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Canada happenings thread#1 - miscellaneous (Great White North community)

#51
C C Offline
Adam: A vaccine that offers 95 per cent immunity is awesome. So take it
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-a...so-take-it


Canada 2021 Housing Forecasts Call For A Boom ... Or The Worst Crash in 40 Years
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/hous...4421082979

EXCERPT: This could be the toughest year in living memory to make predictions about the economy ― especially the housing market. Amid the worst economic slowdown in decades, home sales and prices soared in many Canadian cities in 2020, along with housing markets in many other countries. The average house price in Canada has shot up by 13.8 per cent over the past year, and by 14.6 per cent in the U.S.

No wonder this year’s batch of year-end forecasts for Canada’s housing market are all over the map. [...] Broadly speaking, there are two camps: Those who see this year’s hot housing conditions continuing into next year, thanks to low mortgage rates and a lack of housing supply, and those who see trouble coming once mortgage deferrals and government income supports stop.

Not surprisingly, real-estate groups are aboard the boom train. The Canadian Real Estate Association, an umbrella group of local real estate boards, is forecasting a 9.1 per cent jump in house prices in 2021, with Ontario leading the way with a 16.3 per cent jump in prices, followed by Quebec at 13.6 per cent... (MORE)


NDP strip Niki Ashton of critic roles after recent trip to Greece
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2021/0...-_jd1VKiUk

INTRO: A prominent member of the federal New Democrats has lost her cabinet critic positions after travelling to Greece in spite of widespread travel restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. The party released a statement saying Manitoba member of Parliament Niki Ashton travelled to Greece recently to visit a family member who was seriously ill. It says Greek officials, who currently only permit visitors to enter the country if they can prove their trip is essential, approved Ashton's visit.

The NDP says Ashton reached out to Canadian officials for "best practices," but did not notify leader Jagmeet Singh or the party whip of her travel plans. The statement says party members sympathize with Ashton's situation, but notes millions of Canadians adhered to public health guidelines under similarly pressing circumstances... (MORE)


Conservative MP has travelled to California twice since March for 'essential house maintenance'
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/r...-1.5859675

INTRO: Calgary-Signal Hill Conservative MP Ron Liepert travelled twice to Palm Desert, Calif., since March, his office confirmed Saturday, so he could deal with "essential house maintenance issues." Liepert, who was Alberta's health and wellness minister under Premier Ed Stelmach, owns a home in the city, which is located in the Coachella Valley. A spokesperson in Liepert's office said Liepert has travelled twice since March, including during the current parliamentary recess. "There has been no non-essential travel, and he has complied with all public health guidance, including the Alberta border testing program, each time he has travelled," the spokesperson said in an email...(MORE)


Calgary MLAs Nixon, Fir also travelled to U.S. over holidays
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-new...r-holidays

INTRO: Two more members of the United Conservative caucus left Canada to visit the United States over the holidays. Postmedia confirmed Friday night Calgary-Peigan MLA Tanya Fir and Calgary-Klein MLA Jeremy Nixon each travelled abroad in December. The MLAs mark the latest in a series of senior government officials found to have left the country despite provincial guidance to avoid non-essential travel... (MORE)


Jason Kenney’s Chief Of Staff Quietly Returned From United Kingdom Despite Flight Ban
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/kenn...rona-virus

EXCERPTS: Several Alberta United Conservative MLAs and senior officials are in hot water following international travel over the winter break — and chief among them is one of Premier Jason Kenney’s chief advisers. While Kenney fielded questions about cabinet minister Tracy Allard’s trip to Hawaii over the Christmas break despite provincial guidelines against non-essential international travel, he also admitted several other key officials travelled during the holidays, including his chief of staff Jamie Huckabay.

Huckabay, Kenney said, travelled over the holidays with his family to the United Kingdom, a country currently wracked by a wave of new infections due to a dangerous new COVID-19 variant. “Mr. Huckabay did travel with family before Christmas to the U.K. and when the situation with the new variant emerged there, immediately changed his plans and came back to Canada on Boxing Day through the United States,” Kenney said.

Huckabay had to return through the U.S. because the federal government halted all passenger flights to Canada from the U.K. on Dec. 20 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the highly infectious new variant. [...] The U.S. also currently has a restriction on travel from the U.K., but only limits the travel of U.K. nationals who have been there within the past 14 days, not Canadians coming from the U.K. This allowed for Huckabay’s travel back to Alberta... (MORE - details)


Provinces with least-strict COVID-19 restrictions this summer saw sharp case spikes in second wave, data show
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/a...-covid-19/

INTRO: The two Canadian provinces with the least-strict approaches to controlling COVID-19 over the summer have had some of the highest rates of infections and hospitalizations in the country during the second wave of the pandemic, according to data compiled by the University of Oxford. Alberta and Saskatchewan opened up wider and stayed open longer than other provinces, according to the data, and then saw sharp spikes in COVID-19 rates in recent months.

Conversely, Atlantic provinces put in strong measures early on, including a travel bubble, and were able to keep COVID-19 rates near-negligible compared with elsewhere in the country. That quick intervention appeared to allow those provinces to ease up over the summer without seeing significant outbreaks... (MORE)


Is carbon pricing a burden on Canadian households?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business...t-its-not/

INTRO: The federal Liberals’ main counterattack in the political jousting over carbon pricing has been that their carbon levy isn’t a cost burden for most households, with annual rebates larger than the added costs for fossil fuel use.

And that average benefit will increase in 2021 in the four provinces where the federal government has put in place its own carbon pricing regime, according to figures released by Ottawa this month as rebate amounts for next year were announced.

The Liberals’ assertion that most households are net beneficiaries of carbon pricing is broadly true. But that calculation does not include some significant costs and does not include higher-income households that do face net costs.

And it’s not clear at the moment how consumer energy consumption habits will change as the carbon tax increases. At the moment, higher-income households have a relatively higher carbon tax bill because their energy consumption is higher than average. If consumers do not sufficiently reduce their use of fossil fuels relative to average consumption, they could join the ranks of households facing net costs... (MORE)


2021's electoral calendar looks light — but it could get much busier
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier...-1.5841080

INTRO: Judging by what's scheduled for 2021, the coming year is setting up to be relatively quiet on the Canadian election front. It's what isn't scheduled that could make it a lot more hectic.

The federal government and most provinces have fixed election date laws in place that schedule new elections every four years. The laws, however, have little more legal weight behind them than a strongly-worded recommendation. If a minority government falls — or if a majority government feels like it — elections can take place well before the date circled on the electoral calendar.

Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province scheduled to hold an election in the coming year. The government in Nova Scotia is approaching the end of its normal life span of four years, but it is the only province without a fixed election date law on the books. It doesn't have to go until 2022.

So it's possible that Canadians in only one province will be called to cast ballots in 2021 — after three provinces went to the polls in 2020 and four held elections in 2019, in addition to the federal election held that year. It's also possible that every Canadian will have the chance to exercise their franchise before the year is up — and perhaps more than once... (MORE)
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#52
Zinjanthropos Offline
The only mistake those politicians made was getting caught. A writer for the Toronto Sun called it blind entitlement.

Another topic perhaps? .... can you trust anyone with a phone in their hands? Or can you do anything and not be video’d by someone who knows who you are?

Can you trust yourself with one? Most of these politicians posted vids/photos of themselves.
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#53
C C Offline
Don Martin: No more sunny ways as political travellers bring back perfect storm of controversy
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/don-mart...-1.5254557

EXCERPT: . . . While we should be severely outraged by the slow rollout of vaccines in provinces given months to prepare for a mass inoculation, it’s the 20 or so beach bums who are hogging the headlines. On Tuesday morning, I counted no less than eight opinion columns on one news site alone, frothing fury at pandemic-fleeing, sun-seeking politicians and their retroactive regret at being caught. [...] Rarely is a public outcry rooted in so many offensive elements, which are so easy to understand yet so difficult to comprehend.

There’s the hypocrisy of politicians pledging solidarity with those in lonely isolation even as they searched online to upgrade seats for family reunions. There’s the raw deception of MPs, MLAs and a senator pretending to be among us in pre-recorded Christmas greetings when they knew they’d be slathering on sunscreen at the swim-up bar by the time it was released.

There’s the dishonesty of issuing "sincere" apologies, but only after their bogus excuses were exposed by reporters. And there’s the culpability of having their leaders know or even approve travel plans only to pretend they were in the dark when the trips came to light.

What’s most difficult to comprehend is the sheer stupidity of politicians even attempting a pina colada escape. Surely, they knew there was a high risk of being busted by having their face in a palm tree photo on social media, of being ratted out by a jealous neighbor or, that most obvious of signs, being a Canadian politician sporting a nice tan in January.

Of all these scandalous elements, stupidity is the most unforgivable.

We’re already conditioned to believe politicians live an entitled life above the rest of us with big paycheques, platinum pensions, front-of-the-plane travel and generous living expenses. But for them to strut through empty airports toward... (MORE)


'A catalyst for a movement': Hundreds don ribbon skirts after Sask. girl shamed for wearing hers
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche...-1.5862052

INTRO: A 10-year-old Saskatchewan girl's life has been brightened by the colourful ribbon skirts of women across the globe after she was shamed for wearing her own. Isabella Kulak, a member of Cote First Nation in eastern Saskatchewan, decided to wear her ribbon skirt to her school in Kamsack for a "formal day" in December. "It's black with lots of white flowers and a blue, green and black ribbon on it. I like that my Auntie Sarah made it for me and it fits me really well," Isabella said in a Monday interview with CBC News.

The traditional Indigenous clothing that Isabella and her sister wore represents strength, womanhood, and identity, but her pride was stripped from her when an educational assistant compared her clothing to that of another girl. Chris Kulak, Isabella's father, says he could tell something was wrong when his daughter got home from school. He says the educational assistant told the Grade 5 student that her mismatched skirt and shirt weren't fit for formal day. The assistant said Isabella should have worn an outfit similar to that of another student, who was wearing a store-bought dress.

"We found that very offensive, especially with the culture that's intertwined with the ribbon skirt and the sacredness behind it for Native women, and for many women who participate in the skirt making and identify that as part of their heritage," Chris said Tuesday in an interview with CBC Radio's The Morning Edition.

Details of the incident, which has been confirmed by a Good Spirit School Division investigation, were posted on Facebook by Isabella's aunt. For weeks now, people have been sharing photos and videos featuring them wearing their own ribbon skirts or shirts to show their support for Isabella. "She was a catalyst for a movement that had been waiting to come to the surface for a long time," said Chris. "We are overwhelmed with the positivity on Facebook."

Chris, who doesn't use Facebook himself, says the reaction online has turned the negative experience into a positive one for the Kulak family. "I want to say thank you to all those people for their positive messages. That's how we help each other heal, is through positivity," he said... (MORE)


Five bold steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in 2021
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contribu...-2021.html

Non-Indigenous Canadians often reach out to me to ask what they can do to help reconcile the mess we’re in. That is, righting the wrongs — or reconciliation — with Indigenous peoples. There is no straight answer. Fixing what took hundreds of years to destroy is multi-faceted, uncomfortable and won’t happen instantaneously. But, it’s a new year, when most have new hopes and set ambitious goals to change their lives for the better. So, how about a resolution to take meaningful action on reconciliation?

[...] I challenge you to start with the following five bold actions toward reconciliation:

1. Educate. But this won’t come from colonial institutions and mainstream education centres. This comes right from the sources of Indigenous authors and filmmakers...

[...] 2. Tell your kids! Tell your kids! Most people my age weren’t taught the ugly truth’s of this country, such as treaty covenants broken by Canada, the enslavement of Indigenous peoples, the stealing, rape and abuse of their children and the ongoing colonial assault against Indigenous survival...

[...] 3. Share wealth/resources. Also known as resource revenue sharing, this is the way it was meant to be...

[...] 4. Get out and march. We saw how people from all walks of life came out in droves to support Black Lives Matter after George Floyd ... So, organize, get out there, get loud and demand justice for Indigenous peoples too!

[...] 5. Landback. Does that sound radical to you? Well, it’s not really; others have already done it. Joel Holmberg of Alberta gave a parcel of his Alberta acreage to First Nations in 2018. In 2017, 86-year-old retired B.C. rancher Kenneth Linde gave 130 hectares back to the Esk'etemc First Nation. Did you know reserves make up just 0.2 per cent of Canada’s land mass? But you, settler, enjoy and benefit from 99.8 per cent of the rest.

The late Arthur Manuel said, “You cannot have reconciliation under the 0.2 per cent Indian Reserve System. It is impossible. Nothing can justify that kind of human degradation. The land issue must be addressed before reconciliation can begin.” (MORE - details)


Trudeau says he too is frustrated by holiday travellers, pace of vaccine rollout
https://o.canada.com/news/national/trude...ne-rollout

INTRO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his frustration Tuesday as signs pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic taking a dark turn in Canada. In London, Ont., the morgue was at capacity, a field hospital was opened in Burlington, Ont., Quebec officials were mulling a near-total lockdown and New Brunswick decided to tighten up as well as cases continued to rise at an accelerated pace.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam noted it took five months for Canada to hit 500,000 cases. But now, it is taking just two weeks for 100,000 new cases to emerge. “This ever-more-rapid accumulation of cases will continue until we can make significant progress in interrupting spread, which is why we must all continue our efforts,” she said at a briefing in Ottawa.

While officials said upwards of a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive by month’s end, the pace at which they’re being administered is only just starting to accelerate. As vaccines arrive, they are transferred to the provinces, which have control over administering the shots to individual recipients.

What more the federal government could do to help is expected to be on the agenda at a meeting between Trudeau and his provincial and territorial counterparts Thursday. “I think all Canadians, including me, are frustrated to see vaccines in freezers and not in people’s arms,” Trudeau said.,, (MORE)


Vacationers will not be able to claim sickness benefit to quarantine: PM
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronaviru...-1.5254066

INTRO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is making changes to the $1,000 sickness benefit, closing a loophole to make sure anyone who travels for non-essential reasons will not be able to access it to cover the cost of their quarantine upon return to Canada.

During his first Rideau Cottage address of 2021, Trudeau condemned those who travelled internationally over the holiday season. His office has confirmed to CTV News that the prime minister has not travelled and spent the holidays at home with his family. “No one should be vacationing abroad right now,” Trudeau said, vowing more details soon about how the government will ensure those claiming this COVID-19 benefit are eligible... (MORE)
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#54
C C Offline
What you can and cannot do under Ontario's new stay-at-home order
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...home-order

INTRO: The Ontario government is issuing a stay-at-home order, effective Thursday at 12:01 a.m., that it hopes will limit mobility and reduce contacts between non-household members as COVID-19 threatens lives and hospital capacity.

The province has empowered police and bylaw officers to ticket people who don’t comply with the order, but there have been many questions about how enforcement will actually work, apparent contradictions with other provincial rules, and what will actually be permissible — or not — under the new stay-at-home requirement.

The premier’s office has shared a list of frequently asked questions and answers, published below, that this newspaper will add to as it obtains more information about the stay-at-home order and other public health measures the province is introducing... (MORE)

QUESTIONS ADDRESSED: What is an essential trip? ..... What is essential work? ..... Why hasn’t the province defined who can or should work from home? ..... Why is the province issuing a stay-at-home order while also permitting curb-side pickup? ..... What is an essential item? ..... Why can people still gather in groups of five outdoors? ..... Can people leave home to exercise? Can I go to my local playground or basketball court? ..... Can someone living alone still join up with another household? ..... Is there a time limit for how long people can leave their homes? ..... Is there a limit on the number of times someone can leave their home in a day? ..... Can people travel to their cottages or secondary residences?


Government of Canada funds over 90 projects through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-soci...ative.html

INTRO: In Canada, diversity is our strength. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action to ensure that Black Canadians in communities across Canada are able to fully participate in all aspects of our society.

On May 16, 2020, the Government of Canada launched a call for proposals under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, to support Black-led organizations as they serve Black Canadian communities. Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced that over 90 projects have been approved to date, representing up to $7 million in funding.

Through this call for proposals, Black-led non-profit organizations applied for funding of up to $100,000 to improve their workplaces and community spaces, by purchasing work-related equipment and undertaking renovations of existing spaces to enhance their functionality.

In addition, the Government is providing funding to three organizations (Tropicana Community Services, Black Business Initiative and Groupe 3737) to act as intermediaries, who will disperse $2.6 million in funding to support grassroots organizations serving Black communities across Canada. These organizations launched their own funding calls, seeking proposals for capacity-building projects from grassroots organizations from across the country. This call for proposals closed on January 8, 2021... (MORE)


Man sought for setting fire to homeless woman’s blankets while she slept
https://whdh.com/news/man-sought-for-set...she-slept/

RELEASE: Police are searching for an arsonist caught on video setting fire to a homeless woman’s blankets while she slept on a sidewalk in Downtown Vancouver, Canada last month. Video released by Vancouver police Tuesday shows an unknown man walk up to the woman while she slept on Hamilton Street near Queen Elizabeth Theatre around 4 a.m. on Dec. 13.

The man can be seen pacing around her before setting fire to her belongings and then walking away. The fire smoldered for several minutes before spreading throughout her belongings, burning her jacket and the blankets keeping her warm.

The victim did not report the incident to law enforcement and has not been located, police said. She is described as a white female believed to be in her 30s with dark, shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a gray, full-length, button-up jacket.

The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 35 and 50 years old, standing roughly 5-feet, five-inches to five-feet, 10-inches tall. He wore a black and white Oakland Raiders jacket at the time of the crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call Vancouver police’s Major Crime Section at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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