Alberta proposes legislation to change rules on child-care spaces

EDMONTON — Alberta is proposing new rules for child care that would include flexible oversight and availability 24 hours a day to accommodate parents who work shifts.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Children’s Services Minister Rebecca Schulz says a bill introduced in the house Wednesday follows extensive consultation with stakeholders, parents and caregivers.

The bill proposes a risk-based licensing approach. That means child-care centres with good track records would still be checked on, but more focus and resources would be placed on new ones or those that were struggling to meet standards.

“(This) means our licensing officers and their teams can spend as much time as necessary with those centres that need attention and monitoring to be compliant with regulations and also to be safe,” said Schulz.

“These changes will absolutely not compromise the safety of children and youth in child care. In fact, with risk-based licensing, enforcement will actually improve.”

Tricia Cunningham, executive director of the SIGIS Child Care Society, said licensing officers have knowledge that would be better used working with struggling centres rather than spreading that expertise around in a cookie-cutter approach.

“They’re going to be able take that energy and put it into the field and (into) the centres that need that support,” said Cunningham, who stood beside Schulz at the announcement.

The bill would also allow for availability to care 24 hours a day. Details, ratios, safety rules and policies on such around-the-clock centres have yet to be drafted, but Schulz said “we now at least have the (legislative) flexibility to step up and meet the needs of those working parents.

“This is an ask that we’ve heard again and again from communities like Fort McMurray that have a high number of young families with parents who do shift work.”

Record-keeping, traditionally done on paper, would be allowed digitally.

Current ratios and best practices would be maintained and accreditation would be streamlined.

“It was kind of confusing for parents,” said Schulz. “Most parents didn’t really understand or know whether their centre was licensed, regulated, accredited or approved.”

She said if the legislation passes, there will be two choices: “You are licensed or you are not. You are a licensed facililty, you are a licensed day home, or you are not.”

Opposition NDP critic Rakhi Pancholi said the bill is vague and it's not clear if subsequent regulations will have the quality care standards that parents are seeking.

"We know to get our economic recovery back on track, parents want to have access to affordable, quality child care," said Pancholi.

"If it's not accessible, if it's not affordable, if it's not high quality, we know parents are either going to put their children in unlicensed child-care settings or they will choose to step out of the workforce."

The province has 2,701 day cares, out-of-school care and pre-school programs accommodating more than 111,000 spaces. There are about 2,900 active licensed or approved programs. 

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2020

9 out of 10 teachers say they face violence, bullying in Alberta schools: ATA survey
Julia Wong 

Ninety-three per cent of Alberta teachers who responded to a survey report being on the receiving end of bullying or aggression during their career, with students being the primary cause.

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio A physically distanced classroom is seen at Kensington Community School amidst the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020.

The finding was released in the Alberta Teachers’ Association's inaugural survey on aggression in schools, which is believed to be the first study of its kind in the province.


READ MORE: Kicked, punched, scratched — 311 incidents of student violence towards Edmonton teachers in 1 year

“The survey responses revealed teachers’ and school leaders’ concerns that aggression against teachers has been worsening in schools and that the problem has been neither effectively addressed nor recognized,” reads the report compiled by the ATA’s Committee on Understanding Aggression(s) in Alberta Schools and School Communities.

There were responses from 561 teachers across the province, out of 4,000 randomly selected teachers, to an online survey and focus groups. The report acknowledges the sample size is moderate but said it is sufficient to understand concerns around aggression.

The report defines violence and bullying as remarks that offend or intimidate, threats of violence (with or without a weapon), property damage, attempted or actual physical violence, and stalking.

RELATED: Incidents of student violence against teachers likely higher than reported, experts say

Other findings from the report include:

Most bullying occurred face-to-face but 35 per cent of the incidents occurred through email or social media.

Weapons were used in 12.4 per cent of cases (88 reports), with knives (four incidents) and guns (six incidents) used in a few instances.

Women experience more bullying than men, while special education teachers experience more bullying than other types of teachers.

Elementary and middle school teachers report higher levels of violence than high school teachers, who themselves report higher levels of bullying.

Ninety-one per cent of those who experienced violence and bullying reported adverse effects, such as stress, physical injuries and loss of job satisfaction.

Almost half of the respondents reported having training related to managing bullying and violence but 62 per cent indicated a need for additional education or training.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents who reported an incident said it was handled to their satisfaction.

Several factors affect whether an incident is reported, including whether the perpetrator has a history of violence or bullying, whether a weapon is used and whether there is an injury.

There were also reports of bullying from parents (15 per cent of respondents) and other staff (approximately six per cent of respondents).

“It tells you it’s something that is happening in schools, and whether or not we talk about it or if we just try to keep it quiet, it’s something I feel like we need to talk about. We need to try and end the stigmatism that goes around it as well,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.

“We want our students to be safe. But we also need to have a discussion about the safety of teachers and other staff who are in the school, such as EAs a well.”

READ MORE: ‘Dirty little secret’ — Alberta teachers call for classroom accountability amid student violence

Lisa Everitt, an education researcher with the ATA and contributor to the project, said the results, while not definitive, provide a snapshot of the situation in Alberta classrooms.

“It provides us with direction to help us deal with policy questions around the issue. It helps us to deal with individual teachers who are affected by this and it also helps us understand where we need to direct our research in future projects,” she said.

Everitt said the majority of incidents are on the lower end of seriousness.

“We don’t see schools are being unsafe. We believe that those more serious incidents of aggression that involve violence… those are much less common,” she said.

The study recommends providing additional training to front-line teachers, evaluating existing support programs and resources for teachers and further study into how incidents are followed up.

RELATED: More safety inspectors, enforcement could improve safety in Alberta classrooms, labour expert says

Schilling said he wants to see clearer and easier ways for staff to report incidents and for those incidents to be followed up. He also wants changes to funding for schools to ensure there are enough staff at schools.

“One of the things that came out of the study that caught my eye was that if our classes are too large, it’s harder for teachers and staff to make relationships with students and to figure out why students might be feeling the way that they are,” Schilling said.

Colin Aitchison, a spokesperson for Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, said Alberta Education just became aware of the report and is going to carefully review the survey.

“We all agree that aggressive behavior or violence in a school is completely unacceptable. If a teacher is criminally attacked, we fully expect schools/school divisions to involve appropriate law enforcement authorities,” Aitchison said in a statement to Global News.

Global News investigation

The report comes on the heels of a 2018 Global News investigation that found 311 incidents of student violence towards Edmonton teachers in the public and Catholic school districts in one school year.

The investigation revealed there were 91 incidents of students biting or spitting on a teacher, 67 situations where a teacher got hit or punched and 50 cases where students kicked a teacher.

The investigation also found a teacher or EA required first aid in 117 incidents and required medical aid or time off work in 45 cases.

The data analyzed by Global News also showed that the majority of incidents within the EPSB happened in elementary schools; the ECSD redacted the names of all schools in its incident reports.
Teacher responds to report

“Ryan” is a teacher in the province; Global News has agreed to identify him with a pseudonym due to concerns over repercussions for speaking out.

Ryan said he has faced multiple instances of student aggression over the years.

“I had one student who – I was back from appendix surgery, it was my second day back – and he leapt off a filing cabinet at me aiming for my incision marks. I’ve had a student slam a heavy metal door on my arm and then a lot of verbal aggression,” he said.

“I’ve had students who, they were on their computer when they weren’t supposed to be, (and) I asked him to put it away and he wouldn’t. I got an email from him basically telling me he was going to cut my head off with an axe and bring it back to school and cut me into small pieces because I was an idiot.”

Ryan said the findings of the ATA survey were not surprising and reinforced his experiences. He said there’s been more of a spotlight on the issue of student violence against teachers, and the survey was important for the organization to do.

“It gets that ball rolling of saying, ‘Yeah, we recognize this is a problem,’ and instead of just doing lip service,” he said, adding he hopes to see more resources for those dealing with these issues and more followup when incidents are reported.

Got a tip about a story? Email reporter Julia Wong at julia.wong@globalnews.ca or use the contact form below


BETA
See what people are saying

Cadillac Fairview covertly collected images of 5M shoppers across Canada: privacy commissioners

An investigation into Cadillac Fairview’s use of facial recognition technology at a dozen Canadian malls found the real estate company collected the images of five million unsuspecting shoppers from across the country.

© Getty Images Cadillac Fairview – one of North America’s largest commercial real estate companies – embedded cameras inside their digital information kiosks at 12 shopping malls across Canada and used facial recognition technology without their customers’ knowledge or consent, an investigation by the federal, Alberta and BC Privacy Commissioners has found.

The results of the investigation, conducted by the federal, Alberta and B.C. privacy commissioners, were released on Thursday.

According to the report, the company embedded small, inconspicuous cameras inside their mall directories at 12 Canadian malls (two in Alberta, two in B.C., one in Manitoba, five in Ontario and two in Quebec) which collected images of customers without their knowledge or consent.

Read more: Calgary mall defends use of facial-recognition technology after customer discovers they’re being watched

Cadillac Fairview said it was using facial recognition technology to determine the age and gender of shoppers, and that images taken by the cameras were analyzed briefly before being deleted.

It argued that shoppers were made aware of the activity through decals placed on the doors to enter the shopping malls, but the commissioners determined that wasn’t enough to obtain meaningful consent.

“Shoppers had no reason to expect their image was being collected by an inconspicuous camera, or that it would be used, with facial recognition technology, for analysis,” privacy commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien said.

Read more: Privacy commissioner ‘following up’ with Calgary mall using facial recognition software

“Questions about when an organization is collecting personal information can be complex, but the conclusion we came to about cameras in mall directories was straight-forward,” B.C. information and privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy said.


“Pictures of individuals were taken and analyzed in a manner that required notice and consent.”

Though Cadillac Fairview said the images weren’t kept on file, investigators found the sensitive biometric information generated from the images was being stored in a centralized database by a third party.

Read more: Calgary mall defends use of facial-recognition technology after customer discovers they’re being watched

“Cadillac Fairview stated that it was unaware that the database of biometric information existed, which compounded the risk of potential use by unauthorized parties or, in the case of a data breach, by malicious actors,” a news release stated.

Cadillac Fairview is one of North America’s largest commercial real estate companies with 69 properties in Canada including Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Pacific Centre, CF Chinook Centre, Tour Deloitte and CF Carrefour Laval.

The investigation was launched after the use of the facial recognition software came first came to light in 2018.

1:57  Facial recognition software privacy concerns
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/cadillac-fairview-covertly-collected-images-of-5m-shoppers-across-canada-privacy-commissioners/ar-BB1aw7Y5?ocid=msedgdhp

Since then, Cadillac Fairview removed the cameras from its digital directory kiosks and said it has no plans currently to reinstall the technology.

It has also deleted all information associated with the cameras that is not required for legal purposes.

Read more: Alberta Privacy Commissioner investigating use of facial recognition software in Calgary malls

The three privacy commissioners recommended that if Cadillac Fairview were to use the technology again, it needs to put more effort into obtaining shoppers’ consent before capturing and analyzing their images.

“This investigation exposes how opaque certain personal information business practices have become,” Alberta information and privacy commissioner Jill Clayton said.

“Not only must organizations be clear and up front when customers’ personal information is being collected, they must also have proper controls in place to know what their service providers are doing behind the scenes with that information.”

Read more: Cadillac Fairview suspends use of facial recognition cameras at Calgary malls

In a news release, the commissioners said they “remain concerned” that Cadillac Fairview “refused” their request to “commit to ensuring express, meaningful consent is obtained from shoppers should it choose to redeploy the technology in the future.”

In a statement sent to Global News via email, Cadillac Fairview confirmed it accepted and implemented all the recommendations from the investigation with the exception of those that speculate about hypothetical future uses of similar technology.

"We currently have no plans to use the technologies in question," the company said.

It went on to say the images collected of shoppers referenced in the report "are not faces."

"These are sequences of numbers the software uses to anonymously categorize the age range and gender of shoppers in the camera’s view. If the same shopper crossed the camera’s view again, a new string of numbers would be generated.

"We want to reiterate that we take the concerns of our visitors seriously and are committed to protecting our visitors’ privacy."

The malls where the technology was used were:

Alberta

CF Market Mall in Calgary

CF Chinook Centre in Calgary

British Columbia

CF Richmond Centre in Richmond

CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver

Manitoba

CF Polo Park in Winnipeg

Ontario

CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto

CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto

CF Fairview Mall in Toronto

CF Lime Ridge in Hamilton

CF Markville Mall in Markham

Quebec

CF Galeries d'Anjou in Montreal

CF Carrefour Laval in Laval

Dust devil led to crash that killed paraglider pilot in Alberta: safety board

GIBBONS, Alta. — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says an Alberta pilot who died after crashing his powered paraglider hit a dust devil.

The crash occurred on May 13 near Gibbons, about 40 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Board officials say they did a limited, fact-gathering investigation into the accident.

Their report says the pilot was on a recreational flight over a private field northwest of the town.

It says he flew for about 25 minutes and the entire flight was captured on a video camera attached to his helmet.

One minute before the crash, the report says, the glider went through a dust devil — a rotating updraft that can be common in Alberta on warm, sunny days.

"This localized pocket of hot air rises quickly in a small spinning column, and cooler air rushes in below to replace it," says the report. "The resulting vortex is made visible by the dust it picks up.

"Dust devils seldom extend higher than 100 meters, but those that do can flip objects like lawn furniture."

The report says the dust devil caused the RS Ultra Kangook MF glider to suddenly climb faster. It rolled sharply to the right and its lines wrapped around the pilot, the trike, and the turning propeller. Eventually the entire canopy collapsed.

"Control was lost and the aircraft impacted the ground, fatally injuring the pilot."

The report concludes that meteorological events such as dust devils can present a hazard.

"Paraglider pilots need to be aware of the conditions that can be conducive to the formation of these phenomena, and avoid operating in these conditions where possible."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2020.

Banks roll out robots as pandemic shakes up IT plans
By Iain Withers and Anna Irrera



LONDON (Reuters) - When banks were flooded with loan requests from businesses struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, hastily built robots helped several lenders cope with the deluge.

The bots were one of many quick technology changes deployed across the industry during the crisis, a contrast to the slow progress it's made in the past two decades to improve technology in the face of increasing competition from fintech rivals.

Now the jolt from the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process even though banks globally are having to cut IT spending this year for the first time since 2009, based on data from research company IDC."Bots allowed us to process a much higher volume of applications than we would have been able to do before. It meant the timelines didn't get longer with the massive volume," said Simon McNamara, chief administrative officer at Britain's NatWest , which has granted more than 13 billion pounds ($16.90 billion) of state-backed loans.

It is a pattern that has played out across banks globally, where technology changes that would usually take months were done in a matter of days.At Citigroup , there was a 300% rise from a year earlier in the number of new accounts opened digitally by corporate or fund clients during March, while the number of those clients using its online and app services rose 25%. "We were seeing this trend pre-COVID but it accelerated during COVID," Naveed Sultan, Citi's global head of transaction banking, said.

"The traditional ways of working became almost non-existent."

But as banks have to budget for a pick-up in loan losses due to the pandemic, some projects, such as large-scale customer data mining to offer more personalised services may have to be shelved, IDC research showed.

Global IT spend by banks is set to shrink by 1.7% this year to $200 billion, down from $203.5 billion in 2019, based on IDC data. Growth is then forecast to resume over the next three years, albeit at a slower pace.

(Graphic: Bank tech spending link: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/oakpenyojvr/chart.png)

CRISIS LOANS

Banks have prioritised process automation in the face of spiking workloads as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, based on IDC surveys of bank executives.Santander's UK division rolled out data analytics tools to speed up loan application processing and credit checking as borrowers came under strain.

"We had prepared but the volume was higher than expected," Santander UK's chief technology officer Carlos Selonke told Reuters. "It's a huge focus for us, making changes to increase our velocity."Swiss bank UBS developed six bots within three days which assisted client advisers in handling the immense inflow of coronavirus crisis loan requests from businesses in Switzerland, said Mike Dargan, global head of group technology at UBS.



Banks have also been prioritising shifting data to the cloud to speed up response times and allow more staff to work from home, while also bolstering defences against the growing threat of cyber attacks.

"We had four main focus areas, remote working to enable the employees at UBS, system stability, as we saw a lot of volatility, cyber security, and operations continuity," UBS's Dargan told Reuters.

'MOONSHOTS' ON HOLD

On the flip side, bank spending on consumer-facing technologies for branches and online services is forecast to grow more slowly, increasing from $31 billion in 2020 to $40 billion in 2024, according to IDC.

Other less urgent projects such as systems overhauls and longer term so-called "moonshot" digital ventures are being shelved.

"Banks are struggling to deploy new software," David Buxton, chief executive of Arachnys, a startup that sells compliance technology to banks. Many employees are still working remotely which means they may not have the tools needed for new and more ambitious IT projects, he said.

NatWest ditched its fledgling digital savings brand Bó early into the pandemic.

McNamara said the pandemic was a factor in the decision as there was strong demand for the bank's existing mobile app, which has added 700,000 users since the pandemic started.

Although banks have reined in IT spending overall this year to cope with the initial pandemic fallout, IDC predicted growth will resume from next year, with overall spending forecast to jump by a quarter to $250 billion in 2024.

Industry experts say the pandemic has focused bank executives' minds when it comes to IT spend and more digitally savvy lenders will steal a march on competitors.

"There is a digital divide," Jerry Silva, global banking research director at IDC said. "Sometimes I call it the predatory gap, because those banks are going to be able to steal market share from those that weren't prepared prior to 2020."

($1 = 0.7693 pounds)

(Reporting by Iain Withers and Anna Irrera. Editing by Jane Merriman)

AB QP

Under the Dome: UCP'S Nixon says 'public sector has to do their part', sales tax 'against the law'

Alberta businesses have faced an unprecedented decline and the public sector will have to do their part to address costs, UCP government house leader Jason Nixon said on the first episode of our Under the Dome video series.

Nixon was responding to a question from host Dave Breakenridge about whether government departments could face similar job cuts or outsoucing, as has been planned at Alberta Health Services.

When asked about when jobs promised from corporate tax cuts could be expected Nixon said it will take time. "We do expect to see the fruit of those coming tax cuts over the coming months," he said.

As to whether the UCP would bring in a sales tax, Nixon said it would be "against the law" because a referendum would be needed.

Opposition leader Rachel Notley was also interviewed. She outlined why her party is focusing on economic issues and raised concerns about a UCP policy proposal approved at the party's recent AGM to create a private health-care system alongside the public system.

You can watch all episodes of Under the Dome at edmontonjournal.com/underthedome or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Alberta NDP endorses nationalized auto insurance, calls for premium freeze
Lisa Johnson 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal 

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Wednesday that if private companies can't afford to cover drivers in Alberta it's time for the government to consider nationalized insurance.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley called on the UCP to freeze auto insurance premiums until 2021 on Wednesday, saying if private companies can’t afford to cover drivers in Alberta it’s time for public insurance.

Notley said government-run auto insurance is better for taxpayers, but it would be difficult to initiate while private companies occupy the market.

“When the insurance companies say (they) can’t possibly afford to provide insurance, ‘We’re going to leave the province,’ well, that sounds like it’s opening up a market for somebody else to provide something that would be less expensive and ensure that profits remain inside the province,” said Notley.

After the UCP government cancelled the former NDP government’s five per cent rate cap, it appointed a panel to look at what was ailing Alberta’s auto insurance market last December.

At the time, Finance Minister Travis Toews said offering government-run insurance such as B.C. and Saskatchewan do was not an option on the table. Jerrica Goodwin, the minister’s press secretary, confirmed Wednesday his previous remarks still stand.

In question period Wednesday, NDP Service Alberta critic Jon Carson called on the government to freeze rising auto insurance rates. Toews rejected the idea, saying any kind of rate cap would make the situation worse.

“The members opposite did not have the courage to fix the broken automobile insurance system,” said Toews, referring to Notley’s time in power.

The government is expected to introduce auto insurance reforms Thursday that Toews said will deal with the “cost pressures that are driving insurance premiums up in the province.”

But Notley said she is worried that the UCP government’s solution would be to capitulate to insurance companies at the expense of Albertans.

According to data from the General Insurance Statistical Agency , Alberta has the third-highest average rate of insurance premiums after British Columbia and Ontario, which saw an increase of $300 since 2015.

Industry representatives have argued that the former NDP government’s cap resulted in higher costs and less competition

Sobeys CEO is ready for grocers' code of conduct

The chief executive of Canada’s second-largest supermarket chain criticized two of his chief competitors on Wednesday for foisting a set of “repugnant” new fees on suppliers

.

© Provided by Financial Post

 'It’s a very complex industry and I don’t want unintended consequences

Michael Medline at Empire Co. Ltd. — which owns Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo — said the fees announced by both Walmart Canada and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. will hurt manufacturers, farmers and smaller grocers, and threaten to drive up prices for consumers.

“Taken to the extreme, some of these behaviours are just plain bad for Canada,” he said during a virtual event hosted by the Empire Club of Canada. “It’s just not right.”

Medline said Empire is now open to imposing a code of conduct in the industry, echoing manufacturing advocates that have been pressing the federal and provincial governments to rein in bullying tactics in the heavily consolidated grocery retail sector.

Loblaw follows Walmart in imposing new fees on suppliers to help pay for upgrades

Food fight in Aisle 3: Grocers, suppliers clash over need for code of conduct in Canada

‘Gap in legislation’: Stronger law needed to launch wage-fixing probe into grocers’ behaviour

“It’s a pretty exciting day,” said Michael Graydon, chief executive of Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada, one of the leading advocates for a grocery code. “I’m just absolutely delighted that he would come out publicly and have that conversation today.”

Medline, who was once CEO of Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. before joining Empire in 2017, said he finds that grocers and suppliers have “the worst relationship I’ve ever seen in my couple of decades in retail.”

His comments are liable to intensify the debate over an industry code of conduct, which ramped up in July after Walmart Canada imposed a non-negotiable fee on suppliers of up to 6.25 per cent on the cost of goods to help pay for its $3.5-billion infrastructure investment.

Manufacturing associations warned that other major chains would follow with similar fees and Loblaw last week told suppliers it would levy a new 1.2-per-cent fee, as well as increased distribution and marketing charges, noting it was investing $6 billion on infrastructure over the next five years.

“I don’t think a government unilaterally coming in and putting in legislation will probably help, because it’s a very complex industry and I don’t want unintended consequences,” Medline said. “It’s time that we got together as an industry and had a set of very simple, value-driven ground rules so that we don’t get in this mess and that we have a very healthy food supply chain.”

The federal government has said it does not have the jurisdiction to regulate the grocery industry, but encouraged the provinces to look into it.

In a letter this week, a coalition of trade groups representing farmers, food processors, bakers and independent grocers urged federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Ontario Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman to raise the issue when they co-chair the next Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food meeting in November.

© Kevin King/Postmedia/File Empire Co. Ltd., owner of supermarket chains Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo, said it would not be instituting a supplier charge.

“It is unfortunate to see grocers impose these costly fees during this pandemic,” Bibeau’s office said in an email on Wednesday. “We are pleased to see the interest from some of our provincial counterparts to examine this matter.”

Medline said he would be open to a “simple and short” code, similar to the model used in the United Kingdom. But he also said that the code would have to apply to all players in the industry, unlike the voluntary version used in Australia.

“It has to cut both ways,” he said. “Suppliers need to also promise to play fair.”

The moves by Walmart and Loblaw had some industry insiders questioning whether Empire was next. But Medline made it clear he would not follow suit, noting the company had worked closely with suppliers to manage massive demand spikes in the early days of the pandemic this spring.

Court rules that California Uber drivers could not establish 'political coercion'

© Reuters/BRENDAN MCDERMID A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc. on the day of it's IPO at the NYSE in New York

(Reuters) - A California court on Wednesday denied an application for a temporary restraining order by the state's Uber Technologies Inc drivers, saying the drivers could not establish the alleged "political coercion" by the ride-hailing company.

The drivers had last week sued Uber over in-app messages regarding an upcoming gig worker ballot measure that the drivers say violates a California law protecting their political rights.

The lawsuit had said that Uber was unlawfully pressuring drivers via the app to support the Nov. 3 company-sponsored ballot measure, known as Proposition 22. Uber had rejected those claims.

"The application for a temporary restraining order is denied", Richard Ulmer, judge of Superior Court of California for San Francisco County, said in his order.

The request for "extraordinary injunctive relief" is belated, the judge wrote, adding that the drivers could not establish if anyone was punished by Uber for advocating against Prop 22.

Prop 22 would overwrite California law AB5 intended to force Uber, Lyft Inc and other app-based companies to classify workers as employees, entitling them to benefits including minimum wage, overtime pay, health and unemployment insurance.

Uber and Lyft say such changes would force them to reduce their California driver base by more than 75% and prevent the majority of its drivers from enjoying their current flexibility and income opportunities.

Both companies have also threatened to leave the state if AB5 was enforced.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates have jointly spent close to $200 million to promote the ballot proposal and Uber has included messages in its driver app to promote it.

Last week, a California appeals court unanimously ruled against Uber and Lyft, saying they must reclassify their drivers in the state as employees, with both companies saying they were considering all legal options, including an appeal.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Husky pipeline spills 900,000 litres of produced water in northwestern Alberta



RAINBOW LAKE, Alta. — Husky Energy is cleaning up after one of its pipelines in northwestern Alberta spilled 900,000 litres of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction that sometimes contains residual petroleum and chemicals.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Calgary-based company said Wednesday it discovered the leak during a daily inspection on Monday morning and immediately shut down the pipeline.

The Alberta Energy Regulator said it happened about 15 kilometres southeast of the town of Rainbow Lake and that "salt/produced water" spilled into a low-lying wetland.

Husky spokeswoman Dawn Delaney said in a statement that the spill has been contained.

"Cleanup efforts continue, including the use of pumps and vacuum trucks. There have been no observed impacts to wildlife and fencing is in place to keep wildlife from the area," she said.

"Husky’s first priority is the safety of its people and the protection of the environment in the communities we operate in. We are undertaking a thorough investigation of this incident."

Husky initially reported a spill of 500,000 litres to the regulator, but Delaney said the amount was increased after an initial investigation.

The energy regulator has not confirmed the amount spilled or determined a cause, said spokesman Jordan Fitzgerald.

"The AER reviews the cause and circumstances of each incident," he said in a statement.

"If we determine that Husky is not in compliance with our requirements, we have a number of compliance and enforcement tools to bring them back into compliance."

That could include a warning, fine or prosecution.

In July 2016, a Husky pipeline spilled diluted heavy oil into the North Saskatchewan River, harming fish and wildlife and forcing three Saskatchewan cities to shut off their water intakes for almost two months.

Forty per cent of the 225,000 litres that spilled got into the major waterway near Maidstone, Sask.

The company was fined $3.8 million last year after it pleaded guilty to three environmental charges.

Cenovus Energy announced on the weekend that it had reached a deal to buy Husky for $3.8 billion in shares, which would make it the third-largest Canadian oil and gas producer by total output.

— By Lauren Krugel in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 28, 2020.