WORD OF THE DAY

Damages from spring derecho in Ontario, Quebec now top $1 billion


OTTAWA — Repair bills from the cluster of wind storms that pummeled southern Ontario and western Quebec in May are now over $1 billion, and with contractors stretched thin the recovery will last well into next summer.



As recovery crews face another colossal restoration job in the aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona in the Atlantic provinces, the contractors who step in when Mother Nature lays down her wrath cannot keep up.

Kyle Douglas, a co-owner at the recovery contracting firm CRCS DKI in Oshawa, Ont., fit an interview into his day this week in between meetings about whether he had crews or equipment he could send to Atlantic Canada, and negotiations with a company that specializes in booking accommodation and travel for disaster recovery workers.

"We've definitely seen a frequency uptick of weather events, 'cats' is what we call them in our industry," said Douglas.

"Cats" is short for catastrophic events. Douglas said it's not unheard of for disaster recovery crews to go from one event to the next. After a major flood hit Calgary in late June 2013, the industry mobilized to head to Alberta only to be called back a month later, when downtown Toronto was underwater.

Douglas said that is happening more often.

"This is something we got to get our heads around for sure," he said.

Fiona is believed to be the strongest storm ever to hit Atlantic Canada. The straight line of heavy wind storms that hit Ontario and Quebec on May 21 wasn't the most intense wind storm in Canada, but it was the first time a storm of that magnitude swept through the most densely populated corridor of the country.

Referred to as a derecho, the storm began around Sarnia, Ont., and travelled more than 1,000 kilometres through to Quebec City over nine hours. It resulted in at least four confirmed tornadoes and multiple downbursts with wind speeds as high as 195 km/h.

At least 11 people were killed, mostly from falling trees as the storm caught many by surprise in the middle of a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the May long weekend.


The recovery costs are still mounting.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said the insured losses will top $875 million, making it the sixth most-expensive storm for insurance companies in Canadian history.

It affected more than 15 million people, and an estimated 1.1 million homes lost power. More than half of Hydro Ottawa's customers went dark, and it took more than two weeks to restore everyone.

The utility has estimated it spent about $30 million to repair the grid, but a spokesman said there are still "vulnerabilities" in the system. The utility said it had more than 1,000 unique power outages and had to replace 400 hydro poles.

Hydro-Québec said derecho damage to its power grid cost $70 million, including replacing 1,125 hydro poles, 400 transformers and 40 kilometres of power lines.

Hydro One, which has more than 1.4 million customers in rural Ontario, reported fixing outages for more than 760,000 customers, replacing 2,500 poles and 500 transformers but hasn't yet associated a direct cost with the storm.

The City of Ottawa says its storm bill is around $20 million, including damage to municipal buildings, replacing 175 traffic lights and 650 traffic signs. As of September, crews removed 450 uprooted stumps from city property but had more than 2000 more left to go.

There are also individual repairs that aren't reflected in any of those costs. Like a $5-to-$8 million repair of the heritage building and airport hangar near the Ottawa airport, which is used to welcome foreign dignitaries. The Canadian Armed Forces said it could be up to two years before final repairs are completed, though temporary fixes allowed part of the building to reopen for use last week.

Other bills reported to date include $1.5 million from the city of Kitchener and $3.3 million in Peterborough.

Dave Barton, the mayor of Uxbridge, Ont., said his municipality is still adding up the cost. Along with Ottawa, Uxbridge, a township of about 21,000 people about 70 kilometres northeast of Toronto, took the brunt of the damage from the derecho.

Barton said the recovery "is starting to come together," though a local church and several apartment buildings were damaged so badly it will be a long time before they are restored.

Douglas said his company spent about 100 days on the emergency repairs in Uxbridge, but is already booked well into next summer to do the final repairs to all the roof damage.

He said the recovery effort was hampered by the same supply chain issues and labour shortages the entire country is suffering from, but he was not expecting the emotional baggage that is coming with it.

"Everyone's still recovering from the COVID hangover, so there's a lot of heightened emotions," he said. "Homeowners and business owners had a pretty rough year of being shut down, told to stay home, reopened, shut down, sent home — and then their business or houses destroyed. So from an emotional standpoint, this has probably been the hardest one we've ever dealt with in the history of our company."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2022.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

Dangerous fungus detected at Montreal-area hospital, health officials say

MONTREAL — A dangerous fungus known for its resistance to treatment was detected earlier this month at a hospital in Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's South Shore, health authorities said Thursday.



Since Sept. 8, officials have identified two cases involving patients carrying Candida auris at Hôpital Pierre-Boucher. Neither of them, however, have developed a dangerous yeast infection tied to the fungus. Officials said one of the patients — and their close contacts — was placed in isolation.

Regional health spokeswoman Caroline Doucet says the hospital has instructed certain staff to wear personal protective equipment, to wash their hands frequently and to employ other disinfection measures. All patients who have been in close contact with the two cases have been tested, and the hospital remains safe for users, the health agency said Thursday.

According the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Candida auris is an emerging fungus that is considered a serious global health threat because it is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, is difficult to identify with standard laboratory testing and can trigger outbreaks in health-care settings.

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says he is concerned about the presence of the pathogen in Quebec and has asked federal public health officials to quickly collect information from the provinces to obtain a better portrait of the situation.

Dr. Simon F. Dufresne, a microbiologist and infectiologist specializing in medical mycology, said it's quite possible Candida auris is more present than has been detected, adding that the province has the proper equipment to identify various strains.

Dufresne said experts in identifying fungi have been expecting for about five years to identify cases in Canada. An article published by the Public Health Agency of Canada in November 2018 had warned doctors about the possible presence of Candida auris and called on authorities to report cases to health authorities.

The fungus was identified for the first time about a decade ago, said Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre. People can carry Candida Auris without realizing it because it is benign and doesn't produce symptoms, he said. It becomes problematic, however, when it enters the bloodstream, he added.

"When that happens, these patients are in trouble," Vinh said, adding that people can become seriously ill, with symptoms like fever, dropping blood pressure, respiratory issues and even organ failure.

The other major concern is that the fungus is resistant to currently known treatments. Vinh said there are four classes of antifungal drugs for humans, three of which are more frequently used because the fourth has severe side-effects. But Candida auris is resistant to all three of the frequently used treatments.

“We must turn to more innovative treatments, such as combinations of antifungals," Vinh said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2022.

Ugo Giguère, The Canadian Press

ALBERTA

As food bank use grows on university campuses, 'care cupboards' are now popping up

Julia Wong - CBC

When Tilova Tul arrived at the University of Alberta from Bangladesh last year as a graduate student, she quickly turned to the campus food bank for help.

"I moved here with just two luggages, leaving everything back home," she said.

"It was winter and everything was so expensive."

Tul, who is studying public health, started using the school's food hamper program every few weeks, which provided her with staples such as eggs and rice.

Her husband and three-year-old son have now joined her, meaning there are more mouths to feed. Combine that with inflation and higher living expenses, and money can be tight. Food hampers help fill the gap.

"That makes the grocery costs a little lighter so everything accumulated, that kinda helps," Tul said, who is also a volunteer with the food bank.

Amid an affordability crisis in Canada, Statistics Canada released new numbers last week showing Canadians are paying nearly 10 per cent more for groceries in August than they were the previous year. And as of fall 2020, nearly one in 10 Canadians said they had experienced food insecurity in their homes in the past 12 months.

Increasing demand

Campus food banks in several provinces say demand is soaring.

Erin O'Neil, executive director of the campus food bank at the University of Alberta, said several hundred new clients have signed on with the program since the start of the school year.

"We're giving out as many hampers per week as we were giving out per month in the 2019-2020 school year," she said.

"Right now, we're giving out close to 180 hampers per week."


Volunteers organize food hampers at the campus food bank at the University of Alberta. Students are able to take advantage of a weekly free breakfast and bus that takes them to Edmonton's less expensive grocery stories.© Julia Wong/CBC

The food bank's clients cite grocery costs and rising tuition as the two main reasons they need help, O'Neil said.

Related video: Food banks report surge in demand amid high cost of living

Duration 1:58  View on Watch

Across the country, Sue Kidd, the chaplaincy minister at the University of Prince Edward Island, said students' needs are also growing. Kidd said the school's food bank recently saw more than 100 students use its services — the most ever.

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food bank saw between 80 and 90 students a day, compared with 25 to 30 beforehand, she said.

"September is often busy — tuition, books, setting up where it is they're living," Kidd said.

"In the past they might have reached out to family and friends for help but everybody is feeling the pinch."

At Mount Royal University in Calgary, a program that allows students to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at an affordable cost saw 41 people request boxes — a record high, according to Lisa Antichow, support services manager for the Mount Royal University Students' Association.

Antichow attributes the high demand to inflation as well as the higher cost of tuition, rent and food.

New campus initiatives to address the need

The university recently installed five "care cupboards" at several locations on campus.

The custom-made units, which students can access for free, include a fridge, microwave and cupboard, and they are filled with items such as fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese and granola bars. They also carry hygiene and sanitation items.


Staff stock a care cupboard at Mount Royal University in Calgary.© Colin Hall/CBC

Antichow said the care cupboards have been in high demand.

"We restock them twice a week. Every time we go back to restock them, they're empty," she said.

"They're very popular."

Antichow cited a recent survey done by university faculty that revealed approximately 10 per cent of students were food insecure, and that 75 per cent of that group reported being severely affected, such as skipping meals because they could not afford to eat.

The care cupboards came about as a result. Antichow said the timing has worked out well, considering the affordability crisis.

"I don't think it could have come at a better time to be honest with you," she said.

"It's allowing students to save a little bit of money at the grocery store by being able to come to our care cupboards and grab a quick bite to eat, a quick snack."

The University of Alberta campus food bank has increased the number of buses taking students to cheaper grocery stores.© Scott Neufeld/CBC

Back at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, the demand for other initiatives to address food insecurity is growing. The campus food bank recently expanded its free weekly breakfast program to a second campus, and its grocery bus service, which leaves from the city's main campus, is also in demand.

"We have a grocery bus that takes students from this area, which has some of the most expensive grocery stores in the city to further down where there are cheaper and more varied grocery stores," said O'Neil.

"We're doubling that service this year as well and have seen increased demand that's leading to that doubling."

Helen Hirsh Spence: It's time to tackle ageism — no matter your age

Opinion by Helen Hirsh Spence - Oct 6,2022

The United Nations International Day of Older Persons, an often unacknowledged annual event, took place Oct. 1.


The pandemic and the toll at long-term care homes made it impossible to ignore the growing share of the population aged 65 and over.© Provided by Leader Post

It was first designated by the UN General Assembly in 1990, followed by the adoption of the UN Principles for Older Persons in 1991.

In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was intended to respond to the opportunities and challenges of ageing in the 21st century.

Unlike with other UN population groups such as women and children, there hasn’t yet been a convention related to the rights of older persons, even though the world’s population aged 60-plus is increasing exponentially and will triple by 2050.

This will exceed a population of more than two billion, according to the World Health Organization.

The subject of age and aging would have remained invisible had it not been for the global wakeup call known as COVID-19 , which thrust the world — especially the western world — into a serious reality check.

When a significantly large number of older adults were dying and their well-being in long-term care facilities was in the media spotlight, the fact there were more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 14 in Canada (according to Statistics Canada) was no longer a story that could be sidelined. AGEISM ALSO APPLIES TO 13 -20 YEAR OLDS

Ageism — the prejudice or stereotype based on age, towards old and young — is so prevalent, pervasive and commonplace, it has become socially acceptable. Unlike other “isms,” ageism intersects with ableism, racism, sexism and so on and represents prejudice against our future selves.

Ageism has been so normalized that it is absent from 92 per cent of global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies, according to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

The pandemic also precipitated what some refer to as the Great Resignation or the Big Quit, the severe shortage of talent that characterizes almost every sector.

But when Bell Media decided to terminate the contract of CTV news anchor Lisa LaFlamme , the dismissal raised awareness about ageism worldwide, and is now a topic that can no longer be ignored.

It’s a conversation we all need to have because one out of four Canadians will be over 65 by 2026 and, for the first time in history, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under age five, according to the National Institute on Aging.

There is already a shortage of talent across all sectors, and there will never be enough births or immigrants in Canada to fill the talent pool during this century.

Unknown to many, there are growing movements underway to fight back against ageism. In Australia, Oct. 7 is referred to as Age Awareness Day. In North America, some reference Age Liberation (a phrase coined by Becca Levy in her book, Breaking the Age Code), or simply the day to fight ageism.

No matter which day in October people come together to talk about the negative impacts of age bias, everyone has a part to play in raising awareness and taking action to dispel the myths that give aging an unfair reputation.

Let’s flip that script so we can all live long, healthy and fulfilled lives.

Helen Hirsh Spence is the CEO of Top Sixty Over Sixty, a social enterprise that provides the tools and training to address ageism and promote age diversity.

Canada’s supply chains ‘desperately’ need overhaul amid global pinch: report

Aaron D'Andrea - Oct 6, 2022

Canada’s supply chains “desperately” need an overhaul as global issues continue to limit the supply of goods in the nation, a new report indicates.


Cargo containers and ships at the Port of Metro Vancouver are seen in an aerial view in Vancouver on April 9.© Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press file photo

Supply chain issues, which have limited the availability of many items at various points throughout the year like some children’s pain and fever medication, vehicles and even Halloween candy, have “exposed and exacerbated longstanding weaknesses in the Canadian supply chain,” the final report from the National Supply Chain Task Force 2022 reads.

Read more:

Hurricanes Ian, Fiona could drive up grocery costs on these items in Canada

Released Thursday, the report’s authors highlight how government and industry struggle to cope with uncertainties arising due to factors like rapidly changing trade patterns, human- and climate-caused disruptions, shifting geopolitical risk and increased consolidation in major transportation modes

“As such, government, transportation and logistics providers, shippers, producers, manufactures and retailers must act decisively and urgently together to create a supply chain system that is more agile, flexible, resilient, competitive and efficient than it is today,” the report reads.

“Modernized and future-proof regulatory frameworks, along with intensified cooperation between and within the public and private sectors, will be needed if Canada is to remain relevant in the global marketplace.”

Video: Experts urge to think ahead this Halloween season with high demand for supplies

The report makes 21 recommendations. Short-term recommendations include easing port container congestion, addressing labour shortages and speeding up the process to approve winter transportation on ice roads.

Long-term recommendations include developing a transportation supply chain labour and workforce strategy, and establishing, funding, and hiring staff for a “Supply Chain Of­fice.”

That office would help “unify” Ottawa’s position across federal departments, said Jean Gattuso, the report’s co-author, at a news conference on Thursday,

“To name only a few, these departments include labour, Agriculture Canada, Canadian Border Service Agency, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and international trade,” he said.

“Without an overreaching perspective in supply-chain lens, these departments can inadvertently negatively affect the operation of supply chain.”

The office should also develop, implement and regularly renew a 30-to-50-year transportation supply chain strategy, said Louise Yako, co-author of the report, at the news conference.

“Such a strategy would enable Canada to provide a comprehensive response to current issues, and long-term governance planning and accountability,” she said.

“This will provide a roadmap and greater certainty for Canadian businesses involved in international trade, as well as transportation and supply chain providers. Importantly, creating and delivering on such a plan would demonstrate that Canada continues to be a reliable trading partner.”

In January, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced plans for the task force after both the pandemic and weather disasters led to widespread shipping disruptions.

The eight task force members, who consulted with industry associations and others affected by transportation issues, come from a range of backgrounds including trucking, rail, airports, manufacturing, government and supply chain consulting.

“I’m confident this report will help guide our work in making our supply chain better and deliver more affordable products and goods to Canadians,” Alghabra said at a separate news conference on Thursday.

“The report will also inform our government’s national supply chain strategy, which will be announced in the coming months.”

Canada have many natural resources and products the world wants, but the nation needs improved supply chains to be reliable in the global marketplace, the report said.

“As Canada’s trade volumes continue to increase, investment in critical infrastructure assets such as seaports, railways, highways and roads, and airports must also increase to meet demand,” it said.

“Furthermore, we must ‘sweat’ these assets in every way possible, including through operational innovation. Building new infrastructure is only part of the solution. Data and visibility can also unlock capacity.”

N.W.T. man among finalists in international astronomy photographer contest

YELLOWKNIFE — A man from Yellowknife is gaining international recognition for a photo capturing a stunning display of dancing green aurora lights over the Cameron River.



Frank Bailey was the only Canadian among the finalists in the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. His time-lapse photo taken outside the Northwest Territories capital landed him the runner-up spot in the Aurorae category.

"I was of course thrilled, but also humbled at the news given the quality of the entries this year," he said. "Once the overall standings were made fully public, it sunk in really quickly that this was a significant achievement and shows that I am heading in the right direction with my photography."

The annual competition is the largest of its kind and showcases space and sky photography from astrophotographers around the world. More than 100 winning and shortlisted images from this year's entries are currently on display at the National Maritime Museum in London, featuring planets, galaxies, skyscapes and other celestial bodies.

Gerald Rhemann from Austria was named the overall winner for his photo of Comet C/2021 A1, commonly known as Comet Leonard.

The top spot in the Aurorae category went to Filip Hrebenda for his photo titled "In the Embrace of a Green Lady," showing the lights reflected in a frozen lake above Eystrahorn mountain in Hvalnes, Iceland.

Bailey's photo, titled "Misty Green River," was taken last September using a 15-second exposure. He said the photo was taken looking up the river toward the riffle as mist rose off the water.

Bailey, who has lived in Yellowknife for 18 years, said he first photographed the aurora when he and his wife, Karen, lived in Yukon in the early 1980s.

He said he likes to enter competitions to get feedback on his photography.

"As for future goals, I have always said it would be a good retirement job," he said, noting he and his wife have dabbled with making sellable products such as calendars and producing prints for friends and family.

Another photo Bailey took of the aurora over the Cameron River, which he submitted to the National Wildlife Federation's photo contest in 2020, was selected for use in a holiday card collection.

He said three of his aurora photos received a bronze award from the Epson International Pano Awards in 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2022.

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

Emily Blake, The Canadian Press

Specialists join forces to push B.C. for same recognition as family doctors

Specialists ranging from cardiologists to pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons are pushing the British Columbia government to alleviate backlogs that have worsened wait times.


Specialists join forces to push B.C. for same recognition as family doctors© Provided by The Canadian Press

Their stance comes as the head of the Canadian Medical Association says it's time for innovative solutions to address the same problem across the country.

Twenty-six doctors sent an open letter Wednesday to Health Minister Adrian Dix, saying they want an urgent meeting with him due to a "crumbling" health-care system that is leaving them "exhausted and demoralized."

By Thursday, 135 specialists had signed the letter, which was uploaded to the Consultant Specialists of BC website.

"Patients are getting sicker and dying on our wait-lists," says the letter, which outlines examples of the effect on patients, including one who experienced sudden hearing loss and permanently lost their hearing after waiting too long to see a specialist.

It says one million patients in B.C. are waiting to be seen, based on data from the Consultant Specialists of BC, which surveyed members in August.

Dr. Chris Hoag, a North Vancouver urologist who signed the letter, said a broad base of specialists joined forces to pressure the government to act because they're burned out while trying to see more patients that have become sicker.

"I do everything I can to keep that wait as short as possible. But you know, there are times when I have a huge load of patients waiting for cancer surgery, and I can't sleep because I don't know how I'm going to get them all done in a time frame that is appropriate."

Unlike family doctors, who have recently received temporary funding of $118 million to offset overhead costs, specialists who run practices that also amount to small businesses have had nothing, Hoag said.

"It's been incredibly distressing to specialists to see that there has not been conversation about the same issue shared in specialty care," said Hoag, president of Consultant Specialists of BC.

"Primary care is an absolute disaster and definitely needs to be fixed," Hoag said about the lack of family doctors, adding that delays referrals to specialists, potentially worsening patients' condition to the point they end up in an emergency room.

"Then they're taking up hospital beds, which takes away from surgical procedures because we have nowhere to move the patient to out of the (operating room), so we can't do the surgery. So, it's a huge domino effect that's happening and not just isolated to primary care issues."

Related video: Future physicians worry about working conditions, cost of starting business
Duration 0:57
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Even patients with a general practitioner are lingering on wait-lists for an average of 10 months and sometimes up to two years, he said.

Hoag said Dix had not responded to the letter.

The Health Ministry said the minister was not available for an interview, but it provided a written statement.

All doctors, including specialists, have ways to get their concerns addressed through Doctors of BC, the association that represents them in talks with government, the statement says.

Doctors of BC said a so-called physician master agreement that expired in March is currently being negotiated with the government on behalf of all doctors but that the needs of specialists go beyond its scope and can't be addressed through compensation.

"Rather, in many cases addressing specialist wait-lists can only be accomplished through improvements to health authority infrastructure, processes and resources such as increasing (operating room) time," it said in a written statement.

"We fully intend to advocate specialist issues, and work with Consulting Specialists of BC and the different specialty sections," the association said, adding its board would determine when that would happen.

Dr. Alika Lafontaine, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said specialists in all provinces and territories are dealing with a "collective crisis" as millions of patients wait for their services.

"Primary care and specialty care are all being overwhelmed at the same time," he said, adding the letter by specialists in B.C. points to major, unprecedented issues involving multiple problems like overcrowded and closed emergency rooms in various jurisdictions due to a lack of nurses and other health-care providers.

"These sorts of letters were not going out even mid-pandemic," Lafontaine said of the stress that health-care providers are under.

"There's a human cost for patients, but there's also a human cost for providers showing up to work day after day with this high degree of tension."

Lafontaine said collaboration is needed by provinces and territories to find innovative solutions like more virtual and team-based care, not merely more requests for funding, which has been increased in all jurisdictions.

"I don't think a lot of provinces have leaned into team-based care, making sure that the care is distributed to the right people at the right time and in the right place," he said.

"Places that are decreasing administrative burdens on physicians are definitely creating more time for physicians to provide care," he said of doctors having to repeatedly submit information to multiple regulatory agencies.

Lafontaine called for an emergency meeting between federal, provincial and territorial governments to create a long-term, sustainable system.

He said the association will be gathering this fall with other advocacy groups, including the Canadian Nurses' Association and patient advocacy groups, to discuss how best to address similar needs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2022.

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

A STRANGE TALE

Poilievre denounces ‘abuse’ against wife allegedly from Diagolon founder who shook his hand

Amanda Connolly - Sept 26

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is denouncing "abuse" and sexually threatening language against his wife allegedly made by Jeremy Mackenzie, the de-facto leader of a far-right group called Diagolon whose adherents have waged a social media abuse campaign against female journalists for months.


Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre listens to a question from a reporter in the Foyer of the House of Commons, Tuesday, September 13, 2022 in Ottawa. T

HE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

In a statement posted on Twitter Monday morning, Poilievre said he had been made aware of "disgusting comments made by Jeremy McKenzie and another man, where they discuss sexually assaulting my wife."

He called the men "odious" and "losers," and added he has reported the comments to police.

In the video, a social media account of “Jeremy Mackenzie” can be seen lighting up as the speaker before a man can be heard talking about Anaida Poilievre as he and co-hosts debate her ethnic background, before he goes on to say: "let's rape her."

"It's not really a sex thing, we just want to show people we can do things to you if we want to," he adds.

Global News attempted to contact Mackenzie on Monday about the threats allegedly made against Anaida Poilievre. No response has yet been received.

The Canadian Press reported Monday afternoon that in an interview with Mackenzie, he said he was drinking when he made the comments and nobody meant any harm by it.

Poilievre said in his statement that he had not known about Diagolon until "about a month ago."

Read more:

Diagolon: What to know about the group whose founder shook Pierre Poilievre’s hand

Global News sent a list of questions to Poilievre's Conservative leadership campaign back in July, shortly after he attended an anti-COVID public health measures march with a man called James Topp, who had previously appeared on an episode of Mackenzie's podcast in January in which the latter described wanting to “bring down the government.”

Co-hosts of that episode also described wanting "to assemble the gallows on f—ing Parliament.”

When asked if Poilievre was concerned that supporting figures like Topp who have appeared on Mackenzie’s podcast could be interpreted as support for far-right views, and whether he would denounce comments by Mackenzie’s co-host about wanting to see a gallows on Parliament Hill, Poilievre attacked Global News.

His campaign posted a 238-word statement accusing Global News of being "unprofessional" and attempting to set “disingenuous traps.”

“Your tactic seems to be to demand Mr. Poilievre answer for all the words and deeds of not just everyone he has ever met, but also everyone they have ever met,” his campaign said. “Each of those people is individually responsible for their own words and deeds.”

Read more:

How close is too close to the far-right? Why some experts are worried about Canada’s MPs

Poilievre faced questions last month after a photo circulated online showing him shaking Mackenzie’s hand at a campaign event in Nova Scotia. A spokesperson for Poilievre said on Aug. 20 that he has “shaken hands with literally tens of thousands of people at public rallies.”

“It is impossible to do a background check on every single person who attends my events,” Poilievre’s campaign team said in response to Global News’ request for comment on Aug. 20.

“I didn’t and don’t know or recognize this particular individual.”

Read more:

Harassment, threats to journalists during protests are dangerous, say experts

Over recent weeks, an ongoing torrent of abuse, threats and hate against the journalist in question and other female Canadian journalists covering the far-right has continued to escalate, including from supporters of Diagolon and Mackenzie himself.

"You deserve worse and with the trajectory you're on, you'll get it,” Mackenzie tweeted on Aug. 12 about the onslaught of threats against female journalists covering the far-right.

He also urged his thousands of followers: “Hate them as hard as you can.”

His account was suspended shortly after and remains so.

Read more:

Coutts blockaders collected firearms to use against police, RCMP documents allege

Diagolon took on additional prominence during the convoy blockades earlier this year, particularly the blockade in Coutts, Alta. RCMP said at the time they had become aware of a small, organized group that had “a willingness to use force against the police.”

In a subsequent raid, Mounties uncovered 13 long guns, handguns, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition and body armour. They also found two tactical vests — adorned with what Canadian Anti-Hate Network researchers believe were Diagolon patches.

Mackenzie has denied the patches are affiliated with his group.

Global News obtained the City of Ottawa permit application for the march Poilievre attended alongside Topp last month. Listed as the "primary event contact" on the form was Stephanie McEvoy, a woman who described herself online in social media posts as "pro-ProudBoy."

The Proud Boys are a listed terrorist entity in Canada.

Poilievre's campaign did not respond to questions at the time asking if he knew McEvoy was involved.

Topp’s lawyer has served Global News with a complaint about a previous Global News article and indicated that any statement suggesting Topp is a “a member of the far-right” or an “extremist” is false and defamatory.

With files from Global News' Rachel Gilmore.

Jeremy MacKenzie, leader of online group 'Diagolon,' arrested in Nova Scotia: RCMP

Sept 28

OTTAWA — Jeremy MacKenzie, the founder of the online group "Diagolon," was arrested in Nova Scotia on Wednesday on charges related to an allegation of assault in Saskatchewan from last year.



The Nova Scotia RCMP say he was arrested in Cole Harbour, N.S., on a Canada-wide warrant related to charges laid by the Mounties in Saskatchewan in July.

"MacKenzie will be remanded into custody as part of the court process related to his arrest warrant," Nova Scotia RCMP spokesman Cpl. Chris Marshall wrote in an emailed statement.

The Saskatchewan RCMP said this summer he was charged with assault, pointing a firearm, mischief and using a restricted weapon in a careless manner after they received a report in March this year about an alleged assault near Viscount, Sask., in November 2021.

The 36-year-old was also charged in his home province of Nova Scotia with 13 firearms-related offences after a police search in January.

MacKenzie was charged with harassment and intimidation in March in connection with an anti-mask protest outside the home of Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang.

On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked the RCMP to investigate MacKenzie after he talked about sexually assaulting Poilievre's wife, Anaida, during a livestream on the weekend.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2022.

The Canadian Press

Why environmentalists went after Canada's biggest bank for alleged greenwashing

Jaela Bernstien - Yesterday

Standing in the rain in downtown Montreal, Kukpi7 (Chief) Judy Wilson lifts her fist in defiance outside a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. Wilson's gesture goes largely unnoticed by the shoppers who hurry past, but her efforts to hold banks accountable on financing fossil fuels have certainly caught the attention of Canadian regulators.

Wilson, based in south central British Columbia, is the chief of the Skat'sin te Secwepemc-Neskonlith Indian Band and the secretary-treasurer for the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC).

She's also one of six applicants who filed a complaint to Canada's Competition Bureau, accusing RBC of greenwashing — something that prompted the regulator to open an inquiry into whether Canada's biggest bank misled customers about its climate action.

"It's time to be truthful," said Wilson, who spoke with CBC News while in Montreal for a meeting.

"[Climate change] is real, it's here and we have to deal with it."



Wilson says there's no time to waste in cutting emissions as Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by climate change.© Jaela Bernstien/CBC

The allegations, filed with the help of environmental law non-profit Ecojustice, suggest the bank has been marketing itself as being aligned with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, all while continuing to finance the fossil fuel industry.

It's not the first time RBC has been called out over its support of the oil and gas sector.

A separate report published this year by a group of environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and the Indigenous Environmental Network, ranked RBC fifth globally among major banks financing the fossil fuel industry.

But in marketing materials, RBC states that it is "fully committed" to supporting drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

"The claims and RBC's actual action don't stack up," said Matt Hulse, the Ecojustice lawyer who helped draft and file the complaint to the Competition Bureau.

In response to the Competition Bureau's investigation, the bank denied it has been misleading clients.

"RBC strongly disagrees with the allegations in the complaint, and believes the complaint to be unfounded and not in line with Canada's climate plan," RBC spokesperson Andrew Block said in an email.

"It's critically important that we get the transition to net zero right in order to address climate change and we have taken a measured, thoughtful, and deliberate approach in our climate strategy."

In the past, RBC has said its transition to net zero must be gradual in order to succeed.



A Royal Bank of Canada logo is seen on Bay Street in the heart of the financial district in Toronto on January 22, 2015. The bank has been accused of misrepresenting its climate actions.© Mark Blinch/Reuters

Time is a luxury that Wilson doesn't have, as her community is already experiencing the impacts of climate change.

"Many of our people still hunt and fish and harvest on the land … so they can firsthand see what climate change is doing. The rivers are low, warmer. The forests are tinder dry," she said.

"With climate-destroying fossil fuels and climate change disproportionately impacting Indigenous peoples around the world, as well in Canada, we have to make the right decision."

Holding companies accountable via the Competition Bureau has worked in the past. Earlier this year, Keurig Canada was ordered to pay a $3-million penalty for falsely claiming its single-use K-Cup pods can be recycled.

An inquiry could take more than a year, but environmental advocates hope that if they're successful, other banks will take note.

"RBC is a market leader. What they do, other banks — particularly in Canada — follow," Hulse said. "We thought that going after the biggest, if our complaint is upheld, would send a message across the industry."

Dror Etzion, a professor specializing on sustainability at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, said it's become popular for banks to project an image of sustainable finance.

"The key really is, how serious, how honest is self-reporting on these topics?" Etzion said.

He said regulators can play an important role in holding companies accountable on climate promises, rather than leaving it to individuals.

"It's very tough for consumers to shoulder and also it's a bit of guilt-tripping us as individuals to try to force corporations to change their behaviour."

While the bureau's findings could create ripple effects within the financial industry at large, Etzion said they may not lead to the kind of outcome that environmentalists are hoping for.

"It wouldn't be good if the outcome is that the legal teams and these banks just become more careful in how they express themselves," Etzion said.

"What would be very good is if the policies and strategies underlying these banks' activities do change in a meaningful way."

Wilson hopes it's the latter, but regardless of the outcome said she will keep pushing for climate action.

"There's going to be continued pressure like this, people aren't just going to give up," she said.

Wilson, who will be attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt next month, said she's learned issues must be tackled holistically.

Political, legal and technical — it was the three-pronged approach that she learned from her late Uncle George Manuel, an internationally-renowned Indigenous activist and founder of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

Wilson said she now adds spiritual and international as important components to that formula.

"What we're doing is important not just for the planetary crisis, it's for the well-being of our children and our grandchildren," she said.

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep my children and my grandson well, so that they can survive. Our ancestors did that for us, otherwise we wouldn't be here."

HIP CAPITALI$M

UberEats to offer cannabis delivery in Toronto. Here’s how it will work

Irelyne Lavery - Yesterday 

UberEats is bringing cannabis delivery to Toronto, the company announced Sunday.© (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

UberEats indulges in high times, will make cannabis deliveries

Starting Oct. 17, UberEats is bringing cannabis delivery to Toronto, the company announced Sunday.

In a partnership with cannabis website Leafly, this will be the first time in the world that cannabis delivery is available on a major third-party platform.

To start, UberEats will deliver to customers in Toronto from three retailers -- Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa's Rose.

"We are partnering with industry leaders like Leafly to help retailers offer safe, convenient options for people in Toronto to purchase legal cannabis for delivery to their homes, which will help combat the illegal market and help reduce impaired driving," said Lola Kassim, General Manager of Uber Eats Canada.

"Over the last few years, we have invested heavily in our delivery business and selection has expanded tremendously. Uber Eats has grown quickly to become a versatile platform usable by diverse businesses large and small."

To order, customers over the age of 19 will have to head to the UberEats app and select the "cannabis" category, or search for one of the cannabis retailers.

Read more:

Uber, Tokyo Smoke team up to allow Ontario pot purchases through Eats app

The order will be delivered by the cannabis retailers own CannSell certified staff.

When the delivery arrives, a customer's age and sobriety will be verified.

"Leafly has been empowering the cannabis marketplace in Canada for more than four years and we support more than 200 cannabis retailers in the GTA. We are thrilled to work with Uber Eats to help licenced retailers bring safe, legal cannabis to people across the city," said Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly.

Almost 57 per cent of cannabis purchased in Ontario between the start of January and the end of March was bought through legal channels, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) revealed last week. The finding is based on data reported by consumers to Statistics Canada, leading many to caution such numbers could be skewed because shoppers are less likely to admit illicit pot purchases to government bodies.

Uber isn't completely new to the cannabis business. Uber Eats users have been able to order cannabis products for pickup from Tokyo Smoke stores since November, but the partnership did not allow for deliveries like the new Leafly deal does.

Deliveries were made possible when Ontario temporarily allowed cannabis stores to courier orders to customers in 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions closed pot shops.

The policy was made permanent in March and came with several stipulations from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the province's pot regulator.

Video: Consumer Matters: Uber Eats frustration

Companies operating cannabis delivery businesses cannot operate entirely or predominately through delivery, orders must be placed with and fulfilled by specific stores versus a network of shops and pot can only be dropped off to customers when the shop it originates from is open to customers.

The AGCO does not allow deliveries to be made by third-parties and products can only be couriered by those with a retail store authorization or their employees.

Thus, Uber Eats couriers dropping off munchies won't be making pot deliveries too. Stores will hire and train their own staff to deliver orders placed through Uber's software.

Marissa Taylor, co-owner of Hidden Leaf, wanted to partner with Uber Eats and Leafly because she sees it as another tool she can use to expand the customer base at her North York location, where a loyalty program is already in place.

``We're a small business and really it was just to help be able to get cannabis to a broader number of people,'' she said.

``Accessibility is not always easy for everyone... and then to expand our reach, e-commerce is definitely the way to go.''

-- With files from the Canadian Press