Dr. Zain Chagla and Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti answer questions from viewers about COVID-19 vaccines.
It was a whirlwind weekend for Doug Ford after an announcement of controversial new COVID-19 lockdown measures led to a rollback of several aspects of the announcement less than 24 hours later. On Monday Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, said that limiting mobility was the guiding principle for last week's announcement. "The changes we made were based on the medical advice that we received from Dr. [David] Williams and the public heath measures table...and we were advised that we need to limit mobility to stop the transmission of the COVID variants in Ontario," Elliott said.
It's dark on the north side of the Stanley Park seawall at night. Thus, a man riding his electric scooter in the area just before midnight on Sunday likely didn't see it coming before he crashed into a coyote in his path. The impact — according to police, who highlighted the bizarre encounter on Monday — knocked the man off his scooter. Officers said he fell to the pavement and injured his collarbone. Then it got worse. "While he was on the ground, a couple of coyotes began to nip at him — biting at his jacket and his clothing," said Const. Steve Addison. Addison said the man fended off the animals and flagged down a passerby, who called 911. B.C. Emergency Health Services confirmed paramedics were called to respond to a "multiple animal situation" on the seawall between Lumbermen's Arch and the Lions Gate Bridge. The man was hospitalized in stable condition, according to an email. The run-in is at least the 17th incident since December in which a coyote has bitten a human in Stanley Park. All the biting incidents since Christmas have involved adults walking or running in the park, most often between dusk and dawn. People in the park should not feed coyotes or leave food out for animals, say wildlife officials. Anyone who has an encounter with an aggressive coyote is asked to call the provincial RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
WASHINGTON/BERKELEY (Reuters) -Texas police will serve search warrants on Tesla Inc on Tuesday to secure data from a fatal vehicle crash, a senior officer told Reuters on Monday, after CEO Elon Musk said company checks showed the car's Autopilot driver assistance system was not engaged. Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4, said evidence including witness statements clearly indicated there was nobody in the driver's seat of the Model S when it crashed into a tree, killing two people, on Saturday night. Herman said a tweet by Musk on Monday afternoon, saying that data logs retrieved by the company so far ruled out the use of the Autopilot system, was the first officials had heard from the company.
WHITEHORSE — The NDP won a legislature seat in Yukon by drawing lots on Monday after a judicial recount, but despite the outcome Liberal Leader Sandy Silver says he is ready to form the territory's next government. Last week's election saw the NDP's Annie Blake and former Liberal cabinet minister Pauline Frost tied with 78 votes in the riding of Vuntut Gwitchen. Chief electoral officer Max Harvey said the vote remained unchanged after the recount, but Blake was chosen as the winner when lots were drawn by the returning officer for the riding. The outcome means the Liberal and Yukon parties each won eight seats in the 19-seat legislature, with the NDP winning three, so all the parties fell short of the 10 required for a majority government. Silver said he has met with the commissioner of Yukon, Angelique Bernard, to discuss the way forward and indicated he intends to form the next government and demonstrate he can gain the confidence of the legislature. He is the incumbent premier and said he plans to meet with the leaders of the NDP and the Yukon Party to discuss ways they can work together. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and is the territory's head of state. Legislature clerk Dan Cable said last week that Silver would have the first shot at forming a minority government. Before the recount, Silver said it would have "some bearing" on his decisions, but "it will not alter the fact that we are in a minority situation regardless of the result." "Pending the outcome of discussions with other party leaders it is my intention to swear in a cabinet shortly and to test the confidence of the house with a speech from the throne and one or more budget bills.” The riding of Vuntut Gwitchen stretches to the Beaufort Sea and includes Old Crow, the only Yukon community north of the Arctic Circle. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press
Joan Wright, a well-known psychologist in Fredericton, has been suspended by the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick for professional misconduct, incompetence and violating the boundaries of the psychologist-client relationship, according to a recent decision by the college. Wright is disputing the decision. Wright is a senior psychologist and owner of MindShift Clinic in Lincoln and Joan Wright & Associates in downtown Fredericton, where nine other therapists work, according to her LinkedIn page. In its decision released Friday, the college's hearing committee ordered the immediate suspension of Wright's registration and said she was "prohibited from engaging in the practice of psychology while her registration is suspended." Wright has also been ordered to pay a $2,000 fine before the suspension is lifted and $134,510.63 to the college within a year for costs related to the complaint. Wright's lawyer, Kelly Lamrock, said he will file an application for judicial review, which will challenge the college's decision, and will also request an injunction to stop the suspension until the review can take place. "I think as the court documents come out, it will be clear they've reached some conclusions the facts cannot support, and they've followed a process that is unreasonable in law," Lamrock said. Lamrock said he will file with the court Tuesday morning. Hearings of the complaint against Wright took place over several days last September. The decision outlined a list of several failings on Wright's part, including "using experimental and non-evidence-based interventions" without presenting the risks or benefits of the treatment to her client. The decision also said that Wright "failed to use evidence-based treatments" for post-traumatic stress disorder in treating her client and did use experimental techniques without the informed consent of the client. It also said Wright administered therapy she was not trained to provide. Wright was also found to have "failed to provide the client with a copy of the clinical file when requested" and "to keep adequate records and notes of her sessions with the client." More specific transgressions cited by the board include asking her client to "remove articles of clothing in order to take photographs of the Client's naked body parts without the Client's informed consent, touching various parts of the Client's body, including massaging the Client's neck and asking the Client to get into various positions such as bending over on a ball." Wright also "showed a gross lack of judgment" by requesting the client purchase and use an "anal device at home." Wright "had no expertise to recommend such a device —the device being outside her scope of practice as a psychologist," the decision said. Wright was also found to have committed boundary violations by borrowing a sleeping bag from the client, soliciting the client to participate in a promotional video, and eating a "cannabis-laced" cookie given to her by the client, even though it was illegal at the time. The college didn't give a specific duration of the suspension but said Wright would have to do several things to qualify for a conditional registration. She would have to complete and pass post-secondary-level educational courses on cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of PTSD, on the ethics in psychological treatment of clients, and on psychometrics. She would also have to pass an examination for the professional practice of psychology and pay the $2,000 fine. The College of Psychologists of New Brunswick declined to comment.
Ontario reported another 4,447 cases of COVID-19 and 19 more deaths of people with the illness on Monday, while the number of hospitalizations topped 2,200. It's the sixth straight day of more than 4,000 new infections in the province. They come as labs completed 42,873 tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and logged a positivity rate of 10.5 per cent — the highest recorded since in Ontario since the beginning of the pandemic. There are 2,202 people with COVID-19 in hospitals, according to the Ministry of Health. Of those, 755 are being treated for COVID-related critical illnesses in intensive care units. A total of 516 patients require a ventilator to breathe. All three figures are new pandemic highs for Ontario. Health officials warned last week that admissions to hospitals and ICUs are expected to continue to rise for the next several weeks, as they are lagging indicators to the explosive growth in cases this month. Meanwhile, up to 60 patients from the Toronto area are expected to be transferred to Windsor this week to help with the crush of patients from the third COVID-19 wave, according to an internal memo from London Middlesex Primary Care. Another 40 are heading to the London area. WATCH | Ontario doctors prepare to use triage protocol:. Public health units collectively administered just 66,897 doses of vaccines Sunday, the fewest in two weeks. As of last evening, some 346,005 people in the province had received both doses. Ontario has given out 3,904,778, or about 80 per cent, of the 4,852,885 total doses of vaccines it has received thus far. Provincial health officials said early last week that public health units have combined capacity to administer up to 150,000 shots per day. Then during a news conference Friday, Ontario's Chief Medical of Health Dr. David Williams repeatedly said the province could be doing up to 500,000 shots daily, though it is unclear how he arrived at that figure, as no government official had cited it publicly before. CBC Toronto has reached out to the government for clarification on the discrepancy between the numbers. Meanwhile, Williams confirmed Monday morning that starting Tuesday, Ontario will begin offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to adults aged 40 and older. The vaccine had previously been limited to those 55 and up. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec have also said they would lower age requirements for the vaccine. About 1,400 pharmacies throughout the province are offering the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as some primary care physicians in six public health units. In some provincially-designated hot spots, those under 40 have been able to get their first doses of vaccine. York Region announced Monday those 35 and older in five high-priority communities (L4L, L6A, L4K, L4J and L3S postal code areas) are now eligible. The new cases reported Monday include: 1,229 in Toronto 926 in Peel Region 577 in York Region 233 in Ottawa 227 in Hamilton 205 in Durham Region 203 in Niagara Region 169 in Halton Region 114 in Simcoe Muskoka The seven-day average of daily cases rose slightly to 4,348 — a 59 per cent increase from two weeks ago, Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said Monday. Seventy-one people have died with the virus since Friday alone. The 19 additional deaths in today's update pushed the official toll to 7,735. The seven-day average of deaths stands at 24. New COVID-19 measures face backlash Students across Ontario returned to the virtual classroom Monday morning as school buildings remain shuttered following the spring break. The provincial government announced the move to remote learning early last week as it dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. It also announced a suite of new measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19, including limiting interprovincial travel. Checkpoints are set up at interprovincial border crossings and only those coming into Ontario for work, medical care, transportation of goods and exercising Indigenous treaty rights are allowed through. The province held firm to that measure over the weekend, despite walking back other public health rules that were announced at the same time Friday. Premier Doug Ford on Saturday reversed his decision to shutter playgrounds, following a swift backlash from parents and public health experts alike. They said the move was unlikely to curb the spread of COVID-19, as evidence suggests most transmission happens indoors. WATCH | Director of Ontario's COVID-19 science table disappointed with new measures: The government did, however, keep in place a number of controversial limitations on outdoor activities. In an interview with CBC News Network today, the director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table said the restrictions were the "opposite" of what the group of experts recommended to cabinet. Dr. Peter Jüni, who is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Toronto, said the new round of measures failed to address the root causes driving the growth in cases in Ontario. "Right now we have a pandemic that is focused on essential workers and their families," he said. "We need to pay people in an uncomplicated and efficient manner to stay home." The science table and other health experts have repeatedly called for Ford and his cabinet to institute a provincially-run paid sick leave program. The federal counterpart, the Canadian Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB), is "too complicated, not enough and the help comes too late," Jüni said. Ford government votes against essential workers motion Ford and Ontario Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton have urged Ontarians to rely on the federal program, saying the province wants to avoid duplication. And during question period at the legislature today, House Leader Paul Calandra said the province expects the federal government to improve the CRSB in today's budget, including paid time off for vaccinations. The Ontario government voted against a series of Opposition motions aimed at supporting essential workers Monday, including one that sought to create a provincial paid sick-leave program. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath presented the motions — which required unanimous consent of the legislature to pass — during a session Monday morning. A frustrated Jüni said that "political considerations" are behind the government's refusal to take the science table's advice. "I don't think we can be any clearer: this is not a problem at the sending end, it's a problem at the receiving end. We need to stop having political considerations guide this pandemic [response]," he told host Heather Hiscox. "This does not work. It hasn't worked in the past, it won't work now. It hasn't worked in other jurisdictions and it wont work in Ontario." Advisory table 'deeply concerned' about new measures On Monday, the Ontario COVID-19 Bioethics Table issued a statement saying it was "deeply concerned" about the enhanced enforcement measures outlined in the province's stay-at-home order, saying they will "disproportionately harm" racialized and marginalized people. "The enforcement measures fail to adequately address the root causes of transmission of COVID-19 in Ontario," the statement said. The table said it commends the extension of the stay-at-home order, but urged Ontario to "implement evidence-informed public health measures grounded in public health ethics." "Provision of provincially mandated paid sick leave is one such measure that is urgently needed," it said. On Saturday the province also quickly rescinded new powers given to police officers, saying officers will no longer be able to stop any pedestrian or driver during the stay-at-home order to request their home address and their reason for being out of the house. Instead, police must have "reason to suspect" that a person is out to participate in an organized public event or social gathering before stopping them. Speaking to reporters today, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said that despite the public outcry and condemnation from legal experts that the powers generated, the details were "very clearly laid out." Jones said the government initially decided to enact the new powers because the science table recommended limiting mobility. "We've all seen those photographs of people who continue to basically ignore the advice of the science table and the stay-at-home. And the intention was always to ensure those large public gatherings were stopped and didn't continue because it puts everyone else at risk," she said. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Bill Blair, minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said the move was a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "Mr. Speaker, we had just this weekend in Ontario an extraordinary example where the police were offered the authorities to violate the charter," Blair said. "And unanimously, they stood up to that and said no. And so I want to acknowledge that leadership and assure the member we remain committed to upholding all of the rights and freedoms that are available to all Canadians throughout the country.
The federal government's 2021 budget is projecting a deficit of a staggering $354 billion. Global National's Dawna Friesen spoke with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland about Canada's deepening deficit, and how soon parents can expect childcare priced at $10 per day.
The world can bring the global COVID-19 pandemic under control in the coming months provided it distributes the necessary resources fairly, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told a news briefing on Monday. Global climate change activist Greta Thunberg, joining the briefing as a virtual guest from Sweden, took a swipe at "vaccine nationalism" and said it was unethical that rich countries were prioritising their younger citizens for vaccination ahead of vulnerable groups in developing countries. "We have the tools to bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months, if we apply them consistently and equitably," said the head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
A group of East Vancouver parents is questioning the Vancouver Park Board's decision after their children's soccer program was denied a permit at their neighbourhood park and forced to move to a different field 30 blocks away. Union Soccer Club started a learn-to-play program at Slocan Park in Renfrew-Collingwood in January, attracting upward of 50 enthusiastic youngsters from the surrounding streets and those who came via SkyTrain, thanks to the next door 29th Avenue Station. But starting this week, the program is longer welcome at Slocan Park. The grass fields, which were recently upgraded, have now been designated "Grade A" by park board, meaning they are reserved for "official games" only. Ryan Lamourie, parent of five-year-old Lola, says he can't understand the decision to deny the permit, especially given that the fields are sitting empty because of provincial health orders banning games. "[The Union soccer program] has been a really positive thing for our community when we really need it. And to be told we have to leave just because this field is reserved for something else is really disappointing," he said. Union Soccer Club co-owner Judith Davalos said the program will now run out of Clinton Park in Hastings-Sunrise, but is losing families because of the move. "We are so sad," she said. "We really want to be back there. If now they give us the permission, we'll be back [at Slocan Park]." Parent Gerhard Breytenbach questions why families are being forced to drive to a different field when there's a perfectly good one within walking distance sitting empty. "Bureaucratic idiocy mixed with red tape snafus for absolutely no logical reason," he said. "The city is telling us that because we want to use this for adults in the future when COVID is not a problem, your kids can't use it in the meantime." Rule linked to maintenance budget In a statement to CBC, the park board said the Grade A Slocan Park fields are still open to the general public for things like picnics. "Artificial turf fields and Grade B fields (and lower) are permitted for practices, camps and other activities. This is a citywide procedure that is linked to the field maintenance budget and we apply it consistently throughout the city to preserve quality facilities for their intended use," said the statement. Parent Mariana Rueda wonders why park board officials couldn't be more flexible. "I cannot believe a community can say that an open space... that was created for enjoyment, is not for kids. It's not right," she said. Lamourie said the Union soccer program quickly became a community focal point as a safe and affordable outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said attempts to appeal to park board officials have been frustrating. "What I find disappointing is that they've told us that there are many departments involved, so it will take a long time to reverse any decisions," he said. "These kids, more than ever, need social activities and physical activities. We're really letting down these children by not letting them play on these fields."
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -More than 100,000 Russian troops have massed on Ukraine's border and in annexed Crimea, the office of the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine's foreign minister. In a press conference on Monday, Borrell had originally spoken of more than 150,000 troops, and declined to give a source for the figure. Borrell said no new economic sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats were planned for the time being, despite saying that the military build-up on Ukraine's borders was the largest ever.
Ten people who were on board American fishing charters that crossed into Canadian waters on the Detroit River are facing fines, according to the RCMP. Four U.S. fishing charters were spotted on the Canadian side of the border on Thursday morning. Authorities were able to intercept two of them while the other pair of vessels fled back into U.S. waters, the RCMP said in a media release on Monday. The operation, which involved Windsor police and Canada Border Services, was launched in response to "public concerns" about American fishing boats violating the Quarantine Act, the Customs Act and the Reopening of Ontario Act, the RCMP said. The fishing boats were escorted to a port of entry and examined by CBSA officers. Windsor police issued tickets to 10 people under the Reopening Ontario Act, and they were served with a notice to return to the U.S. In total, $8,800 in fines were levied against those on board the boats.
LAS VEGAS — A convicted killer who is fighting a possible June execution date that would make him the first person put to death in Nevada in 15 years is calling for the state to consider the firing squad as an option, a rare method in the United States. Attorneys for Zane Michael Floyd say he does not want to die and are challenging the state plan to use a proposed three-drug lethal injection, which led to court challenges that twice delayed the execution of another convicted killer who later took his own life in prison. “This is not a delaying tactic,” Brad Levenson, a federal public defender representing Floyd, said Monday. But a challenge of the state execution protocol requires the defence to provide an alternative method, and Levenson said gunshots to the brain stem would be “the most humane way.” “Execution by firing squad ... causes a faster and less painful death than lethal injection,” the attorneys said in a court filing Friday. Nevada once allowed firing squads, but state law now requires the use of lethal injection in sentences of capital punishment. Three U.S. states — Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah — and the U.S. military allow capital punishment by gunfire. The last time that method was used in the United States was in Utah in 2010. Floyd's attorneys are asking a federal judge in Las Vegas to stop Floyd from being put to death until prison officials “devise a new procedure or procedures to carry out a lawful execution.” Levenson said he and attorney David Anthony are fighting multiple issues in state and federal courts, with the possibility that Floyd’s death could be set for the week of June 7. Prosecutors will seek an execution warrant at a state court hearing next month. The 45-year-old was convicted in 2000 of killing four people with a shotgun in a Las Vegas supermarket in 1999 and badly wounding a fifth person. Floyd appeared to exhaust his federal appeals last November, and the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear his case. Floyd wants a chance to seek clemency at a June 22 meeting of the Nevada State Pardons Board, Levenson said. Floyd's attorneys argue that a three-drug injection combination the state wants to use — the sedative diazepam, the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl and a paralytic, cisatracurium — would amount to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of his constitutional rights. Anthony made similar arguments on behalf of Scott Raymond Dozier before Nevada's last scheduled execution was called off in 2017 and 2018. Dozier killed himself in prison in January 2019. A judge blocked the first date after deciding that use of the paralytic might cause painful suffocation while Dozier was aware but unable to move. Pharmaceutical companies that made the three drugs stopped the second date with arguments against using their products in an execution, an issue several states are facing. Floyd would be the first person executed in Nevada since 2006, when Daryl Mack asked to be put to death for his conviction in a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. Nevada has 72 men awaiting execution, a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman said. Ken Ritter, The Associated Press
Seasonal residents from outside Atlantic Canada will not be allowed to travel to P.E.I. until at least May 17, even if they had already been granted approval to enter the province, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said in a previously unscheduled news conference Monday. Morrison made the announcement as she detailed stricter new border measures to limit the importation and spread of COVID-19, and confirmed three new cases of the illness on Prince Edward Island. "We need to buy more time," she said. For the next four weeks, she said, the province is pausing non-resident travel to the province from outside Atlantic Canada. Morrison also advised Island residents to avoid non-essential travel off P.E.I., and said the timeline for the reopening of the Atlantic bubble, scheduled for May 3, would be re-examined in the coming days. More than 7,000 approved to date in 2021 Applications for permanent relocation to P.E.I. for work or school will continue to be processed, Morrison told reporters. However, people in that situation will need a negative pre-departure test within 72 hours of arrival, and will be tested three times during their two weeks of isolation. People intending to move to P.E.I. without a job or post-secondary admission in place will have to wait for things to open up again. Applications for travel to P.E.I. for compassionate reasons will continue to be processed and approved with the same restrictions in place, Morrison said. To give context, Morrison's office later told CBC News that 7,153 people had been approved for travel to P.E.I. so far in 2021. Of those, 115 will be notified by the end of this week that they must now defer their arrival until at least May 17. Rotational workers and commercial truckers who are residents of P.E.I. but travel outside Atlantic Canada will now need to isolate until their first negative test even if they have been vaccinated. Workers from other places who are coming to P.E.I. will need to show a negative COVID-19 result from no more than 72 hours before their arrival on the Island The news comes after P.E.I. reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, and eight in the last week. At least four of the recent travel-related cases are the highly transmissible B117 variant, Morrison said. Details on off-Island help to come Premier Dennis King was also at the briefing, and addressed the request from Ontario to help with human resources. He said the province will do whatever it can to help, being mindful that P.E.I. does not have an abundance of resources to offer. The premier said would be very easy "to revert to a protectionist instinct… or an us-versus-them mentality," but instead urged citizens of the province to "revert to the instincts of kindness and generosity." Two patients with COVID-19 are now being cared for at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.(Rick Gibbs/CBC) He added: "I know Canadians from other provinces would help if it was Prince Edward Island asking." He promised more details later in the day on health care help that could be available, noting that some P.E.I. health care workers have expressed interest in travelling to Ontario to assist. P.E.I. has now had 173 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Thirteen remain active. There have been no deaths. The first hospitalization due to the illness was confirmed on Friday, in a person aged between 40 and 49 with a recent history of travel outside Atlantic Canada. On Sunday, a news release announced three more cases, including a young child who needed hospital treatment. As well, the release said the person hospitalized earlier was now in intensive care. Morrison cited privacy rules as she declined to give an update on the two patients' condition on Monday. More from CBC P.E.I.
EDMONTON — The Alberta legislature has turned down a request for a special debate on an Opposition bill intended to protect the province's Rocky Mountains from coal mining. The refusal from United Conservative MLAs to grant unanimous consent for the debate probably means the bill won't get any further and is likely to die on the order paper. "People from all walks of life, all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of political views — they want to see this bill debated," NDP Leader Rachel Notley said in a release. "Today's action by the Kenney government is a betrayal of these Albertans." Notley had asked the legislature to push the proposed legislation up the agenda to be debated on Monday night. She said the debate was needed because drilling and road-building are going ahead on the eastern slopes of the mountains — even as the United Conservative government says it's gathering public feedback on coal mines. "The fact is, this is urgent," Notley told the legislature. "We want to provide a forum for that discussion to be heard in this house." The bill calls for cancellation of leases that were issued after the government scrapped a policy last May that protected a vast swath of summits and foothills along the western spine of the province. It would also stop the province's energy regulator from issuing development permits. Open-pit mines would be permanently prohibited in the most sensitive areas and mines elsewhere could not be approved until a land-use plan was developed. On the weekend, a letter signed by 35 scientists from the University of Alberta's biology department urged the government to allow the debate. "There is no reliable method to stop leaching of hazardous waste produced by surface coal mining into groundwater where, inevitably, it will pollute precious watersheds we all depend on that are already under severe stress," said the letter. The law is needed to at least slow development down, said Shelagh Campbell, the biologist who started the letter that went to all UCP caucus members. "The bill at least has a chance of getting these issues more out in the open," she said. "A lot of Albertans feel right now pretty desperate in terms of the tools we have at our disposal to slow down the mass destruction that's being visited on us." The provincial government originally gathered no public input before removing the measures that protected the landscape, but it later opened an online survey and appointed a panel to hear from people. The survey closed Monday. "The Coal Policy Committee is currently reviewing and analyzing the survey results and will provide an update in the near future," said Alberta Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Henshaw. "The results will also serve as a road map for the next steps in the coal policy engagement process." The panel has been widely criticized after its terms of reference made it clear its five members won't be allowed to hear concerns about water or land use — the two issues most Albertans are concerned about. Energy Minister Sonya Savage said that the university professors should consider making their points to the panel. "We would strongly encourage them to participate in the coal policy consultations which are currently ongoing," she said in an email. Campbell said she's received no substantive responses yet to the letter. She said the stakes involved in coal mining are too high to gamble with. "When they tell us that we can keep this or that out (of the water) and make it safe, it's not true. They don't know that." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. — Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960 Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran and world powers have made some progress on how to revive the 2015 nuclear accord later abandoned by the United States, and an interim deal could be a way to gain time for a lasting settlement, Iranian officials said on Monday. Tehran and the powers have been meeting in Vienna since early April to work on steps that must be taken, touching on U.S. sanctions and Iran's breaches of the deal, to bring back Tehran and Washington into full compliance with the accord. "We are on the right track and some progress has been made, but this does not mean that the talks in Vienna have reached the final stage," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference in Tehran.
VANCOUVER — Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou asked a B.C. Supreme Court judge Monday to delay the final leg of hearings in the Huawei executive's extradition case one week before it is set to begin. Richard Peck said the legal team needs time to review new evidence obtained through a court order in Hong Kong that could support its argument that the United States misled Canadian officials in describing the allegations against Meng. "What we request is a reasonable time in which to assess the documents and determine their likely admissibility," he said. In response, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general argued there's no basis to believe the documents will be relevant and accused Meng's team of trying to turn the extradition hearing into a trial. After 2 1/2 years of legal proceedings, "and mere days from reaching the finish line, the applicant asks this court to take a several month pause. Her request should be denied," the Crown said in a written response. Meng was arrested at Vancouver's airport in 2018 at the request of the U.S. to face fraud charges that both she and Huawei deny. She is accused of lying to HSBC about Huawei's control of subsidiary Skycom during a presentation in 2013, putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The court has heard that Huawei sold Skycom to Canicula Holdings, another company that Huawei controlled financially, in 2007. While Meng's Canadian lawyers have not yet seen most of the documents from HSBC and their contents are unclear, Peck said it's believed they will shed light on what the bank knew about the relationship between the companies and how much it relied on Meng's 2013 presentation. "We say these materials are relevant because they are referenced from the very bank at the very time including the very parties involved in this matter," Peck said. Meng's team also said in court documents that Canada's attorney general should launch an investigation into whether Meng was arrested based on inaccurate information. Peck proposed that the final three weeks of the hearing, set to begin April 26, be adjourned until Aug. 3 to allow time for such a probe, as well as for COVID-19 cases to subside. But Robert Frater, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general, said there's no evidence to believe the new documents are relevant to the extradition case. Meng's team relies entirely on two letters from Huawei's U.S. lawyers in which allegations are made, but support for the allegations is redacted and those lawyers are "aligned" with Meng, he said. He added that the U.S. has "vigorously" denied the allegations, so Meng's team is essentially asking the B.C. Supreme Court to weigh one side against the other, a job better suited for the U.S. trial. Frater also accused Meng's team of "jurisdiction shopping" for a court that would approve the document disclosure. Meng's lawyers previously failed in an effort to access the same documents through a court in the United Kingdom. "Having received the answer 'no' from the U.K. court, then my friends went to Hong Kong and inexplicably, HSBC, which was the same litigant that appeared in the court in the U.K., completely reversed its position after having won on every single point in the U.K. court," Frater said. "HSBC for reasons known only to itself turned around and decided to agree to an order." Frater called the adjournment application an "11th hour" request, adding the Hong Kong court provided no timeline for when the documents might be shared with Meng's team. There's no credible basis for an independent investigation and Canada has no duty to investigate the evidence underlying extradition requests made by its treaty partners, he said. The broad public interest in Meng's extradition case only adds to the urgency of wrapping it up, he said. "Extraditions hearings are supposed to be expeditious," Frater said. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes reserved her decision until Wednesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. Amy Smart, The Canadian Press
Just when we thought that spring had finally sprung, the weather in Toronto could be taking a snowy turn later this week. A strong cold front is expected to move south and put the winter-like weather into action starting on Monday night, Environment Canada says. Forecasts call for a mix of sun and cloud Tuesday, with a daytime high of 7 C and a nighttime low of -1 C. With the help of the cooler air already in place, the federal weather agency predicts snow could begin to fall at around midnight on Tuesday. The white stuff is expected to continue to fall through the night and into the early morning with a dusting of up to 5 cm expected for the Toronto area Wednesday morning. The cold spell won't last for long, though. The spring sunshine is expected to make a reappearance by Thursday, bringing warmer temperatures with it.
A Whitehorse man has been found guilty of public mischief after calling in a fake bomb threat at the Yukon Arts Centre last summer — an incident that triggered a heavy police and fire department response and the evacuation of the building in the middle of a performance. Owen Williams, an artist engaged in a long-standing dispute with the Yukon Arts Centre over its unauthorised display of his work, was facing two charges related to the incident on Aug. 27, 2020. Territorial court Judge Peter Chisholm convicted him of public mischief following a short trial on April 16, but acquitted him on one count of falsely reporting a fire. Performance cut short During the trial, Crown attorney Sarah Bailey played recordings of four 911 calls that Williams made that day, the first one being placed around 7 p.m. On the recording, Williams can be heard telling the dispatcher that there "may be a bomb at the Yukon Arts Centre." In subsequent calls, he also claims that there's "something weird happening" at the centre, that there's "maybe a fire," and that there are "definitely flames in the office." The initial report of a bomb triggered a heavy response from both the Whitehorse Fire Department and Whitehorse RCMP. The Yukon Arts Centre was hosting a performance featuring comedian Jenny Hamilton and musician Paris Pick at the time, with about 50 people in attendance. Hamilton's set was interrupted so the building could be evacuated. Authorities did not find any explosives or fire on-site. Police arrested Williams later that night. Williams, who didn't have a lawyer, told the court during the trial that he had felt "odd and anxious" that day and had been dealing with mental health issues, but remembered little about what happened. He also acknowledged that he had been drinking alcohol that night. Ordered to stay away from centre In his decision, Chisholm said it was clear Williams would have been able to understand the consequences of his actions while making the initial call about the bomb — that it would trigger authorities to respond and tie up resources — and found him guilty of public mischief. However, in acquitting him on the charge of falsely reporting a fire, Chisholm said Williams' capacity to form intent was in doubt at that point given the state of his intoxication. Chisholm sentenced Williams to 12 months' probation, with terms including staying 200 metres away from the Yukon Arts Centre, refraining from consuming alcohol and non-prescription drugs, only calling 911 for emergencies and attending counselling. He also ordered Williams to pay $100 in restitution to the City of Whitehorse to help cover the cost of the fire department's response. Williams told the judge that he understood the seriousness of his actions and was seeking help. "Mr. Williams, I really, really hope that things start to come together," Chisholm told him. This is Williams' second conviction in as many months on charges related to making 911 calls about the Yukon Arts Centre. He was found guilty in February for falsely claiming there was a fire at the centre last May and was also sentenced to probation.
The federal budget fired what appears to be a warning shot at defence contractors — perhaps one in particular — by resurrecting an old policy statement in a move that may well signal where Canada's fighter jet replacement competition is headed. A little more than three years ago, in the thick of a trade dispute involving Montreal-based Bombardier, the Liberal government laid down a marker that became known informally in procurement circles as the "Boeing clause." Under the sub-headline of "Ensuring Procurement Partners Respect Canada's Economic Interests," the policy was reanimated and restated in Monday's fiscal plan, much to observers' surprise. "In December 2017, the government announced that the evaluation of bids for the competition to replace Canada's fighter aircraft would include an assessment of bidders' impact on Canada's economic interests, and that any bidder that had harmed Canada's economic interests would be disadvantaged," said the budget. "Budget 2021 confirms the government will apply this policy to major military and Coast Guard procurements going forward." Boeing vs. Bombardier Boeing, with its corporate headquarters in Chicago, is one of the biggest military and civilian aircraft-makers in the world. The company filed a trade complaint with the U.S. Commerce Department in April 2017 alleging its business was being harmed because Bombardier's CSeries passenger jet was unfairly subsidized by the Canadian government. Bombardier's CSeries commercial jet takes off on its first flight in Montreal on Sept. 16, 2013. Rival Boeing filed a trade complaint with the U.S. Commerce Department in April 2017 alleging its business was being harmed because Bombardier's jet was unfairly subsidized by the Canadian government.(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) At the time, Boeing's military division had been on track to sell the Royal Canadian Air Force a handful of Super Hornet jet fighters — a deal that went sideways and was eventually cancelled as the trade dispute deepened. At the height of the bitter feud and after a 300 per cent duty was imposed on Bombardier jets, the Liberal government produced a policy that stated companies that harmed Canada's economic interest would be at a disadvantage. The dispute was eventually resolved when Boeing's European rival Airbus stepped in and agreed to buy a stake in the C-Series jet, eventually taking a controlling ownership share in Bombardier. The so-called Boeing clause faded into the woodwork — until Monday's budget. WATCH | Finance minister introduces Liberal budget: "Companies found to have prejudiced Canada's economic interests through trade challenges will have points deducted from their procurement bid score at a level proportional to the severity of the economic impact, to a maximum penalty," the budget says. "This policy will protect Canada's economic interests and make sure the government does business with trusted partners who value doing business with Canada." The policy revival comes at an interesting time. A US Air Force F-35A is one-of-three competitors in the bid to replace Canada's CF-18s.(Murray Brewster/CBC News) Boeing, with its Super Hornet, is one-of-three aerospace companies bidding on $19-billion full replacement of all of the air force's aging fighter jets — a competition in which the bids are currently being evaluated with an eye to signing a contract next year. Industry surprised The country's defence industry association is taking notice. "It's unusual to see this kind of thing in a budget," said Christyn Cianfarani, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), a national business association. "Most countries don't have such a formal economic interest test, and if they do, it would be part of their procurement rules, strategy, or requirements on a particular acquisition." Public Services and Procurement Canada was asked to clarify the reasons for resurrecting the policy. No one from the department was immediately available for comment late Monday. "We're going to be seeking more clarity on this in the coming days," said Cianfarani. "We're not aware of this test having changed any procurement outcomes in Canada since it was announced in 2017. Since CADSI doesn't get involved in specific procurements, we can't assess whether this policy would penalize one bidder over another on any given project." Softening the political ground? Defence procurement expert Elinor Sloan, a poltical science professor at Carleton University, was just as surprised to see the statement in the budget. She wonders whether the Liberal government is softening the political ground for its impending contract award. There is a lot of political baggage associated with the fighter jet purchase. During the 2015 federal election, the governing Liberals promised to ditch a Conservative-era plan to buy Lockheed Martin built F-35 stealth fighters and purchase something cheaper, such as the Boeing Super Hornet, and plow the savings back into a revitalized navy. "My guess is they are having to walk back that clear policy statement," said Sloan, who was also searching for more clarity from the government. "I can only read into this that [F-35 Joint Strike Fighter] will be chosen. They need to find a way, a political way, to justify this about-face." Gripen, a Swedish fighter aircraft, performs on the second day of Aero India 2017 at Yelahanka air base in Bangalore, India, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. Saab offered the latest version of the fighter as part of its pitch to sell Canada a new fleet of fighter jets.(The Associated Press) Aside from Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Swedish aircraft-maker Saab is also in the competition, with the latest model of its Gripen jet fighter.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared ready Monday to prevent thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons from applying to become permanent residents. The justices seemed favourable, in arguments via telephone, to the case made by the Biden administration that federal immigration law prohibits people who entered the country illegally and now have Temporary Protected Status from seeking “green cards” to remain in the country permanently. The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster, protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. The case pits the administration against immigrant groups that contend federal law is more forgiving for the 400,000 people who are TPS recipients. Many have lived in the U.S. for many years, given birth to American citizens and have put down roots in this country, their advocates say. The Justice Department says it is maintaining a position held consistently for 30 years by administrations of both parties. President Joe Biden supports changing the law to put TPS recipients, among other immigrants, on a path to citizenship. Legislation that would allow people who are here for humanitarian reasons to adjust their immigration status has passed the House, but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the court should be “careful about tinkering with the immigration statutes as written,” especially when Congress could act. “But just kind of big picture, why should we jump in here when Congress is very focused on immigration?” Kavanaugh asked. The case turns on whether people who entered the country illegally and were given humanitarian protections were ever “admitted” into the United States under immigration law. Justice Clarence Thomas said “they clearly were not admitted at the borders. So is that a fiction? Is it metaphysical? What is it? I don’t know.” The case before the court involves a couple from El Salvador who have been in the country since the late 1990s. In 2001, the U.S. gave Salvadoran migrants legal protection to remain in the U.S. after a series of earthquakes in their home country. People from 10 other countries are similarly protected. They are: Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Mark Sherman, The Associated Press
