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The Canadian Press
EXPLAINER: After acquittal, Trump 2024? Maybe not so fast
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump's acquittal by the Senate in his impeachment trial may not be the end of the line for efforts to keep him from seeking the presidency again. If Trump chooses to run for the White House in 2024, opponents are likely to call on a constitutional provision adopted after the Civil War to try to stop him. The Supreme Court could have the final say. The Constitution's 14th Amendment disqualifies from future office any former elected officials and military officers who “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States. Ratified in 1868, the language in Section 3 of the amendment was aimed at former Confederate civilian and military leaders. It could be applied to people who incited or took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, legal scholars said, noting that a congressional commission to investigate the attack and lawsuits against Trump could help make clearer his role in the deadly violence that day. “If Trump runs again in 2024, I think it’s very likely that we’ll see efforts to keep him off the ballot on Fourteenth Amendment grounds,” Daniel Hemel, a University of Chicago law professor, wrote in an email. But there is a lot of uncertainty about how it might happen and whether Congress or just state officials would be involved. ___ KEEPING CONFEDERATES FROM OFFICE The drafters of the 14th Amendment wanted to keep former officials who joined the Confederacy from resuming public service, without an explicit vote from Congress restoring their eligibility. Section 3 was enforced for several years at both the state and federal level, according to Gerald Magliocca, a professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. But in 1872, by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate, Congress lifted the prohibition against most who had been barred from office. Since then, it's fair to say, the provision has fallen into disuse. “Nobody talks about it really,” said Laura F. Edwards, a professor of legal history at Princeton who has studied the 14th Amendment. “You haven’t had to talk about it since the Civil War.” ___ HOW IT COULD BE INVOKED AGAINST TRUMP At least two Democrats in Congress say they are working on it. Rep. Steven Cohen, D-Tenn., said he is drafting legislation he hopes to unveil in the coming that weeks that would allow enforcement of the constitutional provision against anyone with ties to the violence at the Capitol last month. The bill would authorize the Justice Department to bring cases against would-be candidates and designate a federal court to handle any efforts to keep candidates off the ballot, Cohen said. The Capitol riot to try to keep Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory “was about as heinous and reprehensible an act since Benedict Arnold,” Cohen said, referring to the Revolutionary War general who was a traitor to the American cause. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said in a statement that she is working on a measure “that would prevent traitorous men such as Donald Trump and others from ever serving in a government they once sought to topple.” Legislation would require Biden's signature. Congress also could pass a resolution declaring that Trump and perhaps others are disqualified from future office, though, as Hemel pointed out, “that nonbinding resolution would be worth no more than the paper it’s written on.” Even if Congress does nothing, though, state elections officials, or even state courts, might say that Trump cannot appear on their ballots because he engaged in insurrection, the professors said. With or without congressional involvement, that matter would inevitably head to the courts, said Elizabeth Wydra, president of constitutional Accountability Center. “But I think that's OK, testing out a constitutional provision that has not often been used,” Wydra said. ___ WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN? Judges would have to answer three questions, Magliocca said. First, was there an insurrection? Trump's lawyers argued in the impeachment trial that there wasn't, but Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called the events of Jan. 6 a failed insurrection, and the term was repeatedly used by Democrats in the impeachment process as well as widely used by the media. Merriam-Webster defines insurrection as “an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government." Second, did Trump engage in insurrection? Here, too, Trump's team and the House prosecutors differ. The answer could depend on more information that could emerge from a congressional investigation of the Jan. 6 riot, a lawsuit filed this week by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., against Trump or the court case over Trump's disqualification, Magliocca said. “We need a lot more development of the facts,” he said. Third, is Trump even covered by Section 3? The section doesn't explicitly mention the presidency, but Magliocca is among legal scholars who believe Trump could be barred. If the presidency were excluded from the provision, former Confederate president Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy's top military commander, Robert E. Lee, would have been barred from most offices but not the presidency, he said. ___ FINAL ANSWER Ultimately, the Supreme Court probably would be asked to weigh in — and possibly in the heat of the presidential campaign since the issue probably would arise only if Trump announced his candidacy and sought to qualify for the ballot. That development might not please Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts, who presided over Trump's first impeachment trial. Roberts has been eager to keep the court out of cases related to Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, which were overwhelmingly rejected by courts and state elections officials, and partisan political controversies when possible. “I don’t think the potential to give the chief justice heartburn is a reason to avoid enforcing the Constitution, but I'm sure he would be very unhappy to have this land at his court," Wydra said. One other possibility, Magliocca suggested, is that the spectre of having to testify in court about his actions on Jan. 6 could be enough to keep Trump from running in the first place. ___ Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report. Mark Sherman, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
U.K. approves trial that exposes participants to COVID-19, but is it worth risk?
Volunteers in the U.K. will soon get an intentional dose of COVID-19 in a trial that will deliberately expose them to the virus, and some Canadian ethics and infectious disease experts are wondering if that's worth the risk.Studies like the one approved this week in Britain — called human challenge trials — involve exposing volunteers to a specific pathogen to give researchers insight on how infection spreads or which treatments and vaccines work best against it. Britain's trial, the first to be authorized by regulators, is expected to start within a month and will feature up to 90 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30.While human challenge trials have been used to study other diseases like malaria and cholera, University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman says COVID-19 poses a different set of potential dangers.Bowman says challenge trials need to address three issues of consent before they can be considered ethical: participants must be capable of consenting and do so voluntarily, and they need to be informed in their decision. The U.K. study ticks off the first two boxes, he says, but the third is questionable."Clearly (consent) is voluntary and it's quite capable, but what I take issue with is: are volunteers fully informed?" Bowman said. "We're a year into the pandemic and COVID is still a fairly unpredictable pathogen. "You cannot definitively say what will happen to a 25-year-old with no pre-existing health problems."The U.K. government says volunteers will be exposed to COVID-19 "in a safe and controlled environment," with participants monitored 24 hours a day. The study is calling on young people to volunteer because they have the lowest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, but health experts warn that risk isn't zero.Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease specialist at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, says the U.K. challenge trial will be missing a key safety component — the ability to reverse any damage if things go awry."If you want to expose people, it has to be in the context of being able to salvage people," Chagla said, noting that although some drug treatments exist, they can't prevent death or significant complications in everyone. "We know there are young people that die of COVID-19. It's not a large number, but it's not predictable who is going to have that outcome."So why the risk?Jeff D'Souza, a research associate at McMaster's Institute on Ethics and Policy for Innovation, says the benefit of a challenge trial — what's learned from it — needs to outweigh relative danger to volunteers. The U.K. government says one aim of the study is to determine the smallest amount of virus needed to cause infection. It also hopes to "help support the pandemic response by aiding vaccine and treatment development."D'Souza noted that since trial participants will be monitored closely, they'll be in a safer environment than if they caught the disease naturally.He adds the study would have needed to pass a stringent review process based on World Health Organization criteria before it gained approval, and that it was "able to demonstrate that such trials are ethically defensible and acceptable."While valuable info about infection and transmission can be gleaned from a challenge trial, Chagla says there are safer ways to get those answers.The pervasiveness of the virus worldwide would make it easy for researchers to study groups of people who were naturally exposed, he said, rather than adding to the COVID burden in a deliberate way.He also questions whether the trial's potential findings will be relevant."They might matter from an infection control standpoint, but is it going to change how we practice COVID-19 medicine ... or change the pathway for vaccines and treatments?" Chagla asked. "It might change infection control a bit, but even that's not sure. "So is it worth exposing people to risk for that?" At least some Canadians expressed interest in volunteering for a human challenge trial before vaccines were approved. An e-petition with 543 signatures from September to October urged the government to take one on, citing the need for "multiple vaccines to meet global demand."The government responded to the petition in December, saying a human challenge trial for COVID-19 would "involve a higher risk" since the virus was still new and long-term effects weren't fully known.Bowman thinks it's unlikely a COVID challenge trial would gain approval in Canada, especially now that multiple vaccines have been approved globally and there's data from millions who have been inoculated."Any kind of contribution to make vaccine (development) faster and more efficacious would be a wonderful thing," he said. "But my position is I really don't think a human challenge trial is justifiable."This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2021. Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press
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Local Journalism Initiative
New restaurant hopes to offer Hatters something unique
Sourav Saha has been looking forward to this day for quite some time. Today marks the grand opening of his restaurant Rosewood Bistro, the first he has opened since moving to the Hat. “I want to put a lot of focus on fresh foods,” he said. “I am going to be sourcing the steaks from Alberta. The chicken will be fresh. All of the vegetables will be as fresh as I can get them. “I want to prepare things in a unique way that people may not have seen before.” The Rosewood Bistro is located on North Railway Street in the location of the old Heartwood Cafe. Saha says he loves his spot. “I saw this place and I really liked it a lot, but I knew I needed to sleep on the decision,” he said. “I slept on it for a night, then seven, then 20 and I couldn’t forget about this location. “I really feel like the food we will offer will go well with this location and the atmosphere it has.” Saha owned a couple of restaurants in the Toronto area before moving to Medicine Hat. After working a few different kitchen jobs in his time here, he decided it was time to open his own place. “I’m really excited to open up here,” he said. “We had a couple reservation-only nights for Valentine’s Day and we completely sold out. “People really liked what we had to offer.” Saha says he will be creating menu items so anyone can come and eat. “Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian – dietary restrictions are like religion to me and they all need to be respected,” he said. “I want to provide options for everyone.” Being a new spot opening in uncertain times, Saha says he is hoping people check out Rosewood Bistro. “I want people to come by and give us a shot,” he said. “We will do everything we can to take care of you.” To see a menu go to http://www.rosewoodbistro.ca Mo Cranker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News
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The Canadian Press
Canada's screen world 'decades behind' on Black representation, say industry members
TORONTO — The Toronto Black Film Festival is hosting a panel discussion series with a title that speaks to a pervasive problem in the industry: Show Me the Money.Amid a racial reckoning sparked by the police killing of George Floyd last May, it seems awareness is heightened, and arts organizations are paying attention to systemic racism and barriers facing Black creators in Canada's film and TV industry, says festival president and founder Fabienne Colas.But money isn't flowing throughout the entire ecosystem, and there's still a lack of representation onscreen and in leadership positions behind the scenes, Colas adds. That needs to change soon, because as the clock ticks, "tons of white people are making decisions on what's going to be funded to go onscreen next year, and in two years," she says."Billions of dollars are going through this industry, and tens of millions of dollars are being distributed through our public funders, and they don't necessarily go to Black producers and Black filmmakers. That's the problem," says Colas. As Colas's festival, which runs online through Sunday, and other screen projects help mark Black History Month in Canada, those in the country's arts world say the past year has been a critical one in terms of institutions responding to the calling out of racism, tokenism and microaggressions. Several organizations have announced funding for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) creators in Canada in the past year. Last summer, for instance, Telefilm Canada pledged $100,000 a year towards the creation of a Black Screen Office, and Bell Media partnered with the grassroots organization BIPOC TV & Film.But "the Canadian screen world has a long way to go," says Amanda Parris, a CBC TV and Radio host, writer, and playwright behind the monodrama "The Death News," which is part of the new CBC Gem anthology series "21 Black Futures" from CBC Arts and Obsidian Theatre in Toronto. "I feel like Canada is decades behind when it comes to representation onscreen of Black stories by Black creators," Parris says. "It's really depressing. And I think being so close to the United States and to the United Kingdom and seeing the things that are emerging there, it's hard to imagine when the time will come when Canada will see similar stories."Parris points to director Steve McQueen's recent "Small Axe" anthology series of five films for the BBC and Amazon Prime Video, which tells the story of London’s West Indian community."It really hit home because there's such a huge Caribbean diaspora that lives here in Canada that has yet to see their historical stories told with the level of production, deep nuance of storytelling, the kind of budget that he clearly had," says Parris.Parris was born in the U.K. and felt a connection to the material but also "a certain level of sadness" at the idea that such programming may not be possible here for a while, she says."I'm so reticent to have faith in a lot of the promises that have been made by so many of the networks. I'm not sure if they're going to feel a fire under them when the protests die down and when things get quieter in the same way."If Canada wants to have a vibrant screen industry, it needs to give everyone access to the same resources, says Colas."Because otherwise, you're going to have white films that are really well done, and then you're going to have, what — Black films very low budget?" she says. "It doesn't make sense. So we need great, well-funded film across the board."Colas, who also founded films festivals cities including in Halifax and Montreal, says the Toronto instalment that's in its ninth edition still doesn't have all the support it needs from the industry. But several new partners have come onboard this year. She also sits on various diversity committees and says "things are moving in the right direction." Parris says she's encouraged by several projects underway in Canada, including the upcoming CBC series "The Porter," about railway workers in the historically Black Montreal community of Little Burgundy in the 1920s. Director Charles Officer, who helmed Parris's "The Death News," is working on the series along with several other Black creators.Then there's the CBC News prime-time show "Canada Tonight with Ginella Massa" and the new YouTube news program “The Brandon Gonez Show," launched in January by the titular Toronto broadcaster, who left CP24 to launch the project.Parris says Gonez as well as The Black Academy, recently launched by Toronto actor-brothers Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, are among several examples of a shift "away from a lot of these mainstream institutions to Black folks being like, 'What can we build ourselves?'"Anderson says he thinks change is happening, with even major Canadian broadcasters acknowledging a lack of diversity in their ranks, for instance.But "it needs to happen faster," he adds, noting The Black Academy is still looking for more funding besides that offered by the Canada Media Fund, as it builds its own award show and programming."All these speeches and throne speeches and mandates and black squares and hashtags — I think we've got to put the money on the table, put the money where your mouth is," says Anderson. "Putting a social post just is not enough." In the theatre world, there's also "a very heightened, almost panicked awareness of the lack of diversity and the lack of Black representation," says Obsidian Theatre artistic director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, who conceived the idea for "21 Black Futures."Tindyebwa Otu says that conversation needs to extend beyond the faces seen onstage to those backstage and in the board rooms, so theatre companies don't burden any single individual working within a historically white institution to speak for the whole race. The "21 Black Futures" series, she says, is "almost like a catalogue of an example of who's out there and saying, 'Look at their work, see what they have to say, listen to their stories and contact these individuals,' so that there's never an excuse in the future of 'I have no idea who to reach out to or who to connect to' in the future.'"Black History Month gives institutions a convenient opportunity to think of funding and programming for four weeks out of the year, but the big shift is in realizing that "Black people are living these lives all year round," says Tindyebwa Otu."Good for you for becoming more aware, but this is an investment, this is our daily lives, this is not a moment, this is our reality."This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2021. Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
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The Canadian Press
Airbus lost $1.3 billion amid pandemic; expects better 2021
PARIS — European plane maker Airbus lost 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) last year amid an unprecedented global slump in air travel because of the pandemic, but expects to deliver hundreds of planes and make a profit in 2021 despite uncertainty about when people will resume flying en masse. Airbus is also pushing to negotiate a “cease-fire” soon in its years-long trade dispute with U.S. rival Boeing, amid hopes that the Biden Administration will be more amenable than Trump's government to a deal. The dispute has led to billions of dollars in tit-for-tat cross-Atlantic tariffs on planes, cheese, wine, video games and other products. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged Thursday that the company’s performance last year was “far from expectations” and had to constantly adapt as airlines grounded planes — or folded altogether — because of travel restrictions. Airbus announced in June that it would cut 15,000 jobs, mostly in France and Germany. “The crisis is not over. It is likely to continue to be our reality throughout the year,” Faury said. “Airlines will continue to suffer” and to “burn cash,” he warned. Airbus doesn’t expect the industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2023-2025, and when it does, Airbus predicts that environmental concerns will be ever more important to passengers and airlines, so it's increasing investment in hydrogen and lower-emissions aircraft. Airbus sales were down to 49.9 billion euros from 70 billion euros the year before. The company also reported a loss in 2019 because of a major multinational corruption settlement. Airbus delivered 566 aircraft last year and expects to deliver about the same number this year, the company said. It took in 268 commercial plane orders, down from 768 the year before. Both figures were well down from normal recent years, but above those from struggling Boeing. Boeing Co. got a bump in orders and deliveries of new planes in December, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the year. It notably suffered from continuing cancellations of its 737 Max jet, which was grounded for 21 months after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. With both plane makers facing a long and difficult recovery, the Airbus chief executive called the U.S.-EU tariffs a “lose-lose situation” for everyone. The tariffs stem from a dispute over state subsidies to both Airbus and Boeing that each side calls unfair. After trade tensions worsened under Trump's presidency, Faury said, “We believe the situation is in place to start with a cease-fire, to suspend tariffs, to hold negotiations and move forward." Airbus welcomed one bit of good news last year: a negotiated agreement between Britain and the EU to reduce trade disruptions after Brexit was finalized Dec. 31. Faury insisted Thursday that Airbus' U.K. plants “have a very, very important role to play moving forward for Airbus.” Overall, however, the outlook remains bleak for the aviation industry. Also Thursday, Air France-KLM announced it plunged to a 7.1 billion euro ($8.5 billion) loss in 2020, as travel restrictions and worries caused a 67% fall in passenger numbers at the French-Dutch airline. CEO Ben Smith said the carriers now are looking for an improvement in 2021 “as soon as vaccination is deployed on a large scale and borders once again reopen.” ___ Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed. ___ Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. Angela Charlton, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
GOP's Thune says Trump allies engaging in 'cancel culture'
PIERRE, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune on Thursday criticized Republican activists and party leaders for engaging in “cancel culture” by rushing to censure GOP senators who found former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection. In his first interview since he voted to acquit Trump, the Senate's No. 2 Republican defended fellow Republicans who sided with Democrats on the “vote of conscience” and warned against shutting out dissenting voices in the party. “There was a strong case made,” Thune said of the Democrats' impeachment presentation. “People could come to different conclusions. If we’re going to criticize the media and the left for cancel culture, we can’t be doing that ourselves.” Thune's remarks were his first explaining his vote in Trump's trial and assessing the turbulent GOP politics the former president has left behind. Thune, who is facing reelection next year in deeply conservative South Dakota, is among several establishment Republicans grappling with how to reclaim control of a party dominated by Trump and his most ardent supporters for years. The senator only rarely criticized Trump while he was in office. But he called the former president's actions after the election “inexcusable" and accused him of undermining the peaceful transfer of power. Still, Thune last week sided with most Republican senators and GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell in voting to acquit anyway. Thune and others argued that Trump could not be impeached because he was already out of office. Thune said after his vote that he was concerned with the idea of “punishing a private citizen with the sole intent of disqualifying him from holding future office.” Democrats fell 10 votes short of the 67 need to convict. Since then, Trump has lashed out at McConnell and repeated the baseless claim that he won the election. The comments have inflamed a feud that is likely to play out in GOP primaries between Trump-backed candidates and those supported by the establishment wing. Thune suggested he would be taking steps to assist candidates "who don’t go off and talk about conspiracies and that sort of thing.” He praised Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, who was censured by the Wyoming GOP for voting to impeach Trump, for doing an “exceptional job on most issues" and said he was ready to jump into primary battles like the one she is sure to face. “At the grassroots level, there’s a lot of people who want to see Trump-like candidates,” he said. “But I think we’re going to be looking for candidates that are electable.” Thune himself was hit by Trump last year after he said efforts by some GOP members in the U.S. House to reject Electoral College results would “go down like a shot dog” in the Senate. Trump called Thune a “RINO,” meaning Republican In Name Only, and “Mitch’s boy,” in reference to McConnell. The attacks inspired some Trump loyalists in South Dakota to huddle for a primary challenge to the state's senior senator, whose candidacy has gone unchallenged in previous elections. On Thursday, the senator attempted to downplay those attacks, likening them to “food fights within the family" that hurt Republicans' goals, He noted there was no evidence to support Trump's claim of voter fraud. “You’ve got to face the music, and at some point, it’s got to be over and you’ve got to move on,” he said, adding, “I think it’s just important to tell people the truth. The most important responsibility of any leader is to define reality.” Stephen Groves, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
Canadian government modifies North Atlantic right whale protection measures for 2021
FREDERICTON — The federal Fisheries Department will continue efforts this year to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters, but it is making some changes to reduce the impact on the fishing industry. The government announced today it will still close fishing areas when whales are present, but before prolonging such a closure, authorities plan to step up surveillance to determine whether the whales remain in the area. Restrictions on ship speeds will be maintained throughout much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while fishing vessels will have an exemption in waters less than 20 fathoms, or 37 metres, deep. Testing of new fishing gear that would allow whales to break free in the event of entanglement has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, so a requirement for the new gear has been postponed until the end of 2022. There were no North Atlantic right whale deaths or entanglements in fishing gear in Canadian waters in 2020, but in the previous five years, 25 deaths were recorded. It is estimated there are only 366 of the right whales remaining in the world. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2021. The Canadian Press
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Local Journalism Initiative
‘This kind of living arrangement outside is not safe,’ acting fire chief says, as Toronto records first encampment fire fatality of the winter
The 9-1-1 call came in shortly after 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning. A small, wooden structure in a Corktown park was engulfed in flames. By the time firefighters arrived, it was the kind of blaze acting Toronto fire chief Jim Jessop describes as “fully involved.” Since the start of the year, Jessop said his team had responded to 26 other fire calls at encampments. Each time before, the flames were doused without any loss of life. But this time, a man was discovered inside the structure and pronounced dead at the scene. As an investigation looks to determine the origin of the flames and official cause of death, the incident marks Toronto’s first fatality linked to an encampment fire this winter — something officials and homeless advocates had feared with an increase in camps during COVID-19. “It highlights the life safety risks of living in these types of structures,” Jessop said. Toronto has seen an influx of encampments over the last year, and officials have repeatedly dubbed outdoor living arrangements as unsafe. Encampment fires jumped more than 250 per cent from 2019 to 2020. After a fire in Liberty Village seriously injured someone in December, fire chief Matthew Pegg — who has been moved to a role co-ordinating the city’s pandemic response — said materials often kept in camps posed an “imminent, immediate threat to life.” The only way to eliminate that risk was to move people indoors, Pegg said. But with hundreds still living outside, advocates have urged officials to make that situation as safe as possible. “Why are people using fires? Primarily to stay warm,” said outreach worker Greg Cook, noting a reported uptick in frostbite and other cold weather afflictions this winter among Toronto’s homeless population. “People will try to do what they need to do to get warm.” (Jessop told the Star that firefighters were notified of a campfire at the Corktown park several weeks ago, though the fire Wednesday was the first they knew of a structure igniting.) Cook drew parallels between the latest blaze and a plywood shelter fire in Scarborough on a sub-zero night in 2015, in which 49-year-old Grant Faulkner died of smoke inhalation. (The overnight low from Tuesday to Wednesday was -12 C.) An inquest that followed Faulkner's death led to a series of recommendations to prevent others from dying in similar circumstances, including allowing city staff to hand out gear such as sleeping bags and safe heat sources. The city modified its rules around providing sleeping bags in December, promising to provide them outside of extreme cold weather. But advocates have continued to push for safer heat source distribution — with Cook suggesting that alternatives like electric blankets with power bars could replace riskier options like propane stoves. Mary Anne Bedard, general manager of Toronto’s Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, said city staff were at the Corktown park on Wednesday around 2: 30 a.m. to offer access to blankets, sleeping bags and indoor spots, but didn’t make contact with anyone. The shelter system had space overnight, Bedard said. City statistics for Tuesday night show that emergency shelters for single men were at 99.9 per cent capacity, with just one bed left, though other areas of the system including mixed adult sites were reporting more available space. As well as heat sources, Cook is among those urging officials to hand out fire extinguishers in camps. Jessop ruled that out Wednesday, saying they were meant for “trained personnel only.” Earlier in the pandemic, Toronto carpenter Khaleel Seivwright launched a campaign to build small, wooden structures for the city’s homeless, in an effort to keep them warm. On a GoFundMe page, Seivwright wrote that the structures were designed to be “mainly heated by body heat,” and stay around 16 C in temperatures of -20 C. Last week, the page was updated to say that Seivwright would no longer be building them, though maintenance would continue. There has been no link made between the shelters Seivwright has been building during the pandemic and the site of the fatality. (Seivwright did not respond to email and phone messages from the Star on Wednesday.) Other makeshift structures have been used in Toronto encampments, including polystyrene or “foam” sleeping pods. The idea of those kinds of structures, Cook said, was to keep people warm without turning to fires or risky heat sources. Asked about the origins of the specific wooden shelter that caught fire in the Corktown park, Jessop said that he didn’t know for sure, and that question would likely be part of the probe. The fire service will not be inspecting other makeshift wooden structures in encampments for fire safety risks, he added. “Our job isn’t to make structures that don’t even comply with the building code safe,” he said, noting the shelters’ size meant they didn’t qualify as buildings. “Our message has been clear, and will continue to be clear,” he said. “This kind of living arrangement outside is not safe.” With files from Ann Marie Elpa and Rhythm Sachdeva Victoria Gibson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Toronto Star
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Local Journalism Initiative
B.C.'s Premier chastising feds for Discovery Islands fish farm decision ‘ironic’: First Nation chief
B.C. Premier John Horgan’s criticism of the federal government’s handling the Discovery Islands fish farm consultation is ironic, says Chris Roberts, chief of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation. Especially because three of the consulted First Nations had urged the provincial government to table a Broughton-like-process for them before the federal government got involved in the Discovery Islands. But the province did not heed their request, claims Roberts. Last week Horgan said that the federal government made the decision to phase out 19 Discovery Islands fish farms by 2022 without consulting B.C. or industry members. READ MORE: B.C. wasn’t consulted on shutting more salmon farms, Horgan says The premier contrasted the “unilateral” decision made by fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan with his own provincial government’s handling of the fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago on the B.C. south coast. The premier also told the media last week that the federal government failed in its reconciliation process under the principles of UNDRIP which the province adopted as legislation in 2019, with its Declaration and Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). In 2018, through the “Broughton process,” the province tabled a consultation with Indigenous communities and the aquaculture industry before arriving at a plan to gradually phase out 17 open-net pens in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023. The plan allowed seven of the 17 sites to continue operations if the operators could reach agreement with the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, ‘Namgis and Mamalilikulla First Nations, after scientific monitoring of the impact of parasite and disease transmission between farms and migrating salmon. READ MORE: B.C. to move salmon farms out of coastal migration route According to Roberts, Wei Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah First Nations had courted the provincial government two years ago to conduct a Broughton-like process for them even before the federal government turned the spotlight on Discovery Islands. The three nations wanted to table a process with the province that could resonate with the Broughton Process and also the freshly adopted DRIPA legislation in 2019. “We told them we’ll sit down in a process and start with finfish aquaculture since it aligned with their license renewal conditions,” he said and added that the nations thought that the particular subject would resonate with the province since they already worked on the Broughton model. And it was not just about the fish farms at that time, but a whole bunch of different decisions with regards to their territories that the three First Nations wanted to discuss with the province, said Roberts. They were “excited” and looking forward to this “novel idea” of establishing a collaborative governance and shared decision making framework with B.C. But according to Roberts, the “door was shut without an explanation to us as to why.” He calls this the province’s “missed opportunity.” “So, I don’t know what the premier is trying to achieve with the statement that they (feds) got it (Discovery Islands decision) wrong. Why didn’t they take us up on this offer we put together to solve this problem like the Broughton model?” Moving forward with the federal decision, there’s still work left to be done , said Roberts. He is hoping that the province – true to its commitment to DRIPA – will invest in the work that the First Nation is doing with habitat restoration and salmon enhancement projects in the future. The Mirror has reached out to Premier Horgan’s office for a comment. Binny Paul, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Campbell River Mirror
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CBC
N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Revised vaccine rollout unveiled, Zone 4 back to orange
The province announced the rollout of its revised COVID-19 vaccination strategy Thursday, issuing warnings about limited supply and the heightened risk posed by variants. "We are in the eye of a perfect storm" of new, more aggressive strains of variants and other risk factors, Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, said at a live update. She noted it is urgent that province "act quickly" to get vaccines in the arms of its most vulnerable citizens. This will mean broadening the scope of the vaccine campaign and delaying the second dose of the vaccine in some cases. "We are learning that a single dose is effective," offering more than 90 per cent protection for up to 90 days, Russell said. "We will delay the second dose for those who are at lower risk of severe outcomes, while giving the two-dose schedule on time for the most vulnerable. Everyone will get the second dose." Russell acknowledged "this is not a perfect approach," and stressed that all New Brunswickers will eventually get two doses of the vaccine. Shephard pressed on rules around visiting dying relatives Health Minister Dorothy Shephard is facing mounting pressure to change the rules preventing families from visiting dying loved ones in hospitals. The issue, recently highlighted in a CBC News story about a mother who was not allowed to visit her dying son, has been a frequently recurring controversy throughout the pandemic. On Thursday, Miramichi MLA Michelle Conroy called on the Health Department to find a "better way." Conroy said she gets daily calls and emails from people who are desperate to see relatives who are alone in hospital. "It's wrong on so many levels," Conroy said. "We can pack the malls, but you can't have one person going into a hospital masked and with the proper personal protective equipment." Conroy suggested that, in addition to wearing masks and PPE, family members could receive rapid testing before being allowed in to visit. "There has to be a better way than how it's being handled now," she said. At Thursday's COVID-19 update, Shephard acknowledged the situation is "heartbreaking," and suggested that changes are being discussed. "We are working with the [regional health authorities] to find a path forward," Shephard said, adding that she hopes to have "more news next week" following those discussions. "Protecting our most vulnerable is what this is all about, so it's not easy, and our hearts go out to everyone in this situation." Shephard said there are some exemptions for compassionate visits, such as palliative patients being allowed to have up to 10 designated individuals who can visit one at a time. "There are some restrictions," she said, "but every effort is being made to get families in at end of life." Fifth variant case confirmed New Brunswick now has five confirmed cases of the variant that originated in the U.K. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard confirmed at Thursday's COVID-19 update that a previously suspected fifth case has now been confirmed. She did not specify the zone where the case was identified. Zone 4 moves to orange at midnight The Edmundston region, Zone 4, will move to the less restrictive orange phase of recovery Thursday night at midnight, bringing the entire province into the same phase. The region had been moved to a full lockdown on Jan. 23, and then to the red phase on Feb. 8. Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, said the fact that all of New Brunswick is back to orange is "a great accomplishment," but she urged residents to continue to wear well-fitting masks, practise physical distancing and follow other protective measures. "We must keep doing everything we can to stay the course." Russell showed a slide that depicted cases in Zone 4 since the beginning of the year to illustrate the impact of Public Health measures. In the slide, an orange line represented the number of cases, not including the cases at long-term care homes, and a blue line factored in all of the cases, including the cases at long-term care homes. "And what you can see is that when the lockdown was implemented — and we had moved to the red phase a few days prior to that — it demonstrates that the Public Health measures proved to be effective … and the cases dropped at the end of that slide," she said. "So having all of New Brunswick at the orange level is a significant achievement, but we must continue to do all that we can to maintain this positive momentum." Four new cases, all in Zone 4 Four new cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday. All of them are in Zone 4, the Edmundston region, Dr. Jennifer Russell said, and break down in this way: an individual 19 or under two people 60 to 69 an individual 80 to 89 The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 1,411. Since Wednesday, 11 people have recovered for a total of 1,275 recoveries. There have been 24 deaths, and the number of active cases is 111. Five patients are hospitalized, and one is in intensive care. A total of 220,912 tests have been conducted, including 1,002 since Wednesday's report. What to do if you have a symptom People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included: A fever above 38 C. A new cough or worsening chronic cough. Sore throat. Runny nose. Headache. New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell. Difficulty breathing. In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes. People with one of those symptoms should: Stay at home. Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor. Describe symptoms and travel history. Follow instructions.
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The Canadian Press
Even without listening, US lives in Limbaugh’s media world
NEW YORK — You didn't have to like or even listen to Rush Limbaugh to be affected by what he did. Conservative talk radio wasn't a genre before him. Without Limbaugh, it's hard to imagine a Fox News Channel, or a President Donald Trump, or a media landscape defined by shouters of all stripes that both reflect and influence a state of political gridlock. To his fans, Limbaugh's death Wednesday of lung cancer at the age of 70 was an occasion for deep mourning. For his foes, it was good riddance. Somewhere, Rush could surely appreciate it. He left a legacy. “He was the most important individual media figure of the last four decades,” said Ian Reifowitz, professor of historical studies at the State University of New York and author of “The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh's Race-Baiting Rhetoric on the Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump.” That assessment was freely offered even though Reifowitz, as the title of his book suggests, isn't a fan. He blames Limbaugh for setting a blueprint for white identity politics and the dividing of the nation into uneasy tribes. Limbaugh's death led Trump to call in to Fox News Channel for his first television interview since leaving office — and he did it twice. Former Vice-President Mike Pence told Fox he was inspired by Limbaugh to become a talk radio host himself, which launched his political career. Ex-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany reminisced about riding as a child in her father's pick-up truck as Limbaugh's show played on the radio. “I am the definition of a ‘Rush baby,’ and it's not just me,” McEnany said on Twitter. “There are tens of thousands of us all across the conservative movement.” Radio hosts talked politics before Limbaugh, men like Jerry Williams in Boston and Barry Farber in New York. But the idea of conservative talk radio didn't take hold until Limbaugh, after bouncing through DJ jobs in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Sacramento, went national from a perch at New York's WABC in 1988, said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine. Limbaugh was a sensation among people who liked to tweak liberals, outraging with political incorrectness. Before Limbaugh, only 30 or 40 stations did “talk radio,” and many weren't political, Harrison said. Now there are thousands. To the end, Limbaugh led the field. He reached an estimated 15.5 million people each week and lost in the ratings for three months only once in some three decades, to advice host Laura Schlessinger, Harrison said. Bumper stickers proclaimed, “Rush is Right.” “There is no talk radio as we know it without Rush Limbaugh. It just doesn't exist,” said Sean Hannity, who has 15 million radio listeners beyond his Fox News Channel show. “And I'd even make the argument in many ways: there's no Fox News or even some of these other opinionated cable networks.” Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes launched Fox News in 1996. MSNBC started the same year. Politics seemed second to entertainment in Limbaugh's early years. “I'm trying to attract the largest audience I can and hold it for as long as I can so that I can charge advertisers confiscatory advertising rates,” Limbaugh told Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes” in 1991. “This is a business.” But he soon became more than a business leader. Republicans credited Limbaugh for helping them win the House majority in 1994. “It wasn't just that he transformed the media landscape, but he transformed the Republican Party,” said Nicole Hemmer, author of “Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics.” “He became a power player and someone who could move voters.” Conservative radio host Mark Levin called Limbaugh “a tremendous patriot.” Once a universally accepted compliment, the term “patriot” has become more complicated through its use by some of the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “He refused to accept the attacks that came against this country from within,” Levin said on Fox News. “He refused to accept the ideological changes in this country. He defended the traditions of this country. And he spoke for tens of millions of us.” To SUNY's Reifowitz, Limbaugh led the way in getting people “scared about the browning of the country.” Some of Limbaugh's language was downright ugly. He invented the term “feminazi,” called Chelsea Clinton a “dog” when she was 12 years old and had to apologize for calling a young woman a “slut” for arguing that birth control be covered by health insurance. He mocked the death of AIDS victims and played the parody song “Barack the Magic Negro” when Barack Obama was elected president. The headline on HuffPost’s obituary on Wednesday said Limbaugh “saturated America’s airwaves with cruel bigotries, lies and conspiracy theories.” The Root called him a “spouter of racist, hate-filled garbage.” On Foxnews.com, Limbaugh's obituary's headline was “Greatest of All Time.” Limbaugh didn't embrace Trump right away, but soon fell in line. Trump's appeal mystified many in politics at first, but “if you had been listening to Rush Limbaugh for 20 years, he sounded very familiar,” Hemmer said. As Limbaugh's political strength became evident, many Republican politicians felt they couldn't cross him, or run the risk of alienating his millions of listeners, Hemmer said. “Many of these listeners didn't care if Rush Limbaugh crossed the line (of propriety),” she said. “They cared more about loyalty to him than any kind of underlying set of principles.” The economic lessons taught by Limbaugh are clear each night on Fox, CNN and MSNBC, routinely the three most-watched cable networks. They're not really news networks in prime time; they present political talk. “It’s hard,” Hemmer said, “to overstate his importance.” Harrison, who interviewed Limbaugh several times over the years, said the talk show host “began to take himself more seriously” in his later years. Limbaugh even appeared to measure words more carefully. After receiving social media blowback in December for suggesting that the nation was “trending toward secession,” he later made clear he wasn't advocating that. To the end, however, he remained loyal to Trump, who awarded Limbaugh a Presidential Medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address last year. Limbaugh supported Trump's false claims that the election was stolen and, on Jan. 7, compared rioters at the Capitol to people who sparked the Revolutionary War. ____ This story corrects the spelling of Laura Schlessinger. David Bauder, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
Bob Dole says he's been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer
TOPEKA, Kan. — Bob Dole, a former longtime senator and the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, announced Thursday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Dole, 97, said in a short statement that he was diagnosed recently and would begin treatment on Monday. “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,” Dole said. Dole, a native of Russell, Kansas, represented the state in Congress for almost 36 years before resigning from the Senate in 1996 to challenge Democratic President Bill Clinton. Dole had unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1980 and 1988, and he was President Gerald Ford's vice-presidential running mate in 1976, when Ford lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter. After his last run for office in 1996, Dole continued to be involved in Republican politics, offering endorsements and commenting on public issues. He was known during his congressional career for both a sharp tongue and his skills in making legislative deals. Dole was a driving force behind the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, speaking poignantly at its 2004 dedication before tens of thousands of fellow veterans in their 80s and 90s, calling it “our final reunion.” He served with Clinton following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as co-chairman of a scholarship fund for the families of the victims. He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2018 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997 for his public service. Dole overcame disabling war wounds sustained near the end of World War II to forge his lengthy political career. Charging a German position in northern Italy in 1945, Dole was hit by a shell fragment that crushed two vertebrae and paralyzed his arms and legs. The young Army platoon leader spent three years recovering in a hospital but never regained use of his right hand. Dole left the Army as a captain, but Congress in 2019 approved a promotion for him to colonel. He also received two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for his military service. A lawyer, Dole served in the Kansas House and as Russell County attorney before being elected to the U.S. House in 1960. He won a Senate seat in 1968 and became Senate majority leader after the 1984 elections. He led Republicans when they were in the minority for eight years, from 1987 to 1995, and then again as majority leader starting in 1995. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna John Hanna, The Associated Press
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Local Journalism Initiative
Friendly Call program in full swing
To some a phone call may not mean much, but for others, it is what they look forward to each week. The Senior Companion Project released their friendly phone call pilot project in October 2020 and it has been gaining traction since then. Andrea Avis, coordinator of the Senior Companion Project, said they began the project hoping to match 10 seniors with 10 volunteers for a weekly phone call and now they have a surplus of volunteers waiting to be matched. “We did have a few extra volunteers so right now we’re really fortunate that we have four people waiting to be matched when the senior is referred to us either by a family member or by an agency, for example Community Care or Canadian Mental Health Association,” Avis said. Avis said volunteers did not start calling seniors until November but based on the monthly reports that she is receiving, the conversations and the relationships between the volunteer and senior look to be more comfortable. “The seniors seem to really enjoy it,” Avis said. “Each of the volunteers sends a monthly report to the coordinator and at that time I can have a look and see if this is the best match. Are there enough topics of interest between the people that they can build this relationship? And it seems to have worked really well.” Avis said one of her favourite quotes from a senior from their monthly report was ‘I love Wednesdays, it’s when my friend calls.’ Before the lockdown, Avis said they had no problem training volunteers while following safety protocols and social distancing. Avis adds that some volunteers who were unable to attend the training sessions or were not comfortable coming to them were sent all the training material. “And then the volunteers in December were able to get a vulnerable sector check from the OPP which is important for the program moving forward,” Avis said. Avis adds that it was not completely necessary in the beginning when they were only conducting the phone call part of the program but as the province comes out of lockdown and restrictions begin to be lifted, Avis said they want to be prepared for when volunteers are able to talk to their new friends in person. In the meantime, Avis said they took a picture of all the volunteers and put it on a card to remind the senior who is calling them each week as well as to have a bit of a connection with that person by seeing their picture. It is also for the senior’s family members to know that these calls are legit and not a scam, Avis adds. “In one case, all of a sudden this senior who hasn’t had a lot of interaction was talking about the volunteer all the time so the family member called me and I was able to give them more information about the volunteer and the situation and it set the family member's mind at ease,” Avis said. Avis said many volunteers are seniors themselves who decided to not go south for the winter. “They realize that even if they do go away next year, they can still make a friendly phone call from wherever they are to their matched senior client who will already have had a relationship with them,” Avis said. Avis added that their program will be recommended by the Social Engagement Program which was launched last week and caters to seniors in Kenora and the Rainy River District. “They cover the district, we’re only in Fort Frances because we’re supported by the town of Fort France and the Canadian Mental Health Association Fort Frances branch,” Avis said. “First we had to give preference to the Fort Frances clients but this program that they’ve started is going to be recommending us to their people who call them.” Avis said this is good news because there is going to be more support for seniors. “We definitely know that the services are required and needed,” Avis said. “Especially when they don’t have family members in town or maybe their spouse has passed away.” Avis said she has received great feedback from the community and adds that they are now looking into funding to keep the program going. Natali Trivuncic, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times
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Local Journalism Initiative
Perth East councillor does not find support for ‘End the Lockdowns Caucus’ in fellow council members
HURON-PERTH – A group founded by five current and former elected representatives have come together to form the ‘End the Lockdowns National Caucus.’ The caucus purports to be a non-partisan group seeking to provide formal challenges to current COVID-19 policies with a specific emphasis on ending governments use of province-wide lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. The founding members of the End the Lockdowns National Caucus are: - Randy Hillier, an independent MPP representing the riding of Lanark-Frontenac- Kingston, who was suspended from the Progressive Conservative caucus by Premier Doug Ford on Feb. 20, 2019, after making what Ford said were “disrespectful comments to parents of children with autism.” He was subsequently removed from the PC caucus on March 15, 2019. - Maxime Bernier, former Conservative MP and founder of the People’s Party of Canada. - Derek Sloan, first-term MP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, who has stirred up controversy with potentially homophobic tweets, alleged racist remarks regarding Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, and finally, on Jan. 20, he was expelled from the Conservative Party caucus after it was revealed he had received a donation from white supremacist Paul Fromm. Party Leader Erin O’Toole explained that the decision had been made “because of a pattern of destructive behaviour involving multiple incidents.” - Steve VanLeeuwen, a Centre Wellington Councillor who may be removed from his position as deputy mayor. Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton said in an interview with the Wellington Advertiser on Feb. 11 that he will be introducing a motion at the Feb. 16 council meeting to remove VanLeeuwen as deputy mayor and replace him with another councillor. - Daryl Herlick, a Township of Perth East Councillor, who also serves on Perth County council and the Huron-Perth Public Health Board. Herlick said he was motivated to join the caucus because of the stories he is hearing from frustrated business owners and children who are not able to play sports or sing. “Look, we all gave time, we all did our respect around COVID precautions… look the caucus is a group of great individuals, no politics, I assure you this is about facts and solid direction where things should go,” he said. “The psychological games on people (going) in and out of lockdowns is playing havoc, man this is military-style torture.” Herlick said he is not happy to see people turning on local Public Health units. “I have seen firsthand the quality of life our local health unit gives us all for years, my family has business inspected by HPPH,” he said. “They are great and an important part of Canadian culture.” Herlick made it clear that the views of the caucus do not represent the views of the councils he sits on, but he reiterated he thinks the caucus is made up of a great group of people with “no party lines to toe.” Although other local municipal council members shared concern for small businesses, no other council members the Listowel Banner contacted supported the caucus’s anti-lockdown message. “Many people across the public sector at both provincial and local level have been extremely conscientious in the pursuit of public safety during the period of the pandemic,” said Perth County Coun. Todd Kasenberg. “They have acted from a place of goodwill, and participated in what can only be considered a global learning laboratory.” He said there are examples of what good and poor management look like during this pandemic. “We can look to smaller places like New Zealand and Western Australia and even the Atlantic provinces of Canada for lessons about what can interrupt disease transmission,” he said. Within Ontario, Kasenberg pointed out that when the stay-at-home orders were required and observed by the public, the interruptions in disease transmission led to lower case counts. “It isn’t surprising that a respiratory droplet- and aerosol-transmitted viral infection is interrupted by maintaining physical distance and the wearing of masks to reduce the spread of, for lack of better terms, spit,” he said. “It doesn’t take a degree in medicine to understand this. “I remain concerned about those who are deniers of the seriousness of the COVID-19 disease. I remain concerned about those who have concocted conspiracy theories suggesting that science and public officials are misleading us based on some unknown or hidden agenda. And ultimately, I remain concerned about those amongst us who just don’t get community. It takes a community to stop an infectious disease.” Like many others, Kasenberg wants all levels of government to be open and transparent with the data used to make Public Health decisions which include restrictions on people’s movements and mandates like mask-wearing. “In part, that’s because I believe all of us should be able to understand how decisions get made,” he said. During the Jan. 14 meeting of Perth County council, Kasenberg called for the sharing of data with the public – in particular, concerning decisions which closed small stores and left big chains open – but he said he did not intend to send any message that the pandemic is not serious, or that the cure is worse than the disease. “I accept and trust that our public health and senior political officials are making good choices,” he said. “The advent of the End the Lockdowns National Caucus – advocating, as I interpret it, for removal of many of the Public Health measures that have been protecting us – is concerning to me… We can look at what has happened in a good number of places around the world where restrictions were barely, if at all, imposed, or where restrictions were removed prematurely. Things didn’t turn out well. And directly – calls in our midst to release various public health restrictions seem to suggest that the lives and ability to participate in society of our seniors and those who are immune-compromised aren’t worth valuing, that they can be traded off. I reject that notion – it is not part of my morality.” Rhonda Ehgoetz, mayor of the Township of Perth East, released a statement declaring support for Public Health measures which have been implemented to help ensure the safety of communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Township of Perth East does not support any member of council’s involvement in an organization that challenges COVID-19 policies and directives relating to safety measures and province-wide lockdowns and stay-at-home orders,” she wrote in the statement. “The Township of Perth East respects and supports the Public Health measures and restrictions implemented on the advice and guidance of medical professionals and experts at Huron-Perth Public Health, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. The measures are put in place in the interest of public health and safety.” In the statement, Ehgoetz recognized that coping with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year has been challenging for everyone. “We want nothing more than to see our loved ones again and have life return to normal,” she wrote. “The best way to keep everyone safe and to bring a swift end to COVID-19 is to continue abiding by Public Health measures and recommendations.” According to Ehgoetz, Perth East will continue to make decisions and take actions that are consistent with the advice received from Public Health professionals. Warden Jim Aitcheson said that Herlick’s decision to be part of the End the Lockdowns National Caucus expresses personal views and does not represent views shared by fellow council members. “The county is still supporting all the Public Health measures and restrictions,” he said. “We have to rely on the guidance of our medical officer of health… and I realize that it’s unfortunate that a lot of the small businesses have been locked down when some of the big box stores can still be open but … (the stay-at-home order) has had the desired effect they wanted. I see the case counts are dropping fairly steadily.” Although Aitcheson said concerns are being raised that vaccine hesitancy might be an issue, he thinks there might be a rush for the vaccine when it becomes more available to the public. “It’s gone on long enough now that people realize that if you aren’t going to be vaccinated then this isn’t going to end anytime soon,” he said. Aitcheson said he has received some phone calls from residents who are concerned that Herlick’s opinions might conflict with his duties as a councillor. Herlick is one of two Perth County representatives on the Huron-Perth Public Health Board. “If someone thought that was a conflict of interest then I guess they could go through the channels needed to ask that question,” said Aitcheson. “But I honestly can’t make that determination because it’s not me who expressed that opinion. I support what’s going on – I want to get this over and done with. The small businesses are struggling and everybody is struggling mentally and the sooner we can get this under control.” He said Ontario has already seen what happens when the Public Health guidance is only partially enforced. “You see what happened in November-December,” said Aitcheson. “We were pretty good through the summer and then it started to go back up and you locked down one region and not another region and they just travel and that just spreads it.” Kathy Vassilakos, chair of the Huron-Perth Public Health Board stated unequivocally that the board supports all the public health measures the local health unit, the province and the federal government are instituting to deal with the pandemic. “I just want to start by being very, very clear on the board’s position on the current pandemic measures and the work that’s being done,” she said. She mentioned that Herlick is a political appointee representing Perth County on the board. “We do not know the criteria with which or how they go about making appointments to the board,” she said. At the Dec. 17 meeting of county council, councillors chose which committees and boards they wished to sit on for 2021. There are no criteria which have to be met to sit on a committee other than being a council member. “So, he is a member of our board and the End the Lockdowns Caucus itself,” said Vassilakos. “I’m the chair of the Public Health unit. I’m also a scientist. I have a PhD in Biochemistry. I am a councillor for the city of Stratford where my responsibility is to the public interest and evidence-based decision making that balances all the different factors that are involved in the issue, so clearly, an evidence-based approach that is rooted in sound public health policy… is contrary to the stated goals of the End the Lockdowns Caucus.” She said she was pleased with Mayor Ehgoetz’s statement released on behalf of the Township of Perth East. “It has been a long difficult year – lots of overtime work on the part of our staff at Huron Perth Public Health and I think a statement like Ehgoetz’s showing confidence for our Public Health officials and the staff is important,” said Vassilakos. “Our Public Health staff have done an amazing job. They are sort of the unsung heroes of the pandemic… They do their job – they do it quietly and efficiently and they’ve put in tons of overtime.” Public Health staff are at the forefront of understanding social determinates, economic impacts of health and the importance of school, so Vassilakos said when organizations like the End the Lockdowns Caucus say that those things are not being considered it’s an unfair assessment of how Public Health approaches this public health crisis. “I think the conversations… over the last year would reflect we have a very good understanding of all the factors that are involved and the balancing act that has to be done,” she said. “It’s all about harm reduction – how do we make sure we save lives and at the same time provide support for citizens who may be struggling.” “Huron-Perth residents have done a great job to get our case numbers down,” said Dr. Miriam Klassen, medical officer of health for Huron Perth Public Health. “Although the stay-at-home order will end, people are encouraged to continue following public health measures, limiting their contact with people from outside their household, and limiting their non-essential activities. We must all stay the course to keep case numbers down.” With files from the Wellington Advertiser Colin Burrowes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Listowel Banner
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CBC
'Pawn it' comment prompts Indigenous artist to call out discrimination in Sask. country music industry
A comment about Indigenous artists pawning trophies prompted a Saskatoon musician to speak out about what he sees as ongoing discrimination in the country music industry. Jarrid Poitras says he was hurt by a colleague's comment during a meeting last week on the absence of the Indigenous Artist of the Year award at the Saskatchewan Country Music Association's (SCMA's) awards show. "Somebody made a comment about 'why should we give them an award when they're just going to pawn it off anyway?'" Poitras said. "I left the meeting in anger knowing that that comment was directed toward First Nations people, basically stating that we would pawn off our award for money." Poitras, whose stage name is Jarrid Lee, is second vice president for the SCMA. The meeting was for an SCMA committee to discuss preparations for the 2021 awards show. Poitras said the comment was made by Rob Wilke, who sat on the SCMA board of directors and the SCMA awards Committee. SCMA President Wes LaBrash said Wilke has since apologized and resigned from both the board and the committee. Poitras said he left the meeting and later detailed why in emails to the vice president, president and Wilke. "[Wilke] called me in the morning and apologized and said some things to try and back up, saying it was just a joke. But to me, it didn't feel like a joke," he said. Poitras said he doesn't believe Wilke meant intentional harm, but that doesn't reduce the harm done. Wilke did not return CBC's requests for comment. As of Tuesday, Wilke's social media accounts were deactivated. If people knew that there was a problem, why didn't it get addressed a long time ago? - Jarrid Poitras On Monday, the Board of directors for Regina' community radio station CJTR FM released a statement saying Wilke's Pickin' It Country program would be removed from the schedule and that it had "provided anti-racist and decolonial resources for the host to learn from." Poitras said reflecting on what happened stirred up troubling memories of racism. "It kind of brought back all the inequalities I felt growing up as a native person, especially in hockey, schooling, whatever I did in life, I knew that it wasn't going to be equal. I'd have to work twice as hard just to be recognized," he said. "When I look back at the comment, it was hurtful. It made me feel less than, almost less than a human being." Poitras said people need to educate themselves about systemic racism and the issues facing First Nations people. "Whether you're in a professional setting or hanging out with some friends, the comments like that — you don't know if they're going to hurt people," he said, adding people should start learning through the 94 calls to action laid out in the national Truth and Reconciliation report. "People really need to educate themselves on the systemic racism that we face here in Canada, not only that, but the true history of what happened here, with residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, as well as what's happening with [child] apprehensions to this day." SCMA president LaBrash said he has also reflected upon Wilke's comment. He said someone had asked why the association offered a bursary instead of a physical trophy for Indigenous Artist of the Year. "Somebody speculated maybe it's a cost thing: it's not fair to others if we give them a $200 trophy and a bursary — which is not true — but that was speculation and unfortunately, that led to a comment from one of the participants about — and he didn't direct it at Indigenous people, he was just saying I agree with that like a trophy is worth cash. You could pawn it and get cash." LaBrash acknowledged that Wilke made the comment during a discussion about Indigenous artists. "Reg admitted it was a stupid comment. He apologized for it," he said. LaBrash later learned that in 2017 the awards were reviewed by a committee. It found two categories — Indigenous Artist and Roots — consistently didn't have enough nominees. SCMA then amalgamated the Roots category and moved to a bursary to incentivize Indigenous artists. He said that decision will likely be revisited at this year's annual general meeting. LaBrash put out a public statement, acknowledging the systemic racism and discrimination "within Saskatchewan, within the country music industry, and within the SCMA." He said the organization will work to better understand discrimination — noting it is not always done in an overt nature — and contribute to positive change. SCMA forms new inclusive committee SCMA members decided Tuesday to create an inclusivity committee, which will involve Indigenous artists and people in the LGBT community. Poitras said it's a positive first step. He said there needs to be more opportunities and support for local diverse artists. The new committee will receive external support from Sask Music's Indigenous music co-ordinator Darwin Roy, LaBrash said. LaBrash is asking people in the industry to come together, learn from what happened and make the community stronger. Poitras spoke out online about what happened. Since then, he's heard from many people who have experienced or witnessed discrimination within the industry. "Why did it take me coming up with this post or anything just to initiate the conversation, just to get the ball rolling? If people knew that there was a problem, why didn't it get addressed a long time ago?"
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The Canadian Press
Colin Jost opens up about reasons behind his marriage reveal
NEW YORK — After Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson tied the knot in an intimate ceremony last fall, the couple found a heartfelt way to tell the world they were “Jost married.” Rather than break the news through their representatives or giving it to one media outlet, the news was announced on social media by the food charity Meals on Wheels America, giving it worldwide attention during the pandemic. “Scarlet wanted to figure out a way of doing something that had another kind of meaning or could potentially help in some way,” Jost recently told The Associated Press while promoting his latest film, “Tom and Jerry.” The co-anchor of the “Weekend Update” segment at “Saturday Night Live” says the couple wanted to make a difference with their happy news. “We talked about places that we would love to help, and Meals on Wheels was at the top of our list, just getting very basic food to people that need it seems like the most basic way to help,” he said. In his latest film, a new version of "Tom and Jerry” that combines animation with live action, Jost plays a groom in an elaborate high-profile wedding at a ritzy hotel. Shot before his own nuptials, Jost picked up a little something from the experience. “My character obviously is going overboard in an attempt to both please his bride and impress her father,” Jost said. “Learning about communication and trying to anticipate what your partner wants or needs in different moments I think is the most important lesson I learned.” Johansson and Jost got engaged in 2019 after dating for two years and were married last October in a private ceremony for close friends and family. John Carucci, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
Pandemic causes Carnegie Hall to miss season for 1st time
NEW YORK — Carnegie Hall will miss an entire season for the first time for the first time in its 130-year history. Carnegie said Thursday it was cancelling performances from April 6 through July at its three venues, extending a closure that started last March 13 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Carnegie hopes to reopen in October for its 2021-22 season and intends a delayed season announcement in late spring. The pandemic also caused the Metropolitan Opera to miss a season for the first time, and it hopes to start its season in September. Broadway theatres have been closed since March, and the arts shutdowns have contributed to a major contraction to New York City's economy. Carnegie's Voices of Hope festival will shift to online performances from April 16-30 and focus on works created by artists in times of crisis and oppression. Carnegie plans to announce the festival programming in late March. Carnegie is maintaining plans for its annual summer youth ensemble residences at SUNY Purchase this summer. The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
Quebec to compensate movie theatres for lost snack revenue after 'Popcorngate'
MONTREAL — Quebec Premier Francois Legault says his government will compensate movie theatre owners for lost concession stand revenue after a disagreement he is calling "Popcorngate." The province has said movie theatres can reopen Feb. 26 but cannot sell food, in order to ensure people wear masks throughout the duration of films to limit spread of COVID-19. Legault said today the owner of the Guzzo Cinemas chain had threatened to stay closed because of the difficulty turning a profit without selling snacks. The premier says he'll compensate move theatre owners for concession stand losses because he wants theatres to stay open to give parents an additional activity to do with their kids during the March break week. Cinema owner Vincenzo Guzzo's public criticism of the reopening plan has inspired the term Popcorngate, and the name has since been picked up by other politicians, including the leader of the Parti Quebecois. Legault says he was surprised to get drawn into an argument over popcorn but he understands that cinema owners need to be compensated for lost revenue. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2021. The Canadian Press
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Initiative de journalisme local
Le Kamouraska aussi a ses problèmes de logement
Il n’y a pas que dans les villes qu’il est difficile de se loger : dans certaines zones rurales convoitées comme le Kamouraska, trouver la maison de ses rêves peut être beaucoup plus compliqué qu’on ne le pense. Une situation qui, si elle perdure, pourrait causer des tensions. Sur le groupe Facebook « Le comité social », forum officieux du Kamouraska, beaucoup de publications tournent autour de la recherche de maison ces temps-ci. Un refrain qui revient depuis plusieurs années, selon l’agent de migration de Place aux jeunes Louis Lahaye Roy : « Tous les ans, autour de février-mars, les gens discutent de cela. Les sites traditionnels de vente ou de location de maison fonctionnent mal au Kamouraska : parfois, quand tu cherches à La Pocatière, ils te suggèrent des logements dans Charlevoix… Les groupes Facebook et le bouche-à-oreille fonctionnent beaucoup mieux! » M. Lahaye Roy reconnait toutefois qu’il y a un peu plus d’activité que d’habitude cette année. La pandémie de Covid-19, marquée par l’essor du télétravail et le besoin de grands espaces, a accentué la tendance au « retour à la terre » présente depuis quelques années déjà. Place aux jeunes a accompagné 30 nouveaux arrivants en 2020 au Kamouraska, un record. Mais un autre phénomène s’observe dans cette région reconnue pour la beauté de ses paysages : de nombreux urbains sont à la recherche de résidences secondaires. Certains les rentabilisent en les mettant ensuite en location à la journée ou à la semaine à fort prix, par exemple sur la plate-forme Airbnb. « Chaque maison louée à court terme, c’est une maison perdue pour les gens qui veulent venir travailler et fonder une famille », alerte l’agent de migration qui remarque que cette manière de faire, autrefois confinée au bord du fleuve, s’étend désormais au haut pays. Sur Le comité social, une annonce a provoqué de nombreuses réactions cette semaine : « Notre maison du 6e Rang à Mont-Carmel est maintenant prête pour la location court terme (2 à 30 jours) », peut-on y lire. Une internaute a fait connaître son malaise : elle connait un couple de jeunes parents aux moyens modestes qui a voulu acheter cette demeure il y a quelques mois… « Mais la maison a été vendue en une journée, et maintenant elle est mise en location. Tout ceci est légal, mais est-ce bon pour notre communauté? », demande-t-elle. « J’ai visité deux maisons qui finalement ont été vendues à d’autres personnes pour faire de la location [à] court terme… C’est en train de tuer certains villages », a renchéri une autre membre du groupe. Des inquiétudes, mais pas encore d’alarmisme Louis Lahaye Roy dit que la situation l’inquiète, mais pas encore suffisamment pour qu’il tire la sonnette d’alarme : « À ce jour, je n’ai accompagné personne qui a remis en question son envie de s’installer ici parce qu’il n’a rien trouvé. Le marché est compressé, mais la situation est moins grave que dans d’autres régions du Québec. » Il observe surtout des déceptions : « Des personnes cherchent à améliorer leur sort et se font damer le pion par un achat de maison qui se transforme en location à court terme… C’est frustrant. » Directrice de l’agence immobilière Royal LePage de La Pocatière, Corinne Fortin a remarqué que le marché des maisons s’accompagnait d’une certaine animosité, mais elle tient elle aussi à relativiser la gravité de la situation : « Si je regarde à La Pocatière ou à Saint-Pascal, il y a présentement une cinquantaine de maisons à vendre. Donc des maisons, il y en a, même si c’est vrai qu’il ne faut pas trainer car elles partent vite. Les prix ont peut-être un peu augmenté, mais ça reste abordable. » Selon elle, certaines personnes (notamment des natifs de la région) ont de la difficulté à trouver une maison car elles cherchent la propriété idéale, qui ne nécessite pas de travaux… alors que les jeunes qui arrivent d’ailleurs sont prêts à se lancer dans des rénovations majeures. Ces deux « clientèles » peuvent donc tout à fait cohabiter. En revanche, un marché est particulièrement compliqué : celui des fermettes, très courtisées par les néo-ruraux qui rêvent de démarrer une petite production agricole, qu’elle soit destinée à l’autosuffisance ou à la vente en circuit court. « Ça fait 25 ans que je fais de l’immobilier, ça a toujours été des produits très recherchés et dès qu’on en a, ça se vend », souligne l’agente immobilière. Les locations de type Airbnb font donc encore plus mal quand elles touchent cette catégorie. C’était justement le cas de la maison de Mont-Carmel qui a fait jaser sur Le comité social. « Tous les éléments pour partir une petite entreprise maraîchère y étaient », note un abonné du groupe qui dit avoir également été intéressé par cette fermette. « Voilà une terre de moins qui aurait pu être valorisée », conclut-il. Les municipalités interpellées Le préfet de la MRC, Yvon Soucy, confirme que les élus sont au courant de la situation et aident activement les personnes à la recherche de logement : « Parfois, des maisons ne sont pas sur le marché mais les municipalités savent qu’elles pourraient être disponibles à court terme, donc elles orientent les acheteurs. » Certaines ont également des projets de construction de logements abordables, mais c’est un « travail à long terme ». « Actuellement, toutes nos municipalités ont suffisamment de zone blanche [constructible] pour répondre aux besoins », déclare le préfet qui aimerait que des promoteurs s’intéressent à sa région, tout en sachant que cela ne réglerait pas tout : « Les gens qui viennent s’établir ici ne recherchent pas nécessairement des quartiers avec des maisons neuves… » Faudra-t-il règlementer la location de type Airbnb, comme le demandent de plus en plus de citoyens? La responsabilité revient à chaque municipalité, répond M. Soucy, qui convient que des familles installées à long terme participent davantage à la vitalité des écoles et des services de proximité que des touristes. Quant aux vendeurs, ils ne se plaignent pas : Corinne Fortin remarque qu’un peu plus de fermettes ont été mises en vente cette année, leurs propriétaires souhaitant profiter de la « petite surenchère » actuelle. Pas assez, cependant, pour exaucer tous les rêves des nouveaux venus… Rémy Bourdillon, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Mouton Noir
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