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OTTAWA — The federal Liberals have used an unpopular tool to limit time for debate in the House of Commons on a bill that would harmonize Canada's laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.The Liberals successfully passed a motion Thursday to impose closure on the opening round of debate on Bill C-15 in order to put it to a vote and move it along to a Commons committee for further scrutiny.The minority Liberal government received the support of the NDP to pass the time allocation motion, which will allow one additional day of debate before the bill is sent to committee.Conservative and Bloc MPs voted against limiting debate on the bill.Justice Minister David Lametti accused the Conservatives of using "dilatory tactics" to stall any and all Liberal government legislation. He stressed the aim of the time allocation motion was to ensure swift passage of the long-awaited UNDRIP bill. "This is a positive way forward, this is long overdue, there are no surprises in this bill … this is the time to do our best as parliamentarians to move this forward," Lametti said.The Commons, meanwhile, overwelmingly passed another bill Thursday that has been stalled for months.C-14, which would implement emergency pandemic aid and other measures contained in last fall's economic statement, passed by a vote of 210-118, with support from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois. The Conservatives voted against it. The bill now moves to scrutiny by the Senate.The move to limit debate on Bill C-15 came just two days after Indigenous leaders expressed concern that the bill, stalled at second reading since it was introduced in December, might never make it through the all the legislative hoops before a possible election, which would kill it.C-15 represents the third attempt to have Parliament approve implementation of the UN declaration in Canada.Former NDP MP Romeo Saganash introduced two private member's bills to implement UNDRIP, the first defeated at second reading in the Commons in 2014 and the second stalling in the Senate just before the 2019 election.This time, the Liberals have essentially turned Saganash's bill into a government bill.The UN declaration, which Canada endorsed in 2010, affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.It also spells out the need for free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples on anything that infringes on their lands or rights.The bill does not include a definition of consent, raising objections from Conservatives who fear it would give First Nations a veto over natural resource development projects.Their concerns have been dismissed as "fearmongering" by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former judge who helped draft similar legislation in British Columbia in 2019.The bill would simply put into operation policies and processes to ensure First Nations are involved at the outset when it comes to decisions regarding their existing land, title and human rights, she told a Commons committee last week.Many legal experts believe this could lead to fewer conflicts and less litigation, especially on issues of resource development.NDP MP Leah Gazan, who voted with her caucus in favour of time allocation Thursday, said she believes there could have been a better path for the government's UNDRIP bill."I want to get this through the Senate this time… I fundamentally believe the need for legislation that is going to help us create a framework to acknowledge Indigenous rights and title in this country is absolutely imperative," she said."I’m just really disappointed that this is the only way that the government sees this bill being able to go through."Conservative MPs, meanwhile, expressed concern over the bill, noting objections from some individual First Nations and Indigenous elders, who say they have not been sufficiently consulted.Lametti stressed that "robust consultations" will continue through the legislative progress of the bill and will also continue on an action plan promised within the new law that will set out how it is implemented.The plan had been to introduce an earlier draft of the UNDRIP bill last year, Lametti said, but these plans were sidetracked by the COVID-19 pandemic."I don’t like time allocation any more than the next member of Parliament and I would like to see everything debated fulsomely," he said."But there is a responsibility in debate… not just with prepared talking points but with actual new arguments and we’re not getting that from the Conservative party, we’re getting arguments repeated ad nauseam for the purposes of delaying and delaying and delaying."This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2021. Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press
Daimler AG on Thursday unveiled the electric "sibling" of its flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan, taking the fight to market-leader Tesla Inc in the battle for market share as electric car sales take off. The EQS is the first in a family of Mercedes-Benz cars built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform built from the ground up. Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the European Union almost trebled to over 1 million vehicles last year, accounting for more than 10% of overall sales.
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 15, 2021. There are 1,087,152 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 1,087,152 confirmed cases (80,201 active, 983,506 resolved, 23,445 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 8,590 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 211.03 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 59,113 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 8,445. There were 53 new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 272 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 39. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.1 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 61.69 per 100,000 people. There have been 29,363,293 tests completed. _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,034 confirmed cases (18 active, 1,010 resolved, six deaths). There were three new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 3.45 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 13 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 1.15 per 100,000 people. There have been 229,026 tests completed. _ Prince Edward Island: 165 confirmed cases (six active, 159 resolved, zero deaths). There were zero new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 3.76 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of five new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 132,097 tests completed. _ Nova Scotia: 1,783 confirmed cases (42 active, 1,675 resolved, 66 deaths). There were two new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 4.29 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 34 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is five. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 6.74 per 100,000 people. There have been 454,970 tests completed. _ New Brunswick: 1,752 confirmed cases (142 active, 1,577 resolved, 33 deaths). There were 16 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 18.17 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 73 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 10. There were zero new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of two new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.04 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 4.22 per 100,000 people. There have been 278,484 tests completed. _ Quebec: 331,031 confirmed cases (13,660 active, 306,608 resolved, 10,763 deaths). There were 1,559 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 159.31 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 11,229 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,604. There were seven new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 54 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is eight. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 125.52 per 100,000 people. There have been 7,638,706 tests completed. _ Ontario: 398,835 confirmed cases (36,808 active, 354,417 resolved, 7,610 deaths). There were 4,156 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 249.82 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 28,018 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 4,003. There were 28 new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 135 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 19. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.13 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 51.65 per 100,000 people. There have been 13,087,321 tests completed. _ Manitoba: 35,539 confirmed cases (1,439 active, 33,146 resolved, 954 deaths). There were 80 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 104.33 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 885 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 126. There were three new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 11 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 69.17 per 100,000 people. There have been 617,554 tests completed. _ Saskatchewan: 37,085 confirmed cases (2,525 active, 34,102 resolved, 458 deaths). There were 193 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 214.22 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,914 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 273. There was one new reported death Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 13 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.16 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 38.86 per 100,000 people. There have been 709,016 tests completed. _ Alberta: 164,531 confirmed cases (15,569 active, 146,933 resolved, 2,029 deaths). There were 1,412 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 352.09 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 9,055 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,294. There were eight new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 27 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 45.89 per 100,000 people. There have been 3,863,365 tests completed. _ British Columbia: 114,870 confirmed cases (9,989 active, 103,360 resolved, 1,521 deaths). There were 1,168 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 194.05 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 7,885 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,126. There were six new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 30 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.08 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 29.55 per 100,000 people. There have been 2,317,181 tests completed. _ Yukon: 76 confirmed cases (two active, 73 resolved, one death). There was one new case Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 4.76 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been two new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.38 per 100,000 people. There have been 8,706 tests completed. _ Northwest Territories: 43 confirmed cases (one active, 42 resolved, zero deaths). There were zero new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 2.21 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 16,734 tests completed. _ Nunavut: 395 confirmed cases (zero active, 391 resolved, four deaths). There were zero new cases Wednesday. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 10.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 10,057 tests completed. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published April 15, 2021. The Canadian Press
The young mother was trying to get home with food for her two children when she says soldiers pulled her off a minibus in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, claiming it was overloaded. The woman, 27, is among hundreds who have reported that they were subjected to horrific sexual violence by Ethiopian and allied Eritrean soldiers after fighting broke out in November in the mountainous northern region of Ethiopia, doctors said. Some women were held captive for extended periods, days or weeks at a time, said Dr Fasika Amdeselassie, the top public health official for the government-appointed interim administration in Tigray.
Deputy leader of the Opposition Candice Bergen criticized Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland during question period on Thursday for comments last week that COVID-19 had created a "window of political opportunity and maybe an epiphany" on child care, saying the comments were a "ridiculous thing" to say and questioned the purpose of the comment given the impact the pandemic has had.
Three people have been arrested following reports of a person with a weapon in Saint John on Thursday afternoon, police say. The Saint John Police Force responded to Charlotte Street in the south end just after 2:30 p.m. in response to reports of a person with a weapon and "a short time later, a suspect was located in a nearby building," said Jim Hennessy, spokesperson for the force, in a news release. Three people were taken into custody just after 3:30 p.m., he said. Members of the Patrol Unit and Emergency Tactical Services were called and cleared the scene just before 5 p.m. without incident, Hennessy said. In an email, Hennessy said he couldn't share information on the persons arrested as police are investigating the incident.
HALIFAX — A Mi'kmaq man who has been battling for Indigenous fishing rights says the recent seizure of his crab traps suggests Ottawa is becoming more aggressive on the water. Robert Syliboy said in an interview Tuesday that Fisheries Department officers in a Canadian Coast Guard vessel confiscated two of his $400 traps set in waters off Sherbrooke, N.S., last weekend. The 27-year-old fisherman from Sipekne'katik First Nation says his chief had authorized the setting of the 10 traps as a food, social and ceremonial fishery for the community in central Nova Scotia. "I told fisheries officers I was fishing under the chief and council's authority, and all the fish was going for food," Syliboy said. "They disregarded the treaty I was fishing under." The Indigenous band has cited Supreme Court of Canada rulings, including the Sparrow case in 1990, as affirmations of the Mi'kmaq practice of harvesting fish for ceremonies, food and gatherings. Last fall, Syliboy was among the more prominent Mi'kmaq fishers who attempted to launch a self-regulated lobster fishery off southwest Nova Scotia. One of his vessels caught fire at the wharf and was damaged beyond repair. The federal Fisheries Department says it believes existing law means Sipekne'katik requires a communal licence for fishing snow crab under provisions of the federal Fisheries Act. Spokeswoman Megan Gallant said by email that the band doesn't have such a licence. The department says on its website that it retains the right to regulate Indigenous fisheries for conservation purposes under both the Sparrow decision and the more recent Donald Marshall Jr. decision, which allowed Indigenous fishing in pursuit of a moderate livelihood. Gallant said on Wednesday that fishery officers first warned Syliboy against fishing in an April 6 phone call, and that his snow crab traps were seized the following weekend. "These operations are part of routine gear inspections by fishery officers to ensure compliance with the Fisheries Act and associated regulations," she wrote. Syliboy said he disagrees with the federal interpretation of the Supreme Court's rulings, arguing he retains the right to operate without a federally approved licence if his band has authorized him to fish. As the possibility of another season of unrest off southwestern Nova Scotia approaches, the fisher said he believes the enforcement action signals Ottawa will not tolerate self-regulated Indigenous fisheries. "The (coast guard vessel) was very close to my vessel. It was more intimidation than anything, I think. They were on a 100-foot vessel doing circles around me," he said. "I believe it's getting worse for Mi'kmaq fishers and not better. It's becoming harder to access waters." Syliboy said he would be pleased to go to court and argue against the seizures, as he feels existing judicial rulings support his view. However, Colin Sproul, a spokesman for the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance — a lobby group representing various non-Indigenous, commercial fishers — said Ottawa's right to regulate remains a key part of Supreme Court of Canada decisions. "The Sparrow decision is very clear that the right of First Nations are administered through the federal government and the minister, and that she has the ultimate authority for conservation," he said. Asked whether setting 10 traps for a community feast poses a conservation issue, Sproul responded, "there is a conservation issue on every single pound of fish taken out of the ocean." He said all uses of the resource need to be accounted for "so that all the participants can make responsible management decisions." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2021. Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and former New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez called off their engagement because "we are better as friends," announcing the breakup on Thursday just months after denying their four-year relationship was on the rocks. “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," Lopez, 51, also known by her nickname J.Lo, and Rodriguez, 45, known as A-Rod, said in a joint statement. "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects,” Lopez and Rodriguez said.
DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Erling Haaland walked off the field looking physically and emotionally drained, clutching a shirt he’d been given by an opponent after Borussia Dortmund lost to Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals. Haaland may have his own City shirt next season. Dortmund is in danger of failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League for the first time since 2010-11, and that could fracture the squad. The club is in fifth place in the Bundesliga with six games left to make up a seven-point gap for the final Champions League place. With each loss, the chance of seeing Haaland in the yellow and black of Dortmund next season seems to drop further. Players like Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Gio Reyna didn’t choose Dortmund so they could play in the Europa League. Haaland’s agent has already made it clear he is looking at other clubs for his client, and there’s no lack of interest. City manager Pep Guardiola raved about the 20-year-old Haaland’s talent, and Bellingham’s, too, after the win Wednesday in Dortmund. That all raises the question of what Dortmund is trying to achieve. At its best, the team is exhilarating to watch, the young stars combining with more experienced players such as Marco Reus to produce exciting soccer and challenge for trophies — but never quite win them. At its worst, it’s an underperforming team trapped in an endless rebuild as bigger clubs pick off its best players. The rise of Leipzig means there’s now another German club following a Dortmund-style model of focusing on young talent, but with more league success. Dortmund is making a show of stability. Sporting director Michael Zorc insisted last week that the club plans to keep Haaland in its squad next season. Club officials point to Dortmund’s healthy financial position amid the coronavirus pandemic, a relic of past big sales like Ousmane Dembele’s move to Barcelona in 2017. Addressing “the rich clubs in the world,” CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told the BBC on Wednesday that Dortmund could not be browbeaten into selling players at a discount. “They must know this is the price. It is not another price,” he said, pointing to last year’s prolonged and ultimately fruitless talks with Manchester United over Sancho. Dortmund has also made some missteps when it comes to coaches. Before he was fired in December, Lucien Favre’s two-year tenure produced spectacular high-scoring games, but also farcical defensive collapses. Dortmund named Edin Terzic as interim coach and went about seeking a successor, settling on Marco Rose for next season. Since that move was announced in February, though, Rose has won only two of 10 games with Borussia Mönchengladbach while Terzic has won praise for his Dortmund team’s combative performance against City. Dortmund’s game against Werder Bremen on Sunday could offer the ideal breather after the Champions League exit. Bremen has lost its last four league games and Dortmund could cut the gap to the top four if third-place Wolfsburg drops points against leader Bayern Munich. If Dortmund can’t beat Bremen, though, a season in the Europa League looks all but certain while Haaland could be back in the Champions League with a City shirt on his back. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
Newfoundland and Labrador has two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, both related to travel. One is in the Western Health region, a man between 20 and 39 years old who travelled within Canada. The second case is in the Eastern Health region, a man in his 60s who travelled internationally. The Department of Health said contact tracing by public health officials is underway. Anyone considered a close contact has been advised to quarantine. Public health is asking passengers who travelled on Air Canada Flight 8008, leaving Toronto on Saturday and arriving in Deer Lake on Sunday, to arrange COVID-19 testing. The province reported one more recovery Thursday, in the Western Health region. There are now 15 active cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, and one person is in hospital due to the virus. A case in Western Health reported on April 9 has been determined to be related to travel within Canada. A case reported on April 8 in the Eastern Health region is still under investigation. The Health Department is also advising rotational workers about a COVID-19 outbreak at the Royal Camp Services in Grande Prairie, Alta. The department said it was notified about the outbreak by the Public Health Agency of Canada as people from Newfoundland and Labrador work at the site. Workers with this project who have returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in the last two weeks must isolate themselves from any household members, call 811 to arrange testing and complete the full 14-day self-isolation period, regardless of test result. To date, 128,432 people have been tested, including 597 since Wednesday's update. Meanwhile, Eastern Health has opened all of its COVID-19 vaccination clinics to people 65 years old and older for their first shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. Pre-registration is no longer necessary and eligible residents can book an appointment online with an email address. Anyone 70 years old and up who has already registered can also book an appointment. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Peel police are investigating after a man was found dead in a park in Mississauga Thursday morning. The body was discovered in Elmcreek Park at 8 a.m., near Morning Star Drive and Goreway Drive, police say. According to Peel Regional Police spokesperson Const. Danny Martini, there were no obvious signs of trauma. She said the body has been taken for an autopsy and police are waiting for the results from the coroner. Meanwhile, Ontario's police watchdog invoked its mandate following an altercation between police and a man a short distance from the park near Morning Star Drive and Goreway Drive earlier Thursday morning. Police were called to the intersection around 5 a.m., Martini says, following reports that a man was threatening to shoot people. When officers arrived, they became involved in an altercation with the man, Martini says. He was taken to hospital as a precaution and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was called in. The man has been charged with uttering threats. Peel police say this incident is separate from that of the man found dead in the park.
From its leather bar stools and checkered walls to the bright neon cowboy galloping over the front door, Surrey's Round Up Cafe has long connected B.C.'s fastest-growing community to its humble roots. The post-war family-run diner, known for its home-style breakfasts and Ukrainian fare, has lasted more than six decades on Surrey's King George Boulevard. "It was a gathering spot," said co-owner Dennis Springenatic, whose parents bought the restaurant in 1959. It quickly became a cornerstone in the emerging Whalley neighbourhood. "There was a lot of history here in the '60s and '70s. A lot of families grew up here," said Springenatic. Bacon, eggs and perogies are among the specialty dishes at Surrey's Round Up Cafe.(Round Up Cafe/Facebook) But like many restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Round Up Cafe has fallen on hard times. It shut down for eight months in 2020, reopening in December. But Springenatic says it won't be able to recover from the latest round of "circuit breaker" restrictions, which have prohibited indoor dining throughout B.C. Public health is expected to extend the health measures into May, according to the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association. The measures were originally set to expire on April 19. Springenatic says the family plans to close the Round Up Cafe for good, as its limited patio seating can't generate enough business to keep the doors open. "It wasn't on our terms to go out," he said. "It took a pandemic to shut us down, and it's disappointing." Local landmark The bright neon sign on the front of the building has been there longer than the Springenatic family has owned the business. Husband and wife restaurateurs Orest and Goldie Springenatic, Dennis's parents, purchased the property from its previous owners, who operated the restaurant under the same name. After the first five years, the family got involved with Whalley Little League and helped build it up. The restaurant became a go-to spot for families after baseball and hockey tournaments. A picture of Goldie and Orest Springenatic hangs on the wall inside the Round Up Cafe.(Round Up Cafe/Facebook) At night, more boisterous crowds would roll in. For the first two decades, it was open 24-7, and was steps away from local party hot spots like the since-demolished Flamingo Hotel. "Back in the '70s when the nightclubs were rocking, a lot of people would come here after the bar shut down, and have fries and gravy," said Dennis Springenatic. "It was a very family and community oriented place over the years." Owner Goldie Springenatic bought the restaurant with her husband in 1959. The pair previously ran a restaurant in Boston Bar.(Round Up Cafe/Facebook) Last stand The cafe is one of the few landmarks of its era still standing as new developments and highrises replace aging buildings. Despite the family owning the building, the pandemic has made it difficult for them to keep up with operating costs. The recent indoor dining restrictions and their expected extension is enough to make them call it a day. The restaurant's makeshift patio can sit about a dozen customers while the empty indoor dining area can seat more than 40. "It's made it tough to even break even, and try to get ahead," said Springenatic. "It's discouraging for all the restaurants." Springenatic says he doesn't know what's next for the decades-old site, but he says the family will likely try to rent out the building. As for the neon sign above, he hopes it can be maintained and displayed inside a local museum or heritage centre. "The legacy is just ... really good memories."
Opponents of the Feb. 1 coup that ousted an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi have kept up their campaign against the military this traditional New Year week with marches and various other shows of defiance. Wai Moe Naing, a 25-year-old Muslim, has emerged as one of the most high-profile leaders of opposition to the coup.
After decades of lobbying by local Indigenous leaders, a former residential school in the remote British Columbia community of Lower Post is to be demolished and replaced with a new community centre. The federal and B.C. governments say construction on the new $13.5-million project is set to start in June and expected to be complete by next year. Deputy Chief Harlan Schilling of the Daylu Dena Council at Lower Post, said the building — which was a Roman Catholic-operated residential school from 1951 to 1975 — has long been a painful reminder of a dark past. "This torch has been the one thing that's been passed off from leader to leader: to finally remove this horrible building in the centre of the community and centre of our lives," said Schilling. B.C. Premier John Horgan, federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller and Indigenous leaders from the area took part in the emotional news conference, which was held virtually. An artist's rendering of the Lower Post community centre, which will replace the former residential school building.(B.C. Government) Horgan says he was moved to work with the federal government to replace the residential school building after local elders told him during a visit that some people feared stepping inside the place where they suffered physical and sexual abuse. "Elders have been fearful of this building in the middle of the territory for decades and decades," he said. After the residential school closed, the building served as the Daylu Dena Council's band office, a post office and employment centre for the estimated 175 residents of the community, located near the B.C.-Yukon border. Schilling says it's been devastating knowing the hurt many elders have been holding inside over the years, but the building's demolition will finally bring some relief. "This is a success for our First Nation and Canada as a whole," he said. Murray Rankin, B.C.'s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, said the demolition of the old school and construction of the new community centre was an important step forward in reconciliation. Lower Post is located on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, approximately 23 kilometres southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon, near the confluence of the Dease and Liard Rivers.
While the age of consent was previously 15, prosecutors in France used to be required to prove sex was non-consensual to obtain a rape conviction. "This is an historic law for our children and our society," Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told the National Assembly. As a consequence, a "Romeo and Juliet" clause that allows for sexual relations between a minor and an individual up to five years older.
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -The former Minnesota police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a young Black man during a traffic stop made her first court appearance on Thursday as the slain motorist's family called for "full accountability" for his death. Kimberly Potter, 48, who turned in her badge on Tuesday and posted $100,000 bond hours after her arrest on Wednesday, waved to the judge as she appeared for the brief hearing online, seated in her lawyer's office. She waived her right to a formal reading of the criminal complaint charging her with second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting 20-year-old Daunte Wright on Sunday in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
Moderna is facing a persistent "quality assurance" backlog at its production facilities — a roadblock that has resulted in days-long delivery delays for doses destined for Canada, the military commander leading vaccine logistics said today. There aren't any production issues with the shots themselves but the process of double-checking each batch — and then getting them out the door — has been slower than expected, said Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin. The manufacturer is also shifting from delivering doses on a three-week basis to a more frequent biweekly schedule, which has resulted in some unplanned logistical challenges. Unlike the arrangements for the Pfizer product, the federal government itself is responsible for picking up the doses from Moderna plants in Europe and distributing them to the provinces and territories. The 855,000 doses of the Moderna product that were supposed to arrive the week of April 5 have started to show up only over the last several days, Fortin said — a disruption that upended planned immunization clinics in some provinces. This week, for example, some 10,000 appointments in Ontario were cancelled. "It might have been challenging for provinces as they had to rejig their schedule," Fortin said. The 1.2 million doses that were slated to arrive in Canada next week are now not expected until later this month, possibly as late as the first week of May, Fortin said. He said the government is hoping the shots can be picked up "early to mid-week" next week, but that's not confirmed yet. Provinces caught unprepared by delivery delays Fortin said that, moving forward, the government is working on "narrowing down" the delivery windows to give provinces more certainty. "We're fully aware that the provinces are making adjustments and we're trying to narrow this down as much as possible, so they don't find themselves in situations where they have to constantly react to perceived delays," Fortin said. "We're issuing as clear as possible a window for provinces and territories to plan their immunization campaign." WATCH: Head of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort addresses Moderna delays A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that "while we know the federal government is working very hard to get us supply," the recurring Moderna delays have had a "significant impact on our ability to fulfil vaccine appointments." "That's why we continue to see sites pausing operations and rescheduling vaccinations. The more consistent supply we have, the faster we will be able to accelerate our rollout and get needles into the arms of Ontarians," the spokesperson said. Fortin said provinces can avoid disappointing would-be vaccine recipients by announcing appointment dates only after the Moderna doses have arrived, when there's a reasonable degree of certainty that the shots are ready for deployment. Nova Scotia, for example, has taken a more cautious approach by only booking appointments once the Moderna supply is on hand. "That is one way to do it," Fortin said. While delays are expected this month, Fortin said there will be a steady supply of the highly effective vaccine arriving in May. Another 2.8 million Moderna doses will arrive in that month in two shipments, with millions more expected in June. Meanwhile, a little more than one million Pfizer doses will continue to arrive each week until the end of May. Shipments are then expected to ramp up to two million shots a week starting in June. AstraZeneca shots — produced by the company itself, the Covax vaccine-sharing facility and the Serum Institute of India — will arrive more sporadically, with at least one million of those shots arriving sometime in June. The one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will start arriving at the end of April, but delivery timelines have not yet been finalized with the manufacturer, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada said.
A new report concludes that the federal government dropped close to $18 billion in subsidies and other forms of financial support on the fossil fuel industry last year — despite the federal Liberals' stated desire to move the country to a post-carbon economy. "It's the opposite of the polluter-pays principle, and we're paying for polluters," said Julia Levin, climate and energy program manager with Environmental Defence, which produced the report. "And that's entirely at odds with where our allies are going and not responsible to the Canadian public." In 2009, then-prime minister Stephen Harper and other G20 countries pledged to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies. World leaders agreed this was necessary to address climate change and encourage investment in clean energy. Since then, environmental groups have called for a complete accounting of the supports provided to the fossil fuel industry. Levin said she and her team took a broad look at how public dollars helped fund the industry in 2020. Publicly available data showed money went to the oil and gas sector through programs like the pandemic wage subsidy, the RCMP and emissions reduction programs, she said. "On the one hand, we have a government that's setting climate goals, making climate plans. But on the other hand, it's continuing to subsidize the sector that's most responsible for fuelling the climate crisis, " Levin said. "So there's a real contradiction there." Ottawa challenges the findings A spokesperson for the minister of natural resources challenged some of the report's figures. The minister's press secretary, Ian Cameron, said the Canada emergency wage subsidy — a pandemic policy measure meant to keep unemployment down — doesn't target a specific sector. "It has helped workers across the country – including oil and gas workers – put food on the table, and we make no apologies for that," Cameron said in an email. Another recent report estimated provinces and the federal government spent $1.9 billion on subsidies to the fossil fuel industry in 2020. Environmental Defence said it takes a broad view of what's considered a fossil fuel subsidy and accuses the government of adopting too narrow a perspective. Is Ottawa tracking where the money is going? The public has to rely on estimates from non-governmental groups because the federal government has yet to compile its own figures. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada found in 2019 that assessments of inefficient subsidies by the federal departments of Finance and Environment and Climate Change were incomplete or lacked rigour. In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in his mandate letter to then-finance minister Bill Morneau that he was expected to finalize a report listing Canada's fossil fuel financial supports. That report remains a work in progress, according to what MPs on the natural resources parliamentary committee were told in March. "It's been a slightly slower project than we had originally anticipated because, not surprisingly, COVID has prevented some of the advancement of our work," said Shawn Tupper, an associate deputy minister in the Department of Natural Resources. "We are working with the Department of Finance in this regard to make sure we are able to advance this file as quickly as possible." Which government agency is the most generous? Thursday's report says that Export Development Canada (EDC) has given the most financial support to fossil fuel companies, accounting for $13.6 billion of the money they received. That sum includes supports for projects like the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project and the Coastal Gas Link pipeline. EDC said in an email it offers financial services like loans, equity and insurance to the oil and gas industry — not subsidies. The Crown corporation said it has gradually reduced its support for the sector. EDC said it provided $8.1 billion to businesses in the oil and gas sector in 2020, down from $12.5 billion in 2018. Export Development Canada offices in downtown Ottawa on April 13, 2020.(David Thurton/ CBC News) "We unequivocally understand the urgency in addressing climate change and are committed to doing our part," said Anil Handa, an EDC spokesperson, in an email. "We also understand the public's interest in the support we provide to Canada's oil and gas sector, which remains an important segment of our national economy and will need to play a role in the transition to a low carbon future." EDC also said oil and gas companies are "important partners" in the clean tech sector and it increased its supports for this sector by 27 per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year. "We will continue to reduce our exposure to carbon-intensive sectors while growing our support of clean technology and other business aligned with the low-carbon transition," Handa said. Oilpatch says study underestimates the sector's value Oil and gas sector advocates said studies like Thursday's ignore how much money the sector provides through royalties, jobs and local sponsorships. "They tend to tell a story that the federal government is giving a bunch of money to oil and gas for their profits," said Lynn Exner, CEO of the advocacy group Canada Action. "It misses the big piece, which is how much money is being generated for all the levels of governments." The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said in a media statement the oil and gas sector is driving innovation and investment in Canada's clean-tech sector. "We agree environmental progress is important and the upstream sector is the foundation of Canada's growing clean technology industry," said CAPP spokesperson Jay Averill.
Craig Duncanson, who up until Monday was coach of Laurentian's men's hockey team, calls the decision to cut the program a "knee-jerk reaction." The university has been mired in insolvency hearings, and news of faculty cuts and program terminations have trickled through social media since announcements began rolling out Monday. Some varsity team sports are the latest victims. Both men's and women's hockey and swim teams have been "discontinued," the university announced Wednesday. The swim teams were particularly successful in recent years, ranking in several national competitions. Phil Parker even won Ontario swim coach of the year in 2020. Those successes are all in the past now, said Duncanson. "It doesn't ring logical to me. I firmly believe in making cuts to make the university fiscally responsible, but this just isn't one of them." The insolvency process under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) allow organizations to operate while restructuring to get back on financial footing. In the case of the Laurentian sports cuts, some 100 students, and will likely be transferring to other schools, said Duncanson. "Pretty much all of them right now are working on trying to find somewhere to go, which is doubly frustrating now because we have a year where there's two years worth of recruits everywhere because there wasn't a season last year," he said. "We have 26 existing students, 20 from last year and six new recruits that didn't get a chance to play, and they'll be looking for another option." Duncanson also said the hockey programs account for several new university recruits every year, something the university wasn't considering in its plans. Players looking to continue their hockey careers have picked Laurentian against other schools with hockey programs. "It's extremely disheartening because ... the university spends a lot of money trying to recruit," he said. "I can't imagine the investment they put in to go to a university fair to try and recruit, but they never get 100 and more students from those fairs." Sudbury, Ont., native Nina Kucheran, an Olympic hopeful, says Laurentian coach Phil Parker has been an incredible support in her swimming career.(Supplied by Nina Kucheran) Olympic hopeful Nina Kucheran, a Sudbury native who has experience representing Canada and collegiate swimming in the U.S., said Parker's work with the school's swim teams were an immeasurable help in her athletic career. "It's really sad; there's no words," said Kucheran said. "Phil has put decades of work into that team. He's an amazing coach. It's sad the legacy he's built up over two decades being taken away just like that." In a statement, Marie-Josée Berger, the university's vice-president academic, said the cuts will allow Laurentian to "further aligns its financial resources." "Laurentian University has had a rich history of competition in both sports and I would like to thank the student-athletes and coaches for their commitment and dedication to the university's success in varsity sports over many years," the statement reads. "Laurentian University will continue to pursue athletic success in the OUA [Ontario University Athletics] and U SPORTS." The statement says sports programs still at the school include women's and men's basketball, soccer, cross-country running, indoor track, golf, Nordic skiing, curling, rowing and men's baseball.
The RCMP say a body found near Saint Andrews last weekend was that of a 68-year-old woman who disappeared in the area last December. Police don't believe foul play was a factor in her death. Wilhelmina (Wilma) Catherine Montgomery was reported missing on Dec. 8, 2020, after not being seen since around noon in Saint Andrews the day before. Her disappearance triggered a response from the Charlotte County Ground Search and Rescue team, which mobilized 20 searchers to look for her in the days after she was last seen. On Saturday, RCMP said the body of a woman was found by a kayaker on Navy Island, near Saint Andrews. "Even though this is not the outcome we were hoping for, we are glad to be able to bring closure to the family," said RCMP Sgt. Christopher Henderson.
