[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[viper37]

-Reduce the work week to 32 hours without loss of pay or benefits and outlaw mandatory overtime.

Now that I'm on the other side, I think I'll vote NDP at the next election.

[viper37]

Um, no.  BC certainly does not look to the Feds.  BC has been ahead of the Feds every step of the way.  We put our own government employees into the airports to screen incoming passengers - essentially shaming the Feds in to doing it about 48 hours later.  We told the Feds to close the border with the US, or we would have to - again nudging the Feds into doing it about 24 hours later.  The list goes on and on.

same here.
Maybe when there's a seperatist party in BC things will really change at the Federal level

[viper37]

So now the government dropped the big one.  They came in with the police and put up big-ass fences around the church closing it entirely.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/glatz-knox-united-gracelife-closure-1.5979707

The UCP clearly didn't want to take this step - they wanted this story to just go away.  But the pastor kept on provoking them until they were forced to act.  And again we'll see if there are any repercussions.

it's really shameful that a canadian province would be so bigoted and intolerant toward religious freedoms.  I hope the Federal government rushes to the defense of these poor citizens whose liberties are totally infringed by such evil, evil laws.

[viper37]

Yeah that church thing is something. Serves them right.

There's an eatery in Vancouver somewhere that's ignoring restrictions as well, and where the customers basically tried to run off the health inspector. I hope they take away their business license.

every province has such super preaders, I guess.  Here, in Quebec city, it was gym.  400 cases (including the owner now in intensive care) and at least one death directly linked to that place.  It's likely our new increase in cases in my county is indirectly linked to this shitty place.
the owner used to be hailed as a hero by a local radio station for defying health authorities, but all his interviews disapeared overnight from the web site after the controversy surfaced.
While the health minister has made it publicly clear that regional health authorities should not wait to act and shut down such place, it came too late, the damage was done.  If there's one area where this government has never moved quickly and hardly enough, imho, it's to punish such moron.  There's talk of criminal charges (deriliction of duty?  criminal negligence? ) being filed against the owner, but it'll likely go nowhere.  And 1000$ fine for an illegal party isn't nearly enough to dissuade people.  I'd get a much bigger fine than that for speeding.

[viper37]

The business in question has been told by the City of Vancouver that if they violate the closure order their business license will be revoked and they will not be entitled to apply for a new one for five years.

see, that's the kind of sanctions I like.  I wish we were just as harsh.

On top of the aforementionned gym, a KIA garage has been closed following 12 infections amongst the staff.  The investigation is still ongoing, but apparently, sick employees where told to come to work or find themselves another job.

[viper37]

I hate to break it to you, but every province struggles with the feds for more resources and less oversight - despite your notions, Quebec is not unique in demanding more stuff and more autonomy. 😄

In terms of cops, Quebec and Ontario both have their own provincial force. Sad to say, our provinces are more alike than they are different!

that must explain why they were against both Meech Lake and Charlottetown accord as well as any constitutional changes
Where as, in the other provinces, they're just beginning to push for more autonomy (no province still has its own Revenu agency aside Quebec; Ontario has threatened to do it a few times, but the Feds gave them more money so they would shut up ), we've been doing it since 1765.

[Jacob]

every province has such super preaders, I guess.  Here, in Quebec city, it was gym.  400 cases (including the owner now in intensive care) and at least one death directly linked to that place.  It's likely our new increase in cases in my county is indirectly linked to this shitty place.
the owner used to be hailed as a hero by a local radio station for defying health authorities, but all his interviews disapeared overnight from the web site after the controversy surfaced.
While the health minister has made it publicly clear that regional health authorities should not wait to act and shut down such place, it came too late, the damage was done.  If there's one area where this government has never moved quickly and hardly enough, imho, it's to punish such moron.  There's talk of criminal charges (deriliction of duty?  criminal negligence? ) being filed against the owner, but it'll likely go nowhere.  And 1000$ fine for an illegal party isn't nearly enough to dissuade people.  I'd get a much bigger fine than that for speeding.

It's not confirmed it's a super spreader event, just that they deliberately flaunted the health regulations.

[Barrister]

every province has such super preaders, I guess.  Here, in Quebec city, it was gym.  400 cases (including the owner now in intensive care) and at least one death directly linked to that place.  It's likely our new increase in cases in my county is indirectly linked to this shitty place.
the owner used to be hailed as a hero by a local radio station for defying health authorities, but all his interviews disapeared overnight from the web site after the controversy surfaced.
While the health minister has made it publicly clear that regional health authorities should not wait to act and shut down such place, it came too late, the damage was done.  If there's one area where this government has never moved quickly and hardly enough, imho, it's to punish such moron.  There's talk of criminal charges (deriliction of duty?  criminal negligence? ) being filed against the owner, but it'll likely go nowhere.  And 1000$ fine for an illegal party isn't nearly enough to dissuade people.  I'd get a much bigger fine than that for speeding.

It's not confirmed it's a super spreader event, just that they deliberately flaunted the health regulations.

Yeah - no cases linked to the church.  Just very open about flaunting the rules, up to and including the pastor refusing to agree to reasonable bail conditions.

[viper37]

Mark Carney says he supports the Liberals

It's a big take for the Libs, no doubt about it.  It's just too bad that he can't change this rotten party from the inside.

[crazy canuck]

We should start a pool on when the Liberals will call the election they say they don't want to call. 

[Jacob]

Saw an article a little while ago in the National Post about how Canadian relations with China have changed, with a focus on how the Chinese media and government are quite hostile compared to the past (no more bits about Dr. Bethune, for example).

I looked at the comments (I know, I know) and it being the Post it was full of people going on about how this was all Trudeau's fault, how he'd mishandled China, how he's uniquely useless and so on and so forth. That's fine. People are entitled to dislike Trudeau, but it got me wondering. How different would our relationship with China have been if we'd had a Conservative government the last few years? My instinct says we'd be in much the same place, but I'm open to different arguments.

[Oexmelin]

Can't imagine it would have been different, perhaps harsher language considering Trudeau's long-standing naïveté re: China, but mostly cosmetics. Current Conservative leadership isn't really that vocal about foreign policy.

The conservatives' obsessional focus on Trudeau seems a strange mix of inherited hatred of his father, and making him the poster boy for all sorts of culture war issues they dislike. Then it gets transfered to all domains of government action.

[Oexmelin]

Meanwhile, Laurentian University, mismanaged for years by an administration following the bankrupt American model of turning higher education into investment schemes, is closing down 69 programs and gutting more. A majority of them in the French division of this now-formerly bilingual university. Among the programs targetted: Economics (English and French), History (French), Enviromnental Studies (French), Music (French and English), Modern Languages, Mathematics (English and French), Philosophy (English and French)...

It's especially a tragedy for the francophone population of Northern Ontario, who are losing one of their principle outlets for higher education. 

[Jacob]

That sucks.

How many French or Bilingual universities are there in Ontario at this point?

[Oexmelin]

That sucks.

How many French or Bilingual universities are there in Ontario at this point?

One. Ottawa.

There are some "affiliated colleges" that provide certain specific programmes in French, usually the heirs to old theology schools. Sudbury, which was affiliated with Laurentian (and has therefore rescinded its affiliation). St. Paul, associated with... Ottawa. Then, there is Glendon, at York U. in Toronto, but it mostly serves as French immersion for Anglo students. I am not counting the new Toronto-based "Université de l'Ontario français", because it's barely off the ground and offers only online programmes at this point.