Admins
RCMP, other employers exploiting human rights ‘loophole’ to stall complaints, lawyer claims
CHRC waived requirement for military members earlier this year An employment and human rights lawyer says organizations like the RCMP are exploiting a “loophole” to prevent employees in federally regulated workplaces from taking their cases directly to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The Canadian Human Rights Act allows the commission to deny complaints if the complainant “failed to exhaust” the review process that was reasonably available to them. “At this point it’s a loophole that’s getting abused by organizations to indefinitely stall people’s right to access justice and hold them accountable forRead more
Evacuation orders issued, expanded as B.C.’s wildfire threat refuses to subside
New evacuation orders in Sunshine Coast, Central Okanagan and Cariboo regions Evacuation orders were issued for multiple B.C. regions Sunday, as wildfires continue to upend residents’ lives well into September. The orders cover portions of central B.C., the Sunshine Coast, and the Okanagan region — which has already seen devastating fires that torched communities this year. Though the B.C. government ended its provincewide state of emergency Friday, officials have warned residents to be vigilant into the fall. The Sunshine Coast Regional District has declared a local state of emergency due to the Clowhom Lake wildfire, withRead more
Yukon gov’t website back after cyberattack, Nunavut gov’t site still down
Distributed-denial-of-service attack began at midnight in Yukon; Nunavut gov’t still investigating its outage The Yukon government’s website and its internal systems are once again functioning after being brought down by a cyberattack on Thursday. The territory was among several jurisdictions where government websites crashed on Thursday, including Nunavut, P.E.I., Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Nunavut government has not confirmed a cyberattack, but confirmed to CBC News that it’s “still investigating the nature of the outage” affecting its main government page. The page appeared to still be down on Thursday evening. In the Yukon, aRead more
Jury shown video of Nathaniel Veltman pacing in police cell after arrest in attack on Muslim family
4 of 5 Afzaal family members in London, Ont., killed in truck attack June 6, 2021 Warning: This story contains distressing details. For hours, Nathaniel Veltman paces back and forth in his tiny jail cell at London, Ont., police headquarters, sometimes sitting or lying down, following his arrest the evening of June 6, 2021. This footage of the accused in custody is from lengthy police video shown to the jury Thursday at his murder-terror trial in Ontario Superior Court in Windsor, in connection with the attack on a Muslim family. At 9:47Read more
Jury at murder-terror trial sees video of truck that struck Muslim family in London, Ont.
The Afzaals a ‘peace-loving’ family, says witness at Nathaniel Veltman’s trial in Windsor Warning: This story contains distressing details: Data from a Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Nathaniel Veltman on the day in 2021 that members of a London, Ont., Muslim family were struck shows him veering to the right five seconds before impact, his gas pedal 100 per cent compressed, court heard Monday. On the first day of testimony at the 22-year-old’s murder trial in Windsor, Crown prosecutors called three witnesses and laid out the evidence they’ll present to theRead more
Residents forced out of unsafe Edmonton condo building face uncertainty, financial strain
‘Thank God for the fire,’ engineer tells owners, tenants of Castledowns Pointe Residents of a northwest Edmonton condo building deemed at risk of collapse are demanding answers about how construction flaws went undetected for decades — and who can be held accountable. An evacuation order was issued this week at Castledowns Pointe at 12618 152nd Ave. after engineers investigating a March 2023 fire determined the entire four-storey structure lacked structural integrity. On Wednesday night, owners of the building’s 83 units attended an emergency meeting with property management and the engineersRead more
Forced to evacuate from her home, Northwest Territories mother welcomes newborn in Edmonton
‘It’s hard to be in a different community … when you have a new baby,’ says Tanisha Edison Tanisha Edison and her partner had to welcome the newest addition to their family more than 1,000 kilometres away from home. Edison, a resident of Hay River, N.W.T., had a healthy baby girl on Aug. 23 at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, a little more than a week after they were forced to leave home due to the wildfire. “It’s hard to be in a different community, like 13 hours from your home,Read more
Members of 2 rural Manitoba churches stunned by vandalism, ‘heartbreaking’ theft of gold wedding crowns
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox, St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox hit with what looks like fire extinguishers An act of vandalism has members from two rural places of worship wondering who would do such a thing, while church leaders are pleading for the return of two crowns used in traditional Orthodox wedding services. Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox and St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox churches in Lennard, Man., about 20 kilometres east of the Saskatchewan border near the northern part of Riding Mountain National Park, were hit by vandals with what is suspected to be fireRead more
Sask. teachers prepare to navigate new name, pronoun policy as school year begins
Consequences for those who don’t follow policy still unclear Before a typical school year, Regina elementary school teacher Steve Boutilier’s mind is filled with lesson plans and hopes for his new class. But this September, that’s overshadowed with uncertainty about how best to support his transgender and non-binary students. Two weeks ago, then-education minister Dustin Duncan announced several new policies in schools throughout Saskatchewan. That includes students under 16 needing permission from their parent or guardian to change their name or pronouns at school. Consent is not required for students 16 or older.Read more
‘Violent conflict’ in Calgary involving 150 people may be linked to clashes within Eritrean community: police
11 people taken to hospital, EMS said Calgary police say they’re investigating a “violent conflict” between two groups involving around 150 people Saturday night that may be linked to clashes within the Eritrean community. Police responded to an incident in northeast Falconridge at around 5 p.m. Saturday after reports of two groups with opposing views engaged in violence. They said they believe up to 150 people were involved, and many were brandishing weapons. Supt. Cliff O’Brien said police were prepared with additional resources in the event of clashes like those seen elsewhere in the country.Read more