UK
The Northallerton man who was a 1960s pioneer of the electric car

Chris Lloyd
Fri, 3 March 2023 

The Ford Comuta which was an electric prototype developed around 1967 in competition with the Carter Coaster

By 2030, all new cars sold in Britain will have to be electric, although if the nation had listened to a former leader of Northallerton Urban District Council in the 1960s, we would all already be switched on to green vehicles.

He was Alastair Carter, who grew up with his parents at Castle Hills Farm – they had a 1930s band called the Swingtimers, which sounds a little dubious today – and he went to Applegarth School.

He joined the RAF and flew bombers during the Second World War, and in peacetime he became a councillor and even council leader.

But early in the 1960s, Mr Carter gave it all up in Northallerton and moved to Tamworth, in Staffordshire, where he started a motoring and engineering business. He regained his pilot’s licence and would fly himself about the country on business making sure his flightpaths took him over the sites of rivals, like Ford at Dagenham.


Former president Donald Trump driving an electric golf buggy on his golf course at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire - this buggy is apparently based on the Carter Coaster, a pioneering electric vehicle designed by a Northallerton man

Former president Donald Trump driving an electric golf buggy on his golf course at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire - this buggy is apparently based on the Carter Coaster, a pioneering electric vehicle designed by a Northallerton man

Ford was pioneering a small, electric car, the Comuta, which looks like a cube on wheels.

So Mr Carter designed the Carter Coaster, which looked like a flat suitcase on wheels. It was slightly bigger than the Comuta in that it could seat two people side-by-side in a glass bubble perched on top of the suitcase.

His design featured a revolutionary “regenerative braking” system whereby the kinetic energy released by slowing the car down was pumped back into the battery.

In 1967, a short film on ground-breaking electric cars featured both the Comuta and the Carter Coaster. “Without about five years, Mr Carter expects to see a quarter-of-a-million on Britain’s roads,” said the narrator.

But only two Ford Comutas were ever built, and the Carter Coaster never took off. But it is believed that Mr Carter emigrated to the US where the Coaster became the basis for the electric golf buggy, and Mr Carter became extremely successful.

Can you tell us anything about Mr Carter and his Coaster? Please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk

UK

Tens of thousands of elderly people have died without getting the care they need, charity says

Fri, 3 March 2023


Tens of thousands of elderly people have died without getting the care they need, according to a charity which is calling for more social care resources.

Age UK cited NHS Digital figures for England which show there were 28,890 support requests for people aged 65 and over in 2021/22 where the person died without any of those services being provided.

The charity said that equates to more than 500 deaths a week - more than 70 a day.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: "There isn't enough social care to go round and so some older people are waiting endlessly for help they badly need.

"It is heartbreaking that on the latest figures, more than 500 older people a week are going to their graves without ever receiving the care and support to which they were entitled.

"Nor can the blame for this parlous situation be placed on the pandemic, for while it certainly didn't help, social care services were struggling to secure enough staff and funding in the years preceding it.

"Since then, all the evidence is that the position has not got any better and, on most measures, has continued to get worse."

Ms Abrahams said long waits for social care cause "huge distress to older people" and place "intolerable pressure on their families".

Read more:
Weak link of social care is taking UK's health sector to breaking point

Care home capacity in UK shrinks for first time in three years

The charity has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying: "When you were chair of the health and social care committee, you expressed deep regret at being unable to fix the problems faced by social care during your time as secretary of state.

"Now, as chancellor, the Spring Budget is your opportunity to help the millions of older people, often unheard and feeling ignored, who are waiting for good, reliable care and support to live with dignity."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Everyone should have access to good quality social care when they need it, and our thoughts are with all those who have lost elderly relatives and loved ones.

"We are providing up to £7.5m in funding available over the next two years to support adult social care.

"This will put the adult social care system on a stronger financial footing and help local authorities address waiting lists, low fee rates, and workforce pressures in the sector.

"We are also tackling workforce pressures by promoting careers in adult social care through our annual domestic recruitment campaign and by investing £15m to increase international recruitment of care workers."

UK

Gone Fishing's Paul Whitehouse meets sewage campaigners in hard-hitting documentary

Miranda Norris
Sat, 4 March 2023 

Paul Whitehouse (Image: BBC)

Witney sewage campaigners feature in a hard-hitting documentary by comedian and keen angler Paul Whitehouse.

Paul, who has starred in Gone Fishing with fellow comedian Bob Mortimer since 2018, sets out to discover whether the water companies are illegally discharging untreated sewage into our waterways to cut corners and protect profits.

In Our Troubled Rivers, he learns that firms are ignoring the regulations to only discharge sewage during heavy rainfall.


In episode one, he meets the founders of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), retired maths professor Peter Hammond and ex-police officer Ashley Smith who are trying to hold the water firms to account.

Oxford Mail:

A group of volunteers, they investigate the pollution of the River Windrush and her sister rivers.

They collect and analyse information on water quality and sewage discharges.

In 2020, Thames Water reported spilling untreated sewage for 3,644 hours on 228 occasions from four of the sewage works on the River Windrush.

Without the work of WASP, the scale of the pollution in the Windrush Valley would have stayed hidden.

And as this is happening to rivers across the country Ash Smith has become an influential voice on the subject nationwide.

He was also instrumental in pressuring Thames Water to produce an interactive map providing near real-time information about its storm overflow activity.

In the documentary, the duo say the claim that raw sewage is only discharged during stormy conditions is “complete rubbish”.

Ash Smith claims that since 1989, £72billion has gone from the industry, mostly to stakeholders in China, Canada and Abu Dhabi.

They say they believe that the solution is to return the firms to public ownership.

Paul, 64, also meets pop star-turned-campaigner Feargal Sharkey in the show,

He has raised concerns about sewage pollution from Thames Water's Sewage Treatment Works at Church Hanborough contaminating bathing waters at Port Meadow in Oxford.

Paul says: “I still find it astonishing that the water companies would put untreated sewage into our rivers.”

And he meets Mark Barrow who shows him a collection of wet wipes and sanitary products he has collected from the River Wharfe in Yorkshire.

Paul tells him: “You wouldn’t get me in there, not in a million years.

“Oh my God. It’s liquid death. That is deeply unpleasant.

"It’s obvious that if you show that to people they’ll be appalled.

"It defies belief.”

Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers, Sunday, BBC2, 8pm

Women's rugby 7s team shares the same stage as men for first time in regular Canada tournament


Fri, March 3, 2023 

Ireland's Stacey Flood, front right, fights off Canada's Alysha Corrigan, left, as Olivia De Couvreur, right, tackles her during HSBC Canada Sevens women's rugby action in Vancouver on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press - image credit)

For the first time in the history of Vancouver's Rugby Sevens tournament, women are sharing the same stage as their male counterparts, with the event at full capacity.

Canada Sevens is part of a multi-city set of tournaments around the world. In past years, the men's side has played its Canadian games in Vancouver, while the women played on Vancouver Island.

In 2021, the men and women played in the same venue, but the tournament was scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, both the men and women are playing at B.C. Place in Vancouver, and the tournament is back to full size, offering both sides access to the same size crowds.

Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

"It's how it should be," said Rugby Canada's managing director of revenue and fan engagement, Jamie Levchuk.

"We're proud to be a part of it."

Team captain Olivia Apps said it's a good opportunity for her teammates to play in front of a bigger crowd on the same stage as the men's teams.

"I think it's a really great representation of the growth of rugby sevens and the equality of men's and women's sports internationally," said Olivia Apps, captain of Canada's Rugby Sevens senior women's team.

Murray Titus/CBC

Despite the team's 28-7 loss to Ireland on Friday, she said it was "amazing" to play in front of a home crowd.

Apps' teammate, Keyara Wardley, says being able to play at B.C. Place has been good exposure for the women's game in general.

"When I was growing up, I didn't really have that much rugby to look up to," she said.

"To see how much it's grown is really inspiring."

While it's a step forward as far as equality between men's and women's sports, Apps said there's still work to be done, particularly when it comes to being paid to play professionally here in Canada. She said those conversations need to include both rugby sevens and 15s.

"I think that that is a really big step that needs to be taken."

WATCH | The Canadian women's national rugby team tangles with Ireland in Vancouver

'A dire situation': Regina Symphony Orchestra at financial risk due to dwindling audiences

Fri, March 3, 2023

The Regina Symphony Orchestra performing at the Holy Rosary Cathedral. (Chris Graham - image credit)

Things are not looking good for the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

Audiences at RSO concerts have been much smaller than they were pre-pandemic — so much so that the orchestra has had to cancel three of its April shows, including one that was to feature a choir.

"This is sort of our plan to mitigate some of the financial risk that we are feeling very acutely," said Gordon Gerrard, musical director of the RSO.

"But I would say that if people don't start supporting us — both in terms of attending concerts and also if we don't find other means of support — then we are in a dire situation and we are at great risk, certainly."

At the beginning of the season in September, Gerrard says, the orchestra took a conservative view of ticket sales.

Even so, he said, "we haven't got anywhere close in terms of audience. We're seeing halls that are 20 per cent full, which, you know, just is heartbreaking for us."

"We know that we have lots of folks who love the RSO in our community, but we're just not seeing people returning in the way we expected."

gordongerrard.com

Before the pandemic began, Gerrard says, the RSO could expect to fill 1,200 to 1,500 seats in the 1,900-seat Conexus Arts Centre.

"Now, we're seeing as low as 400 people so it's really a different world now, for sure. That much has become clear through the course of this season," Gerrard said

Gerrard says he believes the pandemic has changed people's habits, influencing many to stay home and get their entertainment online or through apps.

"I think we're now in a position where we need to change people's habits back," he said, "and to encourage people to come out to remind people what we can offer them."

That means the RSO will work to increase its social media presence and find new ways to reach potential audience members.

However, Gerrard added, low ticket sales are not just a problem in Regina.

"I do know that most of my colleagues across the country are experiencing what we're experiencing in that [there's] a huge downturn in ticket sales to the point where organizations are at risk," he said.
Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra sees uptick in sales

It's a different story in Saskatoon: The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra is doing just fine, according to management.

Mark Turner, CEO and creative producer of the SSO, says ticket sales since September have exceeded their expectations.

"This year we are actually seeing a return to pre-pandemic levels, which has been really great for us. We've had a number of full sellouts of TCU Place and other venues … so we've been very fortunate," Turner said.

Julie Isaac Photography

The SSO is hosting a special Disney in concert program, featuring the music of Frozen, on March 18 at TCU Place. At first, Turner says, ticket sales for the event were slow, but now the production is on track to sell out.

"When we built this season, we were sort of rolling the dice — particularly, you know, we had two Disney shows. We had a big pop show [Dancing Queen] and those come at big price points, and so they were kind of calculated risks," Turner said.

The SSO scheduled that lineup with the assumption it would break even financially. Instead, it made a profit.

"We are seeing a lot of new people in our audience," Turner said. "When we live-streamed throughout the 2020/21 season, we were able to attract a different group of people — people who had been maybe symphony-curious but hadn't come out."

Over the weekend, Turner says, 25 per cent of an SSO concert audience of 1,300 were people under the age of 25.

Julie Isaac Photography

Montreal neo-Nazi found guilty of promoting hatred seeks appeal

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, seen here at the Montreal courthouse last year, is seeking to appeal his guilty verdict. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press - image credit)

A Montreal neo-Nazi who was found guilty of wilfully promoting hatred is seeking to appeal the verdict.

Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, 36, authored articles in a far-right publication under the pseudonym "Charles Zeiger." He was found guilty in the Court of Quebec on Jan. 23.

The case hinged on a single article written in 2017 for a far-right online publication, the Daily Stormer, which Sohier-Chaput claimed was satire.

Using antisemitic memes and editorial comments, the article entitled "Canada: Nazis Trigger Jews By Putting Up Posters On Ch--k Church," celebrated neo-Nazi posters pasted on a bus stop in British Columbia.

It also mocked a Holocaust survivor who had been interviewed about the incident, calling him an "oven-dodger," and called for "non-stop Nazism, everywhere, until the very streets are flooded with the tears of our enemies."

Sohier-Chaput's lawyer submitted his request for an appeal last week.

His lawyer wrote in the request that Judge Manlio Del Negro created an appearance of partiality in the courtroom.

The lawyer also claims the judge committed errors of fact and law in his analysis of Sohier-Chaput's credibility when he compared the accused to Machiavelli and implied that he had rallied his readers around the virus hatred. The lawyer said the judge didn't provide proof supporting that.

When Sohier-Chaput was found guilty, the judge described him as "extremely dangerous to the public" and ordered he be handcuffed immediately.

Sohier-Chaput is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11.

CRIMINAL COLONIALISM AND CAPITALI$M

Eight people arrested, charged in Norval Morrisseau art fraud investigation

Fri, March 3, 2023 


Eight people have been arrested in an investigation into alleged fraudulent art sold for years under the name of famous Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau, Ontario Provincial Police said Friday, noting some works were bought for tens of thousands of dollars.

More than 1,000 allegedly fake paintings, prints and other artworks were seized in the probe that has gone on for two and a half years, OPP said, adding they had worked closely with police in Thunder Bay, Ont.

"These are not small, victimless crimes," OPP Det. Insp. Kevin Veillieux said at a news conference. "These are people that took advantage of one man's legacy in order to turn a profit for themselves."

Morrisseau, also known as Copper Thunderbird, was a self-taught artist of Ojibwe ancestry who is considered a trailblazer for contemporary Indigenous artists across Canada.

Police have said allegations began to emerge of people creating and selling art under Morrisseau's name, and made in his distinctive Woodland School of Art style, before his death in 2007.

On Friday, OPP said one of the suspects arrested was "the architect" of a group in Thunder Bay that created the false paintings. Veillieux alleged that began around 1996.

The suspect forged some paintings himself before growing his organization into a full assembly line of painters, police said.

"(This suspect) orchestrated all aspects of this operation," said Veillieux.

"He was responsible for selling and consigning these fakes across Thunder Bay, Ontario and into Alberta, where they were then purchased by unsuspecting members of the public."

Another of the eight individuals charged also started a Thunder Bay-based group, this one around 2002, and recruited two Indigenous artists to create the fake artwork, one of whom was Morrisseau's nephew, said Veillieux.

The artwork was then often sold online to buyers around the world, police said.

A third group is alleged to have started around 2008, said Veillieux, operating in southern Ontario and allegedly providing false information regarding the authenticity and origin of the artworks.

"It was through technology and witness evidence that we have been able to identify much of the fraudulent art," said Veillieux.

Police said they made their arrests on Wednesday in Thunder Bay, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Simcoe County and a community near Markham.

Those arrested face a combined 40 charges, including forgery, defrauding the public over $5,000 and uttering a forged document.

"The arrests marked the dismantling of three distinct groups, groups that we believe exploited Mr. Morrisseau's name and his art legacy," Veillieux said.

Five of the eight suspects are residents of Thunder Bay, said Dan Taddeo, police chief of the northern Ontario city.

"The scope of this case is extraordinary," said Taddeo. "When the Thunder Bay Police Service began this investigation, we realized that it wasn't just local or even provincial or even national. It was international."

Morrisseau was from the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, also known as Sand Point First Nation, and was the first Indigenous artist to have his artwork shown in a contemporary Canadian art gallery.

His official website said he was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1978 and was also awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award in 2008.

"His contributions to Indigenous art and culture are incomparable," said OPP interim deputy commissioner Kari Dart. "These contributions and his global success may have made him an easy target for fraud."

In 2019, a Canadian musician was awarded tens of thousands of dollars by Ontario's top court, which said a Toronto gallery was deliberately elusive in proving the authenticity of a painting he purchased that was alleged to be done by Morrisseau. The Ontario Court of Appeal sided with Kevin Hearn, a member of the rock band the Barenaked Ladies, in his legal battle against the Maslak-McLeod Gallery and the estate of its late owner, Joseph McLeod.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

Jessica Smith, The Canadian Press

Jordan's Principle explained: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal needed to make government accountable


Fri, March 3, 2023 

“Jordan could not talk, yet people around the world heard his message. Jordan could not breathe on his own and yet he has given the breath of life to other children. Jordan could not walk, but he has taken steps that governments are now just learning to follow.” — Cindy Blackstock, executive director, First Nations Child & Family Caring Society

Jordan’s Principle is a child-first, needs-based approach named in memory of Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations boy from Norway House Cree First Nation in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jordan was born with a rare multifaceted disorder and was hospitalized from birth. He died at the age of five, in the hospital, while provincial and federal jurisdictions argued for over two years and could not agree as to who was responsible for paying for his at-home care, services available to any other child in Canada without dispute.

Jordan’s Principle, a legal rule, ensures that First Nations children aged zero to 19 receive the same access to health, social and educational programs, services and supports as all other children in Canada.

In 2007, Jordan’s Principle received unanimous support in the House of Commons and was passed as legal rule. In the years following, from 2007 to 2016, the federal government did not adhere to the ruling and Indigenous children were unable to receive assistance through Jordan’s Principle. In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in favour of First Nations children and ordered Canada to immediately do the following: cease its discriminatory practices regarding First Nations child welfare, reform the First Nations child welfare program, cease applying a narrow definition of Jordan’s Principle and take measures to implement the full meaning and scope of Jordan’s Principle for all First Nations children living on or off reserve.

Jordan’s Principle has created positive, transformative change, but the government’s implementation of the tribunal’s orders has been inadequate, including service gaps, delays and denials; these shortcomings seriously impact Indigenous children with disabilities and special needs. The level of service provided by the province or territory is the minimum standard. Service supports under Jordan’s Principle are based on what the child needs, not what the province or territory normally offers. The province normally delivers health care “off reserve,” while the federal government funds health care “on reserve.”

Despite changes to child welfare, First Nations children continue to face systematic barriers when it comes to education, health and social supports. The fact that Jordan had to be put in the child welfare system to be considered for services is tragic. Jordan’s Principle ensures that Indigenous children receive the care and support they need, at home.

Requests are based on the needs of the child on a “substantive equality basis.” Substantive equality means that First Nations children may need services and supports above what is ordinarily provided by the provinces and territories. The tribunal ruled that substantive equality is needed to address the impacts of Canada’s colonial history and discrimination against Indigenous peoples.

First Nations children on and off reserve experience challenges and barriers accessing care and services. Many First Nations communities do not have early intervention services available, impacting the development of a child with special needs. A 2013 study by Woodgate noted, “First Nations families have unique perspectives of disability and are more focused on what children with disabilities can do, and not what they are unable (to do).”

Research indicates there are disabling environments both on and off reserve, conditions or barriers that prevent families from having a life, which include structural (infrastructure, physical environments, transportation), social (lack of disability awareness), economic (poverty) and other barriers due to historical trauma and colonialism. Services and supports received through Jordan’s Principle should not be regarded as benefits but rather rights under the orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

Jordan’s Principle is included as the third of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Jordan River Anderson’s legacy initiated change and the need for Canada to move beyond the standard of basic survival for First Nations children, to a human rights level of equality and inclusion. Jordan’s Principle is not a substitute for systematic reform, but a stepping-stone toward it. Government and community organizations must build capacity and create space across all sectors to ensure Indigenous children are no longer left behind.

To submit a request for services through Jordan's Principle, call the 24-hour line at 1-855-JP-CHILD (1-855-572-4453) or visit canada.ca/jordans-principle. If you have any difficulties accessing services through Jordan's Principle, contact your provincial child advocate or ombudsperson.

Joyce Jonathan Crone is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter. She is Mohawk, born on the Six Nations Reserve. A retired teacher, she now makes Huntsville her home.

Joyce Jonathan Crone, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Parry Sound North Star

'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alar


April Barton, Burlington Free Press
Mon, February 27, 2023


BURLINGTON, Vt. — Migrants passing into the U.S. by illegal means via Swanton, Vermont have escalated massively in recent months.

Between October and January, apprehensions and encounters at the Canadian border have jumped nearly 850% compared to the same four months a year ago, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Swanton sector.

During the month of January there were 367 encounters, more than the past 12 years of January totals combined, said Ryan Brissette in a press release for the Swanton border patrol.

The number of border patrol encounters in Swanton started to climb in July 2022. During the seven-month window through January 2023, there have been 2,070 instances of illegal crossings. In that same period, there were 258 the year prior and 225 the year before that.
Northern and Southern borders see uptick in rescues

The uptick is causing problems for officials, especially considering dangerously cold temperatures that have put border crossers' and border control agents' lives at risk. Brissette noted -4 degree temperatures and "life-saving aid" that was provided during encounters in Newport, Vermont, and Burke, New York.

More: Arizona will keep sending migrants where 'they actually need to go'

"It cannot be stressed enough: not only is it unlawful to circumvent legal means of entry into the United States, but it is extremely dangerous, particularly in adverse weather conditions, which our Swanton Sector has in incredible abundance," Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia said in a press release.

The southern border has also seen an increase in rescues, as the U.S. places a renewed emphasis on rescuing migrants and historically high numbers of immigrants seek asylum at U.S. borders.

The numbers at the southern border, the nation's busiest corridor, show a sharp increase in border rescues, according to data released this month from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency overseeing Border Patrol:

5,336 migrants rescued at southern border in fiscal year 2020.


12,857 migrants rescued at southern border in fiscal year 2021.


22,014 migrants rescued at southern border in fiscal year 2022, which ended in September.

In fiscal 2021, agents at the southern border tallied 568 migrant deaths, the highest ever recorded.

Most of the deaths (219) were attributed to "environmental exposure-heat" as people trek through blazing terrain in Arizona and Texas. Agents also counted 86 deaths as "water-related" as migrants try to cross canals or the swift-moving Rio Grande, which divides the U.S. and Mexico.

Immigration advocates and experts believe the border death toll is much higher, and the federal system for death data long failed to include many border deaths.

The Wall: ‘Mass disaster’ grows at the U.S.-Mexico border, but Washington doesn’t seem to care
Who is crossing the Vermont-Canadian border

There are no clear-cut answers as to why people are crossing as the circumstances differ for each person or group, said Steven Bansbach, a public affairs officer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Many are being dropped off near the border by car and then proceeding across land on foot, he said.


Among the border crossers are family groups that include infants and children who are particularly vulnerable to the cold. Bansbach said many are crossing at night while cold and sleep deprived, all of which can be disorienting.

Border patrol usually detains, arrests and sends those apprehended back to where they came from, according to Bansbach.

Fact check: False claim that those in country illegally can become police officers in California

More: Rescues of asylum-seekers soar as Border Patrol ramps up efforts and more migrants arrive

Looking at the countries of origin of encounters involving the border patrol in Swanton, a vast majority are from Mexico. Among the 1,513 encounters from October through January, 945 originated from Mexico.

"They may be trying to find a path of least resistance to enter into the U.S.," Bansbach surmised. "And they may know there's a conundrum at the southwest border and so they may find that the northern border they may sneak across to have a better advantage."

The U.S.'s southern border has been a point of contention, from border walls, to the separation of children and parents, to immigrants being caught up in political brinkmanship being shipped from southern states to northern ones, in some cases dropped off on a political opponent's doorstep.

Follow April Barton at on Twitter @aprildbarton

Contributing: Rick Jervis, USA Today

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: U.S. Border Patrol in VT sees winter increase in illegal crossings

ONTARIO

Doctors behind private surgical group defend 'new model of care'

Fri, March 3, 2023 

A doctor studies images of a patient's knee replacement surgery at a private medical facility in Laval, Que. The orthopedic surgeons behind a private group performing similar procedures at the Riverside campus of The Ottawa Hospital on weekends is defending the partnership. (Louis-Marie Philidor/CBC - image credit)

The doctors behind a private corporation that's performing joint replacement surgeries at the Riverside campus of The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) on Saturdays are defending the arrangement, which some critics view as another step toward the creeping privatization of Ontario's health-care system.

As CBC News reported this week, Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates of Ottawa Inc. (AOAO), a group led by eight Ottawa surgeons who all practise out of TOH, performed the first round of 10 surgeries at the Riverside on Feb. 25. AOAO was registered as a business in Ontario in December 2021.

As surgeons, we hear the distress, pain, and the limitations to the quality of life our patients are experiencing. - Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates of Ottawa Inc.

CBC News first became aware of the partnership in January, but the hospital did not confirm it until Feb. 16, when it announced it was "working with [AOAO] to increase capacity for orthopedic procedures, such as hip and knee replacements" at the Riverside, where operating rooms were "previously unused on weekends."

The arrangement is "in line with the Ontario government's plan to expand surgical capacity," according to the announcement.

Advocates and experts interviewed by CBC are viewing the partnership between TOH and AOAO in a different light, however. Some are asking why, since they rely on existing medical staff and hospital facilities, the surgeries aren't being performed under the existing public health-care structure.

"Why not use what you already have instead of taking this step toward privatization?" asked Rachel Muir, a registered nurse and the Ontario Nurses' Association's (ONA) bargaining unit president at TOH.

'The need to act is now'

According to a statement issued Thursday evening by TOH on behalf of AOAO, the surgeons' primary motivation in introducing this "new model of care" is relieving the existing backlog in access to orthopedic procedures that has left many patients waiting too long for surgery.

"This, combined with the growth expected in the future, means we need to find new solutions to ensure patients get the care they need. As surgeons, we hear the distress, pain, and the limitations to the quality of life our patients are experiencing. The need to act is now to respond to these patient concerns," according to the statement.

"Working with The Ottawa Hospital will allow us to strengthen access, quality, and service delivery for patients requiring orthopedic care across the region."

Nicole Beswitherick/CBC

According to the statement, AOAO is renting the operating rooms at the Riverside, but "has purchased its own equipment to perform these surgeries."

The statement does not specify how much AOAO is paying to rent the surgical space, nor what equipment it provides. AOAO later clarified that its surgeons provide "all instruments and equipment required to perform a hip or knee replacement," but uses the hospital's existing infrastructure such as operating room lights.

Anyone undergoing surgery is a registered TOH patient and "all services are billed through OHIP, as per standard practice," according to the statement, which describes the arrangement as "a cost-recovery model."

Surgical staff including registered nurses, registered practical nurses and clerical staff who volunteer to work the 10-hour Saturday shifts are being offered a per diem by AOAO that's roughly double what they'd earn for a regular eight-hour hospital shift, however they're responsible for their own insurance, CBC News has learned.

Minister defends partnership, applauds TOH

According to AOAO, the group includes 26 orthopedic surgeons. The Ontario Business Registry lists eight surgeons as "active directors."

CBC News has made numerous attempts to contact the surgeon listed as chair of the group, and on Thursday attempted to contact the other seven directors, all of whom practise out of TOH and most of whom are also affiliated with the University of Ottawa. Until Thursday's statement, the group had not commented publicly.

CBC News requested an interview Friday with the hospital's president and CEO Cameron Love, but was told he's unavailable.

A spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones also turned down an interview request on Friday. On Thursday, Jones's office issued a statement lauding TOH for "taking innovative action to eliminate the joint replacement surgical backlog and reduce patient wait times so more Ontarians can receive the care they need, closer to home."

In response to an access to information request from CBC News, the ministry said last month it had no records regarding the partnership between TOH and AOAO.

At Queen's Park on Thursday, Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden questioned Jones about the partnership.

"Will this government get public operating rooms fully up and running for everyone?" asked Harden, who characterized the arrangement to lease the publicly funded facilities to a private corporation as "selling them off or renting them out."

"I can tell you, there are some innovative models that are happening in the province of Ontario that are leading to successes," Jones replied. "It is a good news story, and we will continue to invest in those innovative models."

Craig Chivers/CBC

Use existing resources, surgeon urges

Dr. David Urbach, head of the department of surgery at Women's College Hospital in Toronto and professor of surgery and health policy, management and evaluation at the University of Toronto, agrees that Ontario's capacity to provide joint replacement surgeries is insufficient to meet the current demand.

"That is why many patients are suffering in pain waiting too long for surgery," said Urbach.

However, he believes that could be solved with proper funding and planning, and by introducing a centralized "single-entry" referral system for patients to avoid bottlenecks.

"There is no reason why additional surgeries could not be done in Ontario public hospitals," he said. "There are many operating rooms in Ontario hospitals that are unused — but could be used — due to lack of funding and staffing, especially nurses.

"From a business and quality of care perspective, it would be a much better strategy for Ontario to maximize delivery of surgery in our existing public hospitals."

The Toronto Star, quoting a retired Ministry of Health lawyer, reported on Thursday that under Section 4 of Ontario's Public Hospitals Act, no land, building or other premises belonging to a hospital can be sold, leased or mortgaged without the minister's approval.

On Thursday, the ministry told CBC that because the operating rooms belong to TOH, and the procedures provided in them are insured hospital services, the hospital does not require the minister's approval for uses such as the current partnership with AOAO.

Through TOH, CBC News has also asked AOAO whether it's charging a 50 per cent premium for weekend surgeries provided under OHIP as part of its "standard practice" mentioned earlier.

UK
Striking nurses need to shout to make this government listen


Rebecca Roncoroni
Fri, 3 March 2023 

Striking nurses outside a hospital in Southampton. (Image: Newsquest)

I trained as a nurse in 1996 aged 29 with three young children and a husband who had been made redundant.

I received a basic bursary of around £5000 (equivalent to £12,008.23 today plus a top up to £7,600 (equivalent to 18,012.34 today) as I had three children and an unemployed husband.

There were no student loans. Under current circumstances there is no way that would have been possible.

We were seen as part of the service we were training to become part of. A little like a soldier in training (will they be paying student loans next?).

Read more: Letter urges bishop to pray for NHS in crisis

From the first placement onwards we worked long shifts, studied long hours, commuted, sometimes daily, to QA Hospital nursing school, and Portsmouth University, and were expected to follow the Nursing and Midwifery Council Professional Code of Conduct to the letter from the very beginning.

In our Professional Code of Conduct is was drummed into us that as nurses we were accountable practitioners, which meant that if we failed to put the patients health and safety first, we would be held liable and could be struck off and charged if necessary.

So, if a doctor made a mistake on a prescription and you gave the medication without checking the prescription and patient, you were equally culpable for any consequences. It gave nurses the power to say no to policies and procedures that go against the patients best interests and in theory protected them for doing so.

Nurses are not just striking because of poor pay. Of course that is part of it. People need to be able to live in a warm house, eat good food, wear comfy shoes, rest.

Read more: NHS strikers spotted outside Island hospital

But the huge demoralisation of being forced to work in conditions that are unsafe for patients puts nurses in a terrible position.

According to their professional code of conduct and, lets face it, their humanity, they must speak up and about what is happening within their wards. Because right now, the Professional Code of Conduct is being made a mockery of by this Government.

No nurse would choose to leave patients in pain, hungry, lonely, lying in urine, and overdue their medication.

Yet every single day they are forced to prioritise the most pressing tasks only a qualified nurse can do, knowing that there is inadequate staff to wash, feed, turn, reassure and tend the patients as they should be nursed.

It is soul destroying to work in a job that you have a true vocation for and be set up to fail in your duty every single day. You wonder if by carrying on, are you colluding with a cruel system, but if you leave what will happen to the patients?

Please support to the nurses when they talk about why they are striking. They are speaking for us all. They are representing a voice that needs amplifying to the point of deafening for the Government to start listening. We need to support them in order for them to support us. They are speaking the truth to power.

I support them with every fibre of my heart.

B.C. firm retracts claim of licence to sell cocaine after prime minister and premier weigh in

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Vancouver on Thursday. (CBC News - image credit)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is "as surprised as" British Columbia Premier David Eby after a firm announced it had received Health Canada licence amendments to produce and sell cocaine.

Trudeau said Friday the federal government was "working very quickly" with Adastra Labs of Langley, B.C., "to correct the misunderstanding" caused by the company's statement saying it was looking at commercializing cocaine as part of its business model.

He said Adastra did not have permission to sell cocaine on the "open market," while Health Canada said the firm could only sell to other licence holders, and its licence is for "scientific and medical purposes only."

"Health Canada has contacted the company to reiterate the very narrow parameters of their licence," the federal agency said in a written statement. "If the strict requirements are not being followed, Health Canada will not hesitate to take action, which may include revoking the licence."

On Friday afternoon, Adastra retracted its statements regarding the Health Canada approval.

"The Dealer's Licence issued to Adastra Labs does not permit Adastra Labs to sell coca leaf, psilocybin or cocaine to the general public," it said in a statement. "For cocaine, and under the Dealer's Licence, Adastra Labs is only permitted to sell to other licensed dealers who have cocaine listed on their licence."

This comes as a second B.C. company says it has a licence related to cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

Victoria's Sunshine Earth Labs, a biosciences firm that "aims to bring a safer supply of drugs to the global market," says it obtained an amended Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer's Licence to include MDMA and cocaine last year.

However, like Adastra, its licence is for authorized medical and research purposes only, and it is not permitted to sell these drugs to the general public, according to Health Canada.

Canada not considering commercial cocaine: PM

In a written statement, Health Canada says it "thoroughly reviews applications" to ensure licensees follow all existing policies on public health and safety.

When asked how many other companies have received similar amendments to their licences, the agency said it does not share or publish the list of companies who have received licences, nor does it discuss the status of applications for licensing amendments due to safety, security and privacy reasons.

Trudeau said commercializing decriminalized cocaine "is not something that this government is looking at furthering."

"I was as surprised as the premier of British Columbia was to see that a company was talking about selling cocaine on the open market or commercializing it," he said, adding that Adastra's licence was "not a permission to sell it commercially or to provide it on an open market."

B.C.'s drug decriminalization policy went into effect at the end of January, allowing individuals 18 and over to possess up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA without criminal penalties.

The decriminalization is a three-year pilot project.

Licence not part of provincial plan: Eby

The public uproar began after B.C. Opposition leader Kevin Falcon raised the issue during question period at the provincial legislature on Thursday.

In response, Eby said he was "astonished" by the news, and the province had not been notified or consulted by Health Canada on the matter.

CBC News

"I think that Health Canada needs to have a serious look at what they are doing. I think they have to have a serious look at this company," Eby said.

Eby said Friday that he has spoken to the federal government and that he is "further disturbed" to hear from Health Canada that Adastra "significantly misrepresented the nature of the licence" in an irresponsible manner.

"I find it more than a little bit frustrating that Health Canada is not apparently in line with us in terms of the direction we're going," he said. "We need to work together on the toxic drug crisis and our response to it."

Eby said the licence "is not part of our provincial plan," referring to the ongoing effort to stem the overdose death rate, with an average of more than six people dying every day in B.C. last year.

For its part, Sunshine Labs said it "does not engage in promoting or launching safer supply initiatives" and defers the implementation of policy on decriminalized cocaine, opium and MDMA to experts.

But the company also said the elevated overdose death rate in B.C. coincides with public health officials' reports that the majority of deaths came from occasional, rather than chronic, users.

That means decriminalization may not be enough, Sunshine Labs' statement says, and points to some experts suggesting providing users with "an opportunity to purchase certified drugs with known levels of purity and quantity" as a way to prevent deaths.

"While this notion may be difficult for some to accept, it represents the rational next step," the statement said.

Up to the gills in goldfish: Large invasive fish a problem in B.C. waters: expert

Fri, March 3, 2023 



KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A researcher says pet owners who dump their unwanted goldfish into British Columbia's waterways are putting native fish populations at risk.

Brian Heise, an associate professor in the department of natural resource sciences at Thompson Rivers University, says thousands of large, invasive goldfish — some as big as footballs — have multiplied in bodies of water around the province.

He says female goldfish can release 50,000 eggs at a time, three times a summer, they compete with native species for food and space, and carry diseases that can spread to other fish, including the salmon population.

Over the last decade, Heise says goldfish populations have spread from the Vancouver area to lakes in the northern and Interior parts of the province.

He says the province needs to continue funding an expensive practice called electrofishing where electric current is passed through the water to stun the fish, allowing them to be scooped out.

The researcher also says work needs to be done at pet stores so customers can return unwanted animals instead of dumping them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Province halts old-growth logging in at-risk owl territory another two years

Fri, March 3, 2023 at 2:31 p.m. MST·1 min read

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says it's extending an old-growth logging ban for part of the Fraser Canyon for another two years to help with the recovery of the endangered spotted owl.

The province says deferring logging activity in two watersheds in the canyon is part of its plan to bring back a "sustained breeding population" of the owl.

The province says it has extended the suspension of old-growth logging activity in the Spuzzum and Utzilus watersheds until February 2025.

Forests Minister Bruce Ralston says further extending the logging deferral in the more than 32,000-hectare area will support recovery efforts to increase the bird's population.

The province says there are only three of the birds known to live in the wild in B.C., two of which were released by a breeding facility in Langley in August last year.

Nathan Cullen, the minister of water, land and resource stewardship, says the logging deferrals are an "important component" of the government's plan to reintegrate the species into its natural habitat.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023

Trudeau says appointing Indigenous RCMP commissioner is an 'excellent idea'

Fri, March 3, 2023 



OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says having an Indigenous person serve as the next commissioner of the RCMP is "an excellent idea."

He made the comment in response to questions from reporters in Winnipeg today about a call from some First Nations leadership for the government to ensure the next top Mountie is Indigenous.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is set to retire from her post this month, slightly before the end of her five-year term.

She was appointed in April 2018 and led the force during a chaotic few years that included the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history, along with growing calls to defund the police and allegations of systemic racism in the force.

Trudeau says the next RCMP commissioner will be selected through an independent process and he did not commit to ensuring Lucki's successor is Indigenous.

He says bringing change to an institution like the RCMP "is not just about putting the right person at the top."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Manitoba to have average $10-a-day child care in April, three years ahead of schedule

Fri, March 3, 2023



WINNIPEG — Manitoba is to achieve $10-a-day child care by April 2, three years ahead of schedule for the federal Liberal government's national plan.

"Today is a great reminder of what we can do when we all work together," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday in Winnipeg.

Manitoba signed onto the national child-care plan in 2021. It saw Ottawa commit $1.2 billion to the province over five years.

Premier Heather Stefanson said hitting the milestone early is important for the future of Manitoba families. Those families are to pay a maximum of $10 a day for children age 12 and under at regulated non-profit child-care centres.

The province said that goes above and beyond the agreement with the federal government that required an average of $10 a day.

"We recognize that access to affordable and high-quality child care is essential for Manitobans to be able to participate in the workforce."

The Prime Minister's Office said it is capped at $10, and in some cases lower. However, for extended care and in some other scenarios the cap goes to $15. On average it works out to $10 a day.

Stefanson said families are to save thousands of dollars in child-care fees that will help pay for groceries and their children's futures.

She and Trudeau met with families before the announcement at a YMCA-YWCA in the city. Children chased each other in a playroom in the facility as their parents shared how the savings would affect their families.

One parent said the savings will allow them to put money toward diapers and formula.

While money was top of mind, one parent said she appreciated how easy the new deal is for busy families. Creating something that doesn't require parents to apply for the low rate is huge, she added.

Stefanson said since she became premier, she has prioritized collaboration with all levels of government.

The federal funds are also to be used to create 23,000 early learning and child-care spaces for kids age six and under by 2026.

Education Minister Wayne Ewasko said the province is also focusing on attracting and training childhood professionals to help meet that goal.

Manitoba's NDP Opposition said if the Progressive Conservatives don't move on creating more spaces, it will result in "chaos" for child-care centres and early childhood educators.

"The fact is, without real increases to operating funding for child care centres, child care will not improve," said Nahanni Fontaine, the NDP families critic.

The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system has been key to the Liberal government's agenda. All 13 provinces have signed child-care agreements and a few have also achieved the $10-a-day child care ahead of schedule.

"By working together, Canada and Manitoba have achieved our shared goal of affordable child care," said Karina Gould, the federal families minister.

Later in the day, Trudeau paid a surprise visit to a group of about 20 health-care workers at the Grace Hospital. He brought the group treats from Tim Hortons and thanked them for their service.

Some of the workers told the prime minister that staffing shortages have led to long emergency room wait times.

"We're trying to work with the provinces to make sure you get more reinforcements," Trudeau told the group.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press

Community groups merge to better ‘hold Manitoba Hydro accountable’

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Two grassroots organizations have joined forces and say they will now work to keep Manitoba Hydro accountable to the public, the environment, and communities directly affected by the actions of the Crown Corporation.

The Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition (MEJC) and the Wa Ni Ska Tan Alliance of Hydro-Impacted Communities said they have formed the Manitoba Hydro Accountability Board (HAB), an organization they say will work to “hold Manitoba Hydro accountable to the public.”

Both MEJC and the Wa Ni Ska Tan Alliance say they have concerns about the way Hydro currently operates in Manitoba, and believe because of their own goals and mandates as organizations, that the newly-appointed board should have a say in decisions made by Hydro.

“Sitting on the HAB are Elders and knowledge keepers, hydro-impacted community members, scientists, lawyers, activists, students, and youth,” HAB said in its media release.

“This team provides a unified community voice offering support and advice to ensure a responsible, sustainable and accountable MB Hydro.”

MEJC currently operates as a community-led alliance of volunteers living in Manitoba “committed to climate action and climate justice.”

The organization also says they are also committed to “confronting and addressing the harms that colonization has caused and is still causing,” to Indigenous people and communities in this province, and to “supporting the demands of the Land Back movement.”

And for more than seven years, the Wa Ni Ska Tan Alliance of Hydro-Impacted Communities has been working in Manitoba to document and evaluate the impacts of Hydro on First Nation communities, land, water, and livelihoods, with the goal of increasing awareness of the impacts of hydroelectric projects and “fostering social and environmental change.”

Both organizations say they united to form HAB because of a number of concerns regarding Hydro, including what they say is a “lack of accountability” to the public, and to those affected communities.

“The current MB Hydro board does not provide sufficient oversight or accountability to the Crown Corporation,” said Lisa Bellemare, who has been appointed as chair of the board of HAB.

“Their members are appointed by provincial politicians behind closed doors, and their own decision-making process is not transparent or publicly accountable.

“MB Hydro has free reign to build questionable projects using public funds.”

The group also said that Hydro could be doing more to combat climate change and to be more accountable to Indigenous communities that are affected by Hydro’s actions and decisions.

“The HAB debunks MB Hydro’s misrepresentation as a green utility operating for the consumer,” Bellemare said.

In an email, Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen rejected any notion that Hydro has not been accountable to the public.

“To suggest Manitoba Hydro is not accountable to those we serve is simply untrue,” Owen said.

In the email, Owen listed recent and upcoming events which he said prove Hydro is working to communicate with Manitobans.

“As it happens, our annual public meeting is March 14. The meeting will include a question-and-answer session with members of our executive team,” Owen said. “We’re also in the early stages of our 2023-24 & 2024-25 General Rate Application at the Public Utilities Board. Public hearing dates are scheduled to begin May 15.

“Lastly, Manitoba Hydro President and CEO Jay Grewal appeared before the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations on Jan. 12.”

HAB said that although MEJC and Wa Ni Ska Tan helped create HAB, the board and its members will operate as an independent entity and “welcome further networking and partnership opportunities.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun

Two former employees of Algerian Consulate in Montreal sue for workplace harassment

Fri, March 3, 2023 



MONTREAL — Two former cleaning employees of the Algerian Consulate in Montreal are suing the government of Algeria and its Foreign Affairs Department for about $450,000 in damages and unpaid wages.

Marisa Amaya, 65, and Elida Rivera Lopez, 70, say their experience working at the consulate has left them "psychologically and emotionally broken."

"My mental health got so bad that at one point, I thought about jumping in front of a metro …. My psychologist told me I was burned out," Amaya said in an interview on Friday alongside Rivera Lopez.

The two women are accusing Algerian Consul General Noureddine Meriem and his wife of abuse of power and of humiliating and harassing them on the job.

Amaya was hired in 2008, and Rivera Lopez in 2014. The women said that they were responsible for cleaning not only the consulate in downtown Montreal but also Meriem's personal residence, located in another part of the city.

"All I did was cry. I did not want to eat. I did not want to do anything. I would come into their home and greet him, and he would look away and ignore me," Rivera Lopez said.

The women filed separate lawsuits in August, describing the consulate as a "toxic" work environment that led both of them to take sick leave in 2021. The lawsuits state that the women were victims of "psychological violence" and "vexatious behaviour" within the Algerian Consulate.

"This sick leave and the deterioration of the plaintiff's mental health were directly caused by the toxic working conditions, humiliation and abuse of power suffered by the plaintiff, of which she was a victim of the Consul General of Algeria in Montreal and his wife."

The lawsuits, however, don't include specific details of the alleged harassment and humiliation that Amaya and Rivera Lopez claim to have suffered working at the consulate.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

In a written statement, the consulate on Friday said, "We would like to categorically deny the unfounded and defamatory allegations made by the two complainants against our institution."

"The Consulate General accords a great importance to the well-being of its employees. We all work in a climate of respect for the rights and dignity of everyone, as some thirty employees working in our institution can testify," the consulate said.

The women said Friday that the lawyer they hired to file the lawsuit dropped them as clients earlier in the week after they went public with their allegations to Le Journal de Montréal newspaper. The women say they are looking for a new lawyer and continuing their lawsuits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

—

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Marisela Amador, The Canadian Press

Unifor president visits Windsor to support workers at Windsor Salt, Postmedia

Fri, March 3, 2023 

UNIFOR president Lana Payne met with Windsor Star employees Friday as the last locally-printed issue of the paper was scheduled to roll off the press. (Dale Molnar/CBC - image credit)

The national president of Unifor decried the role of investment companies in labour relations Friday as she visited Windsor to support striking workers at Windsor Salt and soon-to-be laid-off workers at the Windsor Star printing press.

Lana Payne toured the printing press facility Friday as the last locally-produced issue of the Star was scheduled to roll off in the evening.

She also visited the Windsor Salt picket line.

About 250 workers at Windsor Salt went on strike on Feb. 17, saying the company would not address its financial requests until the union agreed to let it contract non-union employees to work in its salt mine.

"It's a challenge because the company was purchased by a hedge fund during the pandemic, and we all know the history of hedge funds and how they operate," Payne said.

We're at the point right now of defending the very existence of our union in that mine - Lana Payne, president of Unifor

"We're at the point right now of defending the very existence of our union in that mine. Because the proposals from the company, the concessions that they're talking about, would basically potentially wipe out our membership."

The union is bargaining with Windsor Salt for the first time since the company was bought by U.S.-based holding company Stone Canyon Industries in 2021.

CBC News contacted the company for comment on the strike on Thursday but never heard back.

The challenge of dealing with such holding companies is one that Windsor Star printing press workers can relate to, Payne said.

"Things started changing with Postmedia obviously when they were purchased by a hedge fund," she said.

"They have a different approach to business than if you were a local company committed to making sure you're preserving jobs in the community."

Postmedia is moving production of the paper to Toronto, leaving about 75 employees out of work, the union said.

In a previous statement to CBC News, Postmedia said that the move was part of "ongoing transformation initiatives" and that the building would be listed for sale.

"We are grateful for the work done by our dedicated colleagues. We are working with union representatives, in accordance with the collective agreement, to ensure a smooth transition," a spokesperson said.

Unifor Local 517-G president Colin Brian told CBC he doesn't see any hope for preserving the press jobs, but he said it's not too late to fight for local distribution jobs in the area.

Dale Molnar/CBC

"When they bring that paper down to Windsor, they still need to bring that paper out to corners. They still need someone to unload and load the trucks, and that's 517-G worker jobs," he said.

The workers have a good collective agreement with Postmedia, Payne said, and the union will work to ensure that the company honours that agreement when it comes to terms such as severance.

It has also asked Postmedia's president and CEO for assurances that the paper's archives will be preserved in Windsor, she added.

"There's 135 years of stories in these archives, including worker stories. This is a workers' town. This is a union town, it's a Unifor town. And many of the stories of our members are contained in those archives," she said.

Payne also used her visit to call on the federal government to improve Employment Insurance access and benefits and to protect local news jobs by passing Bill C-18, which would require companies like Facebook to compensate news organizations for content shared on their platforms.

Nunavut judge throws out motion to dismiss Inuit language education lawsuit

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Children get onto a school bus outside of the Ulaajuk elementary in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, in 2019. A lawsuit charging that Nunavut's education system discriminates against Inuit will proceed, now that a judge has thrown out a motion to dismiss it. 

(Kieran Oudshoorn/CBC - image credit)

A lawsuit charging that the education system in Nunavut discriminates against Inuit students will proceed, despite the territorial government's efforts to have it thrown out of court.

Nunavut Court Justice Paul Bychok ruled Friday against a motion from the Government of Nunavut (GN) to dismiss the lawsuit. The GN now has 30 days to file a statement of defence.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. filed its lawsuit in the fall of 2021, claiming that the territory's failure to provide education to Inuit children in their language is discriminatory.

Right now, education in Inuktut is mostly available only up to Grade 4, with subject matter taught primarily in English and French in higher grades, despite the fact that Inuktut is the primary language in the territory.

A bill passed in 2008 promised to create Inuktut education for all grades by 2019, but never achieved that goal. A new bill passed in 2020 watered down that vision by requiring only some classes in Inuktut for all grades, and stretching out the timeline for implementation to 2039.

The territorial government filed its motion to dismiss the suit in April of last year, arguing that Nunavut Tunngavik's argument, which hinges on Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was flawed.

Section 15 is about equality rights. The government said NTI's lawsuit is trying to use it to "expand" on education and language rights set out in other parts of the Charter — which it says is not allowed.

Justice Bychok heard arguments on the motion last August and ultimately rejected the government's argument.

He wrote that "the Supreme Court of Canada has left the door open" to the idea that Section 15 of the Charter could protect against discrimination based on language.

"Clearly, it is arguable that the 2019 Amendments [to Nunavut's Education Act] may impose a burden upon, or deny benefits to, Inuit," Bychok's decision reads.

He cites two ways in which the 2019 bill discriminates: "First, the Amendments may contribute to Inuit youth losing their language and their connection to Inuit culture. Just as importantly, the effect of the 2019 Amendments may be to perpetuate the undeniable historical disadvantages experienced by Inuit from colonialism."

Nunavut's minister of Education declined to immediately comment on the decision.

In a news release celebrating the decision, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. said it was "appalled" by the government's arguments and called the decision a "significant validation that the claim is worth advancing."

ALBERTA
Former Africa Centre executive director wins lawsuit over dismissal

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Tesfaye Ayalew, the co-founder and former executive director of the Africa Centre, was awarded additional severence following a lawsuit against his former employer. (Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations - image credit)

The co-founder and former executive director of the Africa Centre has been awarded additional severance after winning a lawsuit against his former employer.

In a decision filed on Feb. 27, Court of King's Bench Justice Michael Lema found Tesfaye Ayalew was entitled to 14 months of severance.

In 2018, Ayalew was fired "without cause" amidst allegations of abuse and sexual harassment involving a former employee. He denied the allegations.

Later that year, Ayalew filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against The Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta (CAAC), which operates the Africa Centre. The centre offers family and educational support to the city's African community.

Lema ruled that Ayalew's age — he was 62 when he dismissed — his length of service, his leadership role and the limited other job opportunities, entitled him to additional reasonable-notice pay.

The Africa Centre was granted credit for the eight weeks of severance it paid to Ayalew in 2018.

Lema declined to award Ayalew any aggravated damages on top of the extended severance.

During the trial last month, Ayalew testified that he'd suffered reputational damage as a result of media coverage of the allegations that he had mistreated Africa Centre employees.

He said he'd been unable to find other employment in the non-profit sector, and so had decided to work as a taxi driver.

"That's how I was destroyed ... everything I built for 25 years was shattered in one blow [in part by] them throwing my name out there. How [could] I get a [new] job?" he told court.

Ayalew was placed on paid administrative leave in January 2018, following allegations of abuse and sexual harassment.

According to Lema's decision, in 2017 the Africa Centre's accountant resigned, making various allegations about being mistreated by Ayalew.

Ayalew was suspended in January 2018, and the CAAC board of directors hired an employment lawyer to investigate that person and two other employees' allegations against Ayalew which had also surfaced.

According to the decision, the board decided to terminate Ayalew "without cause" because the independent investigator found that Ayalew had not bullied, harassed, sexually harassed or otherwise mistreated employees.

In addition to the required minimum of eight weeks of severance, Ayalew was offered another month of severance if he agreed to sign an agreement releasing the board from all claims related to the dismissal.

Ayalew received the base severance, but declined to sign the release and filed the civil suit

With or without cause

During trial, the CAAC argued said that it subsequently received additional allegations against Ayalew that contradicted the report and that could have warranted a "with cause" dismissal

The CAAC argued that because they had "mistakenly" dismissed Ayalew without cause, they shouldn't have paid him severance. Instead, they argued, he should have to pay back the severance he received.

Lema found that the CAAC's explanation did not bear out.

"Armed with all the material allegations against Mr. Ayalew, the [board] decided, on its own, to dismiss him without cause," Lema said.

Lema also found problems with the board's argument that it had received new information that contradicts the investigator's findings.

"No evidence supports the (CAAC)'s position that, post-termination, it came into new information bearing Mr. Ayalew's conduct or in any case bearing on possible just cause for his dismissal," the judge wrote.

"Instead, all the alleged misconduct by Mr. Ayalew testified to by the three complaining individuals — i.e. everything put forward to establish just cause — was known to the board at the time of dismissal."

At the time of his dismissal, Ayalew's yearly salary was $83,130.

END FOR PROFIT CARE HOMES

Lawsuits claim thousands in unpaid bills connected to N.B. special care homes operator

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Two companies allege Amarjeet Singh Jatana owe them more than a combined $15,000 for unpaid goods and services provided to Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard. (Radio-Canada - image credit)

Legal troubles are mounting for the man who had his licences revoked for two special-care homes he operated in northeastern New Brunswick.

Two companies have filed small claims lawsuits against Amarjeet Singh Jatana for services and goods provided to Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard, which they allege were never paid.

The lawsuits by G.M Comeau Plumbing Ltd. and Miramichi Meat Ltd. amount to $15,621.51, according to documents obtained from the Miramichi Court of King's Bench.

They're the latest to be filed against Jatana, who's already facing lawsuits claiming he owes more than $790,000 in connection to other business ventures he's been involved with in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Radio-Canada

Marc Comeau of G.M. Comeau Plumbing is seeking $8,007.68 in unpaid services at Foyer St-Bernard, including interest on three invoiced amounts from February, July and August of last year.

Comeau said he was unable to comment on the lawsuit Friday.

CBC News wasn't able to contact Jatana for comment Friday, and calls made to Foyer St-Bernard went immediately to voicemail.

Miramichi Meat filed two lawsuits, each targeting Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard, with Jatana also named in both of them.

In the suit naming Villa Neguac and Jatana, Miramichi Meat claims it's owed $4,206.36 for the non-payment of groceries purchased for the home.

In the other suit naming Foyer St-Bernard and Jatana, the company claims it's owed $3,407.47.

In both lawsuits, Miramichi Meat wrote that the defendant was given notice they had until January 31, 2023 to make payments, but that they never replied in order to make arrangements to do so.

No one from Miramichi Meat was available to speak to CBC News when contacted Friday.

Michèle Brideau/Radio-Canada

The lawsuits follow allegations by staff at the two homes that bills for food, electricity and waste collection went unpaid in the months leading up to the Department of Social Development revoking the licences at the two homes.

On Jan. 17, the department announced the operating licences for the two homes had been revoked to protect the well-being of 29 residents after an investigation found they weren't in compliance with established standards and practices.

The department has repeatedly declined to say which standards and practices weren't being complied with due to "confidentiality rules."

New owner says he's unaffected by lawsuits

The forced closure of the two homes prompted a scramble by residents and their families to find new homes before a Feb. 17 deadline.

In early February, Marc-André Vienneau, a nurse from the Acadian Peninsula, said he'd undertaken the process of purchasing Villa Neguac, and the provincial government later announced it had granted a temporary operating licence for the home.

Michèle Brideau/Radio-Canada

Contacted Friday, Vienneau said the transaction has gone smoothly, adding that he's unaffected by any lawsuits targeting Jatana or the company formerly representing the home he now owns.

"I bought the asset, not the company, so I'm not involved in any of this," said Vienneau, adding that he's established positive relationships with suppliers who had dealt with the previous owner.

In an email to CBC News on Feb. 16, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said no residents were living at Foyer St-Bernard and deferred any comment about the home's future to Jatana.

LONDON, ONTARIO
Project shines light on growing number of tenants forced from their homes

Fri, March 3, 2023 

A social advocacy group in Oxford County is looking for tenants who've been displaced from their homes, an occurrence its members say is increasingly common as the housing crisis drags on.

Social Planning Council Oxford members are looking to interview residents 18 and older willing to share their stories about being forced out of their homes due to harassment, discrimination, rising rent rates or "renovictions," a term used for evictions justified by claims of renovations or repairs.

"We have heard from working with our colleagues and chatting with people in the community that have experienced this, so we're trying to understand it better, but also draw attention to it because some people don't really understand the current market and what's happening with rentals," said Stephanie Ellens-Clarke, the council's executive director.

The interviews are part of a project called the Many Faces of Rural and Urban Displacement, which is also being carried out in three other Ontario communities.

"This project is to try to map displacement in Ontario," said Kama Vandevyvere, local engagement co-ordinator for Social Planning Council Oxford.

"We're trying to see the reasons that people are leaving their homes. The first part of the project is to interview people," she said, adding participants can remain anonymous. "And we're going to use that information to inform advocacy efforts."

The second part of the study, once interviews are complete, is to compile information and create resources to assist tenants facing eviction.

Organizers say the goal of the project is to identify trends in smaller rural communities and create recommendations that can inform policy change at the municipal and provincial levels to better address the housing crisis.

"We envision using the stories in some of our advocacy and communication campaigns that we have as part of the Oxford Housing Action Collaborative, but also the social planning council. It's helping to shift mindsets, so people can better understand the issues," Ellens-Clarke said.

The project, undertaken in Oxford, York Region, Kingston and Cornwall, is funded by the Community Housing Transformation Centre through the Community Based Tenant Initiative Fund.

Stories gathered in the next month will be shared with the Canadian Human Rights Commission that is studying tenant displacement countrywide, Ellens-Clark said.

"They're part of the national housing strategy. They're trying to better understand and then make specific policy changes at the federal level as well."

The interviews are expected to take 35 to 45 minutes and will be conducted by phone, online or in person until the end of March. Participants will receive a $50 grocery gift card for their time.

Anyone interested in sharing their story is asked to contact kama@spcoxford.ca or 226-228-0539. For more information about the project or Social Planning Council Oxford, contact stephanie.ellens.clark@spcoxford.ca or call the same number above.

cleon@postmedia.com

twitter.com/CalviatLFPress

Calvi Leon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, London Free Press

BC
A Crane Worker Died. Investigations Followed. What’s Changed?

Fri, March 3, 2023

Dockworkers at a Lower Mainland container port are still climbing cranes without working elevators despite an initial federal investigation that identified serious safety issues after a worker’s death.

In late January, some employees at Global Container Terminals’ Deltaport site refused to climb the 23 flights of stairs to the top of gantry cranes unless elevators were working. That was about six weeks after maintenance worker Dan Alder died Dec. 14 after experiencing a medical emergency while atop a crane.

The federal Labour Program investigation into his death found six safety violations, including failing to assess the risk faced by workers on its dockside cranes when elevators were not working and failure to develop an adequate rescue plan. The agency ordered changes.

The port, like airlines and rail transport, is federally regulated and the Labour Program is responsible for workplace safety.

But a second investigation by Transport Canada — a different federal department — found there was “no imminent danger” to workers if elevators aren’t functioning.

Transport Canada said its determination was based on “the availability of alternate means of egress from the crane operators’ cabins,” effectively requiring those workers to once again climb the cranes.

Neither of the investigations were released publicly, but The Tyee has obtained documentation about both and confirmed key details with Transport Canada and the company. The union has declined to comment.

One worker on the docks, who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions from the company and union for speaking about the matter, said the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 502 has since appealed that decision. The union would not confirm that it had filed an appeal.

The union had repeatedly warned that first responders would struggle to reach workers on those cranes when the attached elevators were broken.

Chris McLeod, an occupational health and safety expert and a professor at the University of British Columbia, suggested Transport Canada may have examined a different set of criteria than its counterparts in Employment and Social Development Canada, the department that inspects workplaces.

But the fact two different federal departments gave conflicting signals on a worksite where a worker died raises plenty of questions, McLeod said.

“What is the procedure for emergency responders to provide aid? And why isn’t a functioning elevator part of that plan?” McLeod said.

The Labour Program’s initial investigation was sparked by Alder’s death.

He was required to summit the 56-metre staircase multiple times that day while carrying tools. The broken elevator meant a first aid attendant and first responders took longer to reach him.

Later, they placed Alder on a platform used for other maintenance work and lowered him about 13 metres so he would be within range of a cherry picker mounted on the back of a firetruck, which they used to transport him to the waiting ambulance.

Some union members said they had repeatedly warned there was no adequate plan to rescue workers on those cranes when the elevators were broken. The company and the federal government are both investigating the circumstances of Alder’s death.

Days after the federal government’s initial orders were released, workers refused to climb two of the cranes, including the one Alder was on before he died.

ILWU 502, in a written notice to the company, said there was no egress in the event of an emergency and that climbing the crane without a working elevator would delay medical care.

Alex Adams, the marine operations manager for the company, responded that the stairs provided egress and said it was “not unreasonable or unsafe” to request crane operators walk up the cranes. The response does not mention maintenance workers.

“It is the opinion of the employer that the absence of a working elevator does not constitute a hazard,” Adams wrote.

The issue ended up in front of Transport Canada, which regulates elevators. The department sided with the company.

Marko Dekovic, a spokesman for GCT, said the company is working with the union to address safety issues identified by the first investigation done by the federal Labour Program.

ILWU Local 502 president Rick Huburtise declined to comment when reached by phone. The union has not spoken publicly about the circumstances of Alder’s death or the subsequent investigation into it.

McLeod said the company should be transparent about what, if anything, has changed at Deltaport since Alder’s death.

“I think it’s fair to know what those orders were and what the followup was. Because until they’ve been brought into compliance with respect to the orders [from the Labour Program], they’re not complying,” McLeod said.

Zak Vescera, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee