streetfestival

EDMONTON - Alberta's police watchdog says a retired RCMP officer has been charged six years after shooting a man in the face.

The officer is facing one count of aggravated assault and has been released before a court date next month in Red Deer.

Mounties previously told the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, or ASIRT, that the issue began when they were tipped off about stolen oilfield property on the north side of Eckville, west of Red Deer.

While checking four vehicles parked behind a business strip, an officer found a man sleeping in a pickup truck that had been stolen from Saskatoon almost one week prior.

RCMP told ASIRT the officer called for backup and laid down a spike belt, but there was an altercation and the man was shot in the cheek, sending him to hospital with serious injuries.

It's not known when the officer retired, but investigators say no further details will be released as the matter is now before the courts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.

The discussion paper sets out a range of possible housing deductions employers could charge for shelter. At the highest end of that range, the government is considering a deduction of 30 per cent of pre-tax income — about $1,000 per month, according to the discussion paper.

A migrant worker from Jamaica — The Canadian Press has agreed not to name him, due to his fear of reprisal from his employer — said that if the highest level of deduction is implemented, his $600 after-tax weekly pay packet will be stretched even thinner.

"That is wickedness. I am working for $17.23 per hour," he said.

Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said a 30 per cent housing deduction would be "a massive theft" of wages "without improvement in their lives."

"It's incredibly hypocritical that it's being framed as improvements and a response to the United Nations calling Canada's temporary immigration system a breeding ground for exploitation and slavery," he said.

Last year, the UN released a report saying Canada's temporary worker program is a "breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery" because it ties work permits to jobs.

The report said this creates an institutionalized power imbalance because workers may be deported if they are fired and employers have "limited incentive to ensure decent working conditions."

The Jamaican migrant worker said that he's been told he needs to keep working and stay in line because there are "10 more Jamaicans waiting for your job."

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo was one of multiple attendees to walk out of a meeting with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney last week, in an event that Diabo characterized as more of a PR stunt than a meaningful consultation.

“I refuse to be a photo op or have Kahnawake be a campaign tool for any foreign governments,” Diabo said. “I was very, very disappointed with the event overall.”

A lack of meaningful consultation was a major topic before the passing of the Bill, with many Indigenous groups, including the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) arguing that the legislation was being rushed through with little regard for Indigenous input.

The summit in Gatineau was pitched as a way for community leaders to have facetime with Carney and voice their concerns, Diabo said, but instead felt like a slap in the face.

He waited six-and-a-half hours before an opportunity arose to say anything at the meeting.

“It almost felt like we were in some kind of high school thing, where it’s like, ‘You sit down, you answer these questions, and you answer only when you’re called upon, when you’re picked, and if you’re not picked, you don’t have an ability to speak,’” he said. “It was very disheartening. I’m very disappointed.”

Lawsuits for Alberta’s latest boondoggle are already starting to pay out, and the first disclosed payment—a settlement with one of the five companies who were demanding $16 billion in damages—already has Alberta twice as deep in the hole as 2022’s “Turkish Tylenol” debacle.

August 5 will mark the eighth month of lockout for the fifty workers at Béton Provincial (BP) in LaSalle and Longueuil. The lockout was triggered by the employer after the workers unanimously rejected a management offer they deemed unacceptable. Concrete industry workers across the province are watching this fight closely, as the contract that these workers obtain will likely serve as a precedent.

During negotiations, the LaSalle and Longueuil workers are asking for an 18% wage increase over four years. For its part, the employer is offering nothing less than a complete wage freeze until 2027, followed by a 2% annual increase in 2028 and 2029, as well as the abolition of pension and group insurance plans.

It should be noted that the consumer price index in Quebec has risen by 15.5% over the past four years.

According to workers at the LaSalle plant interviewed by North Star, the hardline stance of controversial CEO André Bélanger can be explained by the fact that the company is seeking to set an example by “cutting off the head” of one of the industry's “strongest” unions:

Remove all future 'use your google account to sign into [this site]' popups from your web-browsing experience

Link to Mastodon post: https://mas.to/@markwyner/114941092519598133
Credit: https://mas.to/@markwyner

The Trump administration has proposed curbing the government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases by unwinding rules that control emissions from fossil fuel drilling, power plants, and cars.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Tuesday announced the proposed rollback of a 2009 declaration that determined carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare.

“With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end 16 years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,” said Zeldin.

Earlier in the day, Zeldin said on the conservative “Ruthless” podcast that the rescission would be the “largest deregulatory action in the history of America,” which will “driv[e] a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion.”

The move is the latest effort by the Trump administration to pare back environmental standards, which it has framed as antithetical to economic growth and consumer choice.

Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement for the second time and ended all accompanying financial commitments. He has also suspended methane leak detection and cut electric vehicle incentives.

If you thought going to a Pride event or drag show was just another night out, think again. If you were in Florida, it might land your name in a government database.

That’s what’s happening in Vero Beach, FL, where the Florida Attorney General’s office has subpoenaed a local restaurant, The Kilted Mermaid, demanding surveillance video, guest lists, reservation logs, and contracts of performers and other staff—all because the venue hosted an LGBTQ+ Pride event.

To be clear: no one has been charged with a crime, and the law Florida is likely leaning on here—the so-called “Protection of Children Act” (which was designed to be a drag show ban)—has already been blocked by federal courts as likely unconstitutional. But that didn’t stop Attorney General James Uthmeier from pushing forward anyway. Without naming a specific law that was violated, the AG’s press release used pointed and accusatory language, stating that "In Florida, we don't sacrifice the innocence of children for the perversions of some demented adults.” His office is now fishing for personal data about everyone who attended or performed at the event. This should set off every civil liberties alarm bell we have.

Just like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and other bills with misleading names, this isn’t about protecting children. It’s about using the power of the state to intimidate people government officials disagree with, and to censor speech that is both lawful and fundamental to American democracy.

The feedback from the First Nations leadership summit on the federal government’s push to build big projects — first introduced under Bill C-5 — has been almost universally negative. After attending last week’s gathering in Gatineau, Que., Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs provided a scathing, albeit representative, summary.

“The sole purpose of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s First Nations summit was to serve notice on Canada’s First Nations that Bill C-5 is now the law of the land,” Phillip said in a statement. “Further, First Nations are now expected to fully accept and accommodate that reality.” Or even more pointedly, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation Chief Craig Nootchtai called it a “subjugation session — not a consultation session.”

Neither of them were wrong.

~

But the day before I was due to depart, I received a notice from the organizers cancelling my participation, and apparently reneging on the commitment to reimburse me for my non-refundable flights and hotel.

And I wasn’t the only one. Chiefs of Ontario told the Canadian Press in a statement, “It’s disappointing that technical staff, experts and lawyers from organizations and First Nations who were going to attend this meeting were uninvited after they were allowed to register. They all spent money on travel and accommodations to support chiefs during this critical discussion.”

Published 20 years ago and, maybe, more relevant than ever

Credit:
https://mstdn.social/@calmeilles
https://mstdn.social/@calmeilles/114935082513475867