Oregon lawmakers voted to recriminalize drugs. The bill's future is now in the governor's hands


Mon, March 4, 2024 



PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The future of an Oregon bill that would roll back the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law is now in the hands of Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek.

The bill — which would make the possession of small amounts of drugs a crime once more — has not yet reached Kotek’s desk, but she will review it when it does, her office said Monday. Kotek has not commented on the bill since its passage on Friday but previously indicated she was open to considering it.

“If it’s a bill that I think will have the outcomes we need, I’m committed to making sure we can move forward,” Kotek told reporters in January before the start of the short 35-day legislative session.

“The issue of addiction and the need for pathways to recovery should not be a political football. We should understand any changes that we’re making” and ensure they improve the lives of Oregonians, she added.

For social justice groups, the new bill represents a major setback. The Portland-based advocacy group Imagine Black said it felt like lawmakers prioritized the voices of police over those of communities of color.

“This is an ache. It hurts in a very real way,” said Danita Harris, the group’s deputy director of movement building.

Measure 110, approved by voters in 2020, decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Supporters said treatment is more effective than jail in helping people overcome addiction and that the decades-long approach of arresting people for possessing and using drugs hasn’t worked.

The law directed hundreds of millions of dollars of the state’s cannabis tax revenue toward addiction services. But the money was slow to get out the door and health authorities, already grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, struggled to stand up the new treatment system, state auditors found. At the same time, the fentanyl crisis began to fuel an increase in deadly overdoses.

Some researchers have found the law was not associated with the spike in fatal overdoses, but others say it is still too early to have conclusive data.

As Oregon started to see one of the nation’s largest spikes in overdose fatalities, Republican opposition to the law intensified and a well-funded campaign group called for a ballot measure to amend or repeal it. Facing growing political and public pressure, Democrats who had historically supported the law shifted their stance and ultimately agreed to restore criminal penalties for so-called personal use possession.

But some Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill, concerned the policy will result in more arrests and exacerbate social inequities.

“This bill will have devastating impacts on communities of color and low-income Oregonians, burdening our already-strained justice system while failing to address the root causes of our addiction crisis,” Democratic Sen. Kayse Jama wrote in a letter explaining his “no” vote.

The newly approved bill makes personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. It enables police to crack down on their use in public areas such as parks and aims to make it easier to prosecute people who sell drugs.

The bill also establishes ways for treatment to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties. But it only “encourages,” rather than mandates, law enforcement agencies to create deflection programs that would divert people to addiction and mental health services instead of the criminal justice system.

“Counties are not required to offer deflection or diversion programs, and even if these programs are created, police and prosecutors are not required to use them,” Jama said. “Even a ‘minor’ misdemeanor drug charge creates barriers that last a lifetime, preventing Oregonians from accessing stable housing, qualifying for loans, or getting a job.”

Jama added the bill may flood Oregon's legal system, which is already grappling with a critical shortage of public defenders, with a new surge of low-level possession cases.

In an analysis shared with lawmakers, the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission predicted Black people would be disproportionately impacted by possession convictions as a result of the bill, but said the racial disparity would be smaller when compared with the years preceding decriminalization.

The bill ended up passing the state Senate 21-8 with bipartisan support, including from the chamber’s Democratic president and the Republican minority leader. The state House passed it 51-7 the day before, also with support from both parties.

Under Oregon law, the governor has five business days to veto a bill once it reaches their desk. If the governor signs it — or does nothing — it takes effect. However, if the Legislature adjourns before the five-day countdown begins, the governor has 30 days to veto a bill.

It appears Kotek will have the longer window to issue a veto, as the legislative session is scheduled to end Sunday, and she had yet to receive the bill as of Monday.

Claire Rush, The Associated Press

ONTARIO
Striking Jamieson workers to vote on 2nd tentative agreement after 1st was rejected


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 


Workers shown on the picket line at Jamieson's Rhodes Drive facility in Windsor in February 2024. (Dax Melmer/CBC - image credit)

For the second time in less than two weeks, union members at Jamieson Laboratories in Windsor are set to vote on a tentative contract.

A new agreement was reached on the weekend and endorsed by the national union and the Unifor Local 195 bargaining committee.

"No details will be released until the ratification meeting," the union said in a social media post. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

Workers have been off the job since Feb. 1.

Unifor Local 195 workers are shown on the Windsor picket line in February 2024.

 (Dax Melmer/CBC)

The first tentative agreement was announced on Feb. 23, but was voted down by local union members, to the tune of 76 per cent.

At that time, Emile Nabbout told CBC News the results showed workers were willing to sit outside on the picket line for "as long as it takes."

The Unifor Local 195 president said the message from members was clear.

"They don't believe that the company came with all the money they feel they deserve," he previously told CBC News.

Unifor has said members' wages and workload were concerns in the bargaining process.

Jamieson Laboratories manufactures and packages health supplements at its Rhodes Driver location in Windsor.

CANADA

Can a compulsory curriculum lead to a deeper understanding of Black history?


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 

A Black Students' Union at a Surrey, B.C. high school meets for an event on February 28. Ontario is moving to make learning about Black history compulsory in three grades — a move whose rollout some are worried about. (Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC - image credit)

Aside from a unit about slavery during Grade 8 and a flurry of Black History Month facts passed on each February, Bullen Kosa noticed a gap in learning about the Black experience. That's why the high school senior enrolled in a new Black Studies course developed by one of his teachers in Surrey, B.C.

What Kosa had learned about Black history was "mostly focused on slavery and the negative things that are attached to Blackness as a whole. And I took this course to kind of broaden my knowledge on the good things that Black people have done," said the Grade 12 student.

He described learning about the influence of ancient African civilizations as well as more recent achievements made by Black scientists.

"It makes me and other Black students feel [like] part of the conversation."

The class has also been a revelation for fellow senior Emma Hoffman, who initially signed up simply to fill her schedule.

"I realized how much information I was missing out on," she said. "I grew up thinking that all this history that I was being taught in elementary school was true, not realizing that they were leaving out so much."

How much Black history Canadian students learn varies greatly from classroom to classroom, dependent on choices made by individual teachers. However, last month Ontario announced a plan to make Black history compulsory learning in grades 7, 8 and 10 — the first in Canada to explicitly mandate the topic in its public school curriculum. It's set to roll out in September 2025.

It's welcome news for the educators across the country who are already weaving the Black experience into their classrooms and hoping for a similar announcement closer to home. Yet some have concerns about how this mandate might roll out and whether it will be go beyond an opportune announcement during Black History Month.

High school seniors Sana Johal, from left, Bullen Kosa and Emma Hoffman have all taken Black Studies 12, a social studies elective course in B.C.'s Surrey School District that was co-created by their teacher Melanie Scheuer.

Surrey, B.C., students Sana Johal, from left, Bullen Kosa and Emma Hoffman have all taken the elective course Black Studies 12. (CBC)

Kosa and Hoffman's teacher Melanie Scheuer, who co-created Surrey District's Black Studies elective with colleagues Michael Musherure and Manvir Mander, was thrilled to hear about Ontario's mandate.

"[It] gave me encouragement… that this could happen in the province I teach in and this could be something that is nationwide," they said.

Though B.C. has somewhat improved representation of racialized groups and communities in its curriculum in recent years by introducing province-wide electives such as Asian Studies, Genocide Studies and B.C. First Peoples courses, according to Scheuer, something highlighting the Black experience has long been missing.

So, as Black Lives Matter rose into public discourse, the trio of teachers jumped into developing a new course for their district. After a pilot run, they're now hoping Black Studies 12 will become a provincially offered elective across B.C., but Scheuer said they would love it even more if the material became compulsory for high schoolers, like Indigenous Studies courses are.

High school teacher Melanie Scheuer speaks to students at Frank Hurt Secondary in Surrey, B.C.

High school teacher Melanie Scheuer, seen speaking to students in Surrey, B.C., co-created the elective course Black Studies 12 with two district colleagues over the past few years. (Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

"It would do a lot of the work to decolonize and educate … specifically the students, but [also] the teachers. It just shifts the environment," they said.

They also said anti-racism training and professional development must be mandated, as well.

"Teachers also have their own prejudice based on stereotypes," they said. "In order to teach a course like this, it is necessary that you also do the work."

'At last this is happening'

Black people across Canada — especially parents and educators — have campaigned over decades for the inclusion of Black history in the school curriculum, said historian Afua Cooper, a parent whose own reaction to Ontario's announcement was simple: "Finally. At last, this is happening."

The Dalhousie University professor and principal investigator for the federally funded project A Black People's History of Canada called it an auspicious moment that could inspire others.

"Anything that Ontario does, everybody takes notice," she said from Halifax.

Historian and professor Afua Cooper is seen at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

Ontario's announcement is an auspicious first step, says historian and Dalhousie University professor Afua Cooper, but being truly committed to Black history would involve mandatory learning from K-12, with teachers exploring achievements as well as struggles. (CBC )

What she said she'd like to see after this first step, however, is for Black history to be woven across all grade levels, with teachers exploring a breadth of stories — achievements as well as struggles — in age-appropriate ways.

"If you're really committed to Black people and to Black history, then let's begin at kindergarten [and continue] straight into Grade 12 and make that mandatory," she said.

Strong resources as well as follow-up assessment and reflection on how teachers are meeting Black history curriculum expectations are also required, according to Cooper.

"There's always been this resistance in some quarters — even when they are able to, even when there are lots of resources," she said.

"So how are we going to deal with the issue of anti-Black racism within the education system and ... within the hearts of many educators who do not feel that they want to do this?"

Mandates 'politically useful'

Mandates aren't a new tool, but education ministries have introduce a flurry of late, from Holocaust learning in Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan last fall to new credits for high school graduation (like B.C.'s aforementioned Indigenous studies classes, Ontario's technical education requirement or financial literacy in Saskatchewan).

"The mandate approach has gotten more popular recently because it's sort of politically useful," said Joel Westheimer, professor of education at the University of Ottawa's faculty of education.

Joel Westheimer, a professor of education at the University of Ottawa, is seen in Ottawa on Friday, February 23, 2024.

University of Ottawa professor Joel Westheimer says a mandate doesn't fully allow for how a specific topic can fit into a broader curriculum. (Sylvain Lepage/CBC)

"You can say, 'This is a priority of this government…' and that makes a statement in and of itself before it even takes effect in school."

However, Westheimer thinks a mandate can potentially push expectations through too quickly and challenge how the learning rolls out in classrooms: a rushed add-on versus lessons that land effectively.

"The government can say, 'You see: we're pushing forward this laudable goal,' but educationally, we need time. And teachers have a curriculum that's already jam-packed with stuff.

"Mandates don't allow … the full consideration of how a particular topic is going to fit into the curriculum in a holistic manner."

Teacher calls for holistic approach

D. Tyler Robinson, who counts Grade 10 history among the courses he teaches, is wary of Ontario's mandate leading to the shoehorning a bit of Black history "into [a] stuffed curriculum that already doesn't fully get covered," or simply an attempt to check a box rather than make real change.

"If I talk about a couple of Black folks and what they achieved and what they went through — in grades 7, 8 and 10 — is that somehow magically going to address the 56 per cent of racism incidents [reported to a Toronto District School Board online portal] that are anti-Black racism?" said the Toronto high school teacher and curriculum writer, referring to a 2021-2022 report from the TDSB's human rights office.

D. Tyler Robinson, a high school social studies teacher and curriculum developer, is seen in Toronto on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

D. Tyler Robinson believes a more holistic approach to incorporating Black history learning can pave the way for better representation of other groups in the curriculum, as well. (Joe Fiorino/CBC)

Conversations about race and racism are challenging — for adults and for kids, Robinson said — and so require clear guidance, training and support for teachers to facilitate.

Rather than "piecemeal, tokenistic gestures," he said, a more holistic approach to incorporating Black history learning can pave the way for better representation of other groups in the curriculum, as well.

"Are you gonna be able to create curricular pieces for every single community, of every single identity? Of course you can't do that ... because we can't create more time."

Robinson said a real strategy would involve "making space for all those conversations, and kids would begin to learn about one another in complex ways."

Back in Surrey, Grade 12 student Sana Johal chose to take the Black Studies elective in part to share knowledge with family members born outside Canada.

Learning about Indigenous and Black communities, she believes, "should have been mandatory" a long time ago.

"Every province should have this type of course. Every school should have this type of course, and we shouldn't have to fight for this course to be happening. I think it should just automatically be there, because it's important to learn."

(CBC)

Federal Court judge scraps Ottawa's green light for CN Rail hub in Ontario

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 


A Federal Court decision has nixed Ottawa's approval of a massive rail-and-truck hub in the Greater Toronto Area.

The ruling states that the federal government failed to grapple with whether Canadian National Railway Co.'s planned facility in Milton, Ont., will have a harmful effect on human health, particularly through its impact on air quality.

The decision sets aside the green light issued by cabinet in January 2021 and sends the $250-million project backto Ottawa for reconsideration.

In the planning stage for years, it would see CN double its existing line and build a hub for containers to be loaded onto trucks from rail cars and vice versa in Ontario's Halton Region.

The facility would be used around the clockby diesel-powered trucks making 800 round trips per day as well as four trains hauled by locomotives also running on diesel, which contains toxic pollutants, the judgment notes.

CN said Monday it is still reviewing the decision, but that the rail-and-truck hub would be a critical piece of infrastructure in Canada's busiest region.

The Montreal-based company also pointed out that federal authorization was subject to an extensive environmental review process, resulting in an approval that laid out 325 conditions to protect the community and the environment.

“The Canadian government has stated its commitment to addressing supply chain issues and improving Canada’s transportation system to make life more affordable for Canadians, this project is fundamental to that effort,” said CN's chief marketing officer Doug MacDonald in a statement.

Prior to the government's thumbs-up, an expert review panel concluded that the rail facility would likely have a harmful environmental impact on "human health as it relates to air quality," Judge Henry Brown said in his ruling Friday.

However, neither cabinet nor then-environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson considered or referred to that finding in their decisions — "inexplicably," Brown wrote.

"The cabinet’s failure to meaningfully grapple with the project’s significant direct adverse environmental effects on human health is a fundamental flaw in the cabinet’s justification decision," he said.

The court case pitted the federal government and CN Rail against Halton Region and its four municipalities as well as the Halton Region Conservation Authority.

“Our concerns about the health and safety of our residents have been heard loud and clear and we are very pleased with the court’s decision,” said Halton chair Gary Carr in a release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan residents with low incomes worry about not getting carbon rebate

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 



REGINA — Alan Holman says the carbon rebate he gets four times a year from the federal government is crucial for his household budget.

Without the funds, the Saskatoon resident, who is on disability assistance, says he'll have to scale back on spending for his everyday needs.

"It gets plugged in with the rest of my money for whatever's on my list," Holman said in a phone interview.

"I'm kind of a little screwed if I don't get the rebate."

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said last week that Ottawa will no longer be giving the rebates to Saskatchewan residents because Premier Scott Moe's government is refusing to remit the federal levy on natural gas.

Moe quickly shot back on social media, threatening that the province won't pay the levy on everything else — gasoline, diesel, propane — if residents don't get the rebates.

Moe announced in October that SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon price from natural gas customers beginning in 2024. The province had until the end of February to remit those dollars and confirmed Thursday it wouldn't be sending the money to Ottawa.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, has said it's about fairness, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to exempt natural gas from the carbon charge like he did with home heating oil, a move that largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.

Holman said he's tired of the political wrangling.

"I would prefer we had a premier who wouldn't get involved in too many fights and would just let the federal government do what they're doing," he said.

"I wish that politicians in our province and on a federal level would have more of a cool head and be more understanding of each other's positions."

In Regina, researcher Cheryl Camillo said she gets more in rebates than what she pays in levies.And she's concerned not paying the carbon charge will mean less government spending to lower emissions.

"I'm happy to pay," she said.

"For me, it's probably less than $1,000 per year in carbon tax. But if you're going to take money out of my pocket and take the rebate out of my pocket and not do anything to fight (climate change), I have strong objections."

Peter Gilmer, an advocate with the Anti-Poverty Ministry in Regina, said those on low incomes rely on the rebates to pay for essentials.

"For the vast majority of low-income people, whether they're on income security programs or earn low wages, they're actually better off in terms of the bottom line when receiving the rebate and paying carbon tax," Gilmer said.

"We're concerned."

Wilkinson has said Saskatchewan's refusal to remit the charge hurts lower income families, who would get more in the rebates than they pay in the levies.

The rebate for a family of four in Saskatchewan is $1,500, he said, and for those in rural communities it's $1,800.

People making more than $250,000 per year would pay more in levies than what they get back, he added.

The province disputes that people are better off with rebates.

Duncan has said a report from the parliamentary budget officer shows Saskatchewan residents would pay $600 more in levies in 2024.

Duncan said the average household in Saskatchewan is expected to save about $400 this year, because the province isn't collecting the charge on natural gas.

Gage Haubrich, the prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said the average Saskatchewan family would pay $410 more in carbon charges if they got the rebates this year.

"That's why I think taxpayers think it's so important to see the Saskatchewan government do something to fight the carbon tax," he said.

"Doing this also forces the federal government to show its hand and say whether or not it's going to keep forcing everyone to pay this tax and realize people, especially in Saskatchewan, don't want it."

SaskEnergy is breaking federal emissions law by choosing not to remit the levy, which could result in fines or jail time for executives.

Duncan said the Canada Revenue Agency has removed SaskEnergy as a registered distributor of natural gas and the move ensures he or the province would be liable for any penalties, not SaskEnergy.

Wilkinson said Saskatchewan is being reckless and irresponsible, as the law to impose a carbon levy was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Gilmer said when governments get into squabbles, it's usually those with low incomes who take the brunt.

"There needs to be a compromise worked out here so low-income folks can receive the supplements that they need," he said.

"We need to make sure the rebate is in place."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

Guilbeault calls Saskatchewan premier 'immoral' for breaking carbon-price law


The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says Ottawa has to take action against Saskatchewan for breaking the federal carbon-pricing law.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said last week his province would not submit the money it owed for the carbon price on natural gas as required on Feb. 29.

Moe is protesting Ottawa's decision to exempt heating oil from the levy but not natural gas, which is used by eight in 10 households in Saskatchewan.

Under the law, fuel distributors such as SaskEnergy are to submit monthly reports on the amount of fuel sold and the carbon price collected on that fuel.

Failing to submit those reports or pay the amounts owed carries consequences, including fines based on how much wasn't paid and jail time.

Guilbeault says it is "immoral" and "irresponsible" for a premier to decide not to follow the law.

"If Premier Scott Moe decides that he wants to start breaking laws and not respecting federal laws, then measures will have to be taken," Guilbeault said in response to a question from a reporter.

"We can't let that happen. What if somebody tomorrow decides that they don’t want to respect other federal laws, criminal laws? What would happen then if a prime minister, a premier of a province, would want to do that?" he went on.

"It's irresponsible and it's frankly immoral on his part. We can have disagreements about things like climate change, but to be so reckless is unspeakable, really."

Last week, SaskEnergy Minister Dustin Duncan said he knew there might be consequences to his government's decision but it came out of a sense of fairness.

"It’s not something I take lightly," Duncan said Feb. 29.

Last fall, the federal Liberals moved to give heating oil a three-year carve-out from carbon pricing, arguing families using that product needed more time and financial aid to replace their oil furnaces with electric heat pumps.

Heating oil is about three times as expensive as natural gas, before carbon pricing, and oil prices jumped more than 50 per cent in recent years, providing a financial incentive to replace it without the addition of a carbon price.

Federal data shows 1.2 million homes in Canada still use heating oil, and almost one-quarter are in Atlantic Canada. Only three per cent of those are in the three Prairie provinces.

The Liberals were accused of making the decision based on politics, with their poll numbers on the East Coast tanking.

The governing party has few seats in the Prairies, but a majority of seats in the Atlantic.

It could be a while before any consequences are known.

While Saskatchewan has been very public about not making the payment, for privacy reasons, the Canada Revenue Agency will not confirm when a specific client fails to submit a payment on time — even if it is a provincial government.

The CRA does have compliance processes for seeking payment or documentation before turning to the courts.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said last week one consequence will be cutting the carbon rebates sent to Saskatchewan households.

The rebates are based on how much money is collected in each province, and will be lowered, he said, if less money comes in.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.

Teachers' strike marks opening day of spring legislative sitting in Saskatchewan


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 

Teachers and supporters will be walking along Albert Street in Regina on Monday as the one-day strike coincides with the first day of the spring sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislature. (CBC/Radio-Canada - image credit)

As Saskatchewan Party MLAs return to the legislature for the start of the spring sitting on Monday, they will have to pass crowds of striking teachers picketing up and down Albert Street.

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) perhaps unsurprisingly chose the first day of the sitting to send Regina area teachers to the picket lines as talks between the government trustee bargaining committee and STF remain at a standstill.

The teachers' contract expired in August and the two sides disagree on whether a new deal should include class size and complexity within the collective agreement.

A few weeks ago, talks resumed briefly and ultimately broke down with each side blaming the other for "walking away" from the bargaining table. What followed were competing social media videos from STF President Samantha Becotte and Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill.

It has been a while since a strike involving government employees descended on the legislature during the sitting.

In October 2019, government employees of six Crown corporations ended a 17-day strike, reaching a tentative contract agreement with the government three days before the fall sitting began.

The Opposition NDP has called on the government to address issues of class size and complexity within a new agreement and NDP MLAs have walked with striking teachers over the past few weeks, so expect the issue to be at the forefront of Opposition questions during debate.

Health care

Spending on health care has been arguably the top concern of the Opposition during the last several months. This week, NDP Leader Carla Beck held a news conference highlighting retention and recruitment issues for nurses and doctors in rural communities.

Data released in late 2023 showed Saskatchewan lost a net 35 doctors in 2022 to other provinces, the second worst in the country. The Opposition also flagged a drop in 474 registered nurses in rural Saskatchewan compared with six years ago.

The Opposition has spent many days in Question Period discussing its concerns over primary care access, emergency room conditions and wait times for diagnostics and surgery.

On the latter, the Minister of Health boasted a ramp-up in surgeries over the last year that cut a wait list of 36,000 patients in 2021 to 27,000 by the end of 2023.

In response to capacity issues in Regina and Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Health Authority launched plans in both cities to add beds to help ease the pressure. Two weeks ago, the SHA said the plan was seeing results.

"We acknowledge that our health system continues to experience difficult and varied capacity challenges, but we also know these action plans are the right work to achieve our goals," said SHA chief operating officer Derek Miller on Feb. 15.

Budget coming March 20

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will deliver her last budget on March 20, as she has indicated she will not seek re-election in this year's provincial election. A year ago, the government was anticipating a healthy surplus.

However, Harpauer said the province's financial projections had taken a dramatic turn in November.

The mid-year financial update projected a $250-million deficit, an outcome that would be $1.3 billion worse than the $1-billion surplus predicted in the spring budget.

Thoughts of a tax cut in an election year likely evaporated at that point.

"It is not likely we could do any tax cuts in this budget, but we are very early in our budget deliberations and we will see where the economy goes," Harpauer said on Nov. 27.

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer presents the Saskatchewan Budget inside the chamber of the legisalture in Regina, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will present her last budget on Wednesday, March 20. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)

Last week, the financial picture became muddier as the NDP flagged concerns over more than $750 million in spending by the province through special warrants.

The largest chunk is $450 million for the SHA and physician services.

"At the end of the day, taxpayers deserve nothing less than honesty, transparency, value for money and good management. They're not getting any of that right now," said NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon on Feb. 22.

The provincial government published 13 orders in council reporting that the finance minister was issuing a series of special warrants.

The money is spent in the current year and warrants are used to obtain money when the government is not sitting.

The spending will be reviewed during the sitting and the government defended the move in a statement.

"The government of Saskatchewan provided a mid-year update on Nov. 27, 2023, and will table third-quarter financials on budget day, as has been past practice," the statement read.

Carbon tax spat

The carbon tax debate was awoken last fall when the federal government exempted the tax on home heating oil, with the largest number of people affected living in Atlantic Canada. Premier Scott Moe called the policy unfair and followed up by vowing not to remit the tax collected on home heating in Saskatchewan to Ottawa.

On Thursday, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, Dustin Duncan, announced in a video on social media that the government would follow through on its threat made in the fall and not remit to Ottawa.

What followed was another threat, this one from Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who said if the province does not remit, then Ottawa will not provide Saskatchewan people with rebates.

Wilkinson said, "the rebate provides more money for most families in Saskatchewan."

Moe says starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption.

Premier Scott Moe said in the fall that starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption. The government made that official on Thursday. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)

In a response on social media Thursday, Moe wrote, "If Saskatchewan people stop getting the rebate entirely, Saskatchewan should stop paying the carbon tax entirely."

Moe said residents pay the carbon tax on things other than home heating, like gasoline.

During any typical question period, the Saskatchewan Party government may present a petition or read a member's statement that blasts the "Trudeau carbon tax." In addition, answers to Opposition questions can lead to carbon tax criticism. Political watchers should expect more of the same over the next 12 weeks of the sitting given recent events.

Saskatchewan legislature kicks off over carbon levy, labour strife with teachers

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 




REGINA — Saskatchewan's spring legislative sitting kicked off Monday with the Opposition NDP demanding Premier Scott Moe at least pick up the phone and talk to Ottawa to resolve the escalating dispute over the carbon price.

The two sides also sparred over the ongoing labour standoff with teachers, while an Independent MLA rose to publicly apologize for sexual solicitation.

On the carbon price issue, NDP Leader Carla Beck rebuked Moe for not meeting with his federal counterparts to patch up the dispute even though a key minister was recently in Ottawa but failed to arrange a meeting.

Moe fired back by saying his government has been in contact with the federal government and he last spoke with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault at a climate conference in Dubai.

"I would tell the premier that there are perhaps cheaper places for him to have conversations with federal ministers," Beck later told reporters after question period.

"He's probably got his cellphone plan as part of the job that he could phone the prime minister."

Members of Moe’s Saskatchewan Party heckled back on the phone gibe, telling Beck to call her purported boss, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

"You're used to that, you tune it out," Beck said.

"But I do note when people are in the galleries, like we had teachers in there today, their response to that is it looks childish."

Moe announced in October that SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon price from natural gas customers beginning in 2024. And the province confirmed last week it wouldn't be sending the money to Ottawa, a move that breaks federal emissions law.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, has said it's about fairness, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to exempt natural gas from the carbon charge like he did with home heating oil, which largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.

Ottawa then said it will no longer give the rebates to Saskatchewan residents because of the province's decision.

Duncan stood on the steps of Parliament in a social media video when he made the announcement. He later told reporters he had no conversations with Ottawa about the decision.

Beck questioned that.

"(Moe) could have directed his minister when he was out doing the selfie video on the steps of Parliament to go in and try to get a meeting with the prime minister or one of the federal ministers," she said.

The NDP had spearheaded a motion last fall urging Parliament to remove the levy on all forms of home heating. Other provinces had also called for an exemption.

Moe told reporters earlier Monday he hopes Ottawa treats the province fairly when it decides how much it will rebate residents.

The teacher dispute was also on the agenda in the house during question period.

Beck said the government needs to get back to the bargaining table, and that her party would negotiate on issues of classroom size and additional supports should the NDP form government. The next general election is scheduled for Oct. 28.

Moe said Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation leadership needs to return to the bargaining table. Teachers were there for only 30 minutes the last time they met, he said.

The union wants the province to include those non-monetary issues in the new labour contract, but says the government is only offering a take-it-or-leave-it deal.

The province has remained firmly opposed to including those measures, saying it would give the union more control, rather than school boards.

Prior to question period, Ryan Domotor, a former Saskatchewan Party backbencher, apologized in the legislature after he was charged last fall for seeking to obtain sexual services and arrested at a hotel in Regina.

The Crown stayed the charge against him, as he completed a prostitution intervention program. It's an alternative measure that lets people address an offence without having to go through court.

Domotor, who now sits as an Independent, told the assembly he was struggling at the time emotionally with his personal life and marriage.

"This affected my mental health and my lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a decision I will regret for the rest of my life," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.

CANADA

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators say they feel vilified after protest cancels PM event

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 


OTTAWA — Organizers of a pro-Palestinian protest that disrupted a weekend reception featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say they're being unfairly vilified.

The event, which was to include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was abruptly called off as demonstrators blocked entrances to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Toronto police said there were no injuries arising from the protest of about 400 demonstrators, and no arrests were made, but investigations are ongoing.

Dalia Awwad, an organizer with the group known as Palestinian Youth Movement, accused elected officials of intentionally vilifying protesters in an effort to avoid talking about Canada's position on the Israel-Hamas war.

"It's also an attempt by politicians to shift the narrative away from the role they have played in the genocide," Awwad said Monday.

It's an attempt, she continued, "to make it so these protests are the issue when the issue is the role that the Canadian state is playing here."

The Canadian government has not stated an opinion on whether Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, a case South Africa has been making at the United Nations' highest court.

The federal Liberals have said they believe in the International Court of Justice as an institution and Israel must do what it can to limit civilian casualties, while condemning Hamas for its attack on Israel.

The war began after the Oct. 7 rampage, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Israeli forces have bombarded the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas since then, and Gaza's Health Ministry says 30,000 Palestinians are dead amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Protests have frequently taken place across Canada in recent months. Both Jewish and Muslim groups warn that they are seeing an increase in hateful conduct, as police report an increase in hate-motivated crimes.

At the protest in Toronto on Saturday, demonstrators blocked entrances to the art gallery and prevented many attendees from getting in. Neither Trudeau nor Meloni entered the venue, which briefly went into lockdown. International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen attempted to enter through the main entrance, but protesters blocked his path and followed him for two blocks as he was flanked by police officers while trying to enter a more secure location.

Some demonstrators confronted Hussen directly, saying it was shameful for him to call himself a Muslim. "You are complicit in the genocide. Your hands are red. You are complicit in the murder of my family members and my friends," one demonstrator said to him.

In a social media post on Sunday, former public safety minister Marco Mendicino described the gallery protesters as antisemitic "thugs."

The gallery "was not secure. And that was their objective. They don’t want their fellow Canadians to feel safe," Mendicino said in a series of posts on X.

"You break the law, you should be arrested, charged and prosecuted. … These thugs think they scored a win last night, but all they did was lose public support and embarrass themselves. Time for the madness to stop."

Amira Elghawaby, Canada's anti-Islamophobia envoy, decried a "constant rush" to portray pro-Palestinian protests as a threat to public safety.

Doing so "is both wrong and dangerous, as are attempts to obscure the facts around why peaceful protests are happening," she said on social media Monday.

Deborah Lyons, Canada's envoy on combating antisemitism, called the cancellation a "direct result of caving in to the irrational demands of an out-of-control and noisy cohort, fuelling their determination."

Michael DeForge, an organizer with the Toronto chapter of Writers Against the War on Gaza, said it was a win amid efforts to seek a change of course from politicians.

He said Trudeau has "complicity in Palestinian death."

DeForge also described Meloni as a "figurehead for far-right nationalism," and someone who "has supported the genocide of Palestinians."

Meloni and Trudeau have both advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict, in which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.

Italy has also worked in concert with G7 countries to advocate against the killing of Palestinian civilians.

A protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto last month drew wide condemnation from critics who saw the location as a deliberate choice.

In a joint written statement, the three groups that organized the march denied accusations of antisemitism.

"We condemn the Canadian politicians incorrectly portraying the protest as targeting the hospital," the groups said.

Zoe Newman, an organizer with Jews Say No to Genocide, was present during Saturday's protest, and took issue with it being framed as antisemitic.

"It's very troubling to have antisemitism used in a way that alters and twists its meaning," she said in an interview Monday. "Trudeau meeting with somebody whose views are hand-in-glove with antisemitism is not seen as antisemitic, but us protesting is antisemitic."

She said that framing relates back to anti-Palestinian racism that portrays all Palestinians as violent and dangerous.

Newman said as pro-Palestinian protests have been branded as antisemitic, other protesters have appreciated her presence, especially when she's wearing clothing that clearly shows she is Jewish.

"I find it's an incredibly powerful thing at a demonstration," she said. "It can give some people a real sense of safety," especially when criticism of the Israeli government is being conflated with criticism of all Jewish people.

"Having somebody there who is a Jew, and is speaking as a Jew, can help to complicate that narrative."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

CANADA
Pro-Palestinian groups decry real estate events at synagogues over concerns occupied land being sold


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 



Pro-Palestinian supporters are calling for a second real estate event planned north of Toronto to be called down over concerns it involves the selling of land in the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday, dozens of people gathered near the Aish Hatorah synagogue in Thornhill, Ont., to protest an event that organizers say was aimed at helping people in the Toronto area buy property in Israel. They were met with pro-Israeli counterprotestors and Jewish leaders took issue with the Sunday protest taking place outside a synagogue.

But Pro-Palestinian protestors say companies associated with the event market property in the West Bank, where over two million Palestinians live under Israel's military occupation, according to the United Nations (UN).

A similar event is expected to take place Thursday at another synagogue in the area. It is unclear whether the two events are connected.

"We weren't there because it's a synagogue, we were there because we were protesting against a real estate show," said Ghada Sasa, who was at the protest over the weekend.

"[These events] shouldn't be allowed to happen when they're explicitly advertising land on occupied territory."

Sasa said the issue is personal to her as her grandfather's family was "expelled" from the land in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which was when the state of Israel was established. They've since not been allowed to return, she said.

She is calling for an immediate "injunction" against upcoming real estate events selling land on occupied Palestinian territory.

The UN, alongside Canada, consider Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to be in violation of international convention, with the federal government saying they "constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace."

The protest is the latest local flashpoint arising from tensions sparked by the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and foreigners. Israel has since responded with a relentless assault that has so far killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

Natalia Birnbaum is a realtor with an office based in Toronto, Ont. She helped organize a real estate show in Thornhill, Ont. that pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested against on Sunday.

Natalia Birnbaum is a Realtor with an office based in Toronto, Ont. She helped organize a real estate show in Thornhill, Ont. that pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested against on Sunday. (Joe Fiorino/CBC)

Natalia Birnbaum, a Realtor who helped organize Sunday's event, told CBC Toronto it's "absolutely, 100 per cent false" that property located on "disputed" land was promoted during the event.

"There was no sales for anything in the West Bank, anything on disputed territory," she said, noting the projects on offer were being built on "existing" and "established" areas.

"I don't know ... where or how they're getting this," Birnbaum said.

The Home In Israel brokerage, which participated in Sunday's show and is based in the Israeli city of Netanya, said despite the protests, the event was a "great success" and thanked people who showed support, according to a post that was translated from Hebrew on their Facebook page.

The translated post said it's a "privilege" to help Toronto residents buy property in Israel "for investment and/or for their upcoming immigration to Israel."

Real estate events have been going on for years: rabbi

The upcoming real estate event on Thursday appears to be part of a fair, with other events happening in New Jersey, New York and Montreal, according to the "great Israeli real estate event" website.

According to the website, real estate agents will help customers inquiring about projects in places such as Modiin, Ma'ale Adumim, Neve Daniel and Efrat, which are considered Israeli settlements by advocacy group Jews Say No to Genocide.

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin said the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue has agreed to host the event on Thursday, just as it and other Jewish institutions have been doing for years.

"Many people in the Jewish community purchase property in Israel because we want to be able to have a connection to the homeland," he told CBC Toronto.

Chelsey Lichtman is a member of advocacy group Jews Say No to Genocide. She said the real estate s.

hows in Thornhill, Ont. are advertising properties in the occupied territories of West Bank. 

\(Joe Fiorino/CBC)

While he couldn't say if any of he the promoted property is located in the West Bank, he said the "vast majority" of the land is located in "Israel proper."

If Thursday's event is met with more protests, he hopes people remain "peaceful," adding that anyone that uses weapons or exercises violence should be "arrested by police and prosecuted by the law."

If people are taking issue with this, Korobkin said, there are ways to address it other than through protest — something Jewish advocacy group B'nai Brith Canada agreed with.

Richard Robertson, B'nai Brith Canada's director of research and advocacy, said in a statement the group is concerned for members of the community near the synagogues at the upcoming events, and are calling on police to prevent similar protests from happening.

"Nothing justifies targeting a house of worship," said Robertson. "To target a shul is antisemitic and can never be tolerated in Canadian society."

But Chelsey Lichtman, a member of advocacy group Jews Say No to Genocide, said it's "sacrilegious" to use synagogues as places to hold real estate events.

"The synagogues are holding events that [are] trying to get Canadians to invest in stolen Palestinian land in Israel," said Lichtman, who works as a real estate agent.

"Selling stolen Palestinian land contributes to the ongoing colonization of Palestinian people."

Police to monitor upcoming event

In an email, the City of Vaughan says it will continue to work with police "to uphold community safety and protect all of our residents."

The city said the event on Sunday was initially scheduled to be held at its Garnet A. Williams Community Centre but was cancelled after city staff learned of a use "not permitted" in the space.

On Sunday, York Regional Police (YRP) arrested a 27-year-old man from Vaughan following a confrontation with pro-Palestinian demonstrators near Aish Hatorah.

No injuries have been reported, but police said the man was witnessed shouting obscenities at the protestors, and at one point, discharged a nail gun that was he carrying.

The accused is facing several charges, including assault, assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon dangerous to the public and mischief.

In an email statement to CBC Toronto, YRP said it'll be present on Thursday to monitor any demonstrations.

"We are there to ensure it is safe, peaceful and lawful," the statement said.

Protest planned against synagogue event marketing West Bank homes

Adam Schrader
Mon, March 4, 2024



March 3 (UPI) -- Palestinian groups are calling for supporters to protest an event at a New Jersey synagogue marketing the sale of homes in the West Bank.

A review of homes listed to be showcased in the real estate event by My Home In Israel Real Estate shows cottages in Efrat, a settlement in the West Bank. The cottages are listed for $1.3 million. The event is expected to take place on March 10 at Keter Torah Synagogue in Teaneck, N.J.

Palestinian groups had encouraged supporters to protest the event, calling it an auction. Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for the synagogue, told UPI that the place of worship has been rented by a group of developers to hold the event.

"That said, it's solely educational and informational, discussing the options, tax and financial implications for U.S. citizens buying property abroad," Engelmayer said. "No sales happen there and it's not an auction of any sort."

Engelmayer specified that the event does not just market homes in the West Bank, but across Israel.

"It is not a tax sale, not a government auction of abandoned property, and not an attempt to sell stolen land to Americans," he said.

A review of homes being offered for sale shows that some are seemingly just outside of the 1949 Armistice Line that delineates the border between Israel and the Palestinian territory. Israeli settlements inside those borders are considered illegal by the United States and the international community.

"A synagogue in Teaneck will be hosting a real estate sale auctioning off Occupied Palestinian land. This event takes place every other year -- and it has for YEARS," Teaneck for Palestine said in a post on Instagram.

The group criticized the town's council for having passed a resolution claiming that the town stands with Israel.

"The truth is this is NOT where the people of Teaneck stand!! We are not just anti-Zionist, but PRO-PALESTINE," the group said. "Our actions and demands are always led by our love and solidarity for the people of Palestine! Join us in a protest against the illegal sale of stolen Palestinian land!"

This story has been updated to clarify that the event is not an auction and to include statements made on behalf of Keter Torah Synagogue.

Canadian jazz legend Eleanor Collins dead at 104

CBC News: The National
 

Canada Post honours jazz legend Eleanor Collins with stamp

Canada Post

Premiered Jan 21, 2022  

Tune in on January 21st as we honour Eleanor Collins, Canada’s first lady of #jazz and the subject of this year’s #BlackHistoryMonth stamp.

Eleanor Collins, Jazz Singer:  CBC Television News Career Highlights and Investment into Order Of Canada November 21, 2014

Polygamous Mormon Sect Is Actually a Sex Trafficking Cult: Lawsuit

Amanda Yen
Sat, March 2, 2024 

Jon G. Fuller/Getty Images

A polygamous religious community in Utah is actually a criminal cult that trafficked young girls and forced them into early marriages that were sometimes incestuous, a new lawsuit alleges.

Ten women who left or escaped the alleged sect led by Paul Elden Kingston on Wednesday filed a federal complaint against Kingston, thirteen of his family members, and several other members. The complaint, which is nearly 140 pages long, also names as defendants dozens of businesses and entities ranging from restaurants, grocery stores, the Mormon fundamentalist denomination Latter Day Church of Christ, and an allegedly fake “bank” operated by the cult.

The complaint alleges that the cult actively practices sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child abuse, and forced labor. In some cases, Kingston forced girls to marry men they were related to and suffer repeated domestic abuse, the lawsuit claims.

“Some Plaintiffs were forced to ‘marry’ close relatives, who then beat and raped them,” the complaint alleges. “Almost all were denied an ordinary education, physically abused (or threatened with abuse), taught to fear outsiders, and forced to work for years of their childhoods, often in grueling jobs, with little or no pay.”

The complaint describes a Handmaid’s Tale style of governance where divorce was outlawed and the girls were expected to have as many children as possible. They were allegedly told that it was their “responsibility” to grow the cult by having children, “and that they must submit sexually, even against their will, to their husbands in order to produce children.”

‘One Tree Hill’ Star Names the ‘Sinister’ Cult She Was in for 10 Years

The group—internally called the Order—allegedly made young children work for its businesses before they were legally allowed to, some of them starting as young as 4 years old. One of the defendants named in the suit, Standard Restaurant Supply, was issued a federal citation for violating child labor laws last year, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The Order is also accused of making children accomplices to various crimes, ranging from falsifying federal tax returns to destroying evidence in criminal investigations. It regularly ordered them to aid or commit crimes designed to defraud the government, a process it referred to as “Bleeding the Beast,” the complaint says.

According to the plaintiffs, the Order is designed to enrich Kingston and his immediate family by forcing other families to work without pay or for very little pay.

“It is a massive financial enterprise where all members work to contribute to the needs, wants, and objectives of Paul Elden Kingston and his family, to the detriment of the individual members,” the complaint reads. “The Order withholds paychecks from working Order members and controls members’ wages while avoiding liability for labor law violations.”

On Thursday, the presiding judge ordered attorneys to draft a proposed schedule for further proceedings, court records show. As of Friday, there were no filings by the defense.