Legion sorry over joke about murder of Indians published by BC branch
By Jorge BarreraAPTN National NewsThe Royal Canadian Legion says it’s “sorry” one of its British Columbia branches published a joke in one of its newsletters about murdering two “Indians.”The Cranbrook, B.C., branch of the Legion printed 40 copies of its August newsletter containing the joke before pulling the issue following a complaint. The joke, about two hunters who separately shoot two “Indians” dead, was replaced with a publisher’s note that did not contain an apology.Bob Butt, spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion, said the joke was “definitely inappropriate” and he hoped the branch would never do something like that again.“We apologize to the Aboriginal peoples for this going out,” he said. “We are extremely sorry.”Butt, however, said that Ottawa headquarters has little control over the activities of its multitude of branches scattered across the country.“If a branch puts something out, we will find out about it after the fact,” said Butt. “And we will apologize on behalf of the legion. We can’t apologize on behalf of the branch.”The Cranbrook branch falls under the Legion’s B.C. and Yukon Command which issued “formal and sincere” apologies to the two women who initially complained about the joke. The branch has also been told to cease publishing jokes and cartoons and all branches under B.C. and Yukon’s jurisdiction have been ordered to vet all content before it’s published in a newsletter.“This newsletter was issued in error by one individual and was immediately removed,” said the B.C. and Yukon Command in a statement issued Wednesday. “We do not tolerate materials which are in any way racist, sexist or make anyone uncomfortable.”Cranbrook resident Shirley Green, 77, who is of Metis and Ktunaxa heritage, issued the initial complaint to the branch. Her daughter, Joyce Green, a Regina academic, also followed up with a complaint.“I do hope the branch of Legion in Cranbrook gets some education on what constitutes racism,” said Shirley Green, in an interview with APTN National News.Richard Blackwolf, president of the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association, said he’s not surprised by the issue.“I am not surprised these things come up in the Legion,” said Blackwolf, who is about to embark on a cross-country tour to hand out Queen Jubilee Medals to veterans. “In my experience, it is not unusual for the legion.”Blackwolf said he’s dealt with situations in the past where First Nations people have been kicked out of Legions.“We have mixed relations with them. We all belong to the Legion. Our executive and I all belong to the Legion,” said Blackwolf, who served in the Navy for 15 years, beginning in 1959, operating underwater and surface weapons systems. “There are some Legions that we have reports of problems. It depends on the people.”Blackwolf said the Legion, as an institution, is on the decline, now that it depends more and more on membership from outside the veteran’s community.“The Legion doesn’t represent who it was at one time anymore,” he said. “Many branches are closing down or have reduced hours. Some of them will eventually be boarded up and sold off as property. It is definitely on the wane.”Blackwolf said he would be travelling through the Cranbrook area this month, and planned to stop off at the Legion there.jbarrera@aptn.ca
APTN National NewsOTTAWA–The Conservative government resorted to a “Colonel Sanders” defence Friday to fend off opposition attacks aimed at embattled Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue who is in the midst of a campaign spending scandal that has triggered increasing calls for his resignation.Penashue faces allegations he breached several elections laws by overspending during his 2011 federal election campaign and accepting donations and in-kind contributions from corporate donors.The Labrador Conservative MP and former Innu leader, however, continues to hold his silence even as the scandal continues to spread.During Friday’s sparsely attended question period, opposition MPs again fired volleys at Penashue over his campaign spending, and again he kept his silence in the House of Commons while his Conservative colleagues stood to counter the attacks.NDP House leader Nathan Cullen opened question period demanding Penashue explain why his campaign cashed $5,500 from a Newfoundland and Labrador-based construction company even though it’s against election laws to accept corporate donations and personal donations over $1,200.“There are now even more allegations of campaign violations against the minister,” said Cullen. “Is the minister willing today to rise in his place and explain himself to Canadians?”Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird took the question, countering that the NDP returned about $340,000 in union donations last spring after a Conservative complaint to Elections Canada. Baird said a new official agent was now working with Elections Canada to “correct any mistakes” made in the campaign.“The minister has always been very clear in directing his campaign not to accept corporate or union donations,” said Baird. “For a member of the New Democratic Party, which pocketed $340,000 illegally into its bank, to make these charges, it is just simply too rich.”The Liberals also went after Penashue with Liberal MP Roger Cuzner using Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former aide Tom Flanagan to bolster his attack.“Yesterday, Tom Flanagan, the former chief of staff for the prime minister, said that the minister has no choice but to step out of cabinet for so clearly breaking the laws,” said Cuzner. “With over 20 per cent in overspending that we know of, and now the corporate cheque scandal, when will this minister step down?”Baird, however, used the Colonel Sanders defence to deflect the question.“The Liberals standing in judgement on campaign finance reform is almost like Colonel Sanders standing in judgement of chickens,” said Baird.The Liberals have latched on to the issue because Penashue beat one of their own, former MP Todd Russell, by only 79 votes in the last federal election.Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae travelled to Labrador Friday to push the issue on Penashue’s home turf.Rae has already written two letters to Elections Canada asking the electoral authority to probe Penashue’s campaign financing and numbers.In a letter made public Tuesday, Rae asked the electoral authority to investigate five donations which were listed under the same postal code in St. John’s.Rae said the donations were registered as received on May 4, 2011, two days after the last federal election. Three of the donations were for $1,100, the donation limit, while the other two were for $550, according to Rae.Rae said in the letter that the postal code used for the donations is part of a large postal station in the west-end of St. John’s. The postal code is also used by the headquarters of Pennecon Ltd.’s, a Newfoundland and Labrador-based company involved in construction, energy and real estate.Rae stated that all five donations were made by company officers.It is against the Canada Elections Act to accept corporate donations, to conceal the source of donations or to make a donation under someone else’s name.In a separate letter, Rae also asked Elections Canada to probe a $25,000 loan Penashue’s campaign received from Innu Development Limited Partnership (IDLP) which was initially registered as interest free, contravening election laws which require loans to follow market interest rates. Rae also asked the electoral authority to probe a decision by an airline, partly owned by IDLP, to write off all but $7,000 of the $18,163 in travel costs incurred by Penashue and his family during the campaign.Rae also noted that Penashue’s campaign return appear to have overshot the allowable campaign spending limit by $17, 469.Penashue’s former official agent and campaign manager was appointed by the Harper government to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board last December.
APTN National NewsIndigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Thursday legislation on First Nation education is not a top priority in plans to improve schooling on reserves.Bennett said her department would be focusing on increasing funding for education—which was announced in the federal budget—and on improving educational outcomes.“I think the Auditor General said it was a lack of money. We are very keen to be accountable for the results as we go forward. We have to have these kids doing better. We are interested in how we ensure that,” said Bennett, during an appearance before the Commons Aboriginal affairs committee. “As we move to getting people out from under the Indian Act and move to self-government and school systems that are accountable to themselves, then we can figure out what does that look like and be able to shape it if there is a need for legislation around that kind of flexibility.”Bennett said the need and type of potential legislation will become clearer through discussions with educators. While legislation could create standards, the same task could also be done at the local level.“It may be schools themselves that codify standards,” said Bennett.Bennett was pressed on the education issue by NDP MP Charlie Angus who wanted the minister to reveal a position on whether a gap existed between funding of provincial schools and on-reserve schools.A senior Indigenous Affairs officials recently stated in sworn testimony during an inquiry in Thunder Bay into the deaths of 7 high school students that it was impossible to measure whether a gap exists.Bennett said, in her opinion, there is a gap in education funding. She said the department averaged how much it paid provincial schools for teaching First Nation students bussed in from reserves into their overall total, making it appear there was no real funding gap.“What I am interested in is what is the per-child investment on reserve and off-reserve and how do we get that equal without adding in what my department is sending to provincial schools,” said Bennett.Angus said, during questioning, that legislation was needed for both standards and to protect funding for education, so it couldn’t be shifted by the department to cover off other needs.“Without legislation we don’t have any way of establishing those markers,” said Angus. “How are we going to get it in a timely way so we don’t lose another generation?”news@aptn.cajbarrera@aptn.ca
APTN National NewsThe Native Women’s Association of Canada has been fighting for a national inquiry for a decade.Wednesday they got it.But do the terms of reference go far enough?NWAC President Dawn Harvard joins host Michael Hutchinson to talk about the inquiry.
Kenneth JacksonAPTN National NewsThe last time Barbara Suggashie spoke to her daughter she told her she was going to bring her home.The last time Jeffrey Owen spoke to his daughter he said the same thing.There never would be a next time.Neither would return home to Poplar Hill First Nation near the Ontario-Manitoba border.Amy OwenBoth died in different group homes after being taken from their parents.Suggashie’s daughter Kanina Sue Turtle, 15, died Oct. 29, 2016 in Sioux Lookout, Ont.Owen’s daughter Amy Owen, 13, died 2,000 km away in Ottawa, Ont.Suicide is believed to be the cause of death for the little girls who were living in group homes.“The first time I heard my daughter had passed away,” said Suggashie breaking down in tears. “I didn’t believe it.”She was told Kanina died from suicide but she doesn’t believe it and keeps demanding answers to this day.“She wasn’t like that when she was here. When she was at home,” said Suggashie. “She wasn’t cutting herself like that.”She said her daughter began cutting herself in care and had bounced around from foster care to group homes. One of those homes was in Ottawa – where Jeffrey Owen’s daughter was when she died last month.Kanina Sue TurtleJeffrey Owen said his daughter wasn’t suicidal before being put in a group home.“All I know is she was on suicide watch,” he said. “How could she have done this if she was under supervision?”He said Amy wasn’t allowed to make calls home but would do so anyways.The last time he talked to her was a few weeks before she died.“She said she wanted to come home. She hates it so much there. She started crying over the phone. I started crying with her and said ‘my girl, don’t worry. Pretty soon you’ll be home with us. Just try to be strong,’” he said. “I told her ‘we love you so much.’”Courtney ScottHe said he’s frustrated trying to find answers.“When they took these children in care they said they were going to keep them safe and they failed to do that,” he said.Courtney Scott, 16, died in a house fire at her group home in Ottawa on April 21. She was placed in the home but was originally from Fort Albany First Nation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.Suggashie said she last saw her daughter about two weeks before her death when she was taken to the hospital emergency room. She had harmed herself.“I told her, ‘I’m trying to get you back,’” said Suggashie.APTN has asked the province for a response to the deaths. There has been no response as of this posting.kjackson@aptn.ca
(Several children have come down with rashes)On Tuesday, while Angus and Mamakwa met with chief and council, newly appointed minister O’Regan released a statement saying that plans to help Cat Lake are underway.“Establishing a community plan to replace homes that have been identified for full replacement,” the statement said.The statement said the following plans are in the works including, forming a task force between Cat Lake, Indigenous Services Canada, and Windigo Tribal Council, establishing a priority order for repairs, which will allow Windigo Tribal Council and the community to begin immediate work, establishing a community plan to replace homes that have been identified for full replacement.Keewaykapo said what he wants is a plan with some details.“We’ve talked to the minister twice, short phone calls, basically telling us we’re going to do what we can to help Cat Lake but other than there hasn’t been any timelines or dollars so we have nothing to work with to move forward,” he said.Keewaykapo said part of the plan they do have includes bringing in 40 mobile homes on the winter road for families most affected by mould.But that will required immediate funding from the government.“The government has seen this before, they’ve done nothing. A crisis of this magnitude doesn’t just happen,” said Angus.“This is the result of the indifference we’ve seen at the department of Indian Affairs and previous ministers.”APTN News asked Indigenous Services if the minister had plans to travel to Cat Lake – a spokesperson for the minister’s office said the minister has not been invited to the community by the chief.wfiddler@aptn.ca@willowblasizzo Willow FiddlerAPTN NewsThe chief of the Cat Lake First Nation says Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan needs to visit the community to see its housing crisis first hand.“To us it’s really, really critical, it’s life threatening,” said Chief Matthew Keewaykapo. “We lost elders from respiratory problems, we lost children. They can’t go to school because they have skin diseases. We have one medivaced to London, Ontario from playing in the mold in his house.“It flared up when it got into his skin, we nearly lost that kid.”In January, Cat Lake declared a state of emergency because of the poor housing conditions that are making children like Lucas Mezzetay so sick they have to be medivaced out for treatment.Keewaykapo said the ministry responded by sending officials to meet with them last week.They were shown pictures of the skin conditions effecting children like Lucas, and Wynter, a two year old toddler who also lives in a home infested with mould.“They didn’t commit to anything even though we presented them with pictures, what our plans were,” said Keewaykapo. “To me it was an insult, I didn’t even bother seeing him off after that’s how disappointed I was with the meeting.”(Cat Lake sits 422 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont)This week there was another meeting but this time NDP member of parliament Charlie Angus and Ontario member of provincial parliament Sol Mamakwa.They toured several homes in the community of about 700 people.“What I can’t get over is the complete breakdown of health I’ve seen,” said Angus who has also raised the issue in the house of commons. “We need a full medical assessment in this community.“There’s people suffering from all manners of ailments that have to be related to the breakdown of health from the constant exposure to black mold.”The leadership in Cat Lake says that constant exposure to black mould has been an ongoing concern for years.In 2006, Keewaykapo was the community’s health director.“And at that time already we were getting letters from the health department that there some kids that were being affected by the mold at that time,” he said.Health professionals are still issuing similar letters warning of the dangers of mould for young children.“Please consider relocation or renovation for this house as the allergens and poor heating may be a possible cause of (the child’s) symptoms,” said the letter from Dr. Ayesha Malik.(Mould is a common problem in the community of Cat Lake)The problem with that is there is no where for the two-year old and her family to move to.There are at least 60 families in Cat Lake who need housing.A recent inspection of more than 100 houses funded by Indigenous Services revealed what community leaders already knew.“A majority of the homes had mold. We had suspected all along that it was these illnesses,” said Keewaykapo.That’s just a visual inspection said councillor Derek Spence.He said there’s more you can’t see.“Because once opening up these walls it would expose a lot of the mold and we can’t really do that,” he said.
MONTREAL – Two of Quebec’s iconic retail brands are merging to better face industry competition with Metro Inc.’s $4.5-billion takeover offer for the Jean Coutu pharmacy group.Shareholders of Jean Coutu (TSX:PJC.A) are being offered a combination of cash and stock worth about $24.50 per share.Uniting two highly-respected brands represents an exciting milestone for the company, said Jean Coutu, the founder of the company that bears his name.“Sometimes you have to forget your ego and try to combine with a real friend,” he said at a news conference on Monday.Coutu, 90, insisted he’s not emotional about the decision to sell and hang up his white pharmacist’s coat following a period of deep reflection for the family that has run it since 1969.“I think the move we are doing actually is good for both of these companies, it’s good for myself and it’s good for the future because we open up more opportunities than staying what we were.”After exiting the U.S. market in 2013 with the sale of its stake in the Rite-Aid pharmacy chain, Jean Coutu Group has had limited opportunities for growth.Meanwhile, the food and pharmacy industries have faced intensifying competition from other food retailers, Wal-Mart, Costco and Amazon’s entry in the grocery space with its purchase of Whole Foods.The merger follows Loblaw Companies Ltd.’s (TSX:L) $12.4-billion cash-and-stock deal in 2014 of Shoppers Drug Mart, which operates as Pharmaprix in Quebec.Metro CEO Eric La Fleche said the combination is a unique opportunity for two of Quebec’s best known companies to join forces to propel growth against retail giants.“We need this size to have economies of scale and efficiency to fight with the large players that we currently face,” he said.In addition to increasing food available in pharmacies and health products in Metro stores, La Fleche said the combined company will be better able to extend its reach and possibly grow in “other geographies.”“Perhaps down the road there could be an opportunity to broaden the pharmacy network in Ontario or elsewhere in Canada,” Le Fleche said.Quebec’s second-largest pharmacy network, including Jean Coutu and Brunet, will operate as a separate division of the grocery company, headed by Francois Coutu, son of the company founder.He said the company conducted exclusive negotiations with Metro after it came to the conclusion that the combination would help its chain to grow.“We came to the conclusion that Metro was the ideal partner,” Coutu told reporters.He said disagreement with Health Minister Gaetan Barrette’s efforts to reduce drug costs didn’t influence its decision to sell.Jean Coutu shareholders would own 11 per cent of Metro (including five per cent by the Coutu family) and the pharmacy chain will appoint two board members.The combined company will have nearly 87,000 workers at more than 1,300 stores — in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick — and about $16 billion in annual revenues.It is aiming for $75 million in cost savings within three years. Some of that will come from the closure of two pharmacy distribution centres that will affect a few hundred people. The work will be moved to Jean Coutu’s large new building and headquarters in Varennes, southwest of Montreal.The transaction requires regulatory approvals and support from two-thirds of the votes cast by Jean Coutu Group shareholders at a special meeting to be held in November. The deal is expected to close next spring.The Coutu family and affiliated entities which hold 93 per cent of voting rights, along with company directors and senior officers, have agreed to vote in favour of the deal.Metro said it plans to sell some or all of its 32.3 million shares in convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX:ATD.B) over time to reduce its debt.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Store chains feeling the upheaval in retail are making strategic alliances — and that can mean picking sides.Kohl’s shoppers can find Amazon devices at some stores, and return items they bought from the online retailer. Nike has made some of its sneakers available through Amazon. The owner of Sears is selling Kenmore-branded appliances on Amazon in some markets. And Best Buy is teaming up with Amazon for voice shopping.Meanwhile, Walmart, which has the most store locations, is assembling a coalition of its own: buying smaller online brands and becoming the highest-profile partner to Google in voice shopping. And the discount chain that touts low prices announced a web partnership Monday with high-end department store Lord & Taylor.“When you are in an historic uncharted chaotic situation, you often see these strange bedfellows,” said Joel Bines, co-head of AlixPartners’ retail practice and a managing director at the firm.Since the beginning of the year, several retailers have filed for bankruptcy protection, including well-known names like Toys R Us. And retailers have announced thousands of store closings, with more expected. Analysts say some brands realize they might not succeed alone.“You have to be challenging accepted norms. So you might find partners that you normally wouldn’t have considered,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail. “This has exploded because of the urgency to change. You look at retailers who are closing or struggling.”So as Amazon moves even further into fashion, home electronics and grocery stores, and cements shopper loyalty with its $99-a-year Prime membership, stores are developing partnerships with the online retailer to increase customer traffic or expand their offerings online.At the participating Kohl’s stores, shoppers will find 1,000-square-foot Amazon areas that sell Echos, Fire tablets and other gadgets. People can also arrange to have an Amazon employee visit their home and install a device or recommend smart home products to buy. And some stores pack and ship eligible Amazon return items for free. Kohl’s hopes the arrangement brings in shoppers who might pick up clothes or home items.Analysts say other department stores, facing the same kind of issues, could follow.From its base with 4,700 U.S. stores, Walmart is lining up other partners. In voice shopping, it hooked up with Google, which has signed up other chains such as Target and Home Depot to fight the dominance of Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo devices.Lord & Taylor’s president Liz Rodbell told The Associated Press the arrangement with Walmart allows the chain to attract new customers who already are buying higher-end products on Walmart.com. She called the partnership “a pivotal moment” for the retailer. It comes after the chain’s parent company announced last month it was selling its New York flagship building to WeWork and leasing back a portion of the space.Neither company would say the financial details of the arrangement.Denise Incandela, head of fashion at Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce division, says it’s focusing on specialized shopping experiences, starting with fashion. Since the $3 billion-plus acquisition of Jet.com last year, Walmart has bought several online brands like Bonobos and ModCloth.Analysts say Walmart is developing its own higher-end online mall as a way to counter Amazon’s dominance. Bines said it’s a good strategy, since Walmart.com could attract “an entirely different demographic” from the chain’s physical stores.Walmart store customers have a median household income of about $48,000, below the $56,000 for walmart.com customers, according to Craig Johnson, president of the retail consulting group Customer Growth Partners. Amazon.com shoppers have a median income of $85,000, Johnson estimates.Liebmann says the bigger question is whether there would be any resistance from Lord & Taylor shoppers. Bonobos and ModCloth fans complained vociferously on social media when reports were swirling about Walmart’s move to buy the brands. “It has to be presented well,” Liebmann said.Overall, Bines expects Amazon and Walmart to announce more partnerships. “In the next two or three years, companies will chose sides,” he said. “But after that, the lines will be blurred.”___Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio
Canada is experiencing one of its largest ever labour shortages and more than 30,000 of those unfilled positions in Q3 this year were in Alberta.That carries over to the much maligned oil and gas sector but not necessarily because there is huge growth, the new realities of the sector may be having an impact.Jason Edwards, VP of the David Aplin Group Calgary, told CityNews some former employees are still a little nervous about heading back.“Some of the workers that were in the field in oil and gas, they’re used to making higher levels of compensation than are available now and some of them are actually, quite frankly, a little jilted from the downturn as well so they’re not necessarily in the same kind of rush to get back to that kind of work as they were previously,” he said.There are a couple other factors as well.Roles are either very technical, so employers are having trouble finding qualified employees while some companies are running into the opposite problem; They’re offering entry level jobs that don’t pay as well as potential applicants expect.
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says she will soon head to Toronto and New York to rally support among business leaders for the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion.Notley says she will also take her message to a meeting of U.S. and Mexican governors and Canadian premiers in Scottsdale, Ariz., in early May.Details of who the premier will meet with and when have not been released.The premier said it’s imperative to keep up pressure to get the Trans Mountain expansion completed so that more oil can move from Alberta to the coast.“Economic leaders in this country must speak out with resolve and purpose,” Notley said Tuesday during the public portion of a meeting with her NDP caucus.She said leaders need to find a middle ground as they balance economic management with environmental stewardship.“The voices on the extremes are getting a little loud,” she said.“(There are) those who want to write working people out of climate action, and those who want to write climate action out of long-term economic development. Neither are right.”Notley also had a few choice words for Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee.“Recently, (Inslee) said he opposed Trans Mountain,” said Notley. “This from a state that welcomes hundreds of (oil) tankers a year from its ports in Alaska.”The British Columbia government has said it is concerned about the ramifications of oil spills from increased tanker traffic, and has been fighting Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain project.Inslee has said they share that concern over tanker spills.The Trans Mountain line would triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.Notley has said the pipeline expansion, which has been approved by Ottawa, is critical for Alberta to get a better price for oil in overseas markets.Pipeline bottlenecks and increased transportation costs by rail are also reducing the price Alberta heavy oil can fetch on the North American market.Trans Mountain has faced permit delays and multiple court challenges in B.C. Notley said her government will pass legislation this session to give her the authority to reduce the amount of oil flowing to B.C. if that province continues to stall the pipeline.(Companies in this story: TSX:KML)
TORONTO – Premier Doug Ford says he has made good on a key campaign promise, announcing the immediate retirement of the CEO of Hydro One and the resignation of the utility’s entire board of directors.Ford, who promised that if he was elected he would fire Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt, dubbing him the “Six-Million-Dollar Man” during the spring election campaign, hailed it as a “great day” for the province.Under an agreement between the new Tory government and the partially privatized power utility, Schmidt will retire and its board of directors will resign and be replaced.“I said over and over and over again on the campaign trail the CEO of Hydro One and the board will be gone,” Ford told a hastily called press conference on Wednesday afternoon.“I’m happy to say today the CEO and the board of Hydro One, they’re gone. They’re done. They’re done. We’re going to turn a new corner.”Schmidt, who earned a $6.2-million salary last year, became a lightning rod for resentment during the election over rising electricity rates in the province. He would have been entitled to at least $10.7 million in severance if he were to be removed from his job by the board of directors, according to the company’s annual shareholders report released on March 29.According to a statement from Hydro One, Schmidt will not be entitled to severance, and will instead receive a $400,000 lump sum payment in lieu of all post-retirement benefits.As part of the deal, Hydro One also said it has agreed to consult with the province on “future matters of executive compensation.”NDP Energy critic Peter Tabuns said Schmidt’s departure raises a number of questions and demanded the government release the specifics details of the deal reached with the now former CEO.“Doug Ford needs to tell people what kind of backroom deal he worked out with Mayo Schmidt to get him to walk away, and if he’s going to replace the board with his own high-priced insiders,” Tabuns said in a statement.Hydro One said Wednesday a new board of directors will be selected by Aug. 15 and will initially consist of 10 members.Under the agreement, the province will nominate four replacement directors and the remaining six nominees will be identified through a committee comprised of representatives of Hydro One’s largest shareholders other than the province.Hydro One’s outgoing board chair, David Denison, said the agreement will provide “stability and clarity” to the utility’s management moving forward, and he lauded Schmidt for his leadership.Schmidt “has exhibited strong and effective leadership throughout his tenure as CEO in guiding the transformation of Hydro One to a publicly traded company,” he said.Paul Dobson, Hydro One’s chief financial officer, has been appointed the utility’s acting CEO until the new board can hire a permanent replacement.While Ford promised that the departure of the leadership at Hydro One would bring down electricity rates, he struggled to explain how when asked repeatedly by reporters.“Having a new board, a new CEO, blazing a new trail in Hydro One, setting a new mentality right across the board to the frontline workers of Hydro One,” he said. “As sure as I’m standing here, those bills are going to come down 12 per cent. We’re going to give relief to the people of Ontario.”Energy Minister Greg Rickford said in a statement Wednesday that in addition to the change of leadership, the government will introduce legislation to ensure the company acts in the public interest.“Our government has prepared legislation that, if passed, will improve transparency and accountability at Hydro One,” he said, providing no further details about the proposed bill. “We will introduce this legislation during the upcoming sitting.”Hydro One was partially privatized in November 2015, with the Liberal government saying it planned to use the sale of shares to fund transit and infrastructure projects. By December 2017, the province had sold off 53 per cent of its stake in the company.The decision has come under a lot of criticism, including from the province’s fiscal watchdog, who said earlier this year that taxpayers would have saved $1.8 billion if the government had taken on traditional debt to fund infrastructure projects instead of partially privatizing Hydro One, which has over $25 billion in assets and annual revenues of nearly $6 billion.During the election, Hydro One, which is Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution provider, had stressed that ratepayers did not pay the majority of Schmidt’s salary.“We have heard the feedback from our customers and the regulator about executive compensation,” the company said in a statement in April. “That’s why we decided earlier this year that customers will only pay for the CEO’s salary as it was at the time of the (initial public offering).”Hydro One customers pay only two cents on their monthly bill for the CEO’s compensation, the company said, adding that nearly 80 per cent of the total executive compensation package is paid for by shareholders.
TORONTO – The parent company of Tim Hortons says it has reached an agreement with the head of an unsanctioned franchisee group who had his four restaurants seized after he allegedly leaked sensitive corporate news to the media.“Both parties have agreed that Mr. (David) Hughes has left the Tim Hortons business and an agreement was reached that is satisfactory to both parties,” said Restaurant Brands International Inc. spokeswoman Jane Almeida.She declined to provide financial details, citing a confidentiality agreement.Hughes couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.The agreement means Hughes won’t seek a court injunction to get back the restaurants back.As president of the Great White North Franchisee Association, Hughes was a thorn in Restaurant Brand International’s side since its inception more than a year ago.However, he had denied the company’s allegation that he acted as an anonymous source and claimed the company was attempting to intimidate franchisees.Almeida has previously said that the company’s move had nothing to do with Hughes’s position with the association.The association confirmed Thursday that Mark Walker has been selected to replace Hughes. The group’s bylaws don’t allow someone to remain president if he owns zero stores.The four locations in Lethbridge, Alta., were put under corporate management on Sept. 2 until the company selects a new franchisee to run them.Companies in this story:(TSX:QSR)
LONDON – Ireland’s data regulator has launched an investigation of Facebook over a recent data breach that allowed hackers access to 50 million accounts. The probe could potentially cost Facebook more than $1.6 billion in fines.The Irish Data Protection Commission said Wednesday that it will look into whether the U.S. social media company complied with European regulations that went into effect earlier this year covering data protection.It’s the latest headache for Facebook in Europe, where authorities are turning up the heat on dominant tech firms over data protection. Last month, European Union consumer protection chief Vera Jourova said that she was growing impatient with Facebook for being too slow in clarifying the fine print in its terms of service covering what happens to user data and warned that the company could face sanctions.The commission said in a statement that it would examine whether Facebook put in place “appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security and safeguarding of the personal data it processes.”The commission said earlier this week the number of EU accounts potentially affected numbered less than 5 million.Ireland, which is Facebook’s lead privacy regulator for Europe, has moved swiftly to investigate the U.S. tech company since the breach became public on Friday.Facebook said Friday attackers gained the ability to “seize control” of user accounts by stealing digital keys the company uses to keep users logged in. They could do so by exploiting three distinct bugs in Facebook’s code.Facebook also said the hackers could also have used those stolen digital keys to access outside services or apps that let people to log in with their Facebook usernames and passwords. The company said it hasn’t found any evidence of this happening.The company said it has fixed the bugs and logged out the 50 million breached users — plus another 40 million who were vulnerable to the attack — in order to reset those digital keys. Facebook said it doesn’t know who was behind the attacks or where they’re based. Neither passwords nor credit card data was stolen. At the time, the company said it alerted the FBI and regulators in the U.S. and Europe.Facebook said in a statement Wednesday that it has been in close contact with the Irish agency since it became aware of the breach and will continue to co-operate with the investigation.Facebook has faced a tumultuous year of security problems and privacy issues . News broke early this year that a data analytics firm once employed by the Trump campaign, Cambridge Analytica, had improperly gained access to personal data from millions of user profiles. Then a congressional investigation found that agents from Russia and other countries have been posting fake political ads since at least 2016. In April, Zuckerberg appeared at a congressional hearing focused on Facebook’s privacy practices.The European Union implemented stronger data and privacy rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, in May.The case could prove to be the first major test of GDPR. Under the new rules, companies could be hit with fines equal to 4 per cent of annual global turnover for the most serious violations. In Facebook’s case, that could amount to more than $1.6 billion based on its 2017 revenues.The new rules also require companies to disclose any breaches within 72 hours. The commission said Facebook informed it that its internal investigation is continuing and that it is taking actions to “mitigate the potential risk to users.”__AP Technology Reporter Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Peace River Regional District won’t be issuing temporary entry permits for residents of the Old Fort for Friday and Saturday.The District says this change will allow the Ministry of Transportation to focus efforts on building the semi-permanent road into the community. Construction on the road started back on October 19, and the original timeline for when the road would be complete was three weeks. If they are still on schedule, that would mean the road could be completed by the end of next week.Westrek Geotechnical had said last week things are looking favourable to possibly allow some residents to return home when road standards are met. The Regional District also says they received the geotechnical report from Westrek on October 29. The report has now been sent for a peer and legal review.The Regional District has not yet released a timeline for when the report will be released to the public.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – A thick blanket of fog has covered the B.C. North Peace. Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory causing near zero visibility.The fog is expected to lift this morning. In the meantime area, roads are listed as been extremely slippery with thick fog.For the latest highway conditions, visit www.drivebc.ca or in Alberta 511.alberta.ca 3:17 AM PST Wednesday 28 November 2018Fog advisory in effect for:B.C. North Peace RiverNear zero visibility in fog is expected or occurring.Dense fog has developed near Fort St. John early this morning. The fog is expected to lift this morning.Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero. If visibility is reduced while driving, turn on your lights and maintain a safe following distance.Fog advisories are issued when near zero visibilities in fog are expected or occurring.Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm.
For more information on the program, you can visit Work B.C.’s website. VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Government is providing new skills training and employment support to residents who need it most.Survivors of violence and abuse, as well as older workers, will have access to skills training and employment support so they can participate in the Province’s thriving economy.The Province is inviting service providers to submit proposals to deliver skills training and employment services under two new Skills Training for Employment programs posted to B.C. Bid. Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, says people who experience violence and abuse often face barriers when it comes to a good-paying job and this program is expected to help overcome those barriers.“Survivors of violence and abuse, and older workers face multiple barriers to finding steady, good-paying jobs. I’m proud that our government is expanding programs that help break down those barriers. We’re lifting up the people who need it the most to improve their quality of life so they will benefit from a prosperous economy that works for everyone.”According to the Government, the $3.2-million Survivors of Violence and Abuse program will provide support to over 300 people per year. The $3.2-million Older Workers 55+ program will help 400 people update their skills.Both programs will include skills training and wraparound supports, to address the barriers to employment that older workers and survivors of violence and abuse can face. The programs will be available regardless of eligibility for Employment Insurance, giving those with multiple barriers more access to skills training and supports for employment.Starting in 2019, the Province is investing $26.8 million per year in six STE programs, to help up to 3,500 people throughout B.C. access training and wraparound supports to obtain sustainable employment. Wraparound supports address barriers to participation in skills training and employment. Examples include counselling, mentoring, child care, transportation, disability supports, work experience, wage subsidies and equipment.The STE programs are funded through the Workforce Development Agreement, which was signed in March 2018 with the Government of Canada.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Literacy Society is hosting their second free financial workshop focused on debt smarts this session.Wednesday, February 13, 2019, from 6:50 pm to 8:00 pm you will learn;• Tips to manage your debt• When it makes sense to get a consolidation loan• The difference between consumer proposal and bankruptcy• Much more! The Literacy Society wants to help you develop your knowledge and skills to make financial decisions with confidence. To learn about your financial well being depends on the ability to make good decisions about money;How do you get itHow do you spend itHow you save itHow you protect itDebt Smarts will be held at the Fort St. John Literacy Society, located at #201-10136 100 Ave. FORT ST. JOHN, BC V1J 1Y6To register for the event, call the office at 250.785.2110 or visit; CLICK HERE To view the FB Event Page; CLICK HERE
TAYLOR, B.C. – At a District of Taylor Council Meeting on Monday, Council was looking at ways of targeting speeding at the Peace Island Park Campground following a letter of concern from a user.The user, unnamed in the letter, claims that drivers using the road, which runs through the park to the boat launch, had no regard for the posted speed limit of 10 km/h.The user says they were distraught that drivers had no concern for children playing in the area, and feared that their own, or someone else’s kid, could be run-over. When speaking with the Park Manager, the user claims the Manager said that “there’s nothing we can do.”The District says they side with the Manager to the fact that there’s nothing they can do, as the road is not District owned but instead is a Provincial road.In years past, makeshift speed bumps have been placed on the road but were removed because they were not approved by the Ministry of Transportation.For now, Council says they will continue to speak with the Province to see what can be done and will continue to enforce public education about safe usage of the road.
I was in Bhiyalgaon, a small village nestling in the Central Himalayan ranges of Uttarakhand, India, recording life stories of women from this region known as the Kumaon hills. Amma, as the women of her age are called, had just finished plastering her house with cow dung for the upcoming festival of Diwali. Once she began narrating the story of her life, her face projected myriad emotions. She had unravelled the quilt of her memories. Her childhood was without play, her youth was without a husband and her old age was full of longing. Her life story was a poignant narrative of women from the hills – married by the age of 15, mothers of five to six children by the age of 25 and dead by the age of 55. Also Read – Remembering Sudhir PhadkeI finally asked her what her dream was. She joked, “I see ghosts in my dreams, ghosts.” Twisting the question, I asked what she would want to be reborn as. “Queen, I will reborn as a queen,” she said and laughed aloud, conscious of her missing teeth. “I will be the Queen; my man will be the King. We will eat, sing, dance and have a great time.” Queen symbolised beauty – a life of comfort and leisure. It is this life that Amma desired after a life clogged with hardships. Also Read – YOUR HEALTHY FESTIVE PALATEShe was only a child when she was married to another child. She still remembers vividly the day she was married. “I had worn a bright red sari with a saffron-coloured pichora. From head to toe I glittered gold – maang tikka upon my forehead, nath on the nose, jhumka in my ears, rings upon my fingers, bangles on my wrist and anklets on my ankles. I looked nothing less than a forest goddess.” Teasing me, she said in a hushed voice, “That’s how a woman is tamed, with jewellery. It’s the tintinnabulation of her jewellery with which the man tracks her movement.” Amma’s daughter, Asha, is 37 years old. She weighs 40 kg, has one husband, four children, two cows, four goats, two dogs and hens to feed. Of the ten odd working hours she has in a day, six are spent on chopping firewood and gathering fodder. Her life is no different from that of her mother’s or from that of any other woman’s from the region. It is but a miracle that her thin, undernourished and anaemic body sustains such hardships day in and out. “I was only 12 when I would accompany my mother to the forest to chop wood. As a little girl, I had a smaller sickle. It’s the sickle which is a woman’s true companion. It is given to her as a girl and it stays with her until death,” narrated Asha, sharpening her sickle upon a stone. Women walking up and down the precarious slopes of mountains, carrying a head load double their weight, is a sight no one visiting these parts can miss. Men migrate to cities or work as daily wage labours. It is the women who manage the household, the cattle and the fields. Owning a cow defines ones status, hence, it is imperative to have a cow or two in ones backyard. Tending the cow, feeding her, bringing fodder and milking are all a woman’s task – her life revolves around her cow, while her own has little worth. “No one will think twice before spending thousands if a cow falls ill. But a woman of the house can die without proper medication. One can always get a second wife – younger, prettier and stronger for free,” Asha said. A cow has to be bought. The labour provided by women allows the mountain economy to survive and sustain itself. Farming is subsistence, with little to no marketable surplus. It is the fruit orchards which bring the cash. Fruit plucking is done by women and children. Half crate has 7 kg fruits and full crate, 15 kg. The wooden frames required to make these crates are left by the road with the fruit contractor. These are piled in bundles of around 50 kg and are carried home by women. Once the crates are packed with fruits by men sitting under a tree, the women carry these crates on their head up the hill. On an average, the household saves Rs 15,000 to 20,000 on labour, each fruit season. It is but a miracle that these malnourished, anaemic women sustain these hardships. Weight, energy, strength do not influence the load one can carry here. This is not to say that men here are not trained to carry weight. The difference is that men are paid for carrying weight and women aren’t. The life of a woman is tough, dangerous and short in these mountains. On an average, women in these remote parts carry weight which is nothing less than 50-60 kg, when they themselves weigh not more than 40 kg. The average haemoglobin count of the women here is 6 gm. Irrespective of the season, women move up and down the slopes, almost mechanically, carrying loads of firewood and fodder. Death due to falling off a tree or down the hill is common. Firewood is required all year long. With depleting forest covers and increasing restrictions on lopping in reserved forest areas, women now have to walk more than what they did before. Like women’s labour, firewood is free and preferred over gas stoves which cost money. Interestingly, going to the forest, is something the women look forward to. It is a space they can escape to from their nagging husbands and in-laws. Deep in the forest these women sit, gossiping and puffing beedi. “Ban ko mat de gari, ban ko kutch na bol. Ban hai mera mait” (Don’t abuse my forests; don’t say anything to my forests. The forest is my friend), sang Amma. Going to the forest is a socially acceptable pretext for a woman to step out of the confines of her homes. It is important to understand the social and moral dimensions which justify the current distribution of work. A woman who doesn’t keep a cow is a ‘bad woman’. Mol lana, (buying) and udhar lana (borrowing) implies that the woman of the house is not hardworking. “The woman must work hard. The fields must not remain fallow and there should be at least one cow at home. Running to shop for every little thing is not right,” says Asha. For women here, there isn’t a concept of leisure. During menstruation, the woman is relegated to the cowshed for she is considered impure during those days. Other than cooking and milking the cow, the nature of work remains same during menstruation. The work doesn’t change during pregnancy either. “The day Ravi was born; I went to the forest to bring firewood, chopped fodder and fed the cow. I cooked food and then walked up to the midwife’s house, asking her to come home in an hour. But before she arrived, I had delivered the child,” recalls Asha with an immense sense of pride. A woman is respected for her endurance, strength and chastity. Even today, there are stories of women delivering in the forest, returning home with a baby after burying the placenta in the woods. The prevalent ideas of ‘good woman’ and ‘bad woman’ weigh heavily on their minds; ideas they conform to in order to fit in. Women are glorified for performing this back breaking work. The women here are strongly held by social and moral obligations of conforming to established practices, expectations of others and societal norms, diminishing their ability to overcome the constraints they face. The women here do not complain of hardships. They feel disheartened by a life devoid of loving care. Their malnourished bodies have no way of expressing frustrations, fatigue and fears. It manifests as numbness. Beneath the numbing acceptance of drudgery as a way of life, however, is a dream of becoming a Queen – of soft hands and supple skin.
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Wednesday said his government has moved court against the Election Commission’s decision to transfers three IPS officers in the state based on a “frivolous” complaint by the opposition YSR Congress Party. Naidu said the transfer of the officials, who did not come under the purview of the poll body, was against the principle of natural justice and “sends a wrong signal”. Director General of Police (Intelligence) A B Venkateswara Rao, Kadapa Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Dev Sharma and Srikakulam SP Venkata Ratnam were sent to the police headquarters Tuesday after the YSR Congress Party approached the EC, accusing the officers of “favouring” the TDP. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’ Naidu said the DGP, Intelligence, “looks after the security of chief minister and does not come under the EC’s purview”, suggesting the poll panel’s decision has jeopardized his security. “The YSR Congress Party is terrorising officials in the state…The Andhra Pradesh government has filed a petition in the high court against the EC’s decision,” the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said. “The EC should conduct elections in an impartial manner and should not put a political party to inconvenience with one-sided decisions,” he said, adding the poll panel was yet to take action on more than 500 complaints filed by the TDP against “removal of voters’ name from the electoral list”. Naidu said he will launch an agitation seeking fair elections and to save democracy and democratic institutions.