- NewsThe Canadian Press
Prince William says Diana's death was 'pain like no other'
LONDON — Prince William has spoken candidly about the death of his mother, Princess Diana, describing his bereavement as a "pain like no other pain."Speaking in a BBC documentary on mental health, William also says that his time working as an air ambulance pilot gave him the impression that death was just "around the door," and the thoughts had become a problem until he spoke with someone.The comments were part of a discussion about personal struggles that William shared with soccer stars Peter Crouch, Thierry Henry, Danny Rose, Jermaine Jenas and England's manager Gareth Southgate.Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, have championed the cause of addressing mental health issues, hoping their frank admissions on their own struggles will encourage others in need to seek help.The Associated Press
- NewsCBC
Zero-emission transport trucks set to hit Alberta roads
A new type of heavy transport truck will soon be on the road in Alberta and its drivers won't be fuelling up at gas stations. Transport trucks are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are scientifically linked to contributing to climate change. The project will develop two heavy-duty, 64-tonne hybrid trucks with hydrogen fuel cells.
- NewsCBC
'A voice to confront': One woman's journey to decolonize archeology
Sitting on the beach at Whey-ah-wichen, the site of an ancestral village of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and now a park in North Vancouver, Karen Rose Thomas seems at ease watching her two small children play with their grandmother. It's where Thomas' interest in archeology began and set in motion her journey to decolonize the field. "Archeologists will need to confront that relationship that Indigenous people have with our cultural heritage." Thomas said.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Ontario NDP slams impact of larger class mandate on Toronto secondary schools
Ontario's NDP education critic is criticizing the provincial government's decision to increase secondary school class sizes as more details emerge on the impacts of the move. Marit Stiles said in a release Saturday that "kids continue to pay the price" for Premier Doug Ford's education cuts. "The Ford Conservatives are ripping opportunities right out of the hands of Toronto high school students, who will have access to fewer options for elective courses and fewer sections for compulsory courses," she said.
- NewsCBC
For Tony Alcock, nephew of the first transatlantic pilot, flight is a family affair
Tony Alcock grew up hearing stories of the first transatlantic flight, but they weren't just tales told to a young boy interested in aviation — they were part of his family's history. Tony's uncle John Alcock, along with navigator Arthur Brown, made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919, flying from St. John's to Clifden, Ireland. A century later, Tony Alcock is in St. John's to mark the anniversary of his uncle's achievement, making him the first Alcock to return to Newfoundland since his uncle passed through the Narrows 100 years ago.
- NewsCBC
Winnipeg General Strike was 'large and difficult defeat' in 1919 but benefits workers today
The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike ended quietly five days after the violent confrontation on Bloody Saturday, with no concessions won by the workers and with many facing a bleak future. "First and foremost, the general strike was a large and difficult defeat for the workers involved," said Paul Moist, a Winnipegger and former national president of Canada's largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Having won the strike, Winnipeg employers set about to crush the spirit that gave birth to such a unified labour movement, wrote Doug Smith in his book, Let Us Rise: An illustrated history of the Manitoba labour movement.
- NewsCBC
Staging on a budget: Selling your home while pinching pennies
Mainstreet P.E.I. frugal columnist Liz MacKay offers some frugal tips for staging your home, based on advice she received from Kyle Kickham from Exit Realty and Kellie Houston of Provincial Realty. The first thing you want to do is just walk through your house and look at everything and see what needs to be repaired, MacKay says. "If it doesn't speak to you when you go buying, you're going to keep driving right or clicking," MacKay said.
- NewsCBC
Alberta Indigenous artisans selected to participate in trade mission to Tokyo
Three First Nation entrepreneurs from Alberta will join others from across Canada to showcase their art and culture in Japan in July. Founded by two First Nations members in Saskatchewan, Indig Inc. is an online marketplace for Indigenous artisans and buyers. The company partnered with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, which helps companies navigate international markets, to select 38 indigenous artisans, dancers, media reps and others to participate in a trade mission to Tokyo.
- NewsCBC
Province reverses funding agreement, will cause Sexal Assault Crisis Centre services to suffer
In any given year the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre in Windsor gets about 900 new cases a year.Each case requires multiple visits with professionals.The previous government held a review of sexual violence and domestic violence. Lydia Fiorini, the executive director of SACC said the government found out there is a high demand for service in those areas and funding wasn't meeting demand."We have a lot more sexual assaults than ever before and the complexities of sexual assault seem to be greater and greater," said Fiorini.As a result the government increased funding to the centre by around $144,000. There were signed letters of agreement saying the money was going to the centre. As of March 31, 2019, they were informed that money was no longer coming."We got zero dollars for this year. So as a result we will be operating with $100,000 deficit. This year coming we were promised $35,000 more," said Fiorini.The centre had to cut two part-time staff and will not be replacing a full-time position going on maternity leave, which drops their staff from nine full-time positions down to seven. Because of the lack of staff, Fiorini has had to revise offered services."Which will mean more demand on our current staff and waiting for services," said Fiorini.One of the workers dealt primarily with parents of children who were sexually abused."We won't be able to do that at least in the intensity that the program was offered and as a result we'll be cutting back," she said. "The other reality is we'll have to start looking at providing less and less service to people."She expects more people to be seen in groups because they won't have the resources to see them individually. It's also decreased brief interventions.Fiorini said they'll be "forced to do more with less."The funding comes through the justice surcharge fund, not tax-based dollars. Convicted offenders pay a fine and that money is distributed out to victim services, said Fiorini."We also understand that pot is going to be impacted as well."The centre has been trying to change the mindset of society. Initiatives like bringing consent programs to schools and finding ways to change people's views and behaviours so they don't commit these crimes."We have to understand those things have to exist in order for us to at least tackle this problem."The Ministry of the Attorney General said the Essex County sexual assault centre will be receiving more provincial funding this year than it received last year. It said the centre received $537,664 in provincial funding."This year, it will receive $568,391 from the Ministry of the Attorney General," said Brian Gray, spokesperson for the ministry.The government will not be "proceeding with the funding the prior government announced," but will invest another $1 million in sexual assault centre programming.
- NewsCBC
Brookside Drive roundabout in Fredericton delayed by the province
The project was for this year or next, according to Fredericton Coun. "I'm disappointed right, you know, it's time that the province invests in Fredericton," said Darrah, chair of the city's transportation committee. Since the Ring Road is a provincial road, the province is in charge of any changes made to the intersection and would foot the entire cost of a roundabout.
- NewsCBC
Jamming for a cause: Proceeds from NDG Porchfest to fund youth music program
Porchfest has become a surefire sign of spring in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, as locals and visitors wander around normally quiet side streets to find pop-up concerts on every block. Aurora Robinson, one of the event's co-ordinators, said the opening concert will start at 11 a.m. Saturday in Girouard Park, officially known as Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park, at the corner of Girouard and Sherbrooke streets. "I think it's an opportunity to wander around a really nice neighbourhood," she said.
NewsReutersU.S. embassy issues Indonesia security alert ahead of election results
The U.S. embassy in Jakarta has issued a security alert ahead of election results due on Wednesday, as Indonesian authorities have arrested nearly 30 suspected militants, including some who police say are able to detonate bombs using Wi-Fi networks. The embassy advised U.S. citizens to avoid areas where large demonstrations may occur in Jakarta, and in other cities including Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra, in a statement that was dated on Friday, May 17. Indonesian authorities have said they are heightening security ahead of May 22, when the official result of last month's presidential election will be announced.
- NewsCBC
From football star in Ottawa to gang life and death in Thunder Bay
Four years before Robenson Saint Jean was killed in Thunder Bay, he stood on an Ottawa stage as a nominee for a prestigious youth award recognizing his perseverance in overcoming a troubled childhood to find success on the football field. "The first step you have to take to change is realizing you have a problem," said Saint Jean, in the video.
- CBC
David Frum tells Wendy Mesley why a U.S. war with Iran would be a disaster
He helped pen the famous 'Axis of Evil' speech, but now says conflict with Iran would be a big mistake
- NewsCBC
New outdoor adventure group for teens in Bathurst
The City of Bathurst is expanding a new outdoor adventure group for teens. Called 4 Directions, the group offered its first excursions for young people 12 to 17 years old in 2018. This year, it plans several, including a five-day excursion on the Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail, rafting or canoeing down the Restigouche River, a three-day trip to Mactaquac for TreeGo and citizen science projects such as Bird Studies Canada surveys.
- NewsCBC
Magic day for fans of National Basketball League of Canada champs
Moncton Magic head coach Joe Salerno is still on cloud nine after his team won the National Basketball League of Canada championship. The Magic beat the St. John's Edge 130-120 Thursday night in Newfoundland, finishing off a four-game sweep of the best of seven league final. "A lot of pride comes out, a lot of emotions you know, and when you work so hard to accomplish a goal and you reach that goal it's just an unbelievable feeling," Salerno said.
- NewsCBC
What does it mean to lose a safe space? Moncton's LGBTQ community knows
A new generation of LGBTQ youth in Moncton are turning away from the traditional bar scene in search of new places to meet and be themselves. It was city's only gay bar. But with more young people coming out as transgender, and stronger laws protecting the LGBTQ community, many people don't see the same need for designated gay spaces. Cass Ward, 17, is a transgender student at Bernice McNaughton High School. He came out to his mother three years ago and was too young to look for social support at bars.
- NewsCBC
He used to be bullied for his stutter. Now this N.L. broadcaster is up for a national award
After five years at the station, his skills both in front of and behind the camera and microphone have earned him a nomination for a national award from an association of independent cable companies. "In class, I didn't want to read out," Hiscock said. As he matured, Hiscock developed his own techniques to improve his speech, some of which he still uses.
- NewsCBC
City of Montreal makes new push to discourage 'buttheads'
"We're spending $40 million a year to clean up the city, for the whole year," said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin. The city put out a call on social media this week, calling out "buttheads" who toss their cigarette butts on the ground instead of throwing them out in designated containers. "There are several hundred different types of toxic substances in those cigarette butts.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Pope urges foreign media to use power of press to seek truth
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged foreign correspondents on Saturday to humbly use the power of the press to search for the truth and give voice to the voiceless, saying journalism is an important tool to counter the hatred, prejudice and fake news.In an audience with the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Francis also urged journalists to not fall prey to sending click-bait headlines and half-reported stories, saying errors can not only misrepresent the truth but damage entire communities.He lamented attacks on journalists around the globe and assured reporters that the Catholic Church at large appreciated their work "even when you touch a raw nerve, including within the ecclesial community."While Francis meets with journalists regularly during his foreign trips, it was the first time a pope has received the Foreign Press Association, which represents journalists from more than 50 countries, since St. John Paul II in 1988.Francis kept his distance from the press in his native Argentina. But in the past year, he and his aides have repeatedly praised the role of the media in exposing the clergy abuse scandal and for reporting about the plight of migrants, "forgotten wars" and other cases of human suffering."We need journalists who are on the side of victims, on the side of those who are persecuted, excluded, thrown away and discriminated against," Francis told the roughly 400 journalists and their families in the frescoed Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace."We need you and your work to not forget so many situations of suffering that often are in the dark, or have light shining for a moment only to return to the darkness of indifference," he said.The association's president, Patricia Thomas of The Associated Press, told Francis that more and more journalists are being killed, threatened and imprisoned for merely reporting the news. But she said the threats weren't merely physical."Today in many parts of the world, journalists are being discredited daily, accused of spreading fake news that is really just news that people in power don't like," she said. "This process of delegitimization has had a corrosive effect, the dangers of which are obvious."Francis said a free press was indispensable to guard against authoritarianism."Let's not forget that in dictatorships, one of the first things they do is take away the freedom of the press or 'mask' and not allow a free press."But Francis also urged humility in reporting, saying reporters who think they know everything before they start out aren't doing their job. And he warned against parroting the hatred, vitriol and prejudices in the current public discourse, urging instead calibrated language that respects the dignity of all.Thomas invited Francis to visit the association's headquarters, on the appropriately named Via del'Umilta — Humble Street — and gave him an honorary press card to get in the door.The Associated Press
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Victoria looks to make city more inclusive for trans, non-binary and two-spirit residents
The city held the first of several community consultations earlier this week to hear suggestions on what would make their services, programs and spaces more inclusive. "This is the beginning of a really important conversation," said Marianne Alto, a Victoria city councillor who attended the consultation event on Tuesday.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
No longer in the dark: Navajo Nation homes get electricity
KAIBETO, Ariz. — Miranda Haskie sits amid the glow of candles at her kitchen table as the sun sinks into a deep blue horizon silhouetting juniper trees and a nearby mesa.Her husband, Jimmie Long, Jr., fishes for the wick to light a kerosene lamp as the couple and their 13-year-old son prepare to spend a final night without electricity.They're waiting for morning, when utility workers who recently installed four electric poles outside their double-wide house trailer will connect it to the power grid, meaning they will no longer be among the tens of thousands of people without power on the Navajo Nation, the country's largest American Indian reservation.Haskie and Long are getting their electricity this month thanks to a project to connect 300 homes with the help of volunteer utility crews from across the U.S.The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority typically connects from 400 to 450 homes a year, chipping away at the 15,000 scattered, rural homes without power on the 27,000-square-mile (43,000-square-kilometre) reservation that lies in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.At that rate, it will take the tribal utility about 35 more years to get electricity to the 60,000 of the reservation's 180,000 residents who don't have it.The couple's home at the end of rutted dirt roads outside the small town of Kaibeto was about a quarter-mile (0.4 kilometres) from the closest power line. Life disconnected from the grid in the high desert town dotted with canyons and mesas was simple and joyful but also inconvenient, they said."It's not that bad. Growing up, you get used to it, being raised like that," Long said.The family's weekday routine included showering, cooking and charging cellphones, battery packs and flashlights at Haskie's mother's house 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) away, down dirt roads that turn treacherous in stormy weather.Navajos without electricity also pack food or medication in coolers with ice or leave it outside in the wintertime. Children use dome lights in cars or kerosene lamps to do their homework at night. Some tribal members have small solar systems that deliver intermittent power.No electricity typically means no running water and a lack of overall economic development. Creating the infrastructure to reach the far-flung homes on the reservation is extremely costly.Hooking up a single home can cost up to $40,000 on the reservation where the annual, per-capita income is around $10,700 and half the workforce is unemployed, said Walter Haase, general manager of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.For the recent power hookup project called LightUpNavajo, the utility raised funds from an online campaign, collected donations from employees, businesses and communities, and used revenue from solar farms on the reservation to cover the utility's $3 million cost. Money that isn't raised will be borrowed and the repayment passed on to customers via their rates, Haase said. The project started in March and ends this month.The volunteer crews spent days on the reservation, learning about Navajo culture, the language and the landscape before setting out to job sites often hours away from their hotel rooms. Tribal utility crews had already performed much of the prep work, removing trees or stumps so the volunteers could focus on installing power poles and miles of electric line to connect homes.A four-man crew from Piqua, Ohio, weathered rain, dust storms and sandy terrain that threatened to bury their equipment as they travelled through the western part of the reservation in Arizona earlier this month. They heard from families who have waited months, years and a lifetime to get power. Navajos showed their appreciation to the crews with feasts of fry bread, steaks and steamed corn."It's kind of crazy to think about the different things you take for granted on a daily basis," said Ken Wagner, a journeyman lineman for Piqua Power System. At an appreciation dinner, his crew received gifts of posters with traditional Navajo sayings, turquoise jewelry, shirts and mugs.Among those getting electricity hookups were Vernon Smith and his wife, Bertha. They live in Salt Lake City but are preparing their home in Tuba City on the reservation for a move back. They became set on getting electricity when a kerosene lamp tipped over while she was napping and she feared the house would burn down.The wait for electricity took three years, but Vernon Smith called that "a miracle.""I couldn't believe it," he said in an interview, his face lighting up as recalled seeing the whirling blades of a ceiling fan in his reservation home for the first time. "I didn't think I was going to get electricity that fast."Haskie said she could live without electricity but that it's also exciting getting it."I can walk in, turn the light on without my son turning on the generator," she said.She's crafted a wish list that includes a blender, a coffee maker, a juice maker, a stand-up mixer and an espresso machine. Eventually, she'll subscribe to cable TV.The couple's son, Jayden, said he managed fine without power — using portable chargers for his cellphone. Some days, he fired up a gas generator that was hooked up to the home's electric panel to watch TV or turn on the light in his bedroom.But the generator's 5-gallon (19-litre) tank lasted less than a day and the cost of fuel meant it was used sparingly and mostly on the weekends.He's looked forward to taking eggs, bacon, steak, pork chops and hamburgers out of a refrigerator to cook whenever he wants.As of Thursday, the LightUpNavajo project hooked up 208 homes. Crews from 26 utilities in 12 states travelled to the reservation to help, installing 1,500 power line poles and more than 35 miles (56 kilometres) of electric lines.The project was designed with a $125,000 grant from the American Public Power Association. Mark Hyland, an association senior vice-president, said the group and the tribal utility will consider repeating it on the Navajo Nation, or using it as a model for other reservations or rural areas.On the morning that Haskie's and Long's home got power, journeyman lineman Justin Foutz with the Piqua utility slipped on a pair of gloves and grabbed an extendable, yellow tool to close a switch atop the utility pole and send power to the home."Coming in hot," he said.A few minutes later, electrician Delbert Graham knocked on the trailer's door."Hey, you're energized," he said. "Go ahead and turn on your main breaker."Using a flashlight inside the darkened house, Long flipped on the breaker, turned on the home's porch light and opened the door with a smile.Then the crew loaded up their utility trucks and headed toward the small community of Coppermine, about an hour's drive down the next dirt road, to connect more homes.Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press
NewsReutersOn Eurovision final day, Israelis cheer as Palestinians protest
Farther south, near Jaffa, an area of beach was sealed off for the “Eurovision Village” spectators pavilion. The 41-country international singing competition has been a focus of pro-Palestinian calls to stay away from this year's event, in protest against Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel says the calls to boycott the competition because it is being held in Israel are discriminatory and anti-Semitic, which the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement denies.
- NewsCBC
First Nations carver laments loss of western red cedars
If the day were to come when western red cedar no longer existed, it would be "detrimental" to First Nations people, says Timiskaming First Nation carver Dave Robinson. Robinson is a resident carver at the University of British Columbia and is currently working on a thesis project that includes a western red cedar sculpture. Robinson is from the Timiskaming First Nation in northwestern Quebec and currently carves on UBC campus as an artist-in-residence.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Canada's parole officers say correctional system has reached breaking point
Canada's parole officers say the country's corrections system is at a breaking point due to workloads that are "insurmountable" — a situation they say poses real risks to public safety. A recent survey of parole officers by the Union of Safety and Justice Employees suggested more than two-thirds of parole workers are worried they're not able to properly protect the public because they do not have time to adequately assess, supervise and prepare offenders for release.
