Category Archives: Social
Ottawa plans to move from open-net fish pens to ‘sustainable technology’ in B.C.
VANCOUVER — The federal government says it has a game plan to transition away from open-net fish farming on British Columbia's coast. Terry Beech, a Burnaby MP and parliamentary secretary for the minister of fisheries, said the government is comm...
Bill to ban conversion therapy being turned into political fundraising tool
OTTAWA — A proposed bill seeking to make it illegal to force someone into therapy to alter their sexual orientation or gender identity is turning into a political fundraising tool. Conservative MP and failed leadership candidate Derek Sloan is as...
Sir John A. Macdonald High School near Halifax changing its name to be more inclusive
HALIFAX — The principal of Sir John A. Macdonald High School outside Halifax confirmed Thursday the school's name will be changed because of the role Canada's first prime minister played in developing the residential school system. Darlene Fitzgerald s...
First Nation to launch lawsuits against N.S. commercial fishers for alleged damages
INDIAN BROOK, N.S. — A Mi'kmaq First Nation that encountered violence after it opened a self-regulated lobster fishery says it will launch a series of lawsuits against non-Indigenous fishers for alleged damages incurred by its members. The band a...
Veterans minister declares backlog progress even as overall numbers go up
OTTAWA — The Trudeau government is claiming success after reducing the number of older claims for disability benefits from veterans, even as the overall number of files in the system remains unchanged and advocates fear COVID-19 is preventing new reque...
Clinicians worry pandemic is worsening youth mental health
VANCOUVER — British Columbia's children's representative says the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified inadequacies in mental health services as experts brace for rising rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in children and young people. "G...
Assisted-dying bill sparks ferocious debate among Canadians with disabilities
OTTAWA — The determination of two Quebecers with disabilities to decide when their suffering had become intolerable persuaded the federal government to rewrite the law on medical assistance in dying.But now advocacy groups for persons with disabilities...
Yukon government says it doesn’t support U.S. permit for exploration in Arctic
WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says it does not support a permit for an oil drilling exploration project in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, although experts fear the United States administration will push ahead with the plan. Yukon
Pandemic highlights lack of access to public washrooms during winter months
TORONTO — Looming winter weather as the pandemic progresses has forced Ontario municipalities to take a hard look at the lack public washrooms available during the colder months. Toronto residents who flocked to city parks during a recent stretch of
‘Terrified’: Calgary homeless leaving shelters after fresh COVID-19 outbreaks
CALGARY — Outbreaks at two shelters have left Calgary's homeless terrified to come in out of the cold for fear of catching COVID-19, says a group that helps people living on the streets. Be The Change YYC provides food, water, blankets,
