APTN National NewsCanada’s political leaders have had their chance to face-off in leaders debates.Aboriginal issues barely received a mention in the debates, and that isn’’ sitting well with some people.APTN National News reporter Annette Francis has this story.
By Jorge BarreraAPTN National NewsA Vancouver Island chief backing Shawn Atleo in the current race for national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling on opponents to refrain from “wrecking ball” rhetoric in the campaign.Atleo is facing seven opponents in this year’s election, including four women.“We have to tone down the rhetoric,” said Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Doug White. “We don’t want rhetoric swinging through like a wrecking ball.”White said the attacks against Atleo over his perceived too-close relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government follow a pattern in AFN elections where the incumbent is often faces criticism over their relationship to the sitting government.“Look at the history of all the rhetoric around national chief elections for the last 20 years and you will see the ebb and flow of discussions when we have a national chief who is engaging and working with rather than fighting,” said White. “Candidates line up and say false accusations or overstate that someone is on the path of assimilation or too cozy with the feds. This has happened with previous national chiefs.”White was responding to comments made by Onion Lake Cree Nation Chief Wallace Fox who said Atleo was enabling the Conservative government in pushing First Nations toward assimilation. Fox, who is backing former Roseau River chief Terry Nelson in the race, formally nominated Atleo as a candidate in 2009.Fox, whose community is in Saskatchewan and covered by Treaty 6, said Atleo ignored the desire of prairie chiefs to have the AFN focus on pressuring the government to recognize treaty rights. Fox said Atleo’s decision to push ahead with a national panel to study on-reserve education despite the objection of Saskatchewan showed he wasn’t listening. He said Ottawa’s plans to streamline First Nation education with the provinces ignored the treaties, which Fox said guaranteed First Nation control over education.White, whose community is signatory to the Douglas Treaties of the 1850s, said Atleo is a strong advocate of treaty rights .“There has not been a national chief that has taking such a strong focus on treaty,” said White. “Quite the opposite from what Chief Fox is saying, there is nothing going on some path of assimilation.”White said Atleo has been pushing a treaty implementation strategy, birthed from a 2010 resolution from chiefs, that chiefs have been meeting on figuring out the best ways to have treaty rights respected and realized.It’s not Atleo’s job, however, to define how those rights get implemented, said White.“The work of treaty implementation belongs to me as chief of the Snuneymuxw, or to Chief Fox as the chief of his people. It doesn’t belong to the national chief’s role as an advocate. The AFN is not a treaty holder,” said White. “I don’t think any chief should be waiting for the national chief to do their work for them. I think (Atleo) is creating real opportunity and space for local treaty chiefs to do their work more effectively. He is raising the issue in a way that it has never been raised before.”Aside from Nelson, Atleo is also facing challenges from two AFN vice-chiefs including George Stanley, from Frog Lake First Nation, and Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus, from the Northwest Territories.Four women are also vying for the job of national chief and they include: Ellen Gabriel, a Mohawk from Kanesatake who rose to prominence as a spokesperson during the Oka crisis, Joan Jack, an Ojibway lawyer from the Berens River First Nation, former Treaty 3 grand chief Diane Kelly, a lawyer from Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation, and Pam Palmater, a Mi’kmaq lawyer and professor at Ryerson university.The vote is scheduled for July 18 in Toronto. Only chiefs can vote in the election.jbarrera@aptn.ca read more
By Jorge BarreraAPTN National NewsThe head of a Haida-owned company at the centre of an environmental controversy after its fishing boat dumped 100 tonnes of iron sulphite to seed the Pacific Ocean says the experiment is not a potential ecological disaster, but one that has “created life.”The Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation launched the $2.5 million experiment to boost the level of available plankton for salmon and create a carbon sink to tap into the potentially lucrative carbon credit market. The experiment was carried out under the direction of Russ George, a maverick businessman who has been hounded by environmentalists for years.The experiment, the largest geoengineering project in the world, was carried out in July more than 320 kilometres west of the Haida Gwaii islands off British Columbia’s coast. It has been roundly criticized by some environmental groups who say it violates at least two UN moratoria and that it plays a dangerous game trying to artificially alter ecosystems.John Disney, head of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation and economic development officer for the Old Massett Village, said the experiment is simply recreating natural conditions to boost the survival rates for Pacific salmon which form one of the cornerstones of Haida diet and culture.“We just created a big area of life where there wasn’t life,” said Disney. “It wasn’t done half-hazardly. It was done scientifically and we have many, many systems monitoring.”Disney also dismissed charges the experiment violated UN resolutions on ocean dumping. He said “three sets of lawyers” have reviewed the project and found it didn’t go against any UN positions.Disney has also met several times with Environment Canada officials who have known about the project for several months. Because the experiment took place in international waters, there is little Environment Canada can do about it.“We have lawyers watching our back,” he said. “I kept (Environment Canada) in the loop on this.”Environment Canada issued a statement stating that it was investigating the issue. The department, however, did not respond to questions about how long it knew about the experiment.Disney also said the depiction of George, who is the “chief scientist” for the experiment, has been misleading.“He is amazing at taking a scientific theory and applying to the bush or the ocean and adjusting it adapting it so it really works in the real world,” said Disney. “These (type of) guys are geniuses and they are frowned upon on the academic world.”Described as a controversial businessman, George once ran a geoengineering company called Planktos Corp. which previously failed to execute similar projects in other parts of the world, including the Canary Islands.In 2007, several environmental groups wrote the Securities Exchange Commission in the U.S. accusing George of issuing misleading statements to investors.“Planktos proposes that its iron fertilization project will trigger oceanic phytoplankton blooms that will absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis,” states the letter. “Prominent international scientific bodies with expertise in ocean dumping, ocean health and climate change…have questioned the scientific underpinnings of projects like Planktos’ and expressed grave concern.”The letter was signed by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, ETC Group and Fishwise, among others.APTN National News could not reach George for comment. However, George defended himself against attacks from environmentalists in an Op-Ed piece published in the Ottawa Citizen in 2007.“Perhaps it is a kind of fundamentalism that drives this, where all for-profit companies are intrinsically evil,” said George, whose company was based in California. “Perhaps they fear that if the patient, in this case Mother Earth, is somehow brought back from the edge of death, their raison d’etre will disappear.”Disney said he has known George since 2003 and the two have worked on projects over the years, including a study on shaving down the time it takes to reforest logged-out old growth forests by 150 years. Disney said he’s upset with the portrayal of his community as being duped by George.“Has he ever lied to us? Is he a ruthless American businessman? No he isn’t,” said Disney. “We wanted him for his marine science knowledge.”Disney said the 750 residents of Old Massett Village were extensively consulted and they voted in March 2011 66 per cent in favour of allowing council to finance the $2.5 million project.He hopes the project will eventually turn a profit on the carbon credit market because plankton consume carbon dioxide.Disney said plankton levels have been dropping for years and it has had a severe impact on salmon population which depends on it as a main source of food. As a result, young salmon can’t bulk up quick enough in the ocean to avoid natural predators, he said.Disney said the plankton have been starving to death as a result of dropping iron levels in the ocean triggered by climate change.The experiment took pulverized dirt dug up from a high-iron zone in Alberta and dumped it into an eddy far off Haida Gwaii’s coasts.The iron dust dump has created a 10,000 square kilometre plankton bloom that has been captured by satellite.“We haven’t found one negative side affect,” said Disney. “I talked to every single scientist involved in this…and they said…it was 100 per cent positive.”Using an array of high-tech equipment, Disney said the experiment is under constant monitoring.Disney said he believes the surprise 2010 sockeye salmon run which saw 40 million of the fish return to the Fraser River was primarily caused by an increase of iron in the ocean caused by the eruption of a volcano in 2008 that spread ash over the North Pacific.Environmental organizations, in particular Ottawa-headquartered ETC Group, have been critical of the experiment.“We have been watching ocean fertilization and geoengineering for five or six years, there are clear environmental risks,” said Jim Thomas, a spokesperson for ETC. “Our concern is that it is a set of new techniques that will allow the pollution industry to sidestep their commitments to reduce carbon emissions.”Thomas said the type of artificial ocean seeding can have unexpected consequences.“Studies seem to show that when you have an artificial plankton bloom it’s a whole different story,” he said. “You get different species being favoured and it grows in a different way.”Charles Miller, an oceanography professor at the University of Oregon, said he did not have enough facts to comment on the issue.“We do not have all the facts in the public sphere where we can review them,” he said, in an email to APTN National News.jbarrera@aptn.ca read more
APTN National NewsIt’s being promoted as Sex and the City … on the rez.Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer’s Mohawk Girls finished shooting its first season this past weekend in Kahnawake, Que.The original APTN series provides a look into four twenty-something Mohawk women as they navigate romance, careers and everything else that life throws their way.APTN’s Tom Fennario reports the series is also providing opportunities for young Mohawks break into a difficult industry.tfennario@aptn.ca read more
(Clayton Thomas-Muller is under RCMP surveillance, documents say. Facebook photo)By Jorge Barrera APTN National NewsAn Indigenous activist says documents showing the RCMP have him under surveillance reveal Canadian authorities have criminalized Indigenous dissent.Clayton Thomas-Muller, 37, said he wasn’t surprised to learn the RCMP is keeping tabs on him and compiled a file on his movements dating back to at least 2010.“I try not to pay any attention to the federal surveillance issue,” said Thomas-Muller, who is currently living in Ottawa and is a former Idle No More organizer. “I feel very strongly that the work I do is just and is on the right side of history, so I really don’t pay any attention to the Harper government’s tactics to try to criminalize the work I am involved in which uplifts democracy, transparency, equity and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Specifically, the right of indigenous people to say no to harmful developments that threaten their way of life.”The RCMP closely monitored the movements Thomas-Muller as it tightened surveillance in July 2010 around possible protests in northern British Columbia targeting the energy firm behind the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline, according to “confidential” documents obtained by APTN National News.The documents come from the RCMP’s Suspicious Incidents Report (SIR) database and show police closely monitored the movements of a member of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN). According to the documents, the RCMP considers IEN an “extremist” group and a trip by an IEN member to a direct action camp in July of that year created a flurry of database activity involving RCMP officers with the force’s national security operations in B.C. and Ottawa.The documents don’t mention a name, but cross-referencing the date, the identified organization and the location detailed in the file pinpointed Thomas-Muller as the individual monitored by the RCMP.The documents were obtained under the Access to Information Act by academic Jeffrey Monaghan, who is a criminology instructor at Carleton University and completing a doctorate at Queen’s University.IEN is headquartered in Bemidji, Minn., and describes itself as a grassroots organization focused on climate and social justice issues, according to its website. IEN is headed by prominent Dine’-Dakota environmentalist Tom Goldtooth. Goldtooth could not be reached for comment.Thomas-Muller was a member of IEN at the time. He left IEN in 2012 after spending 12 years with the organization. He said he’s not sure how the RCMP found out about his plans to go to the action camp, but he regularly posts his movements on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.“I am very transparent about all the work I am involved in through the campaigns I am involved in. There is a whole archive of the various trips and conferences and action camps and protests that I have participated in on social media,” said Thomas-Muller. “One only has to go through my Twitter feed and Facebook history to see my travel.”Thomas-Muller is currently co-director of the Indigenous tarsands campaign with Polaris and is a consultant to U.S.-based organization 350.org. He said he’s only been approached by security agencies once, during the height of the Idle No More movement between 2012 and 2013. He said he told the officer who contacted him to submit his request for the meeting in official correspondence to Idle No More and Defenders of the Land.“They cold-called me at my house,” said Thomas-Muller, who ended work as an official Idle No More organizer earlier this year.The documents record entries from RCMP officers into the SIR database. The entries focus on concerns around possible protests in July 2010 against energy firm Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline project.The controversial Gateway project would transport bitumen from Alberta’s tarsands to the B.C. coast for loading onto tankers headed to Asian markets. The project received federal cabinet approval but now faces an onslaught of legal challenges from B.C. First Nations.Thomas-Muller’s activities caught the RCMP’s attention.“Although there is no specific criminal threat, we do have information that a known member of the Indigenous Environmental Network will be heading to Northern B.C. tomorrow for a planned ‘Wetsuweten Direct Action Camp (sic),” according to the “occurrence report” dated July 7, 2010, written by Craig Douglass, with the Southeast District RCMP in British Columbia. “We would like to anticipate and monitor any protests in order to keep you informed if these protests happen in your detachment areas.”The RCMP created a file on Thomas-Muller’s planned trip to the action camp. The file was dated the same day as Douglass’ email.“Information file opened to gather information involving demonstrations to the Northern Gateway Pipeline,” according to the file, number 20103467. The file was classified as a “Critical Infrastructure-Suspicious Incident.” The file summary goes on to state that the “known member of (IEN)” would be heading to the action camp on July 8, 2010.The file, which remained active, included three “associated occurrences” dated in 2011. Little detail is provided about these occurrences. The list included the date, whether it happened in the same area, employed a similar modus operandi or was a similar event.The file also listed a number of groups as “involved persons.” The groups listed include the Defenders of the Land, Direct Action in Canada for Climate Justice, Ontario Public Interest Research Group, Ruckus Society, Global Justice Ecology Project, Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance, Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, the Indigenous Action Movement and the Wet’suwet’en Direct Action Camp.Russ Diabo, a policy analysis from the Mohawk community of Kahanwake and Defenders of the Land member, said it’s no surprise his group was listed in the documents.“Defenders of the Land is a network of Indigenous communities and their supporters and the communities are prominent in defending their rights on the ground,” said Diabo. “A lot of our Indigenous community members are where these resource development projects are planned to take place and have taken place. There are conflicts. There are likely to be more given the planned resource extraction projects across the country.”The RCMP officers involved on the file included several with B.C.’s E Division’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), intelligence analysts from Ottawa and a supervisor from the federal policing operational analysis sector at RCMP headquarters in the capital city.A senior officer at Ottawa RCMP headquarters determined Thomas-Muller’s file should be uploaded to the SIR database because IEN was an “extremist” group. The file was also forwarded to the now dismantled Aboriginal Joint Intelligence Group (JIG) and to the RCMP’s main liaison with the energy sector.“File pertains to extremist groups organizing training for potential disruption of Enbridge pipelines,” reads the entry from Ottawa headquarters. “Request to SIR administrator…to complete a SIR report on the incident in order to capture information of analytical value that pertains to pre-incident training that targets a critical infrastructure sector.”An RCMP spokesperson said last Thursday the RCMP needed time to respond to requests for comment. APTN National News contacted the RCMP again Tuesday and is still awaiting a response.Thomas-Muller said the RCMP’s interest in his activities betrays the success of social movements on the tarsands and Indigenous rights fronts.“We are challenging the most powerful corporate entities on the planet,” he said. “What we have on our side is endless human resources. We have the power of our ancestors and traditions fueling us. We are intimately aware of the domestic surveillance that is happening as well as the agenda to criminalize Indigenous dissent.”jbarrera@aptn.ca@JorgeBarrera read more
APTN National NewsThe Liberal government of Justin Trudeau unveiled a federal budget Tuesday containing $8.4 billion worth of spending commitments to Indigenous communities across the country along with a pledge to undertake substantial on-reserve education reform and begin negotiations to establish a new fiscal relationship with First Nations.The federal budget contained commitments to spend $4.2 billion on education, children and training, $1.2 billion on social infrastructure and $2.42 billion for green infrastructure over the next five years for First Nation, Inuit, Metis and Nothern communities.Finance Minister Bill Morneau said his government began with the failed $5 billion Kelowna Accord as a baseline. He said this budget far exceeded funding commitments contained in the accord which died after the minority Liberal government of Paul Martin fell in the fall of 2005.“One of the things I am most proud of in this budget is that we have decided to make very significant investments for Indigenous people in this country,” said Morneau, during a press conference Tuesday. “It’s significantly more than the Kelowna Accord.”A closer look at Budget 2016 and the Liberal’s $2.6 billion campaign promiseMorneau also reiterated his government’s commitment to continue collaboration with Indigenous peoples through an increase in funding contained in the budget for Aboriginal Representative Organizations.“”We have also invested in enabling Indigenous people to have the funds required to represent themselves in discussions with the federal government so we can have an appropriate discussion that helps us get to better outcomes,” said Morneau.Some of the highlights for Indigenous peoples and communities found in Morneau’s first federal budget include:$1.8 billion over five years for water and waste water infrastructure.$554.3 million over two years for on-reserve housing. The money will be split between Indigenous and Northern Affairs ($416 million) and Canada Mortgage and Housing ($137 million).$409 million over five years for on-reserve waste management to help First Nations near cities and towns redirect garbage to municipal landfills, improve recycling and to develop “properly engineered” landfills in remote communities.$270 million over five years for health facilities like nursing stations and residences for health care workers in First Nation communities.$255 million over two years for the First Nations Infrastructure Fund to pay for broadband connections, energy systems, bridges and other physical infrastructure needs.$177 million over two years for Inuit and Northern housing including $76 million for Nunavut, $50 million for Nunavik, $15 million for Nunatsiavut, $15 million for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, $12 million for the Northwest Territories and $8 million for the Yukon.$141.7 million over five years to monitor on-reserve water quality and to track progress toward ending water boil advisories which currently afflict over 100 First Nation communities.$129.4 million in early learning and child care over the next two years.$96 million over five years for Aboriginal Representative Organizations like the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.$33.6 million over five years for on-reserve shelters for victims of family violence.$33.1 million this year for First Nation fishing enterprises on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.$25 million for the Metis Nation economic development strategy.$5 million per year for support of Indigenous languages.The budget document stated that by the 2020-2021 fiscal year total spending commitments contained in the budget would raise funding for Indigenous programs by 22 per cent above what would exist under the two per cent funding cap over the same time span.The budget document also said the Liberal government would begin talks this year with First Nations on developing a new fiscal relationship.A look at Budget 2016 and on-reserve child welfareThe central piece of the budget is $3.7 billion committed for First Nation education, including new money for the classroom-level and for new schools, along with renovations to existing facilities.The biggest single yearly investment for education infrastructure, $282 million, is earmarked to flow in 2017-2018 and the total will hit $969 million by 2020-2021.The next federal election is scheduled for the fall of 2019.The money for classroom level instruction, however, is back-ended with $1.4 billion of the total earmarked for the last two years of the five year outlook contained in the budget.The Liberal government is also launching an $824 million “transformation” process to overhaul the on-reserve education system. The process will include consultations to “achieve meaningful gains in education outcomes.”The 2016-2017 budget is also setting aside $40 million over the next two years for an inquiry into the high number of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.On the child welfare front, the budget has earmarked $634 million over five years to “ensuring the safety and well-being of First Nations children.” However, only $71 million is slated to flow this year, growing to $99 million next year.Indigenous Affairs will also receive $10.7 million from a separate pot of money to develop renewable energy projects for Indigenous and Northern communities that currently depend on diesel power generation.The federal department will also receive $19 million over five years to collaborate with Inuit communities to bolster ongoing Arctic research with traditional knowledge. The work will be centred on potential oil and gas activity in the Kivalliq, Kitikmeot and Arctic Islands of Nunavut to determine whether these energy developments should “proceed in these regions.”The federal budget contained no funds specifically set aside for consultation with First Nations on major natural resource projects. The document does earmark $16.5 million over three years for the National Energy Board, Natural Resources Canada and Transport Canada to support “public and Indigenous participation in enhanced consultations” for projects currently under review. The money would also be used for “Crown consultations with Indigenous peoples.”The federal budget made no mention of the Liberal government’s commitments to implement all 94 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. A federal official said the Liberal government is currently consulting on the issue and would soon unveil its plan on implementing those recommendations.news@aptn.ca@APTNNews read more
Tamara Pimentel APTN National NewsHusky Energy says now that it took them just minutes to notify provincial environment officials about a leak in their pipeline that spilled oil into the North Saskatchewan River.They said earlier that it took them more than 12 hours.Meanwhile, the oil slick continues to slowly drift east, and it’s dried up the Muskoday First Nation’s water supply.
The Canadian Press WINNIPEG – Manitoba Justice says the Crown will not appeal the acquittal of a man who was accused of killing 15-year-old Tina Fontaine.The Crown says in a statement that only errors in law can be appealed when someone is found not guilty.“After a critical review … by the Manitoba Prosecution Service’s appeal unit and the Crown attorneys who prosecuted the case, it has been determined there are no grounds to base a successful appeal,” says the statement released Tuesday.A jury found Raymond Cormier not guilty last month of second-degree murder in the Indigenous girl’s death.Her body, wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down by rocks, was pulled from Winnipeg’s Red River eight days after she disappeared in August 2014.The Crown said it had advised Tina’s family of the decision.Tina was raised by her great-aunt, Thelma Favel, from the Sagkeeng First Nation, 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The teen left to visit her mother in Winnipeg at the end of June 2014 and became an exploited youth.Favel called Child and Family Services with concerns about Tina, who ran away repeatedly from a youth shelter and hotels where she was placed.She was last seen leaving a downtown hotel, where she told a private contract worker employed by child welfare that she was going to a shopping centre to meet friends.There was no DNA evidence linking Cormier to the teen and doctors who were called to testify at his trial said they could not definitively say how Tina died.A pathologist testified that her death was suspicious because of the manner in which her body was found. read more
Kathleen MartensAPTN NewsA First Nation child advocate thinks it’s “sad” the government is being sued for “underfunding” on-reserve child welfare services in a $3-billion lawsuit.“I don’t know the young man who put in the case other than his description, which is so sad and so typical of youth in care,” said social worker Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.“Good for him for doing this.”The statement of claim filed March 5 in federal court said the plaintiff, Xavier Moushoom, epitomizes the class members by having lived in 14 different foster homes in Quebec.The lawsuit, which still has to be certified as a class action by a judge, is seeking compensation for victims of a system it said financially incentivizes apprehension instead of prevention.“This underfunding has prevented child welfare service agencies from providing adequate prevention services to First Nations children,” said the statement of claim.“There are approximately three times the numbers of First Nations children in state care now than there were in residential schools at their apex in 1940.”Both of Moushoom’s Algonquin parents are residential school survivors, the claim added.The class is First Nations children who came in contact with on-reserve child welfare services between April 1, 1991 and March 1, 2019.The two law firms involved – Sotos of Toronto and Kugler Kandestin in Montreal – declined to comment until Friday.They alleged the “Crown has known about the severe inadequacies of its funding formulas, policies, and practices for years, but has not adequately addressed them” despite “numerous calls to action by several official, independent fact-finders.”Blackstock, who has her own experience of taking Ottawa to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal over inequality, is one of those fact-finders, although she is personally not involved in this lawsuit.Her nine-year battle before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal proved the government failed to provide the same level of child welfare services that the provinces provided off-reserve – and is cited in the statement of claim.Read the statement of claim here: Part 1, Part 2“I don’t understand why we even had to take them to court at the tribunal,” Blackstock said in a telephone interview Wednesday.“It was clear and obvious that the discrimination was happening and that it was having devastating impacts on children.”The lawsuit cites the Tribunal’s 2016 ruling, blaming Ottawa for the high number of First Nations children in care and the impact.“The removal of a child from their home causes severe and, in some cases, permanent trauma,” said the statement of claim.And, it alleges, fully funding the costs of foster care is discriminatory.“Because of these funding formulas, policies, and practices, a child on reserve must often be removed from their home in order to receive public services that are available to children off reserve,” the claim alleged.The claim also accuses Ottawa of ignoring Jordan’s Principle, which is supposed to level the playing field for First Nations children when it comes to health and other public services.The present-day foster care system is said to be repeating the horrors of residential school and the former ‘60s Scoop policy – something Marcia Brown Martel was hoping to publicize by filing a class-action lawsuit in Ontario.“I did the court matter so that the broader Canadian public would know there was a wrong done in this country,” Brown Martel said in a telephone interview Wednesday.Ottawa has since settled with survivors of residential school and First Nations and Inuit members of the ‘60s Scoop, who as children were removed from their homes and placed with non-Indigenous families between 1951 and 1991.Brown Martel said filing the suit helped her and she hopes it does the same for Moushoom.“We know we were being wronged,” she said, “it’s not rocket science.“There are provincial laws that are in place for these workers to work with that are the same laws that were there 10, 15 years ago…Change the mandates of child welfare.”kmartens@aptn.ca@katmarte read more
TORONTO – Sears Canada has just over a week to assess another revised bid from a buyer group led by its executive chairman as its lenders press for liquidation of the embattled retailer that could start as early as mid-October.Orestes Pasparakis, a lawyer for the insolvent retailer’s court-appointed monitor FTI Consulting Canada, told the court it is assessing a revised bid from a group led by Brandon Stranzl that was submitted late Tuesday, but Sears Canada is running out of liquidity and time to decide which route to take.“We are nearing the end of the road… We have pushed the timelines to preserve optionality, and quickly running out of money,” he told Justice Glenn Hainey on Wednesday.Justice Hainey extended Sears Canada’s creditor protection, which was slated to end Wednesday, until Nov. 7.However, a group of lenders who have provided debtor-in-possession financing to Sears Canada to help keep its stores open are pushing for a liquidation agreement to be approved by the court during a hearing on Oct. 13, or risk a default.According to an amendment to an agreement with lenders submitted Tuesday, the retailer must sign a liquidation agreement by Oct. 7 — revised bid notwithstanding.A process to then liquidate the remaining Sears locations could start as soon as Oct. 19.“There is a massive swing in value,” if the process is not started by then, Joe Latham, a lawyer for Wells Fargo Capital Finance Corp. Canada, told the court.If a proposal to buy the business as a going concern does not materialize, he added, it is key to liquidate before the Christmas season is over to maximize the value the process can attain.This comes after the court-appointed monitor said in a report earlier this week that Sears Canada is losing money on a weekly basis but will have enough liquidity to fund its operations until Nov. 7.“We have a very short fuse on a potential liquidation of the company,” said Jeremy Dacks, a lawyer representing Sears from law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. “We do have a going concern bid that has issues that still need to be resolved and a matter of days, not weeks, to proceed.”On Wednesday, Justice Hainey gave the green light for the sale of 12 Sears stores and its wholly-owned subsidiary and appliance retail chain Corbeil. The judge also approved the sale of a Sears distribution centre to Indigo Books and Music, as well as the sale of three home services businesses.A proposal to sell the Viking appliance brand to Canadian Tire, however, was adjourned on Wednesday, as another party has the first right of refusal.Mark Zigler, a lawyer with Koskie Minsky representing thousands of pensioners, said a decision must be made between the two paths before Sears Canada as soon as possible. He said they are not opposed to a proposal to buy the company as a going concern, but the delays in the process leaves pensioners “bearing the brunt” of the cost.“The pensioners are paying the price,” he said.“We cannot continue to be funding this exercise.” read more
The average price of imported vehicles sold in the United States could jump by thousands of dollars if the Trump administration imposes tariffs under a worst-case scenario provided by the Center for Automotive Research.The Michigan-based think-tank estimates U.S. consumers would see the average price of new imports rise by US$6,875, if a 25 per cent tariff is applied, or up to US$2,750 if a 10 per cent tariff is imposed to imports from all countries.The impact on American consumers would be substantially less if Canada and Mexico — partners with the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement — are exempted.CAR estimates the average cost of imports sold in the United States would rise by US$3,980 if a 25 per cent tariff is applied only to non-NAFTA countries and by US$1,345 if a 10 per cent tariff is levied on only non-NAFTA imports.A quota that limits the number of vehicle and parts imports to 80 per cent of 2017 levels would also be costly, pushing up the price by US$6,610 if all countries are included or up US$5,583 in Canada and Mexico are excluded.The report was issued ahead of congressional hearings into the Trump administration’s threat of tariffs or quotas to protect its national security.President Donald Trump’s strategy appears aimed at returning the auto supply chain back to the United States.But the CAR study found U.S. auto production can’t quickly increase, taking at least a year to convert an under-utilized plant and on average two years to build a new assembly facility.The U.S. economy would contract by between US$6.4 billion and US$62.2 billion, it said.CAR estimates that American auto demand will fall by between 493,600 to two million vehicles, resulting in the loss of 82,000 to nearly 750,000 auto manufacturing jobs.“U.S. automotive and automotive parts manufacturers would not benefit from tariff or quota protection since all vehicles produced in the United States rely on imported content and a substantial share of U.S.-produced automotive parts and components are exported for assembly in vehicles built in other countries,” it said.Figures from the U.S. government’s International Trade Administration show more than 70 per cent of U.S. exports last year were to Canada and Mexico “so including these two trading partners in the trade action would be particularly harmful to U.S. automotive parts producers.”CAR said the 17,000 new vehicle dealerships in the United States could see revenues decline by US$16.3 billion to US$66.5 billion and result in the loss of 28,800 to 117,500 dealer jobs.Used vehicle prices would also rise as more consumers turn away from new purchases and the selection of cheaper imports would likely be reduced as manufacturers decided to no longer offer some models.In 2017, 52 per cent of vehicles sold in the U.S. were manufactured domestically. Of the 48 per cent that were imported, with more than half assembled in Canada or Mexico containing significant U.S. content. read more
When Lila Chess and Aron Kandel were planning their January 2018 wedding, the New York City couple was wary of acquiring too much stuff. They lived in a small apartment with limited storage. Lila opted not to have a shower in order to keep gifts at a minimum.But the couple knew that friends and family would want to celebrate their nuptials with presents. They found a registry that included traditional gift options but also things other than stuff — donations to charity and to their honeymoon adventures in Fiji and New Zealand.“People were really excited about the chance to help with our honeymoon,” recalled Lila Chess Kandel. “Friends and family who know us said, ‘That’s awesome. You guys are super-adventurous. We want to support that.’”As couples strive to infuse their weddings with personal touches, changing up the registry is a natural, said Ashlie Lynch, communications chair for the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners. Many brides and grooms are forgoing formal dinnerware and household goods and replacing them with asks for money to fund experiences or significant purchases.Couples are becoming increasingly comfortable asking guests for money, added Lauren Kay, deputy editor at TheKnot.com, a wedding planning website.Between 2011 and 2017, the number of couples who had cash registries increased from 1 per cent to 6 per cent, according to a survey by TheKnot.com. In many cases, couples provide detailed explanations on the registry of how they intend to spend the money. Requests range from down payments on a house to in vitro fertilization treatments. That information “makes guests feel better about handing over cash,” Kay said. “It’s reframing the way we think about gifts.”It also suits the lifestyle of millennials — those born between 1981 and 1997. Three out of four millennials said they prefer spending money on experiences over things, according to a 2017 Eventbrite survey.Some resorts that cater to honeymooners offer registries. At the Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii, couples can request that friends and relatives chip in toward spa treatments, romantic dinners and sunrise canoe outings. “We’ve seen many couples who’ve exercised this option with success and have enjoyed their once-in-a-lifetime dream honeymoons as a result,” said resort spokeswoman Catherine Cambra.Kayleigh and Daniel Caskey, who were married in 2017, had no problem asking guests to contribute to their honeymoon.“It was a way of saying, ‘Hey you were part of our wedding day and now you’re a part of a time when we’re celebrating our marriage together that you can follow on Facebook,’” Kayleigh said. Many traditional gifts “will break or wear down and have to be replaced. We’ll never have a honeymoon again. We will always remember those experiences.”Most of their friends and relatives understood, she said, but a few still bought traditional gifts that the couple isn’t sure they will ever use.Before their 2016 wedding, Brady and Erica Robertson had a talk with one relative to ensure she did not “surprise” them with china they would never use. “When friends and family visit, we are more likely to order pizza and eat off paper plates than to provide an elaborate meal,” said Erica, of Columbus, Ohio. “We didn’t want a lot of extraneous gifts because we didn’t have a lot of room to store everything.”Charity wedding registries more than tripled in popularity last year, Kay said, from 3 per cent of couples in 2016 to 10 per cent in 2017.Initially, Sarah Mulvaney and Matthew Schimenti intended to tell wedding guests they did not wish to receive any gifts for their June 2018 event, but relatives persuaded them to provide an option. The couple from Rowayton, Connecticut, decided to use their happy occasion to help a favourite charity. Using The Good Beginning, a registry for couples seeking charitable donations in lieu of gifts, the Schimentis solicited donations for The Carver Foundation, which provides youth programming in Morris, Connecticut.“To us, our wedding was always about celebrating our love and the coming together of everyone we both love,” she said. “We have all that we need, and giving back was the least we could do.”It makes sense that millennials would redefine traditional wedding registries, said Karen McGrath, co-author of “The Millennial Mindset: Unraveling Fact from Fiction” and a professor at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Millennials tend to prioritize giving back, taking care of the environment, and doing things rather than owning them, she said. Everything about fancy china and crystal — from storing it to the packaging it comes in — would be a turn-off for many young couples, she said.Many millennials also choose to live in smaller or shared spaces, and move often, she said, which makes it difficult to have a lot of stuff.“It’s a completely different mindset,” she said. “They’re much more mobile.”And even newlyweds who want fine things for their homes may already have them, added Beth Helmstetter, a wedding planner who in 2016 founded The Good Beginning. With couples marrying later in life and often sharing a home before exchanging vows, they often have all they need, she said.Melissa Kossler Dutton, The Associated Press read more
HIALEAH, Fla. — When Toys R Us closed, Toys for Tots felt the loss.The toy giant accounted for more than 250,000 toys donated by consumers last year and $5 million in corporate contributions.Toys R Us shuttered its stores in June after filing for bankruptcy last year. It left some big holes for the Marine Corps community effort to fill.The 800 stores usually had boxes where customers could toss a toy on their way out and they also took monetary donations.From Florida to Spokane, Washington, several Toys for Tots campaigns say the closures hurt.In Atlanta, the drive had a recent shortfall of more than a quarter million toys. In Orlando, donations were down 25 per cent. In Bakersfield, California, the local group reported being 10,000 toys down earlier this month.Terry Spencer And Joshua Replogle, The Associated Press read more
TORONTO – Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:Toronto Stock Exchange (14,222, up 56.79 points).Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Mining. Down $1.05, or 5.62 per cent, to $17.63 on 33.7 million shares.Aphria Inc. (TSX:APHA). Health care. Up 95 cents, or 12.55 per cent to $8.52 on 19 million shares.Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB). Health care. Up 32 cents, or 4.71 per cent, to $7.12 on 11.5 million shares.Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Up 12 cents, or 6.35 per cent, to $2.01 on 8.6 million shares.Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX:BTE). Energy. Up 18 cents, or 8.61 per cent, to $2.27 on 6.3 million shares.Toronto-Dominion Bank. (TSX:TD). Finance. Up 12 cents, or 0.18 per cent, to $67.63 on 5.9 million shares. Companies reporting major news:Aphria Inc. said a hostile takeover bid presented to its board by Green Growth Brands is “quite risky” and significantly undervalues the company, which is one of the biggest players in Canada’s legal cannabis market. Ohio-based Xanthic Biopharma Inc., which does business as Green Growth Brands, announced its hostile takeover bid for Aphria after stock markets closed Thursday.The Canadian Press read more
DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Global comedy superstar Russell Peters is thrilled to announce his return to his home and native land as part of his brand new Deported World Tour this fall. The Emmy®, Gemini® and Peabody® award-winning comic will perform a limited eleven market arena tour bringing his unique and sometimes controversial brand of humour home once again. Peters’ new show features all-new material including plenty of Russell’s signature audience interactions.Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, July 20 at 10 a.m. PST. Tickets are priced at $99.00, $79.00 and $49.00 plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased online at www.tigerboxofficeplus.ca by phone at 1-877-339-8499, and in person at the Tiger Box Office Plus locations at the Encana Events Centre in Dawson Creek or the Systems Sound Source Ticket Outlet in Fort St. John.Got a good joke? Listen to Moose FM for your chance to win tickets by sharing your best clean joke. You could win tickets before they go on sale. Plus, join the Energetictickets.ca newsletter now and you’ll get a special chance to buy tickets to the show early. Watch your email for the details on Wednesday of next week. Russell Peters returns to live touring after taking time off to film his smash hit CTV/Netflix series The Indian Detective. The Indian Detective also stars Anupam Kher (The Big Sick, Silver Linings Playbook), William Shatner (Star Trek), Christina Cole (Suits, Casino Royale) and Mishqah Parthiephal (Keeping Up with the Kandasamys).Peters can also be seen in the films, The Clapper with Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried and Tracy Morgan as well as Supercon with Ryan Kwanten and John Malkovich, and Adventures in Public School with Judy Greer.The Deported World Tour kicked off in Australia and New Zealand in February 2018 and has already travelled to over 29 cities in 20 countries and been seen by over 100,000 fans worldwide. The tour will continue well into 2019 and Peters will then take an extended break from live touring to focus on other ventures and spend more time at home with his daughter.Listed on the Forbes List as one of the top ten Highest Earning Comics in the U.S. since 2009, Peters has spent the last 29 years building a career to become one of the biggest comics in the world. Thanks to YouTube and his global following, Peters has sold-out arenas from Madison Square Garden to the Sydney Opera House. Peters has also performed for the troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and on the USS Eisenhower and the HMCS Winnipeg, and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Lopez Tonight, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and on HBO, CNN, MTV, BBC, Showtime and Comedy Central. Peters 2010 memoir, Call Me Russell, was a Globe and Mail number one bestseller in Canada.Peters is an active philanthropist having donated more than a million dollars over the past several years to various charities from the Brampton Civic Hospital, Gilda’s Club, the MS Society of Canada and a scholarship at his old high-school; The Russell Peters North Peel Scholarship, which sends a deserving student to college. The scholarship is now in its ninth year. read more
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The rotating Canada Post strike has hit the B.C. Peace.Postal workers in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson went on strike as of 7 a.m. Tuesday. Canada Post employees in Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and communities in Ontario are also on strike today.Strike activity continues in the Greater Montreal Area, where it started at 10:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29. Employees in Prince George, B.C., and in Peterborough, Ont., also remain on strike. CUPW and the postal service have been unable to reach new collective agreements for the two bargaining units in 10 months of negotiations.“We outlined our major issues to Canada Post at the very beginning of the negotiation process … and clearly stated that we would not sign any agreements that don’t address overwork and overburdening, equality and full-time jobs,” CUPW national president Mike Palecek said in a statement.“Our position hasn’t changed. We aren’t just bargaining for today; we are bargaining for the future — for our members and everyone who relies on the postal service.”Last Tuesday, Labour Minister Patty Hajdu appointed Morton Mitchnick, a former chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, to help the two parties resolve their contract differences. read more
Laila is believed to still be in Fort St John, BC. Her parents have received Facebook messages but cannot confirm they are from Laila and are concerned for her wellbeing.The Fort St John RCMP has not been able to contact Laila or determine her whereabouts and are considering her a high-risk missing youth.Laila is described as:Indigenous female5’4 (162 cm) tall120 lbs (54kg)Very long, brown hairBrown eyesWears glassesTattoo of autumn leaves by the left collar boneSilver hoop piercing on top of the right earThe Fort St John RCMP continue to investigate and are asking anyone who has any information about Laila Apsassin or where she might be, to please contact the Fort St John RCMP at 250-787-8100.Should you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.crimestoppersnebc.ca. UPDATE – The Fort St John RCMP is pleased to confirm that the 16-year-old female reported missing on June 17, 2019, has been located, and she is safe and sound.The Fort St John RCMP with to extend gratitude to the media and public for your assistance.FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – On Monday, June 17, 2019, at about 9:40 am, the Fort St John RCMP received a report that 16-year-old Laila Apsassin had left her residence on June 3, 2019, and has not yet returned. read more
Darjeeling: JB Tamang, President, Himalayan Plantation Workers’ Union (HPWU- affiliated to the GNLF) fell ill while being produced at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court (ACJM,) Kurseong on Monday. He has been admitted in the ICU of the Darjeeling District Hospital.Fifty-six year old Tamang had been implicated in a case under the Naxalbari Police Station and arrested in the wee hours on Sunday. He had been produced at the Siliguri ACJM court from where he was granted bail. Also Read – Bengal family worships Muslim girl as Goddess Durga in Kumari PujaHowever, as soon as he stepped out he was re-arrested in connection with a case under the Mirik police station. Tamang was produced at the ACJM Court in Kurseong on Monday. Tamang fell ill and even lost consciousness when was produced at the court. He was rushed to the Kurseong sub divisional Hospital. From there he was referred to the Darjeeling district hospital. Tamang was then brought to Darjeeling and admitted in the ICU. Later in the evening GNLF top brass including party President Mann Ghising paid him a visit. “His condition has improved stated” Dinesh Sampang, GNLF leader. read more
Panaji: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, support of whose three MLAs is crucial for the stability of BJP-led dispensation in Goa, Tuesday said a “conspiracy” was being hatched by “our rivals” that might force it to move out and align with the Congress to form a new government. The party has three MLAs in the 40-Member Goa Assembly and its senior leader and Marcaim legislator Sudin Dhavalikar is the deputy chief minister in the Pramod Sawant government. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’ Speaking to PTI, MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar alleged one of his party’s officer-bearers was “made to issue a letter” to the governor and speaker declaring authority over entire legislative affairs of the outfit. Dhavalikar said the MGP central committee would meet Wednesday to chalk out its future course of action, which, he claimed, can decide the fate of the state government. “There is a larger conspiracy under which one of our senior officer bearers, general secretary Lavoo Mamlatdar, was made to issue a letter to the governor and speaker, in which he stated that he was taking over the entire authority on legislative affairs of the party,” Dhavalikar said. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&K He said his party was the state’s oldest regional outfit but some sections were opposed to its growth. Mamlatdar had last week written a letter to the governor and Assembly speaker stating he was the sole authority in the MGP to communicate party decisions to them. Following the letter, the MGP had expelled Mamlatdar. Talking about Wednesday’s party meeting to discuss this issue, Dhavalikar said, “We might take certain resolutions in the central committee meeting which can have bearing on the stability of the government led by Pramod Sawant.” He alleged moves were afoot by his rivals to wean away MGP MLAs Manohar Ajgaonkar and Dipak Pawaskar, and in the process isolate Deputy Chief Minister Sudin Dhavalikar. “Any attempt to disturb our MLAs will be viewed seriously and we won’t mind pulling out of the government,” he said. On being queried about whether the option of the aligning with the opposition Congress was open to the MGP, Dhavalikar replied in the affirmative. After the demise of Manohar Parrikar, BJP’s Pramod Sawant took over as Chief Minister. He heads a coalition government comprising the MGP, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and three Independent MLAs Sawant faced vote of confidence during which his government garnered the support of 20 MLAs: 11 from the BJP, three each from MGP and GFP, three independents. Fifteen MLAs — 14 from congress and one from NCP — voted against his government. The support of three MGP MLAs is crucial as without them the strength of the coalition government will reduce to 17 in the house. The magic figure in the 40-member assembly, the strength of which has been reduced to 36 following resignations of two MLAs and demise of two including Parrikar, is 18 as of now. read more
New Delhi: Private steel player JSW Steel Tuesday said its crude steel output grew 3 per cent to 16.69 million tonne (MT) during financial year 2018-19. The company had produced 16.27 MT of crude steel in the 2017-18 fiscal, JSW Steel said in a statement. During 2018-19, JSW Steel’s output of flat rolled products stood at 11.74 MT, up 3 per cent from 11.44 MT in the previous fiscal. The production of long rolled products rose by 9 per cent to 3.87 MT from 3.56 MT in 2017-18. During the fourth quarter of 2018-19, the company saw its crude steel output falling by 3 per cent to 4.17 MT from 4.31 MT in same quarter in 2017-18. JSW Steel said its output of flat rolled products during the said quarter grew by 1 per cent to 3.01 MT as against 2.98 MT in the year ago quarter. The production of long rolled products fell by 8 per cent to 0.99 MT from 1.07 MT in same quarter of 2017-18. JSW Steel Ltd is part of $13 billion JSW Group and has a presence in sectors such as steel, energy, infrastructure, cement, sports among others. read more