سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

The RCMP is facing accusations of discrimination because of a policy requiring front-line officers to wear properly fitting medical grade face masks which may not be possible with a beard.

This has sparked calls for a change in policy after some front-line officers with beards — including Sikh and Muslim RCMP members who leave their hair unshorn for religious reasons — have been reassigned to desk duties.

On March 19 as Canada began dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki sent out a directive outlining the use of respirator masks for front-line officers. Lucki said officers must ensure the respirator is sealed correctly and “one of the most common causes of a breached seal is facial hair.”

World Sikh Organization legal counsel Balpreet Singh said the move h...

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

The federal government tabled legislation today to provide what it’s calling a “safe bridge” for Canadians who are still experiencing lost income due to COVID-19.

The proposed new suite of measures aims to transition people from the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) to an employment insurance program with expanded eligibility, or to one of three new recovery benefits.

Bill C-2 also provides for a 10-day sick leave benefit — something the NDP had demanded.

During a news conference in Ottawa, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said the CERB was introduced quickly at a time when most of the economy was at a standstill. As the country moves into economic recovery mode, the government is better placed to deliver financial support in a more sophisticated way, she said.

“I think we’...

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Investors who profited from Bernard Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme even though they knew nothing of it must still pay back their profits, an appeals court decided Thursday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld lower-court decisions in cases filed by Irving Picard, a court-appointed trustee who has recovered money for cheated investors for over a decade.

Madoff, 82, is serving a 150-year prison sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2009.

His bid to be released early on grounds that he is dying was rejected this year. Thousands of investors lost billions of dollars through his multi-decade fraud.

Madoff customers who received millions of dollars more than their original investments fought in court to hang on to their profits, arguing through t...

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., homered and ace Hyun-Jin Ryu threw seven shutout innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 on Thursday night to wrap up their first post-season berth in four years.

Rafael Dolis came on and got pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez to fly out on a ball that Randal Grichuk caught against the wall in left-centre field for the third out.

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Health Minister Christian Dubé appealed to Quebecers to cancel all their plans to gather with friends and family over the next few weeks — including Thanksgiving dinner.

He said the next few weeks will be key in preventing the level of shutdowns due to COVID-19 that were seen in the spring.

“We ask all Quebecers, regardless of colour code in their region, to restrict their public gatherings. This is very important,” he said, referring to the alert system that the province is now using to determine the severity of the spread of the virus.

He said cancelling Thanksgiving plans would give Quebecers a shot at having “a nice Christmas.”

One new region, MRC Avignon in the Gaspésie, moved into the yellow “pre-alert” stage Thursday...

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

The federal government is finalizing a plan to re-establish flights to regional airports across the country by subsidizing airlines, CBC News has learned.

The final details are still being worked out, but Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly said the idea is for federal departments or agencies to subsidize airlines to launch routes between smaller regional centres and connections to larger cities.

“Many other countries in the world go ahead and support their regional routes through subsidies, including the U.S.,” Joly told CBC News. “So we want to find a way to work with partners to make sure there can be that interconnection … at an affordable price.”

The idea was first pitched publicly in Wednesday’s speech from the throne.

“The government will work with partners to support regi...

سپتامبر 25, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Soldiers who witness — or become aware of — racism and hateful conduct in the ranks will be expected to blow the whistle to their superiors under a sweeping new order issued today by the commander of the Canadian Army.

The new directive, which is being distributed to all army units across the country, also warns of consequences for those who turn a blind eye.

“We will hold our members accountable for their actions,” Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre wrote in the order, a copy of which was obtained by CBC News.

Soldiers “at all levels will be expected to intervene and report incidents,” he said, “and where necessary, we will provide support to those affected by these behaviours.

“Failure to act is considered complicity in the event.”

Eyre, who verbally outlined his expectations last week at a virtu...

سپتامبر 24, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Hello, Earthlings! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. (Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.)

This week:

• Ottawa trying to toss out climate lawsuit from youth activists
• A good week for the future of electric cars
• In 5 years, Alberta could lead Canada in wind and solar power

Ottawa trying to toss out climate lawsuit from youth activists

While the federal government restated its commitment to fighting climate change in Wednesday’s throne speech, CBC has learned Ottawa has also urged a judge to throw out a case brought by a group of young Canadians claiming their right to a safe, stable climate has been breached. 

The case, La Ros...

سپتامبر 24, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

Ontario reported an additional 409 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday as the province announced it would shift back toward testing only symptomatic people and those in high-risk groups to relieve pressure on publicly funded testing sites and clear a severe backlog of samples.

The news comes as Premier Doug Ford said his government will invest $1 billion to expand testing and contact-tracing capacity heading into flu season, including some $30 million to “prevent and manage outbreaks” in priority settings like long-term care facilities, retirement homes and schools. 

The province’s network of labs is currently facing a backlog of 53,840 test samples, the most since cases of the respiratory infection were first detected in January. 

During a media briefing earlier today, health officials said ...

سپتامبر 24, 2020, Posted in تراث دیگ | No comments

The fate of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government hangs in the balance as Parliament resumes all normal operations today for the first time in six months.

Opposition parties will give their official responses to Wednesday’s speech from the throne, but they’ve already signalled that Trudeau can’t count on support from any of them to survive the eventual confidence vote and avoid plunging the country into an election in the midst of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Conservatives were unequivocal: they will not support the throne speech.

The Bloc Québécois was almost as categorical...