Did you know that geoFence helps make you invisible to hackers and guard your personal data?
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Reuters
SoftBank-backed robotics firm Berkshire Grey to go public via $2.7 billion SPAC deal
The deal with Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp is expected to provide Berkshire Grey about $413 million in cash, as the maker of logistics automation systems looks to take advantage of a surge in online shopping amid the COVID-19. Delaney, a former Congressman who launched his special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in December, will join Berkshire Grey’s board following the transaction.
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CBC
Rural areas of P.E.I. face long-term challenges in pandemic recovery, report finds
(Laura Meader/CBC – image credit) P.E.I.’s Kings and Prince counties face some serious challenges for economic recovery following the pandemic, according to a study released Wednesday morning by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. The report examined a variety of factors — including the presence of vulnerable industries, population growth, average age, education levels, and average income — for 47 counties and divisions in Atlantic Canada, including the three counties in P.E.I. It was commissioned by the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce. Kings County was found to have the third highest vulnerability in the region, and Prince County the ninth. Queens County was found to have a vulnerability close to the national average. The factors that increased vulnerability in Kings and Prince were largely the same: a large percentage of residents working in primary industries for relatively low pay, and a relatively low percentage of the population with some post-secondary education. During the pandemic, low-wage, low-skilled workers have been disproportionately affected. Queens County is expected to benefit from a more diverse mix of employers Wages and education levels are about average. Education levels in Queens County are at about the national average. Population growth was a positive sign in Queens and Kings counties, as a general indication of economic vibrancy, but high numbers of immigrants were a concern, because immigrants have also been more likely to suffer economic hardship during the pandemic. More from CBC P.E.I.
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The Canadian Press
What free college might actually look like
President Joe Biden proposed multiple “free college” measures while on the campaign trail. Do any of them have a real shot? Some experts think so. “The issue is bipartisan in its appeal, economically effective and supported by the leadership in today’s Congress and administration — that’s (a) pretty good triple play,” says Morley Winograd, president of The Campaign for Free College Tuition. Others are skeptical now is the time to move forward on free college. “I have a really hard time seeing any sort of four-year free college program passing at this point,” says Douglas Webber, associate professor of economics at Temple University. The first glimpse of a formal proposal will most likely be in Biden’s upcoming budget, experts say. Here’s what to look for. TUITION-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS MOST LIKELY “Free college” really means free tuition. Students would still have to pay for room and board, along with other costs of attendance such as transportation, books and supplies. The average cost for room and board is $11,386 at a four-year school and $7,636 at a two-year school, according to federal data. President Biden’s free college proposals include: —Four years tuition-free at public colleges for those whose family income is under $125,000. —Two years of free tuition for low- and middle-income students attending minority-serving institutions. —Tuition-free public community colleges. That last one is the easiest sell, experts say. “We’ve seen how much free community college has become more popular,” says Wesley Whistle, senior advisor for policy and strategy with the Education Policy program at New America, a public policy think-tank . “It became a drum and you hear it and that helps it pick up over time.” The primary blocker for any tuition-free program is the cost, experts say, as any such program would likely be funded through a federal-state partnership. Community college is the cheaper bill to foot: The cost to fund tuition at public two-year schools is around $8.8 billion compared with about $72.5 billion at four-year public schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. HOW ‘FREE’ COLLEGE MIGHT WORK There’s already a blueprint for tuition-free programs: Currently 15 states have a program in place, while several others have extensive scholarship programs. Some cities do, too. Most state programs, such as Tennessee Promise and the Excelsior Scholarship in New York, which both offer four years of tuition-free public college, are last-dollar. That means students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and accept all need-based federal and state aid before the tuition-free benefit kicks in. Most experts say a federally enacted program would likely be first-dollar, covering tuition costs before any other aid is applied. That could increase the per-student impact of scholarships and state funding, says Edward Conroy, associate director of institutional transformation for the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice. “If we get a federal program that says we’re going to make tuition free and you can still receive any state or federal grants on top of that, that would be a robust program,” Conroy says. In that case, additional aid could go toward paying for additional expenses. PELL GRANT EXPANSION MAY BE EASIER There’s another path toward tuition-free college, though it doesn’t have “free” in the name: the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant program provides students who have demonstrated need with free aid; for 2021-22, it’s up to $6,495. Though the Pell was meant to cover most college costs, it hasn’t kept up — the average tuition and fees at four-year public schools is $9,212, according to the most recent federal data. Most experts say doubling the maximum Pell Grant would effectively create free tuition and in some cases cover additional expenses. Biden has called for this, along with expanding eligibility to cover more middle-income students. Robert Kelchen, associate professor of higher education at Seton Hall University, says expanded Pell would be easier to pass than tuition-free college since the grant program already exists. Free college proposals are simultaneously blasted for not being generous enough and being too generous to students without demonstrated need, experts say. These criticisms make it more difficult to attain approval among both lawmakers and the public. Expanding the existing Pell Grant program could work to provide free tuition, but it lacks the appeal of a new and “free” program. “From a messaging perspective, saying the Pell (Grant amount) is going up by, say, $2,000 might not have the same impact on students as ‘Your tuition is covered,’” Kelchen says. HOW STUDENTS CAN CUT COSTS Tuition-free college policy could take a long time to pass through Congress — if it can at all — so students and parents may not see this benefit for many months or years. But there are a few existing strategies for getting a degree at a lower cost: —Find out if your state already has a tuition-free program. —Consider a public college unless a private school offers you more aid. —Attend a two-year school, then make a plan to transfer credits and complete a four-year degree. —Compare college cost, graduation rates and typical student loan payments using the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. —Submit the FAFSA and accept all need-based federal and state aid. —Find scholarships using search tools. The U.S. Department of Labor has one. —If your family’s finances have changed, request a professional judgment to appeal your aid award. ________________________________ This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Anna Helhoski is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @AnnaHelhoski. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: States with Free College Programs http://bit.ly/nerdwallet-free-college U.S. Department of Labor: CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-scholarships.aspx U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ Anna Helhoski Of Nerdwallet, The Associated Press
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The Canadian Press
Italy presses UN for answers on envoy’s slaying in Congo
ROME — Italy on Wednesday pressed the United Nations for answers about the attack on a U.N. food aid convoy in Congo that left a young ambassador and his paramilitary police bodyguard dead. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told lawmakers in Rome that Italy has asked both the U.N. and the U.N. World Food Program to open an investigation into the security arrangements for convoy, which was attacked two days earlier. The minister said Italy also will spare no effort to determine the truth behind the killing of Ambassador Luca Attanasio and Carabiniere paramilitary officer Vittorio Iacovacci. A WFP Congolese driver, Moustapha Milambo, was also killed in the attack. “We have formally asked the WFP and the U.N. to open an inquest that clarifies what happened, the motivations for the security arrangements employed and who was responsible for these decisions,” Di Maio said. The trip was undertaken at the U.N.’s invitation, according to Di Maio. The two Italians had “entrusted themselves to the protocol of the United Nations,” which flew them on a U.N. plane from Kinshasha to Goma, 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) away, Di Maio said. The Italian embassy in Kinshasha, Di Maio noted, has two armoured vehicles at the ambassador’s disposal for moving around the city and the country. But for Monday’s mission, to visit a WFP school food project in Rutshuri in eastern Congo, Attanasio was travelling in U.N. vehicles. Only hours earlier, Di Maio, flanked by Premier Mario Draghi, met the arrival of the bodies of the two Italians at a Rome military airport. Autopsies are scheduled for Wednesday and a state funeral for both men was set for Thursday in Rome. A special team of Carabinieri investigators, dispatched by Rome prosecutors, arrived Tuesday in Congo on what Di Maio said would likely be multiple missions to determine what happened. Attanasio, 43, who leaves a widow involved in volunteer projects in Congo and three young children, “was in love with his profession, with Africa and his family,” Di Maio said. He noted that the Carabiniere was nearing the end of his security detail in Congo and was soon due back in Rome. The World Food Program, which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its efforts to feed refugees and other malnourished people worldwide, is headquartered in Rome. “For this reason, I immediately asked WFP in Rome and the United Nations, involving directing the Secretary General (Antonio) Guterres, to supply a detailed report on the attack on the convoy,” Di Maio said. WFP has said the road had been previously cleared for travel without security escorts. U.N. security officials based in Congo usually determine road safety. On Tuesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York that the U.N. had launched an internal review concerning the “security around the incident.” Di Maio said the attackers numbered six, had light arms and apparently spread obstacles on the road and fired shots in the air to stop the convoy. “The noise of the shooting alerted soldiers of the Congolese Armed Forces and the rangers of Virunga park, less than a kilometre (half-mile) away, headed to the place of the incident.” Di Maio quoted the local governor as saying that to force the victims to go into the bush, they killed the WFP driver. When the ranger patrol arrived, Di Maio said, citing the Congolese interior minister’s account, the attackers “fired upon the Carabiniere, killing him, and at the ambassador, gravely wounding him.? Attanasio died of his wounds shortly afterward. Italy will reinforce its commitments to aid Africa, Di Maio said, calling that the “best way to honour the memory? of the two slain Italians. “A policy that puts Africa at the centre of Italian diplomatic, European and international attention, this is the commitment Luca believed in and in which we believe in,” the foreign minister said. Frances D’Emilio, The Associated Press
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Local Journalism Initiative
Mulgrave library may close
MULGRAVE – Councillor Crystal Durling, the Town of Mulgrave’s representative on the Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) board, told council at its committee of the whole meeting Monday night (Feb. 22) that the ECRL has expressed its desire to close the library branch in Mulgrave. “For cost for them, it makes more sense to close it,” Durling said, adding that ECRL headquarters would remain in Mulgrave. CAO Darlene Berthier Sampson asked if the library closure was a suggestion, or if they were being told the decision had been made, to which Durling replied, “They wanted to bring it to the meeting … pretty much — it is going to happen because of money issues.” Since the pandemic started, the ECRL branch in Mulgrave has been closed. Prior to that, the branch had only opened six months of the year. Since March 2020, books have been available for curbside pick-up at the Mulgrave branch – via online ordering – and also by mail. “The only thing it is going to hurt is if a lot of people in town go there to use computers,” said Durling. Council believes that the only way to keep the library branch open in Mulgrave is to dedicate more money from the town’s budget to the operation of the facility. “It’s pretty much a money issue, the way she (ECRL CEO Laura Emery) was saying that, ‘If you want to keep the service, you’re going to probably have to pay.’ They only have so much money to work with for their budget.” The matter will be tabled until the next council meeting, but councillors voiced their agreement with the proposed closure. Last month, the Town of Mulgrave started to look for a volunteer to sit on the Eastern Mainland Housing Authority Board. The town’s seat on the board – recently left vacant – has not been filled. Berthier Sampson said at the meeting that the housing authority board is, “a very important initiative … I’m not going to mince words to the public, we’re not having great outcomes with our public housing. Financially, some of them stay empty for a long period of time and for every month they stay empty the town’s share is 12.5 per cent, approximately. The longer it stays empty the more we pay.” In addition to the financial burden of the housing units, they’re also often the subject of bylaw infractions and policing calls. The original agreement between the town and the province regarding public housing is outdated and needs to be renegotiated, said Berthier Sampson. A volunteer from Mulgrave is needed to represent the town’s interests on the board. In an addition to the approved agenda, Councillor Robert Russell asked the town staff to investigate the possiblity of plowing the Scotia Trail. The next regular town council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2 at 6: 30 p.m. in council chambers. Lois Ann Dort, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal
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The Canadian Press
Funky electronics chain Fry’s is no more
SAN FRANCISCO — Fry’s Electronics, the go-to chain for tech tinkerers looking for an obscure part, is closing for good. The company, perhaps even more well known for outlandish themes at some of its stores, from Aztec to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” said Wednesday in an online posting that the COVID-19 pandemic had made it impossible to continue. Fans immediately took to Twitter to post images and memories (good and bad). The chain was concentrated on the West Coast, but had 31 stores in nine states. It was founded 36 years ago. The pandemic has done heavy damage to retailers, but Fry’s was already getting hammered by online competition and a battle between heavy-hitters Best Buy and Amazon.com. Fry’s Electronics Inc. said its operations have ceased and the wind-down of locations will begin immediately. Customers with electronics being repaired in-store store are being asked to pick them up. The stores online presence appears largely to have been shut down. The Associated Press
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Reuters
EU seeks views on gig workers’ rights ahead of possible law
The European Commission on Wednesday took a step towards improving the rights of gig economy workers with the launch of a public consultation to determine their legal employment status and how to improve their working conditions. Courts and regulators have meanwhile sought to correct the shortcomings in the gig economy. The UK Supreme Court ruled last week that Uber drivers are entitled to workers’ rights, such as the minimum wage, and a Spanish court said in September that riders for Barcelona-based food delivery app Glovo were employees, not freelancers.
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CBC
Zoom-bombing Ontario courts rare but troubling, says task force chair
(Evan Mitsui/CBC – image credit) The co-chair of an Ontario task force on court e-hearings says the Zoom-bombing of a Brampton virtual courtroom on Tuesday is rare, but troubling. The court was trying to hear a civil matter between Kelly Donovan and the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board. As the defense began to address the court Tuesday morning, the session was interrupted by people attending over Zoom, who disrupted the proceedings by sharing their screen to show pornographic and hateful images. “It’s obviously shocking, because if you’re in a courthouse for an in-person hearing, nothing of the sort could happen because you’re not on the internet,” lawyer Kathryn Manning told CBC News. Anyone who interrupted an in-person hearing in a similar way could be found in contempt of court, Manning said, and may face a fine or even jail time. In theory, this could happen during a virtual court hearing as well. The problem is the practical matter of tracking down the person responsible. Arrested on the spot “Figuring out who that person is could be tricky,” said Manning, who is also a litigator with the Toronto firm DMG Advocates LLP. “As opposed to a person who’s physically in a courtroom doing something [and] could be arrested on the spot if police felt that was necessary.” In a statement to CBC News from the Ministry of the Attorney General, a spokesperson said videoconferencing platforms create “unique challenges that do not present with in-person hearing.” The ministry said there are ways to prevent the people attending a remote hearing from sharing unauthorized and offensive material. It committed to “reviewing these mechanisms with the courts and court staff to ensure the dignity and integrity of court proceedings are not subjected to unauthorized and offensive interruptions.” Since the pandemic began, Manning said thousands of court cases have proceeded virtually without incident. This is a good thing, she said, because otherwise the justice system would have “ground to a halt” and it’s important to provide public access to the courts. “Our court system is really important and it needs to be open and accessible to the public but it also needs to proceed in the way it would’ve in the courthouse the best it can.” But, she said, there remain several issues that have yet to be fully resolved — from Zoom bombers to the question of how to prevent people from recording or taking screen shots during sensitive virtual hearings.
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CBC
N.L. on track for record-low 51 per cent voter turnout: Elections NL data
(CBC – image credit) Data from Elections NL requested by CBC News this week is raising red flags for opposition party leaders, who say a record-low turnout would threaten election results. Elections NL estimates there have been 120,000 requests for mail-in ballots, in addition to the 68,259 special or advance ballots already received. If all those ballots are returned, it would equal a 51 per cent voter turnout rate — a historic low for Newfoundland and Labrador, which during its last election in May 2019 saw 60.7 per cent of eligible voters mark a ballot. The current lowest voter turnout, 55 per cent, came in 2015. “The right to have unimpeded access [to vote] … is absolutely central to the legitimacy of government,” said PC Leader Ches Crosbie, in reaction to those numbers, in an interview Tuesday. The Tories have repeatedly pointed a finger at Liberal Leader Andrew Furey for triggering an election prior to widespread vaccine availability. Crosbie contends Furey ought to have pushed back his 12-month deadline to drop the writ, or at the very least, waited until summer. “That negligence, that’s why we are where we are right now,” Crosbie said. Furey wouldn’t do an interview, instead sending a statement through his campaign office. “Our Liberal team is hearing from many voters who are looking forward to voting, and we hope this will contribute to a good turnout,” the emailed statement said. “While it is too early to know what the voter turnout rate will be, our party hopes that Elections NL’s work to navigate this unprecedented election will allow voters to safely cast their ballots.” Furey has previously said that when he called a January election, he did so based on epidemiological modelling, which did not account for the current COVID-19 outbreak throttling the province. That outbreak led Elections NL to postpone election day, and cancel all in-person voting. It had originally been scheduled for Feb 13, just one day after the province’s top doctor ordered strict lockdown measures to contain a rapidly spreading coronavirus variant. Turnout not yet certain Elections NL said because it had a wide array of application methods — including fax and phone — not all its requests have been processed, and it can’t yet supply a final total. But Crosbie is betting on a portion of mail-in ballot requests not making it back to Elections NL in time for the March 12 deadline. Factoring in spoiled, late, and unreturned ballots against the number of requests, Crosbie thinks it’s “simple mathematics to see that the voter turnout is likely to be less than 50 per cent.” When questioned directly, Crosbie wouldn’t go so far as to say his party would challenge the election results, but called the prospect of legal action “almost inevitable.” NDP Leader Alison Coffin and Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie are expressing concerns over the estimated voter turnout rate. “The whole situation — things being made up, ad hoc, that affect voting rights [that] are constitutional in nature, invites litigation,” he said. “It’s such a mess.” He also wouldn’t say whether he would accept an argument for illegitimacy if the PCs were to win. “Whoever emerges from this,” he replied, “is going to have a dubious mandate to get things done.” Meanwhile, NDP Leader Alison Coffin stressed the tasks directly ahead of the electorate. At the moment, she said, anyone who did get a ballot should focus on submitting it in time. “Then we can figure out the ramifications of everything that’s happened,” she said. Given the obstacles voters face, however, she’s not shocked to hear about Elections NL’s data. Much of what happened, she said, could have been examined and managed by the Liberals to address types of access. “I think it would have been the responsible thing for the Furey government to look at modernizing the Elections Act,” Coffin said. While Coffin says her party has not yet decided on whether they’ll pursue a legal challenge, the NDP are asking for online feedback to reform the Elections Act once a government has been formed. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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Reuters
Missoni, Fendi open virtual Milan Fashion Week
Italian brands Missoni and Fendi kicked off the first day of Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, with designers once again forced to swap the buzzing catwalks for digital presentations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Known for its zig-zag “Fiammato”, or flamed, pattern and colourful designs, Missoni was the first fashion house to stream a video of its latest womenswear, blending clothes for autumn/winter with those for spring/summer. Filmed at Milan’s Assago Forum, a venue that has been shut for months, models re-enacted social gatherings from bowling games to catch-ups with friends.
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CBC
How one Newfoundland family coped when COVID-19 spread through their house
(Submitted by the Bennett family – image credit) John Bennett and his family take a picture before quarantining. It’s a nightmare scenario for many families in Newfoundland contending with the latest rise in COVID-19 numbers: Parents testing positive and having to divide their home for self-isolation, all while taking care of young children. For one St. John’s family that’s already a reality. John Bennett’s 10-year-old son, John, has cystic fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. Last week, Bennett, his wife Gillian, and their other son Noah, 6, all tested positive for COVID-19. Bennett initially booked a swab after visiting Bigs Ultimate Sports Grill in Mount Pearl, around the time the B117 variant started its spread through the metro region. While his first test came back negative, Bennett said he and his wife developed symptoms a few days later. “She just wasn’t feeling all that well — a little bit under the weather,” said Bennett. A day after her test, she got the result: positive. Bennett said the news came as a shock to his family, and soon after, he and his two sons got tested as well. Bennett’s returned positive that time, though both of his sons’ results came back negative. Noah was tested again on Monday, and the result came back positive. The Bennetts have two boys, John and Noah. John, the oldest, has cystic fibrosis. Right away, the family tried to divide the house, with Bennett’s sons, wife, and himself each taking separate parts of the home. But having young kids, especially one with a lung condition like cystic fibrosis, made staying apart a challenge. “It feels like a bit of a yo-yo effect. At one moment you’re feeling OK, the next minute emotions are kind of all over the place,” said Bennett. “You’re trying to take care of yourself, you’re also trying to take care of your kids, your wife, and then trying to figure out some logistics of all living in the house together.” Cystic fibrosis heightening anxiety Bennett’s foremost worry at the moment is John falling ill, too. Since the pandemic began last year, Bennett said, they’ve learned a little more about how the virus affects those living with cystic fibrosis. “I’m certainly not minimizing it whatsoever, but from what we’ve seen over the last year, it doesn’t necessarily have a bigger impact,” Bennett said. While there’s no evidence to show conditions like cystic fibrosis make individuals more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, people with the condition may be susceptible to more serious symptoms. Meals delivered by friends and family have been a big help, says Bennett. Bennett described his son as healthy and active, a kid who diligently follows a cystic fibrosis treatment regimen. The uncertainty of the virus, however, is still a cause of concern. “It’s been worrying. We don’t want him to have it,” Bennett said. “But if he does have it, and sometimes I guess you just have to mentally prepare yourself for those things, we’ll deal with it the best we can.” John was tested again this week and his results came back negative: welcome news for Bennett and his family. For the time being, Bennett said John is in isolation with plenty of games to keep him entertained. “He’s been in kind of his own isolation mode; he’s got his Xbox, and he’s got some friends online that just kept him company and whatnot.” A father’s advice? Get tested While they never expected the pandemic to hit so close to home, Bennett said, they shared their story over social media in order to keep friends and family informed, and encourage others to get tested. “I tested negative and had some symptoms probably three or four days after. Hindsight is 20/20. I should have probably gotten retested,” said Bennett. His overall message is no matter how mild your symptoms may be, he hopes others take them seriously. Bennett, whose family has been vocal about John’s condition in the past, said they’ve received overwhelming support. “All of the support from family and friends to be quite honest with you has helped us get through this,” he said. “Messages of support, food being dropped off, snacks being dropped off. Just the outreach has kind of left us sometimes a little bit speechless.” Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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Local Journalism Initiative
Bisson addresses constituents’ concerns in virtual town hall
Timmins MPP Gilles Bisson says if another shutdown were to happen, people would cope with a “fair amount of difficulty.” Bisson held a virtual town hall Tuesday night to discuss how his constituents have been dealing with the pandemic. Some of the topics raised by community members at the meeting were related to vaccines, education, paid sick leave, electricity rates and the federal gun bill. “One of the things we’ve been saying is there are certain things the government could’ve done to mitigate the amount of infections we have and with this new variant out there, there’s a risk (a shutdown) might happen,” Bisson said. “Am I worried about it? You bet I’m worried about it. And people are going to cope with it with a fair amount of difficulty.” The town hall participants also had a chance to vote in a poll that asked how they’ve been coping with the pandemic and whether people felt reopening the economy was the right thing to do or not. The final poll results will be available Wednesday. During the telephone meeting, a South Porcupine resident asked how people will be notified where and when to get the vaccine. Bisson said the vaccination rollout is currently in phase one where the priority is given to people living in retirement, long-term and alternate care homes. Bisson added people have the right to refuse the vaccine and nobody will be forced to take it. “I would highly encourage you to take the vaccine but that is a personal choice and people have the right to make that decision themselves,” he said. Locally, the second doses of Moderna vaccine are starting to roll out in the Porcupine Health Unit region this week. Talking about education, Bisson said schools in Timmins are open to students who choose to study in-person. He said it was a parental choice to send their kids to classes and he thinks parents should keep their children at home until more people are immunized. Another community member asked how she can get a refund from Air Canada since her trip got cancelled and she was offered only vouchers. Bisson said the federal government has not moved anything to force airlines to give people a refund. He noted NDP MP Charlie Angus raised the issue a few times. “The reality is there will be a lot of people at the end of this who are not going to be able to afford to take that trip that they planned over a year ago. And they’re going to be trying to make up finances that they’ve got to deal with as the result of what they’ve experienced through shutdowns,” he said. “To me, the right thing for them to do would be to make sure you get your refund. But at this point, the federal government hasn’t moved in that direction.” Bisson also spoke about the proposed Bill 239, the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act. He said there needs to be legislation in place to allow people to take 14 days of paid sick leave if they have to deal with COVID-19 and wait for testing results. The bill would ensure people, who have symptoms but can’t afford to stay home, will not infect others if they show up at work, he said. “That would not cost an employer more money because it will be funded by the province and it will be another health measure to try and stop the spread of the disease,” Bisson said. Another speaker expressed her objection to lifting pandemic electricity rates. Bisson agreed that having an off-peak pandemic rate would make “some sense.” “And, quite frankly, the government should keep their promise they made in the last election of lowering electricity rates by 14 per cent and doing it away with these particular differences in rates that are currently in place,” he said. Bisson also talked about how the government doesn’t have the capacity and the system to properly respond to both addiction and mental health issues. He said it has gotten worse during the pandemic and there are no extra services to provide support to people dealing with those issues. In response to a question when sports events and concerts will happen again, Bisson said because of recommendations from health officials, the government is reluctant to hold large events until there’s herd immunity. Bisson also shared his thoughts on the federal gun bill, C-21, saying there are many responsible gun owners in Northern Ontario, but there have to be measures put in place to make sure the guns “don’t go to the wrong hands.” Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TimminsToday.com
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CBC
Halifax hopes music scene, hidden gems can revive tourism sector
(Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press – image credit) Halifax’s new tourism strategy will be a year-round effort to showcase the local music scene, launch new events and appeal to international travellers as the municipality looks to rebound post-pandemic from losses of around $800 million so far. Discover Halifax, the regional marketing association that oversees tourism in the Nova Scotia capital, presented its long-awaited integrated tourism master plan to regional council on Tuesday. The plan includes 28 ideas to help breathe new life into a struggling sector, including working with the province’s musicians to make Halifax a music destination. “The opportunity to leverage that talent for live performances, for cultural performances — those things don’t need to be here just in the summertime,” said Ross Jefferson, the CEO of Discover Halifax. “There are opportunities for us to animate our destination, improve these experiences all year round.” The organization estimates Halifax saw tourism plunge by 85 per cent last year. It’s a hit that will also be felt this year, with the federal government extending its ban on cruise ships until 2022. Local tourists keep industry afloat Dennis Campbell, CEO of Ambassatours Gray Line and Murphy’s The Cable Wharf, said he never imagined he’d see his bustling tourism companies experience such a devastating blow. He said they were saved by the support of locals, who took boat tours and jumped at the chance to visit Georges Island when it temporarily opened up last summer. “We know there’s a demand for that this season,” he said. While that will keep his companies afloat, Campbell said he’s thrilled with what he has seen from the new master plan. Emphasizing Halifax’s music scene, he said, is long overdue. “That’s an initiative that there’s been talk of for some time. It makes so much sense,” he said. “It would just be so, so good for not just Haligonians, but all Nova Scotians.” The new master plan was developed before the pandemic and was supposed to be launched a year ago. Jefferson said the plan places the tourism industry in a strong position to work together as it rebuilds. A stop along the way The plan also calls for the renewal of a stopover promotion which partners with airlines to allow travellers between Europe and North America to tack Halifax on to their trip. A test project was in the works with WestJet when everything shut down due to COVID-19. “It was getting good attention and we were looking forward to expanding that,” said Jefferson. “As we do look for the return now of air access into the region, that’s a program that we’re very excited about pursuing again with the major airlines.” Discover Halifax said it also wants its tourism plan to encompass all of the Halifax Regional Municipality, instead of focusing on the traditionally popular spots. “We’ve got an opportunity here to leverage the beautiful communities that we have so that we are making sure that visitors are not being concentrated necessarily at one site,” said Jefferson. “We’re making strong investments in a number of new icons to be developed, transportation corridors to those regions, and the opportunity to disperse visitors throughout HRM.” Evergreen Festival a success Campbell said the municipality has already seen the benefit of some of the plan. A new event — the Evergreen Festival — was hosted in the city’s downtown and waterfront areas in December. Walkable parts of the municipality were decked out in twinkling lights, including a light show displayed at city hall, as part of the inaugural outdoor festival. “Once we get beyond restrictions, the Evergreen Festival is going to be spectacular for Halifax,” said Campbell. “It’s going to be something that is going to be a legacy that will continue on for many years.” MORE TOP STORIES
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Reuters
Biden CIA nominee Burns to focus on ‘authoritarian adversary’ China
President Joe Biden’s nominee to be director of the CIA, William Burns, told a Senate committee on Wednesday that he saw competition with China – and countering its “adversarial, predatory” leadership – as the key to U.S. national security. Burns, 64, a former career diplomat during both Democratic and Republican administrations, is expected to easily win confirmation to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Burns has already been confirmed by the Senate five times for his stints as ambassador to Jordan and Russia and three senior State Department positions.
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CBC
Maine to award contract for new international bridge to Edmundston soon
(Radio-Canada – image credit) Maine officials will open bids on Wednesday from three companies seeking to build a new international bridge linking the state and Edmundston, N.B., ahead of awarding one of those companies the contract for the work. Paul Merrill, a public information officer with the Maine Department of Transportation, said the bids will be reviewed with the aim of awarding the contract for the new bridge within four to six weeks and construction starting in April. Merrill called opening the bids a significant milestone for the project, estimated to cost about $108 million ($86 million US). “This has been years in the works and there are still years of work to do,” Merrill said in an interview Tuesday. “This is a big project with a big price tag that involves state government, provincial government and two federal governments, as well as all the agencies that oversee this type of work. “We’re excited to open bids on Wednesday. We’re excited to award the contract to continue the work to replace this bridge.” Existing bridge deteriorating Three companies were pre-qualified to bid on the work: Caldwell & Ross of Fredericton, Cianbro in Maine and Reed & Reed, Inc. in Maine. In a followup email, Merrill said Caldwell & Ross did not submit a bid, while Reed & Reed and Cianbro submitted bids valued at $86.5 million and $95 million, respectively. Plans to replace the bridge have been discussed and in the works for years. The existing bridge, built in 1921, was restricted to vehicles weighing less than five tons because of its deteriorating condition in 2017. Its concrete piers are cracking and a report described it as having “significant corrosion” on its steel beams. The existing bridge will be removed once the new structure is complete. The bridge would be built at an angle across the St. John River so a new U.S. border entry point about 400 metres upriver can be built. The plan calls for building the new structure at an angle across the St. John River so the existing Canada Border Services Agency port of entry can be used, while the U.S. port of entry will be constructed at a new site a few hundred metres upriver. The designs include space for snowmobiles to use the bridge, linking extensive trail networks on both sides of the St. John River. “It is an enormous project,” Merrill said. “It is important to the commerce of communities on both sides of the border. It is a intricate process in that we are replacing a one hundred-year-old bridge and it involves co-ordination with our counterparts in New Brunswick, in Ottawa, in Washington, D.C., here in Maine, and a lot of environmental permitting because it is a bridge over water.” The U.S. General Services Administration awarded a $55 million ($44.5 million US) contract earlier this month for design and construction of the new port of entry on the American side. The port of entry, to be built concurrently with the new bridge, is expected to be complete in late 2023. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency determined in 2019 that a federal environmental assessment of the bridge plans is not required. The New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure filed an environmental impact assessment in March 2019 for work that will take place within Canada. Approval was granted in a decision on Dec. 20, 2020, though that decision was only posted publicly this month. U.S. environmental approval was granted in February, 2020. The U.S. government is providing $45 million ($36 million US) for the cost of the bridge. The rest is cost-shared between the state and provincial governments, according to a 2019 news release. Merrill said that traffic is expected to begin flowing across the new bridge at the end of 2023. Traffic will continue to use the old structure while work is underway on the new bridge, though Merrill said there may be short-term closures lasting several hours or days to demolish the existing bridge in 2024.
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The Canadian Press
Hydro One reports Q4 profit down from year ago as it faced COVID-19 related costs
TORONTO — Hydro One Ltd. reported its fourth-quarter profit fell compared with a year earlier as the power utility faced higher costs related to the pandemic. Hydro One says it earned net income attributable to common shareholders of $161 million or 27 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a profit of $211 million or 35 cents per diluted share a year earlier. In addition to COVID-19 related expenses, the company says it saw a reduction in insurance proceeds, higher depreciation and asset removal costs and higher taxes. Revenue for the quarter totalled $1.87 billion, up from $1.72 billion. On an adjusted basis, Hydro One says it earned 27 cents per diluted share, down from 35 cents per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2019. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 29 cents per share, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:H) The Canadian Press
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Reuters
India approves $1 billion plan to boost IT product exports
India on Wednesday approved a 73.5 billion rupee ($1.02 billion) plan to boost local manufacturing and exports of IT products such as laptops, tablets, personal computers and servers, the technology minister said. The production-linked incentive (PLI) plan will help India export IT goods worth 2.45 trillion rupees, minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a news conference. “The focus of the scheme is to get global champions to India and to make national champions out of local manufacturers,” Prasad said, adding that the plan could create roughly 180,000 jobs.
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CBC
CBRM to start looking for new police chief
(Tom Ayers/CBC – image credit) Cape Breton Regional Municipality is looking for a new head for its police department. Robert Walsh has been acting chief since the summer of 2019, when Chief Peter McIsaac went on sick leave. On Tuesday, Mayor Amanda McDougall said the municipality is starting the formal process of seeking a permanent chief. She said McIsaac will be missed. “I had a wonderful relationship with Chief Peter in my first four years as a council member,” McDougall said. “He was always so wonderful to communicate [with]. It didn’t matter what day, what time. “He really was a wonderful resource and I consider him to be a wonderful friend, as well.” Mayor Amanda McDougall says CBRM has been lucky to have Deputy Chief Robert Walsh as acting chief of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service. McDougall said CBRM’s hiring policy requires the municipality to advertise the position internally with the police service first and if no suitable candidate is found, then a job ad will be placed externally. “It will be relatively quick,” she said. “In a matter of weeks we will know whether or not the process was successful internally. “At the end of the day though, that position will have to come back to council for official appointment.” McIsaac served as deputy chief from 2008 to 2011, when he was appointed to the top job following the sudden death of Chief Myles Burke. McDougall said CBRM was lucky to have Walsh step in as acting chief when McIsaac went on leave. She also said the municipality’s chief administrative officer, Marie Walsh, declared a conflict of interest and has stepped away from the hiring process because of her family relationship to the acting chief. MORE TOP STORIES
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The Canadian Press
Conviction in landmark case over Syrian government torture
BERLIN — A former member of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s secret police was convicted Wednesday by a German court of facilitating the torture of prisoners in a landmark ruling that human rights activists hope will set a precedent for other cases. Eyad Al-Gharib was convicted of accessory to crimes against humanity and sentenced by the Koblenz state court to 4 1/2 years in prison. It was the first time that a court outside Syria ruled in a case alleging Syrian government officials committed crimes against humanity. German prosecutors invoked the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes to bring the case that involved victims and defendants who were in Germany. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the verdict represented a “historic juncture” that would send “real messages to all those who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people and gives hope to the victims and their families that right will prevail.” The group, which has documented the decade-long war, urged Syrian refugees in Europe to come forth with any evidence and documents to courts to help more such cases. Al-Gharib could have faced more than a decade behind bars, but judges took into account mitigating factors, including his testimony in court. The 44-year-old was accused of being part of a unit that arrested people following anti-government protests in the Syrian city of Douma and took them to a detention centre known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, where they were tortured. Al-Gharib went on trial last year with Anwar Raslan, a more senior Syrian ex-official who is accused of overseeing the abuse of detainees at the same jail near Damascus. Raslan is accused of supervising the “systematic and brutal torture” of more than 4,000 prisoners between April 2011 and September 2012, resulting in the deaths of at least 58 people. During the trial, al-Gharib testified against Raslan, implicating him in more than 10 deaths of prisoners. A verdict in Raslan’s case is expected later this year. The court also considered photographs of thousands of alleged victims of torture by the Syrian government. The images were smuggled out of Syria by a former police officer, who goes by the alias of Caesar. “Today’s verdict is the first time a court has confirmed that the acts of the Syrian government and its collaborators are crimes against humanity,” said Patrick Kroker, a lawyer with the European Center for constitutional and Human Rights, which represented multiple survivors at the trial. “Testimony by torture survivors and intelligence officers, as well as the Caesar photos, prove the scale and systemic nature of enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence in Syria,” he said. “The relevance of this evidence extends far beyond the proceedings in Koblenz.” Delivering the oral verdict, the presiding judge made it clear that al-Gharib’s crimes were part of the Syrian government’s systematic abuses against its own population. Syrian officials did not testify during the 60-day trial. The court concluded that al-Gharib’s unit, which was under Raslan’s command, was involved in chasing down and detaining at least 30 people following a demonstration in Douma, and then bringing them to the detention centre where they were tortured. Al-Gharib, who had the rank of sergeant major until he defected, left Syria in 2013 and came to Germany in 2018. Both men were arrested a year later. Some rights groups have raised questions about the trial, noting that government defectors like Al-Gharib may not realize that statements they make during asylum applications may be used against them. Mohammad Al-Abdallah, director of the Washington-based Syria Justice and Accountability Center and a former prisoner in Syria, said Al-Gharib was a low-ranking officer with little value in the case against him. He suggested that putting defectors like Raslan and Al-Gharib in prison would please the Assad government, “because this will deter anyone else from defecting or joining the opposition or supplying information to human rights groups.” But Wassim Mukdad, a Syrian survivor and co-plaintiff in Raslan’s trial, said while al-Gharib was “just one small cog in the vast Syrian torture apparatus” the verdict against him was important. “I hope it can shed light on all of the Assad regime’s crimes,” he said. “Only then will the trial really be a first step on this long road to justice for myself and other survivors.” The European Center for constitutional and Human Rights, which supports 29 survivors in the case against Raslan, of whom 14 are represented as co-plaintiffs in that case, is working to bring further cases against Syrian officials to trial in Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway. ___ Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report. Frank Jordans, The Associated Press
Finally, let me just add that geoFence is your security solution to protect you and your business from foreign state actors and that’s the the real deal!
