Manitoba's civil service workers reject latest contract offer, deliver strike mandate

Story by Sarah Petz • CBC

Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union president Kyle Ross said the province's civil servants have 'overwhelmingly' voted to reject the outgoing government's last contract officer.© Trevor Brine/CBC

Manitobans may face yet another strike after the province's unionized civil service workers voted to reject the outgoing government's latest contract offer.

Civil servants represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union voted "overwhelmingly" to turn down the employer's current contact offer in favour of a strike mandate, MGEU president Kyle Ross said Friday.

"This does not mean the civil service is going on strike tomorrow," he said at a news conference.

"The goal here is to get back to the bargaining table and get a fair deal. A strike is the last resort, but our members have said clearly that they are prepared to go there if necessary."

Ross did not say what percentage of members voted in favour of the strike mandate.

The most recent offer would provide a two per cent wage increase per year over four years, an offer Ross said doesn't go far enough.

MGEU represents about 11,000 civil servants working in a variety of areas, including correctional officers, conservation officers, public health inspectors, sheriffs and social service workers, among others.
Summer of strikes


MGEU 'hopeful' premier-designate Wab Kinew will bring new approach to bargaining table


If the civil servants do walk off the job, it would MEGU's fourth strike this year.

About 1,700 MPI workers represented by the union have been on strike since Aug. 28, after they were unable to reach an agreement on a contract with the public insurer.

That strike began just a day after the end of a strike by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries workers, also represented by MGEU, that lasted nearly a month this summer.

Unionized workers at Manitoba land titles offices also took job action this summer after labour talks stalled.

Ross said he's hopeful for a "new approach" to labour relations under the incoming NDP government, after that party won Tuesday's provincial election.

Civil servants won't take any job action until the union has a chance to sit down with the new government, Ross said.

"We're hopeful that they'll come to the table and we can have meaningful talks and come to a fair agreement," he said.

"That's been our our goal all along. We've been trying to get that with the previous [Progressive Conservative] government, and we have indication that this new government do that."

On Wednesday, at his first news conference following Tuesday's election, premier-designate Wab Kinew said he wants to avoid interfering in labour negotiations — something he accused the Progressive Conservatives of doing — but he also offered his support for the striking MPI workers.

"For the PCs to stand in the way of these hard-working Manitobans getting a fair deal is just wrong. We are on the side of workers," he said.

However, Ross said union members will have to wait until the new NDP government is sworn in before MGEU can meet with them.

"It's unfortunate that these members have to wait, but … [new government members] need to be briefed and be prepared to have those conversations with us," he said.

California governor vetoes bill that would have banned caste discrimination

   

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have made California the first U.S. state to outlaw caste-based discrimination.

Caste is a division of people related to birth or descent. Those at the lowest strata of the caste system, known as Dalits, have been pushing for legal protections in California and beyond. They say it is necessary to protect them from bias in housing, education and in the tech sector — where they hold key roles.

Earlier this year, Seattle became the first U.S. city to add caste to its anti-discrimination laws. On Sept. 28, Fresno became the second U.S. city and the first in California to prohibit discrimination based on caste by adding caste and indigeneity to its municipal code.

In his message Newsom called the bill “unnecessary,” explaining that California “already prohibits discrimination based on sex , race, color , religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed.”

“Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary,” he said in the statement.

A United Nations report in 2016 said at least 250 million people worldwide still face caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Pacific regions, as well as in various diaspora communities. Caste systems are found among Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs.

In March, state Sen. Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the California Legislature, introduced the bill. The California law would have included caste as a sub-category under “ethnicity” — a protected category under the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Opponents, including some Hindu groups, called the proposed legislation “unconstitutional” and have said it would unfairly target Hindus and people of Indian descent. The issue has divided the Indian American community.

Earlier this week, Republican state Sens. Brian Jones and Shannon Grove called on Newsom to veto the bill, which they said will “not only target and racially profile South Asian Californians, but will put other California residents and businesses at risk and jeopardize our state’s innovate edge.”

Jones said he has received numerous calls from Californians in opposition.

“We don’t have a caste system in America or California, so why would we reference it in law, especially if caste and ancestry are already illegal,” he said in a statement.

Grove said the law could potentially open up businesses to unnecessary or frivolous lawsuits.

Proponents of the bill launched a hunger strike in early September pushing for the law’s passage. Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of Equality Labs, the Oakland-based Dalit rights group that has been leading the movement to end caste discrimination nationwide, said the goal of the fast is to end caste bias in every area, including employment and housing.

“We do this to recenter in our sacred commitment to human dignity, reconciliation and freedom and remind the governor and the state of the stakes we face if this bill is not signed into law,” she said.

A 2016 Equality Labs survey of 1,500 South Asians in the U.S. showed 67% of Dalits who responded reported being treated unfairly because of their caste.

A 2020 survey of Indian Americans by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found caste discrimination was reported by 5% of survey respondents. While 53% of foreign-born Hindu Indian Americans said they affiliate with a caste group, only 34% of U.S.-born Hindu Indian Americans said they do the same.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Deepa Bharath, The Associated Press

CASTEISM IS SLAVERY

Organisation representing Hindu Parents, Dalit group celebrate veto of California's anti-caste discrimination bill

'In California, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, where they come from, who they love, or where they live,' Governor Gavin Newsom said

PTI Washington Published 08.10.23

California Governor Gavin NewsomX / @GavinNewsom

An organisation representing Hindu parents in California, eminent Indian-Americans and a Dalit advocacy group on Saturday welcomed the decision of California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the anti-caste discrimination bill, saying it was brought with the sole intention of "stereotyping the community".

The governor vetoed the bill, which was recently passed by the state assembly, and said that laws to ban caste-based discrimination already exist in the state.

“In California, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, where they come from, who they love, or where they live,” Newsom said in a statement issued Saturday.

"That is why California already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, colour, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed. Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary," he explained.

For this reason, Newsom asserted that he “cannot sign” the bill known as ‘SB403’, which was passed by a large majority by both the House of Representatives and Senate of the California State Assembly.

“With the stroke of his pen, Governor Newsom has averted a civil rights and constitutional disaster that would have put a target on hundreds of thousands of Californians simply because of their ethnicity or their religious identity, as well as create a slippery slope of facially discriminatory laws,” said Samir Kalra, managing director of Hindu American Foundation.

Leading Democrat Ajay Bhutoria, in a statement, expressed his gratitude to Governor Newsom for vetoing the bill and described it as a “momentous development”.

During a recent engagement at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) event in Chicago, Bhutoria from California and Rakesh Kapur from Boston urged the governor to veto the bill.

“This is a culmination of the efforts of the entire #HinduAmerican community, and the hundreds of organisations, temples, businesses, and allies that fought against #profiling. We rose above the lies, the insinuations, and the wild accusations - and we prevailed,” Coalition of Hindus of North America said.

“As California's Governor has rightly pointed out, California's law on civil rights already covers all instances of discrimination. We believe that this bill was brought with the sole intention of stereotyping Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Muslims and other communities from South Asia,” said Vaishali V, president of Ambedkar-Phule Network of American Dalits and Bahujans.

Congratulating the governor for seeing through the flaws in the bill and how it would adversely impact people from South Asia, including the marginalised communities, Vaishali said the network sees the bill as anti-Dalit and a threat to their cultural existence.

“While we welcome the veto, we know that nothing can bring back the life of our leader Milind Makwana who was the voice marginalised and at the forefront of the struggle against SB-403 Nothing can heal the loss and the trauma that this bill has caused to the families of the marginalised communities,” Vaishali said.

Expressing profound relief and gratitude following Governor Newsome's decision to veto bill SB403, Hindu Parents said this significant decision stands as a beacon against prejudice, discrimination, and misinformation about Hinduism and its followers in California.

“With this development, our children can look forward to a future where they are not subject to undue stereotyping and profiling based on perceptions. This ensures they can practise their faith peacefully, with pride, and without the looming shadows of colonial-era stereotypes and prejudice,” Hindu Parents said.

“While we celebrate this victory, we recognize there's more work ahead. The portrayal of Hinduism and Hindu-Americans, especially in educational materials, remains a concern. It is our hope that the state of California will address these systemic biases and stereotypes in our textbooks. True reconciliation can be achieved when education reflects the rich diversity and historical contributions of Hinduism,” said the organisation representing Hindu parents.

“Standing against all forms of hatred, bullying, and discrimination is our collective responsibility,” it said.

Eminent Indian American Yogi Chug said Governor Newsom’s veto of SB403 demonstrates the outcome of a protracted and long effort by the Indian-American community to advocate for the limitations of the original bill as authored.

“One must applaud the relentless effort of so many community members who diligently made the case for ensuring that no one is singled out or profiled as it iterated through various versions in the California legislature,” he said.

“The key is to ensure that the Indian-American community continues to remain engaged and recognise that they have the potential to be a responsible and meaningful voice in the American political process. Equally important is to focus on this ongoing political journey with the utmost humility and purpose,” Chug said.

Equality Lab, which had relentlessly worked for the bill and its passage, said though Governor Newsom has rejected the legislation for now, the caste equity movement still views this as a win. SB403 is the first anti-caste discrimination bill to have made it all the way through the California legislature, it said.

“We are very proud of the power and resilience that caste-oppressed people across the state have shown in their advocacy for SB403. While it is heartbreaking to receive the Governor’s veto, it is not a reflection of the incredible democratic power that our communities showed. We did the impossible,” said Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director of Equality Labs.

Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of SALDEF, said they are deeply disappointed by Governor Newsom's veto of SB 403, which would have banned caste discrimination in California.

“This veto is a missed opportunity to protect millions of Californians from a form of discrimination that is deeply rooted in our society. But we won’t stop fighting for a more just and equal society and will continue fighting for California to be the first state to ban discrimination based on caste,” Gill said.

Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of Indian American Muslim Council, said the Indian-American Muslims are shocked, disheartened and deeply disappointed to see that Governor Newsom backed down from the chance to uphold the civil rights of all Californians and make history for caste-oppressed people throughout the state by vetoing SB-403.

The Sikh Coalition is deeply disappointed to learn that Governor Newsom has chosen to veto SB403, said Harman Singh, Policy and Education Director, Sikh Coalition.

“Millions of American Hindus, and people from the Indian subcontinent can take a sigh of relief, that they won’t be targeted for hate and prejudice under the garb of “caste”,” said Hindu Action in a statement.

“Kudos to the California governor for vetoing the racist bill on caste. It turned an existing law against discrimination and used it to target Hindus specifically. What hypocrisy by those claiming to fight prejudice? Our pushback has finally produced results,” said author Rajiv Malhotra.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for HINDUISM IS FASCISM 

Turkey's Erdogan tells supporters he does not 'recognise' LGBT

HE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE HUMAN RIGHTS

Reuters
Sat, October 7, 2023 

Turkish President Erdogan makes a speech at the Extraordinary Congress of his ruling AK Party in Ankara

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he did not "recognise LGBT" and vowed to combat "perverse" trends which he said aimed to destroy the institution of family in the country.

Turkey's government, led by Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party, has toughened its stance on LGBTQ freedoms in recent months, particularly while campaigning for this year's elections in May.

Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but hostility to it is widespread, and police crackdowns on Pride parades have become tougher over the years.

Speaking at an AK Party congress in Ankara, Erdogan, who has frequently labeled members of the LGBTQ community as "deviants", said neither his party, nor their nationalist MHP allies, recognised the LGBTQ community.

"We do not recognise LGBT. Whoever recognises LGBT can go and march with them. We are members of a structure that holds the institution of family solid, that strongly embraces the family institution," he said.

"We will dry the roots of sneaky acts aiming to destroy our family institution by supporting perverse political, social and individual trends," he told tens of thousands of flag-waving and chanting supporters.

After the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Erdogan complained that he was uncomfortable with the use of what he described as "LGBT colours" at the U.N., which at the time was decorated with bright colours promoting the Sustainable Development Goals.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Turkey steps up strikes on militants as conflict escalates in Syria

FASCIST ERDOGAN'S WAR ON THE KURDS

IMPERIALIST INVASION OF SOVERIGN SYRIA

Updated Fri, October 6, 2023

Smoke rises from Qamishli


By Daren Butler, Tuvan Gumrukcu and kilo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish security forces attacked Kurdish militants in northern Syria and eastern Turkey, and Ankara said it will continue to destroy their capabilities across the region as conflict escalated on Friday nearly a week after a bomb attack in Ankara.

After U.S. forces shot down a Turkish drone in northern Syria on Thursday, Turkey confirmed the incident but assigned no blame, indicating it may want to contain any tensions with its NATO ally.

The military "neutralised" 26 Kurdish militants in northern Syria overnight in retaliation for a rocket attack on a Turkish base, the defence ministry said. Turkey typically uses the term "neutralise" to mean kill.

The rocket attack on the base, by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, killed one Turkish police officer and wounded seven officers and soldiers in northwest Syria's Dabiq area on Thursday evening, Ankara said.

Turkey also conducted air strikes and destroyed 30 militant targets elsewhere in northern Syria on Thursday night, including an oil well, a storage facility and shelters, the defence ministry said.

On Friday, the ministry said Turkey's military had conducted another round of air strikes in northern Syria and destroyed 15 other militant targets where it said militants were believed to be. It did not say where in northern Syria the strikes, carried out at 1900 GMT, had hit.

"As has been done in Iraq, all the capabilities and revenue sources developed by the terrorist organisation in Syria will continue to be destroyed in a systematic way," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In Turkey, two Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants were "neutralised" in eastern Agri province in a clash with commandos during an operation with combat drone and attack helicopter support, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement.

He said counter-terror police detained 75 people suspected of links to the PKK in an operation across 11 provinces.

The PKK previously claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing in Ankara that left the two attackers dead and wounded two police officers. Turkey said the attackers came from Syria but the Syrian SDF forces denied this.

TURKISH-U.S. TENSIONS

Turkey lists the YPG as a terrorist organisation and says it is indistinguishable from the PKK, which has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.

The United States and European Union deem the PKK as terrorists, but not the YPG.

The YPG is also at the heart of the SDF forces in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State militants. U.S. support for them has long caused tension with Turkey.

The SDF said Turkish attacks had killed eight people since the Ankara bombing.

Underscoring the tension, the Pentagon said the United States had on Thursday shot down an armed Turkish drone that was operating near its troops in Syria, the first time Washington has brought down an aircraft of NATO ally Turkey.

A Pentagon spokesman said Turkish drones were seen carrying out air strikes in Hasakah, northeast Syria, and one drone that came within less than half a kilometre (0.3 miles) from U.S. troops, was deemed a threat and shot down by F-16 aircraft.

The Turkish foreign ministry statement said one of Turkey's drones was lost during operations against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria due to "different technical evaluations" with third parties on the ground.

Without citing a specific country, it said it was working with the relevant parties on the ground to improve the functioning of non-conflict mechanisms on the ground.

Later on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the downing of the drone, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

"During the call, Minister Fidan conveyed to his counterpart Blinken in strong terms that, as an ally, the United States must stop working together with the YPG terrorist organisation in the north of Syria," the source said.

Fidan also told Blinken that Turkey's military operations in Syria would continue, the source said. The two ministers agreed to work on non-conflict mechanisms between the allies in Syria and Iraq in a way "that will not pose an obstacle to our counter-terrorism battle" after the drone was downed, the source added.

A State Department spokesperson said Blinken highlighted the need for Washington and Ankara to "coordinate and deconflict" their activities on the call.

Ankara, which has said all PKK and YPG targets in Syria and Iraq ARE now "legitimate targets" for its forces, said on Thursday a ground operation into Syria was one option it could consider.

Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the YPG.

(Reporting by Daren Butler, Tuvan Gumrukcu, and Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Nick Macfie, Andrew Heavens and Sandra Maler)

Talks after US fighter jet shoots down armed Turkish drone in Syria
Thomas Mackintosh - BBC News
Fri, October 6, 2023 

File photo of a US-made F-16 fighter jet plane


The top US and Turkish diplomats have spoken by phone after US forces in Syria shot down an armed Turkish drone.

Washington said the drone came too close to its ground forces in Syria, but Ankara merely said it was lost during operations.

During the call between the Nato allies, Hakan Fidan told the US Turkey would keep targeting Kurdish groups.

The US works with Kurdish YPG forces in Syria, but Turkey views them as separatists and terrorists.

Mr Fidan told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Turkey's "counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and Syria will continue with determination".

Meanwhile a US State Department spokesperson said Mr Blinken highlighted the need for Washington and Ankara to "coordinate and deconflict" their activities.

On Thursday US military officials said a US F-16 fighter jet shot down the armed Turkish drone which was operating near American troops in Syria after giving several warnings.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig Gen Patrick Ryder told reporters that American forces had observed several drones carrying out airstrikes near Al Hasakah in north-eastern Syria at 07:30 local time (04:30 GMT).

Some of the strikes were approximately 1km away from US troops, prompting them to take shelter in bunkers, Ryder said.

Four hours later, the F-16 downed the drone after commanders assessed there was a potential threat, he said.

"It's regrettable when you have two NATO allies and there's an incident like this," he told reporters.

It marked the first such incident between the two Nato allies.

There are about 900 US troops operating in Syria as a part of the mission against the Islamic State jihadist group (IS).

Turkey has been launching air strikes against Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq after a suicide blast hit its interior ministry in Ankara.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said the interior ministry bombing had been carried out by a group linked to them.

The PKK is considered a terror group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US.

Turkey views the PKK and the YPG as the same group. However the US has been working with the YPG, which is part of the group of US-backed forces known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that has fought against IS in Syria.

Shortly after the phone call between Mr Blinken and Mr Fidan, Turkey said it had launched renewed attacks on Kurdish target in northern Syria.

The Turkish defence ministry said it had hit 15 Kurdish targets "with the maximum amount" of ammunition and they included "headquarters and shelters".

Who are the Kurds?

The PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish government in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.

In the 1990s, the PKK rolled back on its demands for an independent state, calling instead for more autonomy for the Kurds. More than 40,000 people have died in the conflict.

Fighting flared up again after a two-year-old ceasefire ended in July 2015.

IT WAS A UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE BY THE PKK NOT RENEWED BY ERDOGAN

Turkish airstrikes kill at least 11 in northern Syria, Kurdish security forces say

Jomana Karadsheh, Hamdi Alkhshali and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
Thu, October 5, 2023 

Reuters


Turkish airstrikes killed at least 11 people in multiple Kurdish-controlled locations in northeastern Syria, the Kurdish Internal Security Force said Thursday, the latest response from Ankara’s forces following a bomb attack in Turkey’s capital claimed by Kurdish militants.

In a post on its official website, the Kurdish Internal Security Force, known as Asayish, said the locations targeted by Turkey included the vicinity of a camp for displaced people and several villages.

“Eleven people were martyred, including five civilians and six members of the Internal Security Forces,” Asayish said.

Eight civilians and two members of the Kurdish security forces were wounded, it added.

In a statement Friday, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 30 targets and “neutralized” multiple Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants during the operation in northern Syria, citing its self-defense rights from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to justify the strikes.

The strikes come after a bombing in Ankara over the weekend claimed by the PKK, which has waged a nearly four-decade long insurgency and is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

At least one civilian was killed in the attack Sunday when militants hijacked a car, and two police officers were injured in the bombing outside Turkey’s Interior Ministry building.

Later Sunday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said its warplanes had destroyed 20 PKK targets in northern Iraq in response to the attack.

According to Ankara, the PKK trains separatist fighters and launches attacks against Turkey from its bases in northern Iraq and Syria, where a PKK-affiliated Kurdish group controls large swaths of territory.

“In the investigation following the latest incident, it was determined by security forces and intelligence that the terrorists came from Syria and were trained there,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference on Wednesday.

Fidan warned that all facilities belonging to the PKK and related People’s Protection Units (YPG) groups in Iraq and Syria would be “legitimate targets” of the Turkish Armed Forces.

“The response of our armed forces to the terror attack will be very clear and they will once again regret having carried out this attack,” Fidan said.

Kurds, who do not have an official homeland or country, are the biggest minority in Turkey, making up between 15% and 20% of the population, according to Minority Rights Group International.

Portions of Kurdistan – a non-governmental region and one of the largest stateless nations in the world – are recognized by Iran, where the province of Kordestan lies; and Iraq, site of the northern autonomous region known as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or Iraqi Kurdistan.

In recent years, Turkey has carried out a steady stream of operations against the PKK domestically as well as cross-border operations into Syria.

In November 2022, Ankara blamed the PKK for a bomb attack in Istanbul that killed six and injured dozens.

Terror attacks in Turkey were tragically common in the mid to late 2010s, when the insecurity from war-torn Syria crept north above the two countries’ shared border.

CNN’s Hande Atay Alam contributed reporting.

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Hundreds rally, march in downtown Orlando for trans rights

Amanda Rabines, Orlando Sentinel
Sat, October 7, 2023 

Amanda Rabines/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Cries for fair treatment filled the air Saturday afternoon as hundreds marched in downtown Orlando in support of rights for transgender people in Florida.

The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights helped organize the event, which follows a lawsuit challenging a state law that prohibits transgender people from using public bathrooms that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth.

Samira Burnside, a 17-year-old trans girl who helped organize the event, said the law, along with a slew of other bills Gov. Ron DeSantis signed this year, dehumanizes trans people.

“The debate is whether or not trans people are people and we are here to show them they are,” Burnside said. “Trans youth, like me, deserve to lead their own lives and to have self-determination, and determination with their families, without state intervention.”

In addition to the restroom ban, the governor signed laws this year that limit use of preferred pronouns in public schools and ban gender-affirming care for minors.

At the event Lindsey Spero, a nonbinary transgender person who’s on the board of the FitzLane Project in Tampa, yelled “Bathrooms are for everyone!” The crowd, filled with people waving pink-and-blue transgender flags, responded with loud cheers.

Other speakers at the rally included Tatiana Quiroga, executive director of Orlando’s Come Out With Pride event; Andrea Montanez, Hope Community Center’s LGBTQ immigration coordinator; and Stonewall Riot veteran Miss Major Griffin-Gracy.

When she addressed demonstrators she gently reminded them to love one another.

“We have gone through this for time and time again and we’re not going to give up now,” Griffin-Gracy said. “Please, whatever you do, don’t give up the fight … fight, fight, fight!”

Florida GOP leaders say that recently enacted state laws serve to protect children and women, and some even incorrectly claim a link between homosexuality and child abuse.

In April, state Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, referred to trans people as “mutants” before voting to push for bathroom restrictions.

Meanwhile, across the nation anti-LGBTQ demonstrations have been increasing, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which tracks political violence.

In 2022, the nonprofit organization reported 142 demonstrations, up from 56 in 2021. Six protests were reported in 2020.

“Here in the United States I’ve found issues get confused. That somehow the rights of individuals are impacting the rights of others,” Cheryl LaBash, 74, said at the rally. “Some people are stuck with, ‘well that’s the way it’s always been,’ but the way it’s always been is wrong.”

The event started on the steps of City Hall and transitioned to a march near the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts.

It ended with another demonstration at City Hall where organizers with the Center for Constitutional Rights brought up the lawsuit filed in the federal Middle District of Florida on Sept. 29.

One of the six plaintiffs includes Lindsey Spero, a nonbinary activist from St. Petersburg who injected testosterone at a state medical board meeting this year.

Among 11 defendants named in the lawsuit are Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain, Orlando police Chief Eric Smith and Orlando Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Edmonds.

The lawsuit, which argues restroom restrictions are unconstitutional, said state statute defines men and women in a way that presumes a person cannot outgrow those categories or exist outside of them.

Democratic lawmakers and LGBTQ activists worry the law negatively targets gender-nonconforming people by putting them in jeopardy of facing misdemeanor trespassing charges. Those who are suspected of breaking the law could face jail time or a fine of up to $500.

“It’s a tricky situation here in Florida because I know that gender-neutral bathrooms are few and far between,” said Andie Albanito, a co-director at Umbrella Brigade, a local nonprofit that works as a community defense group.

“As an agender person, I don’t necessarily feel aligned with male or female,” they said. “So most of the time I choose what is safest for me rather than what is going to make me feel most comfortable.”

https://youtu.be/PBhd5OTVykQ

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs law requiring big businesses to disclose emissions


Sat, October 7, 2023 



SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Large businesses in California will have to disclose a wide range of planet-warming emissions under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Saturday — the most sweeping mandate of its kind in the nation.

The law requires more than 5,300 companies that operate in California and make more than $1 billion in annual revenues to report both their direct and indirect emissions. That includes things like emissions from operating a building or store as well as those from activities like employee business travel and transporting their products.

The law, SB 253, will bring more transparency to the public about how big businesses contribute to climate change, and it could nudge them to evaluate how they can reduce their emissions, advocates say. They argue many businesses already disclose some of their emissions to the state.

But the California Chamber of Commerce, agricultural groups and oil giants that oppose the law say it will create new mandates for companies that don't have the experience or expertise to accurately report their indirect emissions. They also say it is too soon to implement the requirements at a time when the federal government is weighing emissions disclosure rules for public companies.

The measure could create “duplicative” work if the federal standards are adopted, the chamber and other groups wrote in an alert opposing the bill.

In a statement Saturday, Chamber of Commerce president Jennifer Barrera said the law will be burdensome to businesses.

“We look forward to working with the Governor’s office on SB 253 clean-up legislation that will address some of the major concerns of our members, particularly the impact on small business," Barrera said. "The tools developed to meet the goals of SB 253 must be cost-effective and useful.”

California has made major strides to set trends on climate policy in recent years. The state has set out to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, expand renewable energy and limit rail pollution. By 2030, the state plans to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below what they were in 1990.

This was Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener's third attempt to get the sweeping emissions disclosure rules passed in California. Last year, it passed in the Senate but came up short in the State Assembly. Wiener said the new emissions information will be useful for consumers, investors and lawmakers.

“These companies are doing business in California,” Wiener said. “It's important for Californians to know ... what their carbon footprint is.”

Major companies, including Apple and Patagonia, came out in support of the bill, saying they already disclose much of their emissions. Christiana Figueres, a key former United Nations official behind the 2015 Paris climate agreement, said in a letter that the bill would be a “crucial catalyst in mobilizing the private sector to solve climate change.”

Seventeen states already have inventories requiring major emitters to disclose their direct emissions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But the new California mandates will be go beyond that to make companies report a wide range of direct and indirect emissions.

Public companies are typically accustomed to collecting, verifying and reporting information about their business to the government, said Amanda Urquiza, a corporate lawyer who advises companies on climate and other issues. But the California law will mean a major shift for private companies that don’t yet “have the infrastructure” to report information that will include a wide-range of greenhouse gas emissions, she said.

The federal rules, proposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, would require major public companies to report their emissions and how climate change poses a financial risk to their business.

Under the California law, the state's Air Resources Board has to approve rules by 2025 to implement the legislation. By 2026, companies have to begin annually disclosing their direct emissions, as well as those used to power, heat and cool their facilities. By 2027, companies have to begin annually reporting other indirect emissions.

___

Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @sophieadanna

Sophie Austin, The Associated Press

Factbox-Elon Musk's growing legal challenges

Fri, October 6, 2023
By Tom Hals

(Reuters) -Elon Musk was sued by the U.S. securities regulator related to his takeover of Twitter, the latest court battle against the billionaire whose empire spans electric carmaker Tesla, space startup SpaceX and brain-chip startup Neuralink.

Below is a list of Musk's legal entanglements.

TWITTER LAWSUITS

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Musk to compel the world's richest man to testify as part of a probe into his $44 billion takeover of social media giant Twitter, a court filing on Oct. 5 showed.

In May 2022, Twitter investors had sued Musk, claiming he manipulated the company's stock price by failing to disclose in March 2022 that he was amassing shares in the platform now known as X.

X was sued in federal court in Florida on Oct. 2 by a legal-marketing company that claims the social media firm's new name infringes its trademark incorporating the letter "X."

$56 BILLION TESLA COMPENSATION LAWSUIT

A ruling is also expected soon following a non-jury trial challenging Musk's $56 billion pay at Tesla.

In the closing arguments in February, a judge pressed lawyers for Tesla directors and the investor challenging Musk's pay over whether the company's explosive growth outweighed misleading disclosures about the pay plan in 2018.

EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES

Musk's major companies Tesla, SpaceX and the X social media platform are embroiled in several employment discrimination lawsuits.

SpaceX was hit in October by a proposed class action lawsuit filed by a former female employee who claims the firm promotes women and minorities less often than white men. The space startup was also sued by the U.S. Justice Department in August for allegedly discriminating against asylum recipients and refugees in hiring.

X faces a series of lawsuits alleging sex, age, and disability discrimination stemming from last year's layoffs of half its workforce, along with two separate cases claiming the company owes laid-off employees at least $500 million in severance pay.

Tesla and Musk are defending numerous allegations of workplace harassment and discrimination, including lawsuits by California's Department of Civil Rights and by a federal civil rights agency.

In April, a federal jury in San Francisco ordered Tesla to pay $3.2 million to a Black elevator operator who won a racial harassment lawsuit.

Tesla has said it does not tolerate discrimination and has taken steps to address workers' complaints.

LAWSUITS SPARKED BY MUSK'S TWEETS

Musk's tweets on the social media platform that he now owns has often courted controversy and been the subject of legal trouble.

In March, a U.S. appeals court upheld a decision by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board and said Musk violated federal labor law by tweeting that Tesla employees would lose stock options if they joined a union. The court is reconsidering that ruling.

In February, a U.S. jury found Musk and Tesla were not liable for misleading investors when the billionaire tweeted in 2018 that he had "funding secured" to take the electric car company private.

The same tweet led to allegations of security fraud by the U.S. SEC and a 2018 settlement under which Musk stepped down as Tesla chairman, paid fines and agreed to get a lawyer's approval for some of his tweets before posting them.

Musk now plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether the SEC overstepped its authority in enforcing a consent decree, as part of the 2018 settlement, that he has called a "muzzle" on his free speech.

The settlement with SEC had lead to the creation of a "fair fund" under which a $41.53 million payout will be given to investors who lost money due to the Musk tweet, a federal judge said in September.

INVESTIGATIONS INTO TESLA'S DRIVER ASSISTANCE FEATURES

Tesla is under criminal investigation in the United States over claims the company's electric vehicles can drive themselves, Reuters previously reported.

Tesla is facing a lawsuit alleging its Autopilot system caused a fatal crash of a Tesla Model 3 that killed one person and injured two other passengers, according to documents filed in California state court.

An attorney for Tesla, in the first U.S. trial over allegations that its Autopilot feature led to a death, however, said the crash was the result of "a classic human error."

The company had won a bellwether trial in Los Angeles in April over a Tesla crash related to its Autopilot feature with a strategy of saying that it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the Autopilot name.

MUSK PERKS

Federal prosecutors in New York have also opened an investigation related to Musk's corporate perks and claims related to vehicle driving range, a source with knowledge of the probe said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the probe.

TRUMP SUSPENSION

A lawyer for former U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 4 asked a U.S. appeals court to revive his lawsuit claiming that X violated his and other users' free-speech rights when it suspended their accounts. The case was dismissed last year.

INSIDER TRADING ACCUSATIONS

Musk was accused in June of insider trading in a proposed class action by investors who allege he manipulated the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, costing them billions of dollars.

In a filing in Manhattan federal court, investors said Musk used Twitter posts, online influencers and publicity stunts like his 2021 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to trade profitably at their expense through several Dogecoin wallets that he or Tesla controls.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del.; Jaspreet Singh and Zaheer Kachwala in BengaluruEditing by Noeleen Walder, Matthew Lewis and Rod Nickel)

MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M

Toronto real estate class-action could affect billions of dollars in commissions

Shantaé Campbell
Mon, October 2, 2023 

real-estate-1002-ph

A Federal Court judge on Sept. 25 allowed a class-action lawsuit alleging home sellers in the Toronto area have been forced to pay artificially inflated commissions for years. The lawsuit alleges major brokers and real estate organizations in Toronto implemented rules that essentially stifled competition for buyer brokerage services, leading to higher prices.

But what exactly is buyer brokerage and what is its role in the potentially landmark lawsuit? The Financial Post’s Shantaé Campbell explains.

What does ‘buyer brokerage’ mean?

Buyer brokerage refers to a real estate agreement where a broker represents the buyer in a property transaction, in contrast to the traditional setup in which brokers primarily represented sellers. The shift toward buyer representation began in the 1990s in Canada, leading to the development of buyer agency agreements, allowing buyers to have exclusive representation in the homebuying process.

This transformation prompted the creation of specific legislations and regulations by provincial governments and real estate regulatory bodies in Canada, such as the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB).

These rules and protocols serve to formalize and oversee buyer brokerage relationships by instituting a framework governing duties, responsibilities, disclosure, consent and confidentiality.
Where do commissions come in?

Nationwide, commission structures for real estate agents and brokerages typically involve a percentage-based commission derived from a home’s sale price, but the rates vary.

In Toronto, the prevalent rate is five per cent on the entire sale amount and it is customary for the seller to pay the commission on a property sale, which is subsequently divided between the representatives of the seller and the buyer.

For example, if a home sells for $1 million with a commission of five per cent, the total commission amounts to $50,000. This sum, paid by the seller, is generally shared equally between the seller’s and buyer’s agents, each receiving $25,000. However, the precise division can fluctuate, being contingent on the agreement established between the seller and their agent.
Why are commissions split this way?

According to CREA, the organization does not mandate a specific commission split or dictate how commission should be allocated between the listing and buyers’ realtors.

Rule 11.2.1.3 in CREA’s by-laws and rules states: “The listing realtor member agrees to pay to the co-operating (i.e. buyer’s) realtor member compensation for the cooperative selling of the property. An offer of compensation of zero is not acceptable.”

In an email, RECO said commission rates are not fixed. “Commission rates are not set or approved by the Real Estate Council of Ontario, government authorities, real estate associations or real estate boards,” it said.

While five per cent is considered the “standard” commission in Ontario, the origins of that figure are unclear.

The splitting of commission between the buyer’s and seller’s agents is nonetheless a well-established practice in real estate designed to promote cooperation, balance and fairness within the industry. The idea is that a shared commission incentivizes buyer agents to introduce more potential buyers to the home, leading to a faster and possibly more profitable sale.

Furthermore, the commission model serves to reduce potential conflicts of interest by eliminating the buyer’s direct financial obligation to their agent, preventing undue pressure on buyers and ensuring accessibility to agent services.
Why is this a problem?

The lawsuit lodged by plaintiff Mark Sunderland against defendants TRREB, CREA and various real estate brokerages contends that an arrangement known as the ‘buyer brokerage commission rule’ has been in effect since at least March 2010.

Sunderland’s lawsuit posits that this arrangement has impeded market competition, compelling sellers to incur costs they would not otherwise bear in the absence of such an agreement. Furthermore, it contends that this setup precludes the negotiation of price and quality of the service.

In a study sponsored by Kalloghlian Myers LLP — the legal firm that submitted Sunderland’s lawsuit — expert witness Dr. Panle Jia Barwick, a specialist in the economic structure of real estate commissions, argues that the “buyer brokerage commission rule” incentivizes buyer brokerages to direct buyers away from properties where sellers offer below-average commissions.

Barwick says that even without formal policies mandating uniform rates, brokers, reliant on peer co-operation to draw buyers to properties, can help uphold a standard commission rate locally, especially for buyers’ brokers.

Michael G. Osborne, an attorney who specializes in antitrust and competition law at Cozen O’Connor in Toronto, says that from a competition point of view, there is a potential issue pertaining to the mechanism wherein brokerages must become members of CREA and TRREB to operate. Essentially, though Broker A and Broker B have no direct written agreement between them, by aligning with an association’s rules they can be seen by the Competition Bureau to be operating under an indirect “hub and spoke” agreement.

However, this issue has not yet been litigated in Canada and isn’t addressed in the most-recent decision.
How much is at stake in the lawsuit?

Kalloghlian Myers LLP is seeking compensation for anyone who has sold a home since 2010, though they have not yet put an overall dollar value on what they are seeking.

If every transaction covered by TRREB is affected, the sums involved could be substantial.

According to annual sales and average price figures on TRREB’s website, more than $880 billion in residential real estate changed hands between 2010 and 2022. Five per cent commission on those sales would amount to $44 billion, with as much as half going to buyer brokerages.

Toronto real estate class action gets green light


Housing market pause will persist, Deloitte Canada says


Alternative home financing models come with trade-offs
Can home sellers participate in the lawsuit?

In a class-action lawsuit, individuals who are similarly affected are generally automatically included, meaning there’s usually no need to actively “get in on” the lawsuit. If the ruling is in favour of the class, affected individuals will be notified about their entitlements. The duration of such lawsuits can vary widely, depending on the complexities involved and the legal pathways taken.

The next step will likely involve an appeal from the defendants against the decision to proceed with the lawsuit, followed by a motion for class-action certification. The defendants have 30 days to appeal the verdict. Absent an appeal, the court will determine whether the case qualifies for class action certification. Succeeding here would lead to a trial to determine whether the brokerage agreement constituted an illicit conspiracy.

Should compensation be awarded, the distribution could take several years.

• Email: shcampbell@postmedia.com

More than one-third of Canadian workers feel 'financially stressed': report

Among those in this category, some 66 per cent live paycheque-to-paycheque

Jeff Lagerquist
Tue, October 3, 2023 

More than one-third of working Canadians are financially stressed, according to new National Payroll Institute research. That's a 20 per cent jump since last year.

The annual survey, conducted through Canada's Financial Wellness Lab, reached a sample of 1,500 working Canadians between July 21 and Aug. 1. The findings put 37 per cent in the "financially stressed" category amid rising costs and dwindling pandemic-era savings.

"With interest rates, inflation, and the cost of living all continuing to rise, for many working Canadians, navigating these factors has negatively impacted their financial wellness," National Payroll Institute president Peter Tzanetakis stated in a news release on Tuesday. "The frightening reality of this storm is that the contributing factors to financial stress are becoming more challenging than ever for Canadians to overcome."

Households had been sheltered by historically low borrowing costs, as well as money squirrelled away during COVID-19 lockdowns, according to the researchers. Now, they say saving is more challenging than at any point during the past decade, with 63 per cent of those surveyed saying they spend all of their net pay. Thirty per cent say they spend more than what they make, tapping credit or savings to get by.

Among the financially stressed, researchers found 66 per cent live paycheque-to-paycheque, with half saying they are "overwhelmed by their debt." More than half (55 per cent) say they "feel more isolated due to the rising cost of living."

"These results underscore how serious the storm is," Tzanetakis added.

For 40 per cent of financially stressed respondents, the research found their circumstances negatively impacted their job performance through lower productivity and engagement.

A similar study last year by the National Payroll Institute and the Financial Wellness Lab of Canada found the financial well-being of Canadians had "declined steeply" at the time, with paycheque-to-paycheque living up 26 per cent over 2021.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

“The 15th Annual National Payroll Institute Survey of Working Canadians: An online survey of 1,500 working Canadians (81 percent of whom are full-time employees) was completed between July 21, 2023, and August 1, 2023, using Framework Analytics’ online panel. The panel is continually tested to ensure validity by comparing survey results to what has been measured in censuses, household studies conducted by statistical agencies and other reliable data sources. The survey is consistent with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5% 19 times out of 20, but as a non-probabilistic methodology was used, a definitive margin of error cannot be expressed. The data was weighted to be representative.”

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Enbridge CEO calls for national Indigenous loan guarantee program

TO INVEST IN TARSANDS & PIPELINES

The Canadian Press
Fri, October 6, 2023 


CALGARY — The CEO of Enbridge Inc. is calling on the federal government to create a national Indigenous loan guarantee program to help First Nations communities in Canada acquire equity stakes in major resource and infrastructure projects.

In an interview following a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Friday, Greg Ebel said Canadian energy companies are increasingly willing to offer equity ownership stakes to Indigenous communities whose traditional lands are crossed by pipelines and other infrastructure projects.

But he said Indigenous communities often don't have the necessary access to capital. While Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario all have provincial programs offering financing to Indigenous communities for commercial partnerships, Ebel said a pan-Canadian solution is required.

"The problem is, much of our infrastructure in this country crosses jurisdictions, it crosses boundaries. So therefore you need a national program," he said.

"It's hard for a province to provide loan guarantees for the benefit of people who live in a different province."

While private companies have been partnering with Indigenous communities on infrastructure projects for decades, early agreements typically involved guarantees of construction jobs or other financial benefits for the community and fell short of offering Indigenous people a full equity stake.

That’s changing, however. Last fall, Enbridge signed what was at the time North America's largest energy-related partnership between a private company and Indigenous people. The deal saw the Calgary-based company sell an 11.57 per cent interest in seven northern Alberta pipelines to 23 First Nation and Métis communities — a $1.1 billion-deal that was backed by a $250-million equity loan guarantee from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corp.

Several Indigenous-led groups have also indicated interest in purchasing an equity stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline, which is currently owned by the federal government.

In addition, Indigenous communities have been investing heavily in wind, solar and other clean energy projects. The not-for-profit organization Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise recently estimated that Indigenous communities own, co-own or have a defined financial benefit agreement in place for almost 20 per cent of Canada's electricity generating infrastructure.

The growing tendency for Indigenous communities to get involved as full equity partners comes at a time when Canada has committed to reconciliation with Indigenous people, a commitment that includes the recognition of Indigenous people's right to economic self-determination.

But Niilo Edwards, CEO of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition — a group of more than 130 Indigenous nations working to ensure First Nations communities get a fair share of the benefits from projects that cross their territories — said Indigenous communities are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to seeking financing through mainstream capital markets.

"The main reason is, the Indian Act does not enable First Nations to use their land and other assets as collateral," Edwards said.

"This has historically precluded First Nations from participating in the mainstream of the economy, and therefore when our members are presented with these opportunities, they don't have the level of at-risk capital required to secure a good interest rate."

Edwards said without access to competitive interest rates, Indigenous communities often have to forgo participating in equity partnerships — even when they are hosting infrastructure projects on their lands.

"For those Nations who choose to pursue equity ownership, the financing supports have to be there," Edwards said.

"There has to be a fair return for the value (First Nations) are bringing to the table."

In its 2023 budget, the federal government committed to lending affordable capital through the Canada Infrastructure Bank to Indigenous communities to purchase equity stakes in infrastructure projects in which the bank itself is also investing.

However, the Canada Infrastructure Bank is only mandated to invest in clean power, green infrastructure, broadband, trade and transportation, and public transportation.

Enbridge, which is advocating for the role of natural gas and LNG (liquefied natural gas) as a transition fuel in the global energy shift towards a lower-carbon economy, believes any federal loan guarantee program should be sector-agnostic.

"You can’t just single out one or the other, because I think, again, that limits the opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate," Ebel said.

Making it easier for First Nations to purchase equity stakes in infrastructure projects will also go a long way in creating the social license required to get these projects built, he said.

That, in turn, could ease the regulatory and permitting process which has made building major projects in Canada costly and cumbersome, he added.

"I think with things like the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States, Canada has to constantly find new ways to be competitive," Ebel said.

"And I don't think there's any doubt that if we can find a way to involve more Canadians, and particularly Indigenous people, that puts us in a very nice competitive position. It sends a very strong message to our customers, whether they’re domestic or global, that we’re serious about getting infrastructure done and doing it in a manner that’s sustainable."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ENB)

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press