What are the retirement ages around the world? How does the UK rank?


Nuray Bulbul and Sian Baldwin
Mon, 4 March 2024 

(Pexels)

Swiss nationals have voted in favour of increasing their state pension by an extra month every year.

The nationwide referendum saw Swiss voters take to the ballot box to discuss issues on living standards for the elderly.

Around 60 per cent of the nation voted in favour of providing the additional payout each year, while simultaneously refusing to raise the retirement age from 65 to 66.

At present, the maximum monthly state pension is €2,550 (£2,180; $2,760) but the cost of living in Switzerland has dramatically risen, say campaigners, particularly in cities such as Zurich and Geneva, which are among the priciest places in the world to live.

Health insurance premiums, which are obligatory for everyone in the country, have been rising fast, and older people have reportedly been struggling to pay them.

The proposal to increase pensions came from trade unions in the country – but was opposed by the Swiss government, which labelled the move “unaffordable”.

But voters used their power under Switzerland's system of direct democracy to approve the plan, which gives them the ability to see laws passed in national votes.

In February, it was reported how the British retirement age might have to rise to 71 for middle-aged workers across the UK to deal with the growing life expectancy rates combined with falling birth rates.

The current UK state pension age of 66 is set to rise to 67 between May 2026 and March 2028. From 2044, it is expected to rise to 68.

But research suggested that this may not be enough, and that anyone born after April 1970 may have to work until they are 71 before claiming their pension.

Les Mayhew, associate head of global research at the International Longevity Centre and author of the report State Pension Age and Demographic Change, said: “In the UK, state pension age would need to be 70 or 71 compared with 66 now, to maintain the status quo of the number of workers per state pensioner.

“But if you bring preventable ill health into the equation, that would have to increase even more,” added Mayhew, who is also professor of statistics at Bayes Business School and has advised the Government on rises to the state pension age multiple times as a senior civil servant and in his current roles.

Last April, there were widespread protests in France after a decision was made to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64 by 2030.

More than one million were involved in the rallies, which saw large swathes of the country’s power supply cut, trains cancelled and schools shut.

But what are the highest and lowest pension ages around the world?

What are the highest and lowest pension ages around the world?

In 2019, the latest period for which comparable data is available, the average retirement age in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Oecd) countries was 64 years. The Oecd is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, including the US and the UK.

Countries with the highest pension ages

Greece is among the countries with the highest retirement age in the world: 67 for men and women. Workers can claim full pension benefits only if they have contributed to the pension plan for at least 15 years (equivalent to 4,500 working days).

Denmark, Iceland, Israel, and Italy also have retirement ages of 67.

For anyone born in 1960 and later, the US Social Security Administration states that the current retirement age in the US is also 67.

Americans’ retirement age is 66 if they were born between 1943 and 1954, and 66-and-a-half if they were born in 1955. Starting in 1955, the retirement age gradually rises by two months a year until 1959.

The current retirement age in Ireland is 66.

Countries with the lowest pension ages

Only four countries have a state retirement age below 60 years old.

Sri Lanka has one of the lowest pension ages in the world, with workers able to clock off at 55.

Indonesia and Nepal follow closely behind, with retirement ages of 58.

In fourth place is Bangladesh, with a pension age of 59.

What is the current retirement age in the UK?

The current state pension retirement age in the UK is 66.

However, the state pension age is set to rise to 67 between May 2026 and March 2028. From 2044, it is expected to rise to 68.

The government said it would ensure that the state pension remained “a sustainable and fair foundation of income for future generations”.

A spokesperson said: “We have committed £70m in employment and skills support for the over-50s, which has seen an extra 54,000 over-50s added to company payrolls. Our £2.5bn Back to Work plan is supporting people to stay fit and find work, in addition to £14.1bn to improve health services to help people live longer, healthier lives.”

You can keep working after you reach the state pension age in the UK.

Young Hong Kongers Who Defied Xi Are Now Partying in China









Bloomberg News
Sun, March 3, 2024

(Bloomberg) -- In 2019, Leung joined a Hong Kong movement to boycott Chinese-owned restaurants like many protesters opposing President Xi Jinping’s encroachment of the former British colony. Now she and her peers regularly go out of their way to the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen for cheap food and massages.

“Hong Kong used to have freedom,” said Leung, who asked to use only her last name because she joined what authorities deem as illegal protests. “Now it’s lost all that. So why wouldn’t I go to mainland China, where at least things are cheaper?”

Xi’s efforts to crush dissent in Hong Kong have weakened its distinct identity from China and instilled a new sense of political apathy. In the wake of the crackdown, many disillusioned residents left for democracies such as the UK, where more than 180,000 Hong Kongers have applied for a visa that provides a pathway to citizenship since 2021. For those who stayed, some have set aside their ideals and embraced a new cross-border lifestyle they once rejected.

Travel to the mainland has been made more compelling by new infrastructure that cut travel times in half between the cities, a booming array of entertainment choices and low prices further driven down by China’s longest deflation streak since the Asian financial crisis. In February, Hong Kongers’ trips to Shenzhen hit a new high for that month since records began in 1984, packing the city’s subway trains and filling a new Costco Wholesale Corp. store.

That’s a boon for Xi’s efforts to integrate Hong Kong with Shenzhen and nearby cities into a region called the Greater Bay Area, which Beijing hopes will challenge the Silicon Valley in terms of innovation and economic output.

“It will certainly be viewed as an improvement of the Greater Bay Area integration,” said Dongshu Liu, an assistant professor specializing in Chinese politics at the City University of Hong Kong.

But he added the integration could raise questions about the city’s identity: “If Hong Kong is moving closer with mainland China and becomes another mainland Chinese city, then what is the unique value of Hong Kong?”

Stephen Roach, the former Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd. chair who caused a heated debate last month arguing “Hong Kong is over,” said the city risks playing second fiddle to Shenzhen in Xi’s plan.

“Hong Kong is at risk of getting marginalized,” Roach told Bloomberg TV. “It still has the talent, the institutional heritage, the rule of law, and you hope that all of that remains enduring features of Hong Kong in the years ahead. But many are asking questions about those very attributes.”

The Shenzhen frenzy dovetails with Hong Kong residents’ growing willingness to work and live in mainland China. A survey of people under 40 in the city by the Hong Kong-Guangdong Youth Association conducted last year found 66% of them are now open to employment across the border, tripling from 22% in 2020.

The increasing connectedness is changing the business landscape and social fabric of both cities, creating new winners and losers.

Cantonese-speaking travelers from Hong Kong now crowd Shenzhen shopping malls every weekend. Locals in the mainland city lament long lines at spicy fish and dim sum joints.

On holidays, Hong Kong shoppers account for as much as half of all customers at Link CentralWalk, a stylish mall next to Shenzhen’s high-speed railway station that’s a 20-minute ride from Hong Kong, said a company spokesperson. About one in three moviegoers at a cinema in that same area come from Hong Kong, Now TV reported.

“Shenzhen is cheaper and has everything,” said Kit, who works in the restaurant industry in Hong Kong and goes to Shenzhen to sing karaoke with friends. Like most others interviewed in the mainland city, Kit requested to use only part of his name for privacy reasons. “Hong Kong is my home but it’s too expensive.”

It’s a stunning reversal from just ten years ago, when a surge in mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong spurred raucous demonstrations and complaints of overcrowding.

This is all happening while mainland tourism to Hong Kong has failed to recover from pre-pandemic levels, prompting calls from some politicians and economists in the city to levy a tax on departing Hong Kongers to protect local retailers and restaurants. More than 1.2 million mainland residents came to Hong Kong over their eight-day New Year holiday starting Feb. 10, down from 1.4 million during 2019’s weeklong break.

“Hong Kong’s economy is suffering this way,” said Junhua Zhang, senior associate of the European Institute for Asian Studies. The growing integration of Hong Kong opens a new market for Shenzhen businesses at the expense of the Asian financial hub, he said. “That is the dark side of the Greater Bay Area scheme. The trend is in favor of mainland China.”

Tourists from Hong Kong are set to spend as much as HK$84 billion ($10.7 billion) in Shenzhen and the rest of Guangdong province this year, according to an estimate by Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis SA. That’s about 14% of Hong Kong’s revenue from retail sales, catering services and hospitality.

For Shenzhen, the more affluent travelers pouring in provide a much needed lifeline after a pandemic slump. In a work report in January, the city’s government called the cross-border shopping trend a “new bright spot,” contributing to the city’s 7.8% retail growth last year to an all-time high of 1.05 trillion yuan ($146 billion).

Hong Kong leader John Lee, who has pushed to accelerate the city’s integration in the Greater Bay Area, has described the shopping trend as a win-win situation for both cities. His office declined to comment but referred to remarks he made on Feb. 23 about plans to attract more mainland tourists.

Newly completed infrastructure projects have brought the two cities closer together. At the peak of the recent Lunar New Year travel season on Feb. 12, one in four Hong Kong residents who went to the mainland and Macau by land or sea did so taking high-speed trains or using a new $15 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Growing demand may bolster the government’s case for a new cross-border railway linking northwestern Hong Kong to Shenzhen’s Qianhai economic zone.

Shenzhen seems to have something for every Hong Konger. Once a fishing village, the tech hub is dotted with massive modern malls, bustling night markets and hip cultural parks preserved from old factory buildings. Warehouse-style supermarkets like Walmart Inc.’s Sam’s Club retail stores are a magnet to residents from Hong Kong, where average monthly rent in prime shopping districts is almost eight times as expensive as in Shenzhen’s.

The appeal of Chinese brands goes beyond the mainland’s borders. Just as Hong Kongers are flocking to the north for cheap products and a good time, Chinese consumer companies are making inroads in the city and challenging local and Western brands.

Budget beverage choices like Mixue ice tea and Cotti coffee are winning over the city’s Starbucks-chugging office workers during a time of layoffs and bonus cuts. The KeeTa food delivery app, operated by Beijing-based Meituan, quickly gained market share from local rivals Deliveroo Plc and Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda.

In 2023, four out of the top ten most-downloaded apps on Apple Inc.’s Hong Kong App Store were Chinese apps, including TikTok-twin Douyin, Instagram-like Xiaohongshu and KeeTa, according to Sensor Tower data.

These growing ties add to the already intertwined economies and financial markets between Hong Kong and mainland China, and underscore a shift in economic power.

Ryan Yip, a 25-year-old who grew up in Hong Kong, could attest to the mainland’s pull.

Lured by cheaper prices in Shenzhen, Yip moved across the border into a bigger apartment in November and now has a 1.5-hour commute to work in the Central business district on Hong Kong island. The research associate at a financial firm laments the shrinking space for speech in his former home, but doesn’t believe politics should get in the way of a good life.

“People may oppose the central government or have concerns about political freedom, but how does these concerns affect your everyday life? The truth is that it doesn’t,” he said.

Feng, a taxi driver who’s lived in Shenzhen for two decades, witnessed the dramatic change in mindset first-hand.

“Hong Kongers used to look down at Shenzhen,” he said. “It looks like the situation has reversed.”

--With assistance from Shirley Zhao, Allen K Wan, Zheping Huang, Rachel Yeo, Venus Feng, Jinshan Hong and Aria Chen.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Gangs in Haiti try to seize control of main airport in newest attack on key government sites

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 




PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Heavily armed gangs tried to seize control of Haiti’s main international airport on Monday, exchanging gunfire with police and soldiers in the latest attack on key government sites in an explosion of violence that includes a mass escape from the country’s two biggest prisons.

The Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed when the attack occurred, with no planes operating and no passengers on site.

Associated Press journalists saw an armored truck on the tarmac shooting at gangs to try and prevent them from entering airport grounds as scores of employees and other workers fled from whizzing bullets.

It is the biggest attack on the airport in Haiti’s history.

Last week, the airport was struck briefly by bullets amid ongoing gang attacks, but gangs did not enter the airport nor seize control of it.

The attack occurred just hours after authorities in Haiti ordered a nighttime curfew following violence in which armed gang members overran the two biggest prisons and freed thousands of inmates over the weekend.

“The secretary-general is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure over the weekend,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

A 72-hour state of emergency began Sunday night. The government said it would try to track down the escaped inmates, including from a penitentiary were the vast majority were in pre-trial detention, with some accused of slayings, kidnappings and other crimes.

“The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders,” said a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boivert, the acting prime minister.

Gangs already were estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital. They are increasingly coordinating their actions and choosing once unthinkable targets like the Central Bank.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya last week to try to salvage support for a United Nations-backed security force to help stabilize Haiti in its conflict with the increasingly powerful crime groups.

Dujarric said the secretary-general stressed the need for urgent action, especially in providing financial support for the mission, “to address the pressing security requirements of the Haitian people and prevent the country from plunging further into chaos.”

Haiti’s National Police has roughly 9,000 officers to provide security for more than 11 million people, according to the U.N. They are routinely overwhelmed and outgunned.

The deadly weekend marked a new low in Haiti's downward spiral of violence. At least nine people had been killed since Thursday — four of them police officers — as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince, including the international airport and national soccer stadium.

But the attack on the National Penitentiary late Saturday shocked Haitians who are accustomed to living under the constant threat of violence.

All but 98 of the 3,798 inmates being held at the penitentiary escaped, according to the Office of Citizen Protection. Meanwhile, at the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, 1,033 escaped, including 298 convicts.

The office said late Monday that it was seriously concerned about the safety of judges, prosecutors, victims, attorneys and others following the mass escape.

It added that it “deplored and condemned the policy of nonchalance” demonstrated by government officials amid the attacks.

Following the raid at the penitentiary, three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance Sunday.

In another neighborhood, the bloodied corpses of two men with their hands tied behind the backs lay face down as residents walked past roadblocks set up with burning tires.

Among the few dozen people who chose to stay in prison are 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

“Please, please help us,” one of the men, Francisco Uribe, said in a message widely shared on social media. "They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells.”

Colombia's foreign ministry has called on Haiti to provide “special protection” for the men.

A second Port-au-Prince prison containing around 1,400 inmates also was overrun.

Gunfire was reported in several neighborhoods in the capital. Internet service for many residents was down on Sunday as Haiti’s top mobile network said a fiber optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage.

After gangs opened fire at Haiti's international airport last week, the U.S. Embassy said it was halting all official travel to the country. On Sunday night, it urged all American citizens to depart as soon as possible.

The Biden administration, which has refused to commit troops to any multinational force for Haiti while offering money and logistical support, said it was monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern.

The surge in attacks follows violent protests that turned deadlier in recent days as the prime minister went to Kenya seeking to move ahead on the proposed U.N.-backed security mission to be led by that East African country.

Henry took over as prime minister following Moise's assassination and has postponed plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which haven’t happened in almost a decade.

Jimmy Chérizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who now runs a gang federation, has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks. He said the goal is to capture Haiti’s police chief and government ministers and prevent Henry’s return.

The prime minister, a neurosurgeon, has shrugged off calls for him to resign and didn’t comment when asked if he felt it was safe to come home.

___

Associated Press writers Joshua Goodman in Miami and Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Evens Sanon And Pierre-richard Luxama, The Associated Press

Netanyahu leaned on his top rival to help unify Israel. Now, Benny Gantz is more popular

TIA GOLDENBERG
Mon, March 4, 2024 


 Benny Gantz speaks at the announcement of former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot's election bid in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Aug. 14, 2022. Gantz, Eisenkot and Gideon Sa'ar have teamed up for the November elections, called the National Unity Party. Benny Gantz, who is in Washington this week for meetings with U.S. leaders, is a crucial member of Israel’s War Cabinet. He is also the top political rival to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz is a centrist politician who joined Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and religious government soon after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

 (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)


JERUSALEM (AP) — The top political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with U.S. leaders in Washington this week to discuss the war in Gaza. Benny Gantz is a key member of Israel's War Cabinet whose popularity is on the rise — and who has a pivotal role to play in the country's future.

Gantz, 64, is a centrist politician who joined Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and religious government soon after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The goal was to bring a sense of national unity to the country as it wages war against Hamas in Gaza.

The former military chief of staff has seen his public support soar. Polls show he would earn enough support to become prime minister if elections were held today.

In contrast, Netanyahu’s backing has collapsed. Many Israelis blame the prime minister for failing to prevent the Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.

Amid the rivalry, Gantz' trip to Washington earned him a rebuke from Netanyahu, a sign of the growing rift in the government.

Gantz is widely expected to leave the government once the heavy fighting subsides, signaling the period of national unity has ended. The Israeli public will likely see that as a cue to resume the mass anti-government demonstrations that took place before Hamas’ attack.

While the government wouldn't collapse if Gantz leaves, large demonstrations could ramp up the pressure on Netanyahu's deeply unpopular coalition to hold early elections.

Gantz has been a top political rival of Netanyahu's for half a decade. He joined Netanyahu’s coalition in the disorienting days after Hamas’ attack and at a time when Israel was at its most divided after months of protests over planned changes to Israel’s legal system. He has served on the influential War Cabinet and has acted as a moderating force in the far-right government.

He has sought to promote the cause of the roughly 250 hostages taken into Gaza, while others in the Cabinet opposed dealing for their release because of the cost it could exact from Israel. He has also sought to foster Israel's alliance with the U.S., which has provided key diplomatic and military support during the war.

Gantz heads the National Unity faction in parliament. After a nearly four decade military career, Gantz entered politics in late 2018. That was the start of a period of political instability that sent Israelis to the polls five times in less than four years, each one a referendum on Netanyahu’s fitness to serve while facing corruption charges.

After refusing to sit in a government under Netanyahu, Gantz agreed to join a short-lived Netanyahu-led coalition in a bid to stem the political turmoil as the COVID pandemic was taking root. After being ousted in one of the elections, Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, forming a government of West Bank settlement supporters and opponents of Palestinian statehood.

Gantz has served as defense minister, overseeing brief operations in Gaza. In 2021, he outlawed six prominent Palestinian rights groups, citing alleged militant links, a step widely criticized by the Palestinians.

He has been vague on his views on Palestinian statehood but he has taken steps to show he is open to the idea, including holding meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while serving as defense minister.

Analysis-Kerry bolstered US climate reputation, though world's trust still elusive

Mon, March 4, 2024 


 John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate issues, attends a press conference in Beijing

By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As John Kerry prepares to depart as President Joe Biden's special envoy on climate change on Wednesday, he leaves the United States in a stronger position in global climate diplomacy despite lingering mistrust on the world stage over American policy intentions.

The 80-year-old Kerry, capping off over six decades in public service, is credited with restoring U.S. climate ties with China and courting private capital for climate action. But these accomplishments were made even as the United States has become the world's biggest producer of climate-polluting oil and gas.

In an interview ahead of his departure, Kerry said he plans to continue climate advocacy outside of government, though he did not specify whether he will join any boards or organizations.

"I will be in a better position to be able to try to leverage, push, cajole, work at the effort" after leaving his envoy post, Kerry said.

John Podesta, named by Biden to succeed Kerry, faces a challenging year on climate policy in the run-up to the Nov. 5 U.S. election in which Biden, a Democrat, is seeking re-election, with former President Donald Trump the runaway frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge him. According to news reports, Biden's administration may weaken proposed climate regulations for power plants, automobiles and climate financial disclosures amid resistance from industry and other groups.

Kerry assumed the envoy post in 2021 after Trump, during his four years as president, reversed American leadership on climate issues. Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Paris agreement that commits most of the world's nations to combating climate change - and has threatened to do it again if he wins the election.

'A GLARING CHALLENGE'

Kerry's efforts have been hamstrung by a politically divided Congress constraining what the United States could offer in climate finance, with Republicans resisting Democratic efforts.

"This is a glaring challenge for U.S. climate policy, and the whole world knows that both political parties are not on board with the agenda," Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said in an interview.

Kerry turned to building public-private sector coalitions to create momentum, Power added.

Under the 2021 Global Methane Pledge, almost 150 countries pledged to slash methane emissions and raised more than $1 billion in grant-funding. The First Movers Coalition involved nearly 100 companies including automaker Ford and cement-maker Holcim pledging to buy new climate-friendlier technologies.

Through Kerry, the United States also joined other Western governments and banks in launching "just transition" partnerships with South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam aimed at shuttering coal plants.

Kerry has had "one hand tied behind his back," said Oxford University professor Rachel Kyte, a former World Bank and U.N. climate official.

"He's tried to find numerous creative ways to keep the conversation moving forward. Time will tell whether these initiatives get off the ground," Kyte added.

Kerry acknowledged a "dangerous trend" in recent weeks, with investment firms including Blackrock and JPMorgan rolling back climate commitments.

"I'm concerned about anything that pushes back against common sense, good policy, without presenting an alternative," Kerry said. "We have to push back against it."

COURTING CHINA

Kerry came up with the idea to forge the U.S.-China relationship on climate 10 years ago as secretary of state under President Barack Obama, then kept it alive amid bilateral tensions and COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions.

Showing unity and progress on climate change between the world's two biggest economies - and two biggest polluters - helped lay the foundation for the 2015 Paris Agreement, the 2021 Glasgow Pact and other accords, according to experts.

"Personal relationships still matter in politics," said Børge Brende, president of the Swiss-based World Economic Forum.

Gina McCarthy, Biden's White House climate adviser from 2021-2022, said Kerry's continued engagement with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during Trump's 2017-2021 presidency meant that the United States "was able to restart the relationship at full speed" despite "Trump's attempt to weaken it."

The United States has failed to fully deliver on climate finance pledges, transferring only $2 billion of the $3 billion it promised 10 years ago. It has since pledged another $11.4 billion, but payments require congressional approval.

With private capital shying away from the poorest countries, Kerry's private sector focus has yet to serve the world's most climate-vulnerable, according to adviser to the Alliance of Small Island States Michai Robertson of the London-based global affairs think tank ODI.

Some critics faulted Kerry's approach toward corporate leaders and high-polluting countries. Mohamed Adow, director of the Kenya-based advocacy group Power Shift Africa, said many in the developing world felt Kerry focused too much on wealthier actors. Adow added that "the U.S. still has a long way to improve its record on climate change."

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; editing by Katy Daigle and Will Dunham)

NAKBA2
Israel carries out biggest Ramallah raid in years

Updated Mon, March 4, 2024

By Ali Sawafta

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli forces raided the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank overnight, killing a 16-year-old in a refugee camp during their biggest such operation into the city in years, Palestinian sources said on Monday.

The Israeli military said security forces had conducted a counter-terrorism operation in the camp during which a riot broke out, with rocks and petrol bombs thrown at soldiers, who responded with live fire.

In a separate West Bank raid, Israeli forces killed a 10-year-old boy and in the village of Burin, south of Nablus, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Citing medical sources, it said the boy had been shot in the head by Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Violence has surged across the West Bank in parallel to the Gaza war, with at least 400 Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers, and Israel regularly raiding Palestinian areas across the territory it occupied in 1967.

Witnesses in Ramallah said the Israeli forces had driven dozens of military vehicles into the city, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by President Mahmoud Abbas which exercises limited self-rule over parts of the West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces shot and killed 16-year-old Mustafa Abu Shalbak while raiding Am'ari refugee camp.

WAFA reported confrontations broke out as Israeli forces stormed the camp, "during which live bullets were fired at Palestinian youths", wounding Abu Shalbak in the neck and chest.

The Israeli military said security forces had conducted a six hour-long operation in the camp, apprehending two wanted suspects, questioning others and seizing "inciting material spread by Hamas".

"During the operation, a violent riot developed, in which suspects hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces, who responded with live fire. A hit was identified," it said.

An Israeli border police officer was lightly injured during the exchanges.

'UNBEARABLE HELL'

The Palestinian foreign ministry said Israeli occupation authorities were making lives of Palestinians in the West Bank "an unbearable hell" with actions including raids, detentions, and movement restrictions, warning of "serious risks" of plunging the West Bank into "violence and anarchy".

Israeli forces also tore up a main road by the Nur Shams refugee camp in the Tulkarm area of the West Bank, witnesses said.

"Every time they enter the camp they destroy more than the previous time," said Ibrahim Hamarsheh, a resident of the camp who heads the Tulkarm branch of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which advocates for Palestinians in Israeli jails.

He said Israeli forces had also bulldozed roads in the camp.

WAFA also reported that Israeli forces had stormed the city of Nablus, and blew up the home of a man previously accused by Israel of carrying out an attack in which a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters were killed in April in the West Bank.

The man, Moaz al-Masri, was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus last May.

Israeli forces detained at least 55 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank overnight, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

(Additional reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage, Angus MacSwan and Ros Russell)

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


Mon, March 4, 2024 



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claire Rush, The Associated Press

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


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 


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

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

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

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

Workers have been off the job since Feb. 1.

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

 (Dax Melmer/CBC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

CANADA

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


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'At last this is happening'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mandates 'politically useful'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teacher calls for holistic approach

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(CBC)

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

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan residents with low incomes worry about not getting carbon rebate

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Holman said he's tired of the political wrangling.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We're concerned."

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

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

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

The province disputes that people are better off with rebates.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

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


The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It could be a while before any consequences are known.

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

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

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

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

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

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


CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Health care

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

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

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

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

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

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

Budget coming March 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carbon tax spat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024 




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beck questioned that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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