Kiara Johnson is about to go into her last year at the Haskayne School of Business.
Kiara Johnson
Saturday, September 3, 2022
New Siloam laundry van means more jobs for those experiencing homelessness - CTV News Winnipeg
A new van at Siloam mission is creating more jobs for Winnipeg's most vulnerable population.
The commercial vehicle was donated to the homeless shelter by brothers Dan and Josh Chisick of Industrial Metals.
"We're very proud to be a part of this program," said Dan. "We're moved by an email we saw only months ago to take part in this initiative and make their dream real."
The van is being used to expand Siloam's social enterprise laundry program, which started in December 2019. The service takes care of all the shelter's laundry needs and has done laundry for other homeless shelters.
"Our biggest barrier in getting new clients to expand this program … is that we couldn’t do pick up and delivery," said Siloam Mission CEO Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud.
Now the service can expand out to other types of businesses. Whitecloud says that means more employment opportunities for people in need.
"A big part of what we do here is try to make sure that people have access to the opportunities that they need to transform their own lives," she said. "And a huge piece of that is employment through our building futures program.
"One of the things that's so exciting about this program, and the great work that our team, Charles and Greg do in that program is that they make sure that people who might normally struggle with keeping employment know that they are valued, know that they are capable and believe in them until people believe in themselves. And this transforms people's lives and offers them great opportunities. And then we see them move from employment with us to employment with hotels or other spaces that might be doing laundry or maybe even not laundry."
Siloam was in the process of fundraising to buy the van before it was donated. It now plans to use those funds to hire more staff, expand the business, and attract new laundry clients.
New Siloam laundry van means more jobs for those experiencing homelessness - CTV News Winnipeg
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Friday, September 2, 2022
Detailed inventory shows 10,000 documents, classified records found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago - CBC News
FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump's Florida home last month found top secret records in an office and storage room, along with folders with classified banners but nothing inside and more than 10,000 other government records with no classification markings, according to a more detailed inventory of the seized material made public on Friday.
The inventory compiled by the Justice Department reveals in general terms the contents of 33 boxes and containers taken from an office and a storage room at Mar-a-Lago during the Aug. 8 search.
Though the inventory does not describe the content of the documents, it shows the extent to which classified information — including top-secret material — was stashed in boxes at the home and mixed among newspapers, magazines, clothing and other personal items.
It also makes clear for the first time the volume of unclassified government documents at the home, even though presidential records were to have been turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.
The Archives had tried unsuccessfully for months to secure the return of the documents from Trump, and then contacted the FBI after locating classified information in a batch of 15 boxes it received in January.
No secure space for documents
The Justice Department has said there was no secure space at Mar-a-Lago for sensitive government secrets, and has opened a criminal investigation focused on their retention there and on what it says were efforts in the past several months to obstruct the probe. It is also investigating potential violations of a law that criminalizes the mutilation or concealment of government records, classified or not.
Lawyers for Trump did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday.
Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich asserted that the FBI search was a "smash and grab," despite the fact that the Justice Department had received court-authorized permission to search specific locations in the home.
The inventory was released as the Justice Department undertakes its criminal investigation, as intelligence agencies assess any potential damage caused by mishandling of classified information and as a judge weighs whether to appoint a special master — essentially an outside legal expert — to review the records.
The inventory had been filed earlier under seal, but the Justice Department had said that, given the "extraordinary circumstances," it did not object to making information public.
18 documents marked top secret
Trump himself has previously called for the disclosure of documents related to the search. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had said on Thursday that she planned to unseal the inventory, and did so on Friday.
All told, the inventory shows, the FBI seized more than 100 documents with classification markings in August, including 18 marked top secret, 54 secret and 31 confidential.
The FBI identified 184 documents marked as classified in 15 boxes recovered by the National Archives in January, and received additional classified documents during a June visit to Mar-a-Lago.
The court filings have not offered an explanation for why Trump had kept the classified documents, and why he and his representatives did not give them when requested.
Empty folders found in storage closet
The inventory shows that 43 empty folders with classified banners were taken from a box or container at the office, along with an additional 28 empty folders labeled as "Return to Staff Secretary" or military aide. Empty folders of that nature were also found in a storage closet.
It is not clear from the inventory list what might have happened to any of the documents that apparently had been inside.
Separately, on Friday, the Justice Department said in a court filing that it had reviewed the records seized during the recent search and had segregated those with classified markings to ensure that they were being stored according to proper protocol and procedure.
"The seized materials will continue to be used to further the government's investigation, and the investigative team will continue to use and evaluate the seized materials as it takes further investigative steps, such as through additional witness interviews and grand jury practice," the department said.
It added that "additional evidence pertaining to the seized items," including the manner in which they were stored, "will inform the government's investigation."
Detailed inventory shows 10,000 documents, classified records found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago - CBC News
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Thursday, September 1, 2022
Newborns of women with disabilities more likely to experience health complications, study finds - University of Toronto
Babies of women with disabilities have a greater chance of experiencing rare health complications and requiring intensive care – though many of the health issues are preventable, according to a new study.
“There's good evidence that, especially for preterm birth and low-birth-weight babies, better access to prenatal care can make a big difference,” says Hilary Brown, co-author of the paper and assistant professor in the department of health and society at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Hilary Brown is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in disability and reproductive health and an adjunct scientist at ICES (Photo by Ken Jones).
Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the study – one of the largest of its kind –found the greatest risks were in newborns of women with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and multiple disabilities.
Researchers used data from the non-profit research institute ICES to look at all births in Ontario from 2003 to 2018. They compared the newborns of about 200,000 women diagnosed with a disability to the 1.5 million babies of women without disabilities. They also classified four types of disability in the mothers: physical; sensory; intellectual or developmental; and multiple disabilities.
“Looking at different types of disabilities is important because when we think about making perinatal care more accessible, there's broad recommendations that can be made around physician training, but there's more specific recommendations we can make depending on the type of disability, such as making sure newborn intensive care units (NICUs) are physically accessible,” says Brown, who holds a cross appointment at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and is an adjunct scientist at ICES and the Women’s College Research Institute at Women’s College Hospital.
Newborns of women with disabilities had higher rates of NICU admission, along with health complications and preterm birth. Except for those born to women with a physical disability, all were also more likely to be small for their gestational age.
Aspects of mothers’ lives key to understanding impact of disability
There are several reasons why a baby may have health complications and many risk factors are more common in mothers with disabilities. The study found women with intellectual or developmental disabilities tended to live in the lowest income neighbourhoods; they and those with multiple disabilities also had higher rates of substance use. Women with disabilities were more likely to have unstable chronic health conditions and mental illness, and to smoke during pregnancy.
“In addition to these medical factors, there are also important social or structural factors that may explain the risks we observed,” says Brown. “For example, we know that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are particularly marginalized and experience big barriers in socioeconomic status and access to care.”
Researchers had to account for these risk factors and the odds that they were the cause of a newborn’s health condition. After factoring these into their analysis, there was still a moderately higher risk of health complications in newborns of mothers with disabilities.
“There are other things, such as quality of care, that could explain the remaining risk,” Brown says. “This will be an important area for future research.”
Pregnancy in women with disabilities and their newborns largely unexplored
Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Canada Research Chairs Program, the study paints a limited picture since Ontario doesn’t collect patient data on race, ethnicity or individual income. Researchers also had little past work to draw on because the reasons why newborns of women with disabilities are more likely to have these health complications remain largely unexplored.
Brown says the lack of research is part of a problematic larger belief that pregnancy in those with disabilities is rare. By contrast, her 2020 study found one in eight pregnancies in Ontario were to a person with a disability.
That number is also rising. About 12 per cent of women of child-bearing age live with a disability, and fertility rates among the group are rising due to advancements in medicine and human rights. Brown notes that up until the 1970s, involuntary sterilization of people with disabilities was legal in Canada. While laws have reformed, these women still often face barriers to reproductive health care.
“We know that a lot of disparities in maternal and newborn outcomes really are driven by socioeconomic factors, and that speaks to the importance of all sorts of social programs.”
Accessible transportation, for example, can impact the ability to make it to prenatal care appointments. Physicians’ knowledge and attitudes can also significantly shape one’s experience in the health-care system.
“Physicians also need more resources and training on disability and pregnancy so they can provide high-quality care,” Brown says. “Structural changes need to happen across the system.”
Newborns of women with disabilities more likely to experience health complications, study finds - University of Toronto
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Haskayne student hopes to make business world more Indigenous-friendly - University of Calgary
Deciding what to apply for in post-secondary can be a nerve-racking decision for many students. Kiara Johnson, a soon-to-be-fourth-year student at the Haskayne School of Business, was no exception.
Originally from the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Johnson grew up with a strong passion for sewing and designing, but taking the leap to leave for a university in a different province was a daunting thought.
“I wasn’t ready to go off to fashion school in Vancouver or someplace right out of high school, because it felt too far,” says Johnson. “So, I thought, ‘What’s something I could do first that would ultimately help me on my journey to fashion?’ and I landed on business.”
Today, Johnson is almost finished her Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Calgary, focusing on organizational behaviour in human resources and marketing, with an Indigenous studies minor.
While still passionate about fashion and design, Johnson says she has found a new goal to work toward.
“Within business, I’ve really had to find my way and find avenues to make it my own,” she says. “I found that, through my Indigenous studies option classes, I felt really connected to this idea of merging together Indigenous and business knowledge to create something that leads to a space of accessibility for all.”
During her time at UCalgary, Johnson has participated in three major co-ops and internships that have helped her toward meeting that goal.
She has participated in the Canadian Centre of Advanced Leadership in Business (CCAL) at the Haskayne School of Business. The premier Canadian leadership-development centre, it helps students meet today’s complex business environment and the challenges of our future.
“CCAL and its initiatives are amazing,” says Johnson. “I had the honour of working for them for four months and really felt that the opportunity to hone in on leadership development was extremely valuable. (It) helped me to overcome some of the anxiety I felt when speaking to people in higher positions.”
Johnson also completed the Ch’nook Scholars Program. Run out of the University of British Columbia, Ch’nook Scholars focuses on developing business skills for success and economic independence for Indigenous leaders, learners and entrepreneurs.
“In my first year, (Haskayne instructor) Dr. David Lertzman picked myself and two other business students and recommended that we should apply for the Ch’nook program,” says Johnson. “I didn’t end up getting into the program then, which was probably for the best. Unfortunately, Dr. Lertzman passed away last year, and I felt that, in some ways, my finally applying for the first time since my first year was my way of honouring him and his legacy.”
Through the Ch’nook mentorship program, Indigenous students can learn ways to combine Indigenous identities, culture, language, values and knowledge systems that should be respected. Johnson says she would highly recommend it to other students.
This summer, Johnson participated in ATB 101, a work-experience program through ATB Financial, working within the realm of Indigenous financial services. This was the first time she was able to work in person with other students since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the program saw her working on a project to revamp the current Indigenous knowledge pathway for learning within ATB.
“This is the closest I’ve been throughout my co-op to the type of job I’d like to do after graduation,” says Johnson. “I think that one of biggest parts of creating a diverse and inclusive work environment is to educate on important topics that bring to light important issues and work to create a better space.”
Johnson has no doubt her internship with ATB will have a major impact for the Indigenous community.
“I think a big part of what we’re missing within business is that connection to Indigenous knowledge and an understanding of what has and continues to happen to Indigenous peoples,” says Johnson. “I see the work I’m doing as a stepping-stone to more accepting spaces that look deeper than stereotypes but look to advocate for the well-being of Indigenous peoples.
“My goal is to help make the business world more welcoming for other Indigenous peoples like me who haven’t always felt like I belonged here.”
Haskayne student hopes to make business world more Indigenous-friendly - University of Calgary
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Atlantic premiers call for more time before submitting carbon pricing plans to Ottawa - CBC.ca
A day before the deadline for provinces to submit their plans to the federal government for how they will price carbon until 2030, Atlantic premiers are asking for more time.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, writing on behalf of the four Atlantic premiers, sent a letter to federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Thursday requesting the extension.
He said he and his counterparts are concerned the increased cost of energy through a carbon tax "will amplify the inflationary pressures currently being felt in Atlantic Canada and we believe that any discussion on carbon pricing should prioritize mitigating these impacts."
The Nova Scotia government says the federal carbon tax would add 14 cents to the price of a litre of gas in this province beginning next year.
Unlike most provinces, Nova Scotia has so far been shielded from shock at the pumps related to pricing carbon because of its use of a provincially designed cap-and-trade program. That program is set to expire this year.
"We are deeply concerned about the affordability impacts of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as almost 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty — by far the highest rate in the country," writes Houston.
Houston and Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Halman were not available for comment on Thursday.
Looking for 'practical solutions'
The Atlantic premiers are requesting "a short-term extension for the provincial carbon pricing plan submissions," Houston writes.
That is so that premiers can meet with Guilbeault and his department officials to find "practical solutions to this issue, especially as they relate to home heating fuels" and discuss "options for the federal government to support energy affordability in the region" before the provinces formally submit their plans.
Nova Scotia's plan, submitted in late August, was rejected by Guilbeault earlier this week because it did not include a pricing mechanism for pollution.
With the province's cap-and-trade system set to expire and internal documents showing it's unlikely to be sustainable into the future, Nova Scotia instead submitted a proposal based on legislation passed last year.
The proposal calls for the closing of coal-fired power plants to generate electricity by 2030, an increase in the use of electric vehicles as well as other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Guilbeault told the province that Ottawa is requiring all provinces to have some plan to price pollution. Beginning in 2023, the price on carbon will increase each year by $15 per tonne until it hits $170 per tonne in 2030.
In the absence of a cap-and-trade program, Nova Scotia was left with the option of accepting the federal carbon tax or coming up with a tax of its own design. The latter option would mean the province would have control over all the revenue generated by the tax. Ultimately, the province opted for none of those options in its proposal.
Federal tax includes rebate cheques
Guilbeault has acknowledged the affordability concerns Houston and his government have been raising since July, but he's also pointed out that quarterly rebate cheques paid out by the feds mean many people receive more money back than they pay out related to the federal tax.
Should a province get approval for its own tax design, it would get to determine how those revenues would be used. Internal documents obtained by CBC earlier this year show officials with Nova Scotia's Environment Department favoured using a carbon tax, which could generate $1 billion in revenue for the province, money that could be used to offset the impacts of the tax.
New Brunswick approach
New Brunswick adopted a consumer carbon tax in 2020 but reduced its provincial gas tax by four cents to offset the impact of the initial charge of 6.6 cents per litre.
Ottawa has warned other provinces that — under the new, more stringent pricing standards starting in 2023 — they won't be allowed to imitate New Brunswick's offsetting gas tax cut.
But it hasn't forced New Brunswick to eliminate the four-cent offset, either.
As the carbon tax increased last year and this year, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs's government didn't cut gas taxes further.
Instead, the government reduced income taxes to blunt the higher cost at the pump — something the federal plan allows. This year, the income tax cut was worth $40 million, equivalent to the new revenue from the carbon tax's jump from 8.8 to 11 cents this year.
The other question mark for New Brunswick is its rebate offsetting the carbon tax on natural gas for home heating.
The federal rules require that the tax apply to gas sales, but the province is using that revenue to pay gas distributor Liberty Gas to provide customers a rebate directly on their bills, eliminating the additional cost.
Ottawa allowed that when it approved the initial Higgs carbon tax model in 2020, but says the new more stringent standard won't allow any rebates that interfere with the "price signal" the carbon tax is supposed to send to consumers.
It remains to be seen whether New Brunswick will be forced to eliminate the rebate.
Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government accepted the province's carbon pricing plan in October 2018. Price changes began Jan. 1, 2019.
The province dropped its tax on gasoline and diesel, replacing it with a 4.42 cent and 5.37 cent carbon tax respectively, equating to $20 per tonne and rising by $10 per year, up to $50 this year.
The plan also included exemptions for home heating fuel, which is not subject to a carbon tax.
Certain industries were also exempt from the tax — aquaculture, agriculture, the fishery and offshore oil exploration among them. Instead, the government brought in a performance-based system for both offshore and onshore industries, to establish targets for greenhouse gas reductions.
N.S. government takes to the airwaves
Meanwhile, even before Nova Scotia's proposal to Ottawa was turned down, Houston's government recorded a radio ad touting its proposal and opposing a federal carbon tax.
The ads, which cost $13,300, started running on commercial radio stations on Monday, the day Ottawa turned down the province's proposal.
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender called the ads by Houston's government "a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to avoid our commitments as this deadline looms."
"They not only are fighting against this carbon tax, but they're refusing to come up with a substantive alternative," she said.
"We know, and the minister knows and the premier knows that what is required by the federal system is a price on carbon. Nothing in anything that has been submitted by our Houston government here prices carbon. So they're not doing their homework."
Nova Scotia Liberal environment critic Iain Rankin said the last-minute efforts by Houston's government have an air of desperation.
"It's been a year and they're desperate now to show that they want to have this battle with the federal government's policy that has been in place for over five years now," he said.
"It's not new news that carbon pricing is the law of the land in Canada, and to ask for more time when they are just kind of throwing up a Hail Mary, I think is disingenuous, to say the least."
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Atlantic premiers call for more time before submitting carbon pricing plans to Ottawa - CBC.ca
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IENs want more exam prep time - CNO
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Toronto, ONT. Sept. 1, 2022 – The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) protects the public by promoting safe nursing practice. This includes registering nurses who have the knowledge, skill and judgment to practice safely in Ontario, whether educated in Canada or internationally. One requirement of registration is successfully completing a nursing regulatory exam.
CNO is exploring the barriers applicants may encounter in their journey to registration. As part of this, we recently surveyed 3,343 internationally educated nurse (IEN) applicants who are currently eligible to write the registration exam, but who have not attempted to, or who attempted to write the exam but failed. Of those surveyed, 1,282 applicants responded.
“We want to understand why these applicants are not taking the opportunity to challenge the registration exam, and what factors may influence their decision,” says Carol Timmings, acting Executive Director and CEO, and Chief Quality Officer of CNO.
Survey findings
Survey results show that the leading reason for IENs not writing the exam is lack of time to prepare. Sixty per cent of survey respondents said this is the top reason.
Nearly 26% indicate that family and personal reasons are a contributing factor, and another 22% cite finances as the primary reason.
Ten per cent of Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) applicants are nervous about writing the registration exam called REx-PN, while another 10% do not feel prepared to write the exam.
Of the 1,282 respondents, 92% plan to write the registration exam within the year. Less than 2% have not written the exam because they plan to close their application or they are uncertain about entering the work force because of the pandemic.
“The outcomes of this survey give us important information directly from applicants about why they’re choosing not to write the final registration exam,” says Timmings. “It’s important for us to identify barriers so we can work with government and system partners to find ways to remove barriers and support applicants to meet requirements fairly and equitably — while continuing to keep public safety as our most important priority.”
We will further analyze the results of the survey to better understand these barriers.
Increasing nurses in the system
The survey is part of CNO’s commitment to modernize our applicant assessment processes and is highlighted in CNO’s response to the directive from the Minister of Health, to support safe patient care.
Through our modernizing work, CNO has already broken records for registering IENs this year. Policy changes to the language proficiency requirement and collaborations like the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership have led to increased numbers of new nurses in the health care system.
“We plan to continue this momentum as we collaborate with system partners and government to identify further system solutions to respond to the growing system demands,” Timmings adds.
Visit CNO’s Registration Totals at a Glance for detailed information on current registrations.
Page last reviewed September 01, 2022
IENs want more exam prep time - CNO
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