DECRIMINALIZE ALL DRUGS

'Can't keep letting fentanyl win': Safe supply of drugs needed to fight Winnipeg's crisis, says advocate

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024

Arlene Last-Kolb says the solution to dealing with the crisis of drug overdose deaths is to ensure a safe supply of drugs for people struggling with addiction while they seek help. (Kevin Nepitabo/CBC - image credit)


A safe place to consume drugs is vital to saving lives, but even more crucial in the harm-reduction approach is providing a safe supply of drugs, says a Winnipeg mom whose son died from fentanyl poisoning.

"We won't change things enough unless we do something about the supply. That's the most important thing that we have to move forward on," said Arlene Last-Kolb, co-founder of Overdose Awareness Manitoba and member of Moms Stop the Harm.

"We just have to convince the people that it can really make the difference, that this is the right way to go. We need to do this today."


Since the death of her 24-year-old son Jessie in July 2014, Last-Kolb has lobbied for compassionate treatment, including a safer drug supply.

Street drugs are now being laced with highly addictive opioids and other substances like animal tranquilizers, making them extremely dangerous, in many cases.

Last year, preliminary data says there were 445 suspected overdose deaths in Manitoba, with 54 in December alone. The province says there were 132 drug-related deaths the year Jessie died, 96 of which were ruled accidents.

"I want everybody to know that we're not just talking about people that live on the street. People are dying in our homes, in our basements," said Last-Kolb.

You can't keep telling people to not take drugs if they are hooked — it's not possible for them, she added.

Stigma and shame also keep them from seeking help and push them to dangerous places to feed the addiction, said Last-Kolb.

The solution, she said, is to give them what they need to stay alive while they seek help.

"Our government has the power to change things. Replace the toxic street drugs with a regulated supply of drugs. We could look at it the same way that we've done cannabis, that we've done alcohol," she said.

"Let's not call it safe supply [or] safe regulated supply. Let's call it doing the right thing."

By starting with a safe supply and an open discussion, it may be possible for someone to get the support they need to work toward easing off opioids, said Last-Kolb.

"We can't keep letting fentanyl win. Jessie sure didn't want to die."

Report calls for 'safe and sanctioned drug supply'

An independent report released on Thursday, evaluating the first year of Winnipeg's mobile overdose prevention site (MOPS), says while the program has exceeded expectations and prevented many drug deaths, more needs to be done to ensure a safe supply of drugs.

The mobile site, a converted RV operated by Sunshine House, travels around Winnipeg's core area providing a supervised consumption site, while also distributing harm reduction supplies and testing drugs.

In its first year, from October 2022 to October 2023, the MOPS team recorded 26,154 visits, with drugs consumed 7,086 times. There were zero deaths.

Sunshine House's MOPS, or mobile overdose prevention site, travels around Winnipeg's core area providing a safe consumption site while also distributing harm reduction supplies.

Sunshine House's MOPS, or mobile overdose prevention site, travels around Winnipeg's core area providing a safe consumption site while also distributing harm reduction supplies. (Radio-Canada)

The report advocates for the creation of several supervised consumption sites in Winnipeg to increase those benefits.

But "if we truly want to stop toxic drug poisonings, we should look at having a safe and sanctioned drug supply," the report states.

Bernadette Smith, minister of housing, addictions and homelessness, said in a statement Friday the province values advocates' calls for solutions to the drug toxicity crisis, but that it's "not looking at safe supply."

"Our primary focus now is on creating the province's first supervised consumption site and making drug testing available," the minister said. "We will continue to work with community organizations and experts on a harm reduction approach."

The report acknowledges that's an "often politically contentious" subject, but says it "is also a useful tool to reduce the harms caused by toxic drugs and unknown poly-drug combinations."

According to the report, government of Canada early research findings suggest safe supply is associated with a range of benefits, including lower overdose rates, reduced hospital admissions and ER visits, decreased criminal activity, and improved connections to care and treatment for people who have not had those supports.

Last-Kolb said toxic drugs are not only "killing our loved ones every day, but the toxicity is causing such great damage to our loved ones that it is having a rippling effect on our whole community."

"Everybody needs to worry about it because everybody is affected by what is happening in our province, whether that is through death, crime, mental health, everything."

A combination of supervised consumption sites and safer supply would be powerful, but still not enough against the drug crisis, the report states.

"Each of these services are intended to complement a much more robust and holistic range of supports" backed by mental health and crisis response services, holistic housing, and community connections, it says.

"People who use drugs may seek treatment and then relapse many times, and the services must remain available throughout each person's journey."

Although the report bears good news of the efficacy of MOPS, Sunshine House executive director Levi Foy says the mobile site is a 'highly imperfect model' that is not sustainable, adding that a permanent safe consumption site is needed.

Sunshine House executive director Levi Foy says the mobile site is needed but is not the solution, rather it is part of a larger network of care. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

Sunshine House executive director Levi Foy agreed.

"This [MOPS] is part of a larger network, a larger part of caring for one another and caring for individuals in new and unique ways that our current system just is not managing," he said at a news conference on Thursday, where the report was released.

Last-Kolb said she won't stop pushing until that full vision of care is complete.

"I would not be here if I didn't think that this was important," she said. "I will not get my son back. But at least I will know that I did all I could to do the right thing.

"If your child dies, no amount of treatment, no amount of justice, no amount of policing is going to bring them back."

Scrutiny of B.C. drug decrim pilot program intensifies

CBC
Sat, April 20, 2024 

Premier David Eby said he shares concerns over public safety that have arisen from the province's drug decriminalzation pilot. (Justine Boulin/CBC - image credit)


Scrutiny of B.C.'s drug decriminalization pilot is growing, with public safety concerns that have put the spotlight squarely on the governing NDP as the province moves toward a fall election.

Earlier this week, Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson testified at a House of Commons health committee hearing about how the pilot is limiting police response to problematic public drug use, including inside hospitals and at bus stops.

"In the wake of decriminalization, there are many of those locations where we have absolutely no authority to address that problematic drug use, because the person appears to be in possession of less than 2.5 grams," Wilson said. "So if you have someone who is with their family at the beach, and there's a person next to them smoking crack cocaine, it's not a police matter."


The decriminalization pilot was introduced in January 2023 and allows adult drug users in B.C. to carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy for personal use without facing criminal charges. Relying on an exemption granted by Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, it also allows for open drug use in some public spaces.

The province did try to bring in legislation in October to limit public drug use, but it was blocked by the courts.

Premier David Eby said he shares the concerns over public safety and intends to address the issue.

"Simply because we have compassion and concern about those struggling with addiction, does not mean that we need to give up our public spaces, does not mean that we have to have parks and playgrounds that are less safe," said Eby.

The province's options include ending the program, or possibly asking the federal government to bring in more changes to the pilot.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Wilson is pictured during an update about a sexual assault cold case where the VPD charged Arturo Garcia Gorjon with four counts of sexual assault, related to crimes that occurred between July 1, 2009 and December 24, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

VPD Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Wilson told a parliamentary committe on health the limit on police powers to address the public consumption of illicit drugs is affecting public safety. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

A meeting between Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.'s minister of mental health and addictions, and her federal counterpart Ya'ara Saks is scheduled for next week.

In a statement echoing Eby, Whiteside defended decriminalization as a way to destigmatize addiction and treat it as a healthcare issue instead of a criminal one.

"We maintain that having compassion for individuals struggling with addiction does not preclude the need to ensure the safety of workers and members of the public," said Whiteside.

B.C.'s official opposition has been highlighting illicit drug use in hospitals and the lack of guard rails around the decriminalization pilot.

"We knew it would result in exactly what's happening right now, which is an explosion of drug use taking place in SkyTrains, in restaurants and public spaces," said B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon. "It's been a horrific failure and the thing that is important to recognize is we're not seeing improved results."

Advocates for harm reduction say the answer is not to scrap the pilot, because it is doing some good.

"Let's get to the table and make this work because I want to tell you this, the other way is [drug users go] into isolation. So if [changes are] to alleviate some public consumption in public spaces, I'm all for that," said Guy Felicella, a harm reduction and recovery expert.

The decriminalization pilot was introduced as a measure to address B.C.'s severe overdose crisis. More than 14,000 people have died of toxic drugs in the province since the crisis was declared a public health emergency in April 2016.

Sask. government, university officials hope new funding will increase supply of rural veterinarians

VET COLLEGE IS ONE OF TWO IN CANADA, THE OTHER IS GUELPH  

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CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024 at 3:27 p.m. MDT·1 min read

Officials from the University of Saskatchewan and provincial government hosted a news conference on campus Friday to announce new funding for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. (CBC - image credit)


The provincial government says it will subsidize five new spots for rural students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

University and government officials hosted a news conference on campus Friday morning. They said the move is part of a $13-million funding commitment. That represents a $667,000 increase over last year.

Among other programs, that funding will pay for 25 overall training seats for Saskatchewan students. Five of them will be designated for those studying in rural areas.


"So that's the kind of incentives we can do. Hopefully the students will take that opportunity and practice in rural Saskatchewan. It's a great way of life, a rural way of life and a great opportunity," Agriculture Minister David Marit said.

Marit said it's difficult to retain veterinarians in rural Saskatchewan, particularly those specializing in large animals.

"We want to see our livestock sector grow. In order to grow, we've got to have the professional services there as well. And vets are a big part of that," he said.

There will also be up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness for veterinarians who choose to set up practice in rural Saskatchewam. Marit hopes these and other measures will help increase the supply of veterinarians in rural areas.

U of S president Peter Stoicheff thanked the provincial government for increasing funding for the university this year. He also applauded the internationally-recognized work done by members of the college in recent years.

"This is a flagship college for the university, for the province and for the country," Stoicheff said.

Deportation of B.C. climate activist cancelled

CBC
Sat, April 20, 2024 

Save Old Growth co-founder Zain Haq, who is in Canada from Pakistan on a study permit, has had his deportation halted just three days before Canadian immigration officials were to force him to leave the country. 

(CBC - image credit)

Canadian immigration officials have halted the deportation of B.C. climate justice activist Zain Haq, two days before he was to be sent back to Pakistan over issues with his study permit.

The deportation order was issued on Thursday, after a federal court dismissed Haq's application to delay the deportation until his permanent residency application could be reviewed.

But less than 24 hours later, on Friday, Haq says the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) informed him that his deportation set for Sunday had been cancelled.

"I'm feeling very relieved," said Haq, 23, who has been unable to study or work since his study permit was cancelled in 2022.

"This has been something that's been hanging over my head for two years, and my spouse's head as well."

The news came after a campaign by other activists and Haq's wife, Sophie Papp, urging Canada's immigration and public safety ministers to use their discretion to call off his deportation. An online petition launched by Papp amassed more than 2,500 signatures for the cause.

Haq arrived in Canada to study at Simon Fraser University in 2019, and gained prominence in the B.C. climate activism community for his work with Extinction Rebellion and Save Old Growth.

But he says CBSA began to scrutinize his study permit after he became involved in non-violent civil disobedience against fossil fuel projects, for which he was arrested several times.

Zain Haq is arrested while blocking the sidewalk along Lions Gate Bridge Road in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday, May 3, 2021, as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest.

Haq is arrested while blocking the sidewalk along Lions Gate Bridge Road in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday, May 3, 2021, as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

In 2022, CBSA determined he violated his permit by failing to make sufficient progress in his studies at SFU, Haq told CBC in a March interview.

"They were more aggressive than I think the circumstances justified at the time," Haq said of the CBSA.

He had been on academic probation at one point, but said SFU supported him continuing his studies.

Haq's immigration lawyer Randall Cohn said while it's hard to know whether it was an attempt to stop Haq's activism, his client's deportation would have had a "chilling effect" on foreign nationals wanting to engage in political activism.

"This is a glimmer of hope," he said on Saturday.

Future status unclear

However it is still unclear how long or under what terms Haq will be able to stay in Canada.

Sunday's deportation order was based on alleged violations of his study permit, but since it was filed, Haq has also pleaded guilty to five counts of mischief in relation to his non-violent protest actions.

That finding of criminality would make him inadmissible to Canada, but Papp has applied to sponsor her spouse's permanent residency application and the couple is seeking humanitarian and compassionate considerations.

If the application is successful, it would overcome Haq's criminal inadmissibility issue.

Haq and Cohn say they expect to know more from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in the next week, and are optimistic the ministers have looked at the situation "holistically."

"This could mean that the minister may expedite our spousal sponsorship application, which would result in me becoming a permanent resident," said Haq.

"Or this could mean that the minister has made me a temporary resident permit, but honestly we don't have the answers to that."

Haq says he has an open invitation to return to his studies at SFU and several job offers to consider when he is able to work again in Canada.

Civilian employees vote to return to work at eastern Ontario military facilities

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024 

A picket hands out information to a motorist outside the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., on Jan. 15, 2024. (Dan Taekema/CBC - image credit)


The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) says striking civilian staff at military facilities in Kingston, Ottawa and Petawawa have accepted a deal to return to work, while staff at bases in Bagotville, Montreal–St-Jean and Valcartier voted it down and will remain off the job.

Nearly 500 civilian employees across these locations took to the picket lines in mid-January seeking higher pay among other demands.

According to their union, the workers support Canada's military members in areas such as food service, recreation, financial planning and insurance.

Mediation led to a settlement with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), according to PSAC. It includes a three-year deal bumping the average salary from about $42,500 to $48,700, plus changes to leave and meal reimbursement.

PSAC said staff in eastern Ontario voted 71 per cent in favour of the deal, while staff in Quebec voted 80 per cent against it.

About 300 employees in Kingston, Ottawa and Petawawa will return to work within the next five days, according to PSAC.

The union's national president Chris Aylward said it's listening to the concerns of those members who voted no, many of whom remain focused on pay. PSAC will continue to support those nearly 200 workers who remain on strike, he said.

Marine workers, unions want new ferries built in B.C.

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024

B.C. Ferries says it plans to have seven new hybrid vessels built similar to the one shown in this rendering. (B.C. Ferries - image credit)


Labour unions and marine workers in British Columbia are calling on B.C. Ferries to build its new hybrid vessels locally, bringing more jobs to the coast.

B.C. Ferries says it plans to have seven new vessels built, the first of which could be ready for operation by 2029. The company says each ship would have capacity for 2,100 passengers — significantly more than current capacities of up to 1,500 on ferries that will soon be retired.

The company issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEOI) last fall.

Qualified local, national and international shipyards will be able to take part in the request for proposal process, which is expected to happen this summer. According to the RFEOI, the contract is expected to be awarded by December.

Build Ferries B.C., a group of unions and marine workers, wants local bids to be prioritized.

"Without strong requirements for Canadian content, a foreign shipyard will certainly win the competition," Build Ferries B.C.'s website reads.

"We must act now before this ship sails."

A second rendering of the new vessels B.C. Ferries is planning to have built.

The new vessels, similar the one shown here, would have capacity for 2,100 passengers. (B.C. Ferries)

Jeff Groot, spokesperson for B.C. Ferries, said that while the company believes in investing in local opportunities, the build has to be affordable.

"At the end of the day, the successful shipyard — whether it's local or not — needs to be able to build high quality, safe ferries and to deliver them to us on time," Groot said in an emailed statement.

He said B.C. Ferries "simply cannot" increase fares for passengers because it costs more to build ships in B.C.

Tax revenue should be considered: union

But Phil Venoit, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 230, said cost alone should not determine the contract for this build.

"It should be price minus the taxes that the employers and the workers would be paying back to government," he told On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko.

"We could literally be paying more for ferries if you don't consider the taxes paid by the employers and the employees to build this."

He also points to the cost of fuel and wages, things that will inherently increase by the time the new ships are on the water, which will increase fares.

Dan McGreer, a retired architect and professor in UBC's naval and marine engineering program, believes local shipyards, in particular Seaspan, have the knowledge and ability to build the seven new, large vessels, but worries about labour capacity and says cost could be a problem for local builders.

"They're not really competitive with the yards in Europe and Asia," he said. "Those yards could probably build the ships at a lower cost, but there's certainly benefits to building the ships in B.C. — all the labour, wages stay here."

In an email to CBC, Ali Hounsell, director of communications for Seaspan, said building in B.C. would help the province's shipbuilding capacity grow, creating more jobs and economic benefits for other British Columbians.

Local jobs

Venoit worked on the Spirit Class ferries in the early '90s and worries opportunities for young people looking to work in the trades will dwindle without the creation of shipbuilding jobs.

"I was a teenager that graduated out of Dunsmuir High School in Colwood, just outside of Victoria, and started in the shipyards at 18 years old as an electrical apprentice," he said.

"Why would you not want to contribute to high-paying jobs from British Columbia … instead of sending them overseas?"

B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation said in an email that "Canadian shipyards have been encouraged to apply," adding that "B.C. shipyards and their skilled employees already benefit from repair and refit work contracted by B.C. Ferries."

Groot said affordability is a key factor for B.C. Ferries, too.

"I'd encourage every shipyard that's interested [in this contract] to consider the affordability pressures that British Columbians are facing in all areas of their lives, and then put its best foot forward with any proposal it chooses to submit."

Mounties awarded 8 per cent salary increase over 2 years

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024 

Decision affects about 20,000 unionized members of the RCMP. (Troy Fleece/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Unionized RCMP officers are set to get a raise.

An arbitration decision this week awards an eight per cent increase over two years. The decision awards a four per cent increase retroactive to April 1, 2023, and another four per cent as of April 1 this year.

The increase will affect about 20,000 RCMP members across the country from constable to staff sergeant major represented by the National Police Federation.

Martin Potvin, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, said in an email Friday that the government has great appreciation and respect for officers who make up the RCMP union.

"The RCMP operates in a policing environment where its members have skills easily transferrable to other police agencies," Potvin said.

"To retain this skilled and in-demand workforce, RCMP compensation must remain competitive."

Potvin said that once approved by the Treausry Board, the new collective agreement will still need to be signed by both sides and implemented.

A request for comment from the National Police Federation was not immediately returned.

The Mounties first collective agreement signed in 2021, but retroactive to 2017, included wage increases of 23.7 per cent over six years.

The union celebrated that contract as bringing Mountie pay more in line with municipal police forces across the country.

The rates of pay for an RCMP constable according to the collective agreement, signed in August. The rates for an RCMP constable under the first collective agreement signed in 2021. (Treasury Board Secretariat )

That contract expired March 31, 2023.

A Treasury Board of Canada website, which notes the sides were in arbitration, says negotiations began in January last year and that mediation had taken place earlier this year.

William Kaplan, chair of the arbitration board, wrote in the decision that the National Police Federation and Treasury Board of Canada had been able to resolve most issues.

The decision says "the bargaining relationship is positive and collaborative."

The increase was revealed by the commanding officer of the Codiac Regional RCMP at public meeting Thursday evening in Dieppe.

Supt. Benoit Jolette said the increase was roughly in line with what had been expected. He said Codiac, which polices Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, had budgeted for a 7.5 per cent increase.

The RCMP's first contract and its retroactive increases led to municipalities across the country worrying about the financial impact.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities lobbied the federal government to cover the cost, though Ottawa opted not to do so.

P.E.I. teachers' union concerned about lack of subs for French classes

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024 

The substitute teacher shortage on P.E.I. is particularly affecting French-language education and schools in West Prince. (Kate Dubinski/CBC News - image credit)


The union representing Prince Edward Island public school teachers says the current lack of substitutes, particularly those who can teach in French, is causing challenges in classrooms.

The P.E.I. Teachers' Federation (PEITF) says if not dealt with, the shortage could lead to the kind of dire situations happening in some other provinces, such as schools cancelling classes.

"We're scared that because of the shortage in the rest of the country, it's going to be even more difficult to recruit in the future," said Andy Doran, president of the PEITF.


He said the lack of qualified substitute teachers has been an issue for a while but is getting worse, particularly for French immersion and French first-language classes.

Andy Doran is the president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation. Taken April 19, 2024.

Andy Doran, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation, says uncertified substitutes can affect classroom learning. (Mary-Helen McLeese/CBC)

The substitute shortage is particularly affecting the West Prince area of the province, Doran said.

The result is that if a school can't find a qualified substitute, a principal or administrator may cover the class, or an uncertified community member may come in.

"They're doing what they can, but unfortunately that affects the learning that's going on in the classroom," Doran said.

In 2022, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the province changed its rules so that only one year of post-secondary education — as opposed to two — is needed to become an uncertified substitute on P.E.I.

'Improve classroom conditions'

Teachers are tired, Doran said, and the conditions in classrooms are challenging.

"We need to improve classroom conditions so that teachers want to be teachers, so that they want to stay here," he said.

"If I was a teacher today and I faced the challenges that they may have — with the violence in the classrooms and the lack of substitute teachers — it would be a challenge for me to get through a day as well."

P.E.I. Education Minister Natalie Jameson at the P.E.I. legislature April 19, 2024.

Natalie Jameson, P.E.I.'s education minister, says the province will begin work in the fall on a holistic workforce strategy for the provincial school system. (Mary-Helen McLeese/CBC)

The issue of substitute teachers made it to the floor of the P.E.I. legislature Friday during question period.

Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly asked P.E.I.'s education minister whether it was a suitable solution to have uncertified substitutes teaching students.

"A lot of times we're having to move resource teachers and a lot of times principals are having to go and [teach]," said McNeilly.

'Need to be planning ahead'

Education Minister Natalie Jameson told CBC News she understands the difficulties facing teachers, and that her department is working on teacher recruitment and retention.

"It's not lost on me that these are challenges that schools are facing and that teachers are facing," Jameson said.

Including uncertified substitute teachers, there are 550 subs in the Public Schools Branch right now and 50 in the Commission Scolaire de Langue Française, she said.

Jameson said P.E.I. is better-positioned than most jurisdictions in Canada since the province recruited many subs during and just after the pandemic, but she knows the work isn't over.

"We always need to be planning ahead and that's precisely what we're doing," she said.

This fall, the province will begin work on a holistic workforce strategy for schools that will include teachers, educational assistants, custodial staff, bus drivers and more, Jameson said.

She also said the province works with UPEI's faculty of education to get Island students into its programs, particularly the French-language bachelor of education program.

Doran said the teachers' union has no complaints about the government's current actions, but it wants more future planning to avoid the teacher shortage some Canadian jurisdictions are facing.

"We want to fix the issues now so that we don't face that in the future," he said.

The PEITF's contract expires at the end of August, so the union will soon be entering collective bargaining with the province.

Regina health-care workers picket for better pay and working conditions

CBC
Fri, April 19, 2024 

Thursday’s rally in Regina, organized by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is the fourth in a series of strikes across Saskatchewan. (Liam Avison/CBC - image credit)


Dozens of health-care workers picketed outside of Regina's Pasqua Hospital on Friday to ask the province to address conditions in Saskatchewan's health-care system.

The rally, organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), was the fourth in a series across Saskatchewan, with the other three held in Weyburn, North Battleford and Prince Albert this month.

CUPE 5430 president Bashir Jalloh said the union has been at the bargaining table since September 2023 and is frustrated with the province's pace.


"The process is extremely slow. Our members are getting frustrated. People want meaningful wages," Jalloh said.

Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE healthcare workers, says they’re bargaining with the province on various fronts since September 2023.

CUPE 5430 President Bashir Jalloh says the union has been bargaining with the province on various fronts since September 2023. (Liam Avison/CBC)

Jalloh said workers are looking for a "significant'' pay raise in line with inflation, better working conditions and investments to improve Saskatchewan's retention rate for health-care workers.

As of Friday, healthcareersinsask.ca had 1,473 vacant job postings. Only 401 — less than a third — were full-time permanent positions. Jalloh said the postings are a major concern.

"No one is going to leave Toronto or Calgary to come to Regina for a casual job. They have to post full-time jobs. There are vacancies. It does not make sense."

When asked about worker compensation and the rally, Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health said in an emailed response that this year's budget included $142 million to support the government's Health Human Resources Action Plan to recruit, train and retain health-care workers.

In the last decade, Saskatchewan's consumer price index has gone up by about 25 per cent. In comparison, CUPE says, wages for health-care workers have only increased by 14 per cent.

Cathy Curtis, a sterile processing technician at Pasqua Hospital in Regina, commutes from Vibank, a village about 50 kilometres southeast of the city. She said the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced her to live from one paycheque to the next.

"I don't come to this city on my days off, I don't go out to eat. I am literally just bills and groceries."

Curtis said workplace conditions have only exacerbated the plight of health-care workers in the province.

"Nobody's even willing to come in for overtime anymore. People are tired. People are exhausted. You can't just keep beating us to the ground," she said.

Cathy Curtis is a sterile processing technician at the Pasqua Hospital, commutes from Vibank, a village 32 miles out of Regina. She says the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced to live from one paycheck to the other.

Cathy Curtis says the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced to live from one paycheque to the other. (Liam Avison/CBC)

Maryka Gai, another worker in the sterile processing department at Pasqua Hospital, said her paycheques haven't kept pace with increases in her grocery bills.

"When I got into this profession, I never thought it would come to this, that I'd be marching out here calling out for a rise in wages," she said.

Gai said she doesn't want to leave Saskatchewan, but has thought about it.

"If only our wages could go up, there is no reason for me to leave," she said.

Maryka Gai works with the sterile department at the Pasqua hospital.

Maryka Gai works in sterile processing at Pasqua Hospital. (Liam Avison/CBC)

Opposition NDP rural and remote health critic Jared Clarke was at the rally. He said health-care workers shouldn't have to rally outside of a hospital to be heard.

"It's only fair that the health-care workers get to bargain in good faith with the government, that the government shows them respect and listens to the concerns that they're bringing forward," Clarke said.

The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations negotiates with unions, including CUPE. It didn't get back to CBC's request for a comment on the bargaining process.

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health said in an emailed response that it's aware of CUPE's protests. However, the ministry refused to comment on the bargaining process.

"Contract negotiations are currently underway and it would be inappropriate to comment," the ministry said in an emailed response.

CKUA

Canada's 1st public broadcaster needs $3M before October to stay on the air

CBC
Sun, April 21, 2024

CKUA, Canada's first public broadcaster, needs to raise $3 million by Sept. 30 to continue operating. (the needle.ca - image credit)

Alberta's public radio station is relying on donations to stay on the air.

CKUA, the country's first public broadcaster, has relied significantly on crowdfunding for years. But no money was allotted for it in the federal and provincial budgets in 2024 — and the station needs to raise $3 million by Sept. 30, or its reserves will be drained.

"It's a perfect storm," said CEO Marc Carnes. "We're not immune to the same financial realities that a lot of homes and businesses are in right now, with inflation, the cost of borrowing going up and utilities."

CKUA also owns the Alberta Hotel on Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton. Half the building is rentable commercial space — and most of it is sitting empty after the primary tenant became insolvent last year, Carnes said.

Ironically, the 96-year-old station is still performing well, he said. The audience is growing, while its revenues have remained steady.

Marc Carnes, CEO of CKUA

Marc Carnes, CEO of CKUA, is pushing for funding to save the radio station that has been on the air since 1927. (Nick Brizuela/CBC)

"The core business pieces are there. It's just things that are happening to everybody right now," he said.

Opposition NDP arts and culture critic Joe Ceci raised the plight of CKUA at the legislature Thursday. During question period, he pressed the United Conservative government about whether it would send money to the station, and how the government would promote it.

In response, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir noted that the Alberta government gave $5 million to CKUA in 2012 to buy and renovate the Alberta Hotel. Since 2019, the station has received $450,000 in provincial community grants.

Fir acknowledged how significant CKUA is to the province of Alberta in preserving and promoting its culture and history. But she said any provincial dollars would be primarily used to cover the station's debt obligations, which doesn't align with the purpose of government capital grants.

"They're using different measuring sticks for different things," Ceci later told CBC News.

Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Minister Tanya Fir introduced Bill 23 on Tuesday.

Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir responded to the Opposition NDP during Thursday's question period about CKUA. (CBC )

The government is suggesting debt is bad for the arts and culture sector, he said, but it has helped other industries when they need it — namely oil and gas.

Fir's press secretary Garrett Koehler later told CBC News that the government learned of the radio station's financial situation in September and that the minister has met with CKUA to discuss its situation.

Carnes said he is hopeful that dialogue with the provincial government continues.

He is also lobbying for funding from the federal government, but that has been more challenging, he said.

He and Fir each noted that the latest federal budget excluded CKUA from millions of dollars earmarked for CBC — Canada's public broadcaster — and other public interest programming services.

CKUA is hoping to leverage the fact that, when it bought the Alberta Hotel, Ottawa did not match the amount of funding from the City of Edmonton or government of Alberta, Carnes said. The municipal and provincial governments spent $5 million each; the federal government spent $500,000.

'Heartbeat of the Alberta music scene'

On Nov. 21, 1927, after a lot of teamwork and lobbying, radio announcer H.P. Brown spoke into a microphone at the University of Alberta in Edmonton — marking CKUA's inaugural broadcast.

The station started primarily as educational programming featuring university staff, but expanded to inform and entertain Albertans day-to-day for decades. It was the first to cover the legislative assembly as a regular beat as well as air play-by-play broadcasts of football games.

Today, the CKUA music library in Edmonton is renowned, storing recordings that date back 140 years. The station, Carnes said, also airs up-and-coming artists, as well as those who are more established.

"If we go dark, it's a very quiet, sad day in the province," Carnes said.

The CKUA library is renowned, holding 140 years of recordings.

The CKUA library is renowned, holding 140 years of recordings. (Nick Brizuela/CBC)

Trevor Mann, a band member of Scenic Route to Alaska, considers CKUA a "formative part" of raising the band's profile because it was one of the first to play their music.

"We truly feel like, without the support of CKUA, we would be nowhere close to where we are today," he said.

Mann described the station as "the heartbeat of the Alberta music scene," but said it might be taken for granted — and its true impact only realized if it disappears.

CKUA has already started raising the $3 million it needs, launching a 10-day donor drive on Friday. As of 3:30 p.m. MT Saturday, it had raised more than $467,000 toward its goal of $775,000.

LISTEN | CKUA needs $3M before October to stay on the air:

The $3 million would help the station get by, Carnes said. The station already has plans to attract more tenants into its Edmonton building and to cover higher operating costs.

The money would also help CKUA be able to create a separate fundraising campaign in 2027 — its centennial year — to create an endowment, ensuring the station remains sustainable long-term, he said.

AMOUNT RAISED

$835,762

GOAL

$1,000,000

FIRST-TIME DONORS: 944

FIRST-TIME DONOR GOAL: 1000

With your support, we've done something incredible!

We have achieved the first $775,000 (our original Spring Fundraiser goal) within 5 days of our original ask, and just 2 days since the official launch of the Spring Fundraiser. But we still need you to support the station you know and love—and to do so in record numbers.

Let's go for $1 million towards the $3 million we need by September. We can do this, together!

The Time Is Now.

Make A One-Time Donation - CKUA Radio Foundation

SWEAT SHOP POLITICKS

Gildan taps ex-Goldman executive as chair in last stand against activist investor

Mathieu Dion, Bloomberg 

Canadian clothing manufacturer Gildan Activewear Inc. said several directors will leave within days and a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executive will become chair, a last-ditch effort by the board to convince investors not to support the plans of an activist shareholder.

Tim Hodgson, the former head of Goldman’s Canadian unit, is to become chairman on May 1, replacing Donald Berg, who’s one of five directors planning to leave on that date. 

The company said its strategic review is still active and it’s listening to potential offers, but it doesn’t expect to announce anything soon. 

Gildan’s board has been fighting a monthslong battle with investment firm Browning West LP, which wants to install eight new directors, drop new Chief Executive Officer Vince Tyra and bring back former CEO Glenn Chamandy. Browning West has the backing of a number of other large holders for its plan — putting it in a good position to win control of the board when shareholders vote on May 28. 

Gildan said it’s now recommending that two people on Browning West’s slate, retail executives Karen Stuckey and J.P. Towner, join the board, along with Hodgson and four other new directors. 

But the board wants shareholders to reject the rest of Browning’s nominees and keep Tyra on. 

“Over the past five months, Gildan’s Board has engaged with, welcomed and sought out the views of the Company’s shareholders including Browning West and their supporters,” the Montreal-based company said in a news release Monday. “Our first choice has always been to resolve this unnecessary proxy contest in a mutually agreeable manner that benefits all shareholders of Gildan.”

In addition to the five directors who are planning to leave May 1, directors Luc Jobin and Chris Shackelton won’t stand for reelection on May 28, the company said. Shackelton, who represents shareholder Coliseum Capital Management LLC, joined the board in December. 

It’s the latest twist in an ongoing corporate saga that began after the board dismissed Chamandy in December and replaced him with Tyra, a former Fruit of the Loom executive. The decision was met with opposition from shareholders holding about a third of Gildan’s shares, led by Browning West, which them formally launched a campaign to vote out most of the current board. 

Gildan launched a sale process earlier this year after receiving an expression of interest from an unnamed potential buyer and hired investment banks including Goldman for advice. “There continues to be external interest in acquiring the company and the process is ongoing,” Gildan said Monday, adding that it does not expect to give an update about it before the May 28 annual meeting.