings back 'official' account tag

• Hateful slurs soared on Twitter after Musk took over, says digital anti-hate watchdog

A voice in Iran

Mahsa Alimardani, a senior researcher for the freedom of expression organization Article 19, points at what's happening in Iran as an example of how important social media platforms can be. 

"Without them the voices of Iranians essentially would not exist," said Alimardani.

Protests in Iran were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. As those protests continue, Alimardani says many people are using Twitter to get the latest information. 

"It is essentially a place where, you know, international media comes to find what's happening on the ground in Iran," he said.

Iranian demonstrators are seen taking to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, on Sept. 21, 2022, days after she died in police custody. (AFP via Getty Images)

It's become a double-edged sword, Alimardani said, because the Iranian government is also using it to get their message across. 

"It's incredibly hard for morale to see the state who's controlling the traditional media is also thriving on these platforms as well," she said.

• Iran judiciary officials to deal with indicted protesters in a 'firm' manner

• 'Don't let the protests fade away': The Iranian-Canadian artists showing solidarity with women in Iran

• Self-exiled poet covers Iran protests as a 'war correspondent in verse'

Twitter recently introduced the option to purchase the signature blue verified checkmark, as part of their Twitter Blue premium subscription service.

The checkmark was previously only used to verify politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. Since the subscription became available, fake accounts impersonating public figures and companies have begun to crop up.

Alimardani says officials within the Iranian government are taking advantage of that, and purchasing checkmarks to give their previously unverified accounts the appearance of legitimacy.

And she says that's frustrating for protesters. 

"They're incredibly angry because they're facing this gruesome reality of what this regime is doing to them daily," said Alimardani. 

"At the same time, they feel this betrayal by platforms who aren't taking policies that are proportionate to the crimes of these actors that are also making use of these platforms to their advantage."

Mahsa Alimardani is a senior researcher for the freedom of expression organization Article 19. (Mahsa Alimardani)

Twitter has been used in other uprisings and cultural movements since its inception, such as the 2011 Egyption revolution, and Alimardani says it's an important platform for documenting history.

"They are really a part of the archive of the revolution. It's how this revolution has unfolded," said Alimardani. 

"If one day it does come to, you know, the successful completion that everyone wants to see ... Twitter will be an important component of Iranian history."

But if the platform were to go bankrupt, Alimardani is concerned about what would happen to that information. 

Safety risks

While not much else has changed yet, Deibert says it's the uncertainty that concerns him. 

"It's a train wreck and we've got an egocentric billionaire as the conductor. So many people are predicting that the platform might collapse, it might go insolvent. Even Musk himself said it may go bankrupt," said Deibert. 

• Misinformation about Iran death sentences fooled Trudeau — and could help Tehran spin news about protests

• Q&A
  This cartoonist was banned from Twitter for impersonating Elon Musk

"So we just don't know one day to the next because you have one person effectively determining the operations of a major component of our global public square."

In August, Twitter's former chief of information and security said the site's cybersecurity and privacy was broken. That has Deibert concerned about how oppressive regimes might be able to exploit those vulnerabilities.

Ron Deibert is the director of Citizen Lab, based out of the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

"I suspect that unless things change, we will be hearing about real-life harms that were precipitated by the insecurity of this platform," said Diebert. 

Despite Deibert's concerns about the current state of Twitter, he does believe in the internet's ability to connect people fighting for social justice. He says it's important for people to look at alternatives, even if there isn't a perfect solution. 

"What we desperately need is alternatives to private companies operating public spaces like this. And so maybe this will be a silver lining out of this disaster around Twitter that we may see alternatives emerge and become popular," he said.

The CBC reached out to Twitter for comment on safety and security concerns, but has not heard back.

---

Produced by Alison Masemann and Kate Cornick.

‘It’s killing us all slowly’: how the night shift is taking a toll on US workers

Michael Sainato - TODAY - The Guardian

Roger Reinhardt works third shift at a beer production facility in Michigan from 10pm-8am, four days a week. He initially started working nights because it was the only shift available when he started working but he has continued doing it for the extra pay.


Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP
But is not not easy.

“It all comes down to sleep. Blackout curtains, white noise and melatonin supplements only do so much. The body rebels. When I’m not going great, I wake up every 90 minutes to two hours and might go through most days of the week with only four hours of sleep,” said Reinhardt. “The shift is killing us all slowly.”

He noted the shift has a lot of employee turnover because of people either not capable or willing to sacrifice daylight hours for the sleep they need, and needing to sleep during the day makes social events, chores, and errands a lot more difficult.

“Almost universally across the board, the job is taken because the worker either didn’t have another job available to them or they needed the money, or both,” added Reinhardt.

Millions of workers in the US work throughout the night, from workers in emergency services, such as paramedics, nurses, police officers, to late night hospitality, retail and food service workers, transportation and utility workers, and workers in factories and warehouses producing or distributing goods 24 hours a day.

The majority of US workers are on the job during the day, on 9am-5pm schedules or a few hours before or after, But about 5 to 10% are on their job through late night hours, with a portion of regularly working night shifts to workers with rotating night shift schedules.

The impacts of these late night work schedules can be profound on the health of workers and their ability to balance a life outside of work.

An Amazon worker in Washington who requested to remain anonymous has been working part-time on the overnight shift, Monday through Friday from 9.45pm and gets off around 2 to 2.30am. She has done it for about a year, because it enables her to avoid the cost of childcare and she gets time to spend with her children.

“It can get very exhausting since you’re not getting the adequate amount of sleep you need as a healthy adult. I only get four hours of sleep every night and try to sneak in a nap during the day. Some days I feel like I’m in a daze,” she said. “I do get paid $1.50 extra an hour so basically you’ll only make six dollars extra for that shift.”

Humans have a 24-hour circadian timing system, a biological clock, affecting physiological processes such as sleep patterns, eating habits and digestion, hormones, blood pressure and body temperature.

“It evolved to help organisms cope with the daily changes in their environment. Our body is exposed to very different conditions during the day and the night: during the day we normally eat, we move, and we’re alert, while during the night we sleep, we rest, and we recover,” said Dr Laura Kervezee, a chronobiologist at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

“Night shift work turns it upside down. It leads people to be awake and consume food at times that their physiology is primed for sleep and rest. This leads to what we call circadian misalignment, where behavior becomes uncoupled with the circadian rhythms in the body.”

Numerous studies have demonstrated increased health risks for night shift workers in the long term, as their work schedules misalign their circadian timing systems, including higher risks of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression, and short term impacts such as decreased cognitive performance, fatigue, and sleep deprivation.

“As a society, we should really think about whether that’s really where we want to go, to expose people to an extra health risk just because we want our package to arrive faster,” added Dr Kervezee, noting there is still research needed to be done to pinpoint the link between the short-term acute effects and the long-term health problems that night shift workers experience.

A warehouse worker on the third shift at UPS in Kentucky who requested to remain anonymous, explained the mental and physical drain the shift has had on them. They work from 10pm to 4am or later, receiving a higher hourly wage for working the third shift.

“Working third shift is really hard. It’s very mentally draining and people around you tend to be grumpier to work around, because everyone would rather be in bed,” they said.

They explained getting adequate sleep is difficult because of the noise and light during the day and they rarely have the time or energy to spend time with family or friends on work days.

Kennedy Sparr works the night shift as a 911 emergency dispatcher in Michigan, working from 6pm to 6am, often more than 40 hours a week. It’s not uncommon for her to be up 36 hours at a time before sleeping.

“It’s definitely harder to train your body to work the night shift, because your body is not used to staying up all night,” said Sparr. “I noticed at the times that I work night shifts, you’re more edgy, you have more of an attitude, you’re angry, you’re tired, you’re exhausted, and you feel drained.”

She explained that she often doesn’t sleep enough and the night shift schedule makes it difficult to maintain relationships with everyone else on normal schedules, and then adapting and retraining your body between day schedules on days off and vacations to going back to work nights.

“I don’t think there are ever nights that I feel fully refreshed when I come back to work, because I’ve had four hours of sleep and nothing’s done at home. I need to do things like laundry, I need to do the dishes. But I just wanted to sleep.”

Tunisian police disperse migrants’ rights protests near the Francophonie Summit

Daniel Stewart - 1h ago

 Provided by News 360

Tunisian police have fired tear gas to disperse a protest for migrants' rights near the island of Djerba, on the country's west coast, where the Francophonie Summit will be held starting this Saturday, reports the Tunisie Numerique portal.


Archive - Tunisia's President Kais Saied - 

Chokri Mahjoub/ZUMA Press Wire/d / DPA

The agents have intervened in the town of Zarzis, about 25 kilometers south of the island, whose main access by the Jurf al Qantara sea road is now blocked by security forces, according to other information from the Mosaique FM radio station.

It should be recalled that the protests have been organized by a group of relatives of migrants from Zarzi who drowned weeks ago in one of the many shipwrecks on the Mediterranean route.

After denouncing the passivity of the authorities in their operations to search for the missing, the relatives recently threatened to go to Djerba to make their voice heard and ask the relevant authorities to intervene urgently to reveal the truth about the disappearance of their children.

The Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) will take place on November 19-20 in the presence of 89 official delegations after its postponement last year due to political tensions in the country following the decision of President Kais Saied to arrogate to himself all powers in July after a series of anti-government protests.

Hourly wages needed to live in Ontario rise as inflation persists

The Canadian Press

Hourly wages needed to live in Ontario have increased amid decades-high inflation and remain well above the province's minimum wage, according to a new report.

In the report released Monday, the Ontario Living Wage Network said the living wage in Toronto is now $23.15 an hour, up almost five per cent from $22.08 a year earlier.

The report said the largest increase was in Sault Ste. Marie, where the living wage went up by 21.6 per cent since last year.

Minimum wage in Ontario is $15.50 an hour.

The organization's living wage calculation uses the basic costs of living, such as housing, food, clothing and transportation, as well as factors like government benefits, to determine how much a worker needs to make hourly in order to live in their region.

Canada's annual inflation rate was 6.9 per cent in September, but the cost of groceries continues to climb. It has been steadily declining since reaching its highest rate this year of 8.1 per cent in June. Statistics Canada is expected to release October's data on Wednesday.

"This year's living wage calculations emerge from a backdrop of record--breaking inflation," the report said.

The living wage calculations are updated annually and released in November.

According to the organization, this year for the first time their living wage calculations cover the entire province of Ontario, offering living wages for 10 economic regions defined by Statistics Canada.

Toronto's living wage is the highest of all the regions, most of which have a living wage between $19 and $20.

Food is one of the highest costs in the calculator, the organization said, and it's gone up significantly this year with inflation.

"The rise in food prices across our province have added significantly to the increase in living wage rates for all communities," the report said.

There are now more than 500 employers that are certified with the Living Wage Network, meaning they agree to pay their employees the regional living wage calculated by the organization.

The Living Wage Network said more than half of those companies signed up since the pandemic began.