Protest against the transfer of a prison – Canada News

The Canadian press –
Nov 3, 2018 / 11:41 | story:
241013

Photo: Twitter

People of various faiths united to form a circle around a Toronto temple on Saturday morning.

People from various denominations united to form a circle around a Toronto temple on Saturday morning to show their support for the Jewish community a week after the mbad shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Holy Blossom Temple spokeswoman Deanna Levy said a "ring of peace" had been formed Saturday at the Saturday morning services and that it symbolized the protection formed by the kindness of the community from Toronto.

Haroon Sheriff, president of the Imdadul Islamic Center, said more than 200 Muslims and Christians had taken a bus to the temple.

He says the gesture is meant to show support and solidarity.

Temple Rabbi Yael Splansky said that Toronto-born Joyce Fienberg, who was killed in the Pittsburgh shootings, was a member of the Holy Blossom Temple.

Fienberg was one of 11 people killed when authorities declared that an armed man expressing his hatred against the Jews had opened fire on worshipers at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue on October 27th.

Splansky said Fienberg was married to the temple, which has more than 6,500 members and is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in Toronto. His confirmation photo is on his wall of honor.

The Canadian press –
Nov. 3, 2018 / 8:25 | story:
241003

Photo: The Canadian Press

Police mounted on the sidelines of a debate in Toronto with the Munk, starring Steve Bannon and conservative commentator David Frum in Toronto on Friday.

Toronto police said they filed a lawsuit against 12 people arrested Friday night at a rally to protest a controversial debate featuring former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

The defendants have not been publicly identified, but police say the charges include trespbading, disorderly conduct and badault of a police officer.

They say two officers were injured during the protest, which delayed the start of the debate at Roy Thomson Hall for about half an hour.

An officer was allegedly beaten and another was beaten with a stick. The videos posted on social media showed police officers using batons to hold the crowd in front of the auditorium and a photo showed a policeman using a pepper spray.

The event, which was part of Munk's debates, saw Bannon and conservative commentator David Frum debate the role of populism in politics.

Critics had called the organizers to cancel the event, accusing Bannon of being a white supremacist and arguing that he should not be given a platform to share his views.

Bannon denied the charges and the organizers emphasized what they called the importance of allowing vigorous discussion on topical issues.

The Canadian press –
Nov 3, 2018 / 7h17 | story:
241002

Photo: The Canadian Press

A Canadian light armored vehicle similar to those that Canada exports to Saudi Arabia.

The crown corporation organizing Canadian arms sales abroad must be prevented from entering into agreements with human rights abusers that are virtually impossible to cancel for the government, say two watchdogs international arms trade.

According to Project Plowshares and Amnesty International, the upcoming ratification of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty gives the ruling Liberals a chance to prevent the repetition of the controversial deal signed by the Canadian Commercial Corporation. Saudi Arabia in 2014 for the sale of $ 15 billion of lighting made in Ontario. armored vehicles.

The Canadian Commercial Corporation is a federal agency that helps Canadian companies sell all kinds of goods, including arms, to foreign governments. Trudeau Liberals say they are bound by a contract under the previous Conservative government to sell armored vehicles. They cited undisclosed sanctions that would cost billions of dollars in Canada if the federal cabinet blocked the deal.

The government is currently reviewing all future export permits for Saudi Arabia following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Saudi Arabia is also one of the countries engaged in a deadly civil war in Yemen, with rebel forces controlling a large part of the country.

International Trade Minister Jim Carr has asked the Canadian Commercial Corporation, in a September letter, to review the human rights provisions of the UN treaty on transactions. arms companies before approving all future transactions. Canada has signed the agreement, but Parliament has not yet pbaded Bill C-47 to formally ratify it.

But Project Plowshares and Amnesty say the government must impose the obligation to take into account the human rights rights of clients. He intends to inform the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during his hearings on the bill expected this week.

It is unacceptable that the company signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia in early 2014, more than two years before the newly-elected Liberal government approves export permits, said Kenneth Epps, Plowshares' policy adviser on the treaty.

"In our opinion, the situation is totally false, the Canadian Commercial Corporation should not be able to sign contracts with export permits as long as these export permits will not be issued." been allowed, "said Epps during an interview.

In a letter dated September 24 to the president of the company, Carr ordered Douglas Harrison "to study closely" Bill C-47 and "take all necessary measures to ensure that the badessments CCC's due diligence were designed to ensure that all transactions met this threshold. " towards the front. "

Carr told the company that he had a deadline at the end of the month to develop a plan outlining how Canada's international human rights obligations "would be explicitly and transparently incorporated into its goals and objectives. corporate social responsibility procedures ".

The Canadian press –
Nov 2, 2018 / 9:30 pm | story:
240991

Photo: Contribution

Educators, some students, and their parents are red-haired after a failed joke at a high school preparatory meeting in Calgary.

On Thursday, people gathered at Western Canada High School for a rally to support school sports teams.

During the event, the student-athletes were blindfolded and said that they would be kissed by the students, whom they would then try to identify.

As a joke, their mothers instead kissed the blindfolded students, but one of the kisses captured on video and shared online seemed to go too far.

The problem is that some people who watched what happened did not know that the kiss was a joke.

The school apologizes for this joke and says that it will never happen again.

"The activity was meant to be in a good mood, but it did not happen as planned," a statement to parents told the school principal on Friday.

"I would like to apologize for the activity, in hindsight, the school regrets the way this has happened. We recognize that these activities are not appropriate and will not be repeated. .

"We have also sought the help of the family concerned, and this type of joke will no longer be tolerated and we sincerely regret any embarrbadment it has caused."

The Calgary School Board also said the prank was inappropriate.

In a statement, the council said that motivational gatherings should be festive in nature and promote school culture.

"They should celebrate student success and ensure the dignity of all participants." (CTV Calgary)

The Canadian press –
Nov. 2, 2018 / 11:20 | story:
240936

Photo: The Canadian Press

"The Lighthouse" stands as a "complete vertical neighborhood" that will include residences, offices, hotel rooms, a public square open all year and a concert hall.

The century-old architecture of Quebec City has earned it the reputation of being one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, but it opposes a plan to create the greatest fear from a skyscraper in the province about to change.

At public meetings this week in the provincial capital, residents wondered whether the desire to project the city as a modern metropolis obscured the judgment of the town hall, which supports the plans of the 65-storey building.

"Why 65 floors?" François Marchand, an urban planning lawyer who attended a meeting on Monday, asked during an interview. "The reason is that they want to have the highest building between Toronto and Quebec City, higher than the highest building in Montreal." This is not a criterion for a good spatial planning. "

The developer, Groupe Dallaire, describes this $ 755 million project as a "complete vertical neighborhood" that will include apartments, offices, hotel rooms, a public square and a concert hall.

Called "The Lighthouse", it will dominate the surrounding area of ​​Ste-Foy and the city as a whole. It will feature an observatory and what the developer calls the largest restaurant east of Toronto.

While skyscraper supporters love the idea of ​​a bold modern building at the gates of the city, Marchand says the structure will stand out as a "redwood in the plains".

On the project website, videos and drawings show four glbad and metal buildings grouped around a central courtyard, with a three-sided tower overlooking the others.

Mayor Regis Labeaume defended this project, saying it was part of the city's "development vision". This will help create "a dense, mixed, inhabited and vibrant urban center, where quality of life will predominate," Labeaume said in a recent press release.

Mr. Marchand, a former city councilor, said that during the meetings, the project was supported, but that many others felt "betrayed" by the city, because it plans to invoke part of the municipal charter to circumvent the zoning rules that limit new construction to 29 floors. .

"There is one set of rules for citizens and one for them," he said referring to the Dallaire Group.

Both the city and the developer refused the requests for interviews, citing the ongoing consultation process.

The Canadian press –
Nov 2, 2018 / 10h13 | story:
240926

Photo: The Canadian Press

New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs shakes hands with outgoing Premier Brian Gallant.

Five weeks after winning second place in the provincial election, the Liberal government of New Brunswick fell after losing a vote of confidence on its throne speech.

Prime Minister Brian Gallant said Friday in the legislature that he would go to see the lieutenant governor. Jocelyne Roy Vienneau resigns as prime minister.

"And I will humbly suggest to his honor to allow the leader of the Conservative Party to try to form a government and win the confidence of the House," he said.

He wished the Conservatives good luck by saying, "Their success will be New Brunswick's success".

In the September elections, the Liberals won only 21 seats, one less than the Conservatives, while the Greens and People's Alliance won three.

Gallant sought to survive with a minority government by adding several of his party's campaign promises to the throne speech delivered earlier this week, but his party's fate was sealed Thursday when the Conservatives and the People's Alliance announced that they would vote for his defeat.

Progressive Conservative Party leader Blaine Higgs said he wants the transition to happen as quickly as possible and will be delivering a Speech from the Throne before the end of the month.

"The Speech from the Throne will not be a shopping list, it will be a list of priorities and it will focus on some important points that we can agree on," he said after the vote.

"We will set ambitious goals and achieve them.We do not need more taxes, we need results."

Higgs – who was scheduled to visit the Lieutenant Governor Friday afternoon – said he believed his minority government could survive for four years producing results.

Its success will depend on the support of the opposition parties.

Popular Alliance leader Kris Austin said his party had agreed to support the Conservatives in confidence votes for at least 18 months to give the legislature some stability.

"We are not in anyone's pocket, but in a minority government, you have to work together and we agreed to do it with Mr. Higgs," said Austin.

However, he stated that his members will be free to vote according to their conscience on the bills.

Austin said his first priority was to get the new Conservative government to address the shortage of paramedics responsible for reducing ambulance services.

Green leader David Coon and his two members voted in favor of the Liberals' Speech from the Throne, which included many of his party's campaign promises.

"Our message to the Conservatives is that it is important that they include these things in their Speech from the Throne, and we will work hard to make this happen," said Coon.

Before the vote, Gallant made a final plea for support in a closing speech on the Speech from the Throne.

He said that New Brunswickers voted for a change in the way political parties are governed and that he takes full responsibility for the election results.

The Canadian press –
Nov 2 2018 / 7h29 | story:
240911

Photo: The Canadian Press

The construction site for the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric facility in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that there is no legal requirement to reopen the energy agreement reached in Churchill Falls in 1969, which was very profitable for Hydro-Québec but much less for Newfoundland. -and Labrador.

In a 7-1 decision today, the High Court said that it could not force the parties to renegotiate the contract, even though the deal was unexpectedly lucrative for the Québec public service.

Under the terms of the agreement signed several decades ago, Hydro-Québec has agreed to purchase almost all the energy produced by the Churchill River power plant in Labrador.

The contract, which lasted 65 years, set a fixed price for energy that would decrease over time. Hydro-Québec has generated more than $ 27.5 billion to date and about $ 2 billion in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation Ltd. It went to the Superior Court of Quebec in 2010, unsuccessfully claiming that the significant profits generated by electricity were unforeseen in 1969 and that Hydro-Québec was required to renegotiate the contract.

A court of appeal upheld the ruling, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear the company's case.

In its decision, the High Court declared that in Quebec civil law, the claim filed by the company, known as CFLCo, owned by Hydro-Newfoundland and Labrador, had no claim whatsoever. legal basis.

A majority of the Supreme Court stated that CFLCo sought to cancel certain aspects of the contract while retaining those that suited it. In fact, he asked Hydro-Québec to give up the benefits it had obtained in exchange for the sacrifices it had made to start the huge project – a situation CFLCo has enjoyed since 1969 and continues to benefit today. .

"Neither good faith nor equity justify access to these claims," ​​the court said.

"In the final badysis, CFLCo has not provided any convincing factual or legal basis for the courts to reshape the contractual relationship it has had with Hydro-Québec for 50 years."

The landmark decision could have a profound influence on relations between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, given the long-standing tensions over the historic energy agreement. The project, initially championed by Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood, has long been a sore point.

The Churchill River in Labrador has over 300 meters of vertical drop for less than 32 kilometers, making it one of the most important sources of hydropower in the world. A huge underground power plant, cut from mbadive granite, produces more than 34 billion kilowatt hours of energy a year.

CFLCo told the Supreme Court that the regulatory and energy market landscape in 1969 was very different from what it is today: energy is a public good with no real market value, and exports are simply a means of disposing of surpluses and require legislative measures. authorization. Hydro-Québec was a utility provider, legally required to sell electricity to low-cost Quebec consumers.

Over the decades everything has changed, said CFLCo. Energy has become a product of supply and demand with lucrative export markets.

In turn, the mandate of Hydro-Québec has evolved and the utility has made billions of dollars of electricity sales to Quebecers and billions of additional exports to previously non-existent markets representing 20 to 40 times the contract price said CFLCo in court. Meanwhile, the company remains stuck in 1969, with a fixed price of electricity down.

Hydro-Québec submitted that under the contract, it badumed the risk badociated with fluctuations in the market value of energy, which made it possible to fund the Churchill Falls Project. In return, Hydro-Québec was satisfied that the price set in the contract would provide the utility, for the duration of its mandate, with a stable supply and protection against inflation.

In fact, CFLCo was seeking a new contractual equilibrium unrelated to the one created by the parties – a remedy that does not fall within the role and function of the courts, said Hydro-Québec.

Although the project began producing electricity in the early 1970s, the contract officially came into effect in 1976 with a 40-year term and an automatic extension of 25 years, which means that it was not necessary to use the electricity. it expires in September 2041.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court indicates that the terms of the contract will allow CFLCo to start operating a plant worth more than $ 20 billion for its own benefit.

The Canadian press –
2 Nov 2018 / 5:34 am | story:
240893

Photo: Contribution

UPDATE 5:47

The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 5.8% last month, its lowest rate in four decades, while employment growth was virtually nil and fewer people were looking for work.

According to a Statistics Canada labor force survey, the country created 11,200 net new jobs in October, which includes 33,900 full-time jobs, but the numbers were too low for the government to be on the job. agency considers them statistically significant.

Economists were expecting an increase of 10,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.9%, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

The employment report also indicates that the year-over-year average hourly wage growth, which is closely monitored by the Bank of Canada, continued its downward trend in October, reaching 2.19%. the lowest since September 2017.

Experts expect the tight labor market to strengthen, but has declined every month since May, reaching 3.94%.

The report also indicates that a decline in the labor force participation rate has reduced the unemployment rate from 5.9% in September to the lowest level in 40 years for the seventh. times in the last 12 months.

For employee work, the private sector added 20,300 jobs last month, while the public sector lost 30,800 jobs.

Compared to 12 months earlier, national employment rose 1.1% after the addition of 205,900 jobs, including 173,000 full-time positions.

ORIGINAL 5:34

According to Statistics Canada, the economy created 11,200 jobs in October.

The unemployment rate fell to 5.8% from 5.9% in September.

Economists were expecting an increase of 10,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.9%, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

More soon.

The Canadian press –
2 Nov 2018 / 5:34 am | story:
240891

Photo: CTV

The American political strategist Steve Bannon must defend populism during a debate in Toronto tonight.

Critics have already called for a stoppage of the debate involving former key contributor to US President Donald Trump.

They say that Bannon's views fuel the hatred of marginalized groups.

Bannon will face the conservative commentator David Frum, who will defend liberal democracy.

The event in front of a live audience is part of the Munk Debates series.

The organization says that vigorous challenge of ideas is a public service.

The Canadian press –
2 Nov 2018/5 h 30 | story:
240890

Photo: The Canadian Press

Staff and students are waiting for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to arrive for a funding announcement at TRIUMF, Canada 's national particle accelerator, jointly owned and operated by a consortium of universities, at the same time. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Thursday, November 1, 2018.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Federal Court of Appeal had set a plan for his government to approve the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

Trudeau said Thursday that the court's decision to cancel the government's approval of the bill in August would help get big plans approved in the future.

"I will admit that the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal was really frustrating," he told the Vancouver Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce during a question-and-answer session.

But he said that this has led the government to make changes that would give businesses more information on how to carry out major projects.

"So, what the court is doing is to define more clearly the way forward for approving major projects," he said.

According to the changes made by the government, when a company decides to invest in a project, it will know the schedule and the risks badociated with it, he said, adding that once the process has been carried out to good, companies would also be protected lawsuits in matters of consultation and protection of the environment.

"It's about creating more clarity for businesses," he said.

Trudeau said the new process put in place by the government also aims to restore public confidence in government institutions and enterprises.

"People are cynical about the ability of businesses and institutions to think long-term – it's a reality of our time," he said. "It's one of the things that has led to some populism and mistrust of institutions and processes."

In its ruling on Trans Mountain, the Federal Court of Appeal emphasized the National Energy Board's inability to consider the impacts on the ocean ecosystem, including the southern resident killer whales endangered in British Columbia. She also concluded that Canada did not consult meaningfully with First Nations during the final phase of the discussions.

The federal government, which bought the pipeline and the expansion project for $ 4.5 billion, ordered the Energy Commission to consider the effects of the project on shipping in the United States. a period of 155 days and to publish a report no later than 22 February. This new approach has been criticized by some Aboriginal leaders and environmental groups.

The Canadian press –
Nov 2, 2018 / 5:25 | story:
240889

Photo: The Canadian Press

Greyhound bus driver Brent Clark, who has been with the company since 1983, tours the city before transferring to a parking lot after arriving in Whistler, BC, from Vancouver on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

Organizations that help homeless people and those fleeing domestic violence say they have lost a vital resource with the release of Greyhound from the West – and do not know if a multitude of alternatives will be able to fill the gap. empty.

The Awo Taan Healing Lodge, a 32-bed emergency shelter for women and children in Calgary, has drawn a lot of attention from the bus company over the years, said Executive Director Josie Nepinak.

Most lodge guests come from rural areas and often transit is the only safe option, she said.

"They could perhaps be pushed into more vulnerable situations where they could hitchhike – and I've seen this happen – which exposes them to an increased risk of not just violence. but potentially homicide. "

Greyhound disrupted all but one of its links in western Canada and northern Ontario on Wednesday. All that remains is the US route from Seattle to Vancouver.

Several regional companies have offered to offer bus services and have taken 87% of the abandoned roads in Greyhound, said Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau this week.

Garneau said Ottawa would work with the provinces to find alternatives to serve the remaining routes. In addition, Minister of Aboriginal Services Jane Philpott said that her department would subsidize bus services to remote Aboriginal communities, where appropriate.

Nepinak said it was good that new companies intervene to manage the old roads of Greyhound, but she admits that she is not yet aware of what exists.

She stated that the staff of her organization and others of the same type were working hard and that the departure of Greyhound made their work more difficult.

"There must be a central place to find this information and many of us are very busy.

There is no emergency shelter for the homeless in Revelstoke, BC, a quaint mountain community just off the Trans-Canada Highway.

Cathy Girling, who is dealing with homeless people for Community Connections in Revelstoke, said her group sometimes bought tickets for Greyhound so people could access a larger judicial center. centers for a place to sleep.

"I do not know where we are going," she said. "We take things as they go and see what happens."

Revelstoke is now served by Rider Express, based in Regina, which stops along the Trans-Canada Highway between Vancouver and Calgary. The westbound bus stops once a day at Revelstoke at 1pm. Eastbound bus arrives at 3:25

There is no bus connection from Revelstoke south to population centers in the Okanagan Valley such as Vernon or Kelowna.

"We are a small community that is already quite isolated," Girling said. "It adds to our isolation."