What could be called a ‘”visionary” pilot project brought results into focus for students in Kugaaruk this winter.

A mobile pediatric vision clinic provided eye exams for 114 students from kindergarten through Grade 12 at Arviligruaq Ilinniarvik School over three days in December. Forty-seven patients ended up receiving eyeglasses, including 11 who were diagnosed as being legally blind without their new prescription lenses.

“This is the first clinic we’ve done in a school,” John Main, Nunavut’s health minister, said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re really excited by the uptake, the amount of interest, as well as the positive outcomes.”

The pilot project was a collaboration between the Health and Education departments.

The cost, including providing glasses to the children, was funded by Indigenous Services Canada.

Schools in Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet, Coral Harbour, Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit are tentatively slated for similar mobile clinic visits before the summer break, said John Manzo, communications manager for the Department of Education, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

“The idea is to get this rolled out across the territory so that we’re reaching as many schools as possible,” he said, adding the program will continue in the fall.

“There’s been strong interest from schools right across Nunavut.”

The school-based clinics are in addition to existing ones already being run at the community level.

“As someone who got glasses as a child, it’s absolutely essential for a child’s learning development as well as their overall health,” Manzo said.

“We’re really excited to see more access [to eyecare].”

Britain's coast guard is responding to reports of a collision between an oil tanker and cargo vessel off England's northeastern coast, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said on Monday.

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A Dieppe man alleged to have driven dangerously in Fredericton last year while under the influence won’t have to answer to the charges because police missed their deadline to file the charges.

Scott Martin, 45, of Amirault Street in Dieppe, was scheduled to make his first appearance in Fredericton provincial court Thursday on several charges related to impaired and reckless driving allegations.

The charges, laid by the Fredericton Police Force, alleged Martin operated a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol; that he had excessive concentrations of alcohol, cocaine and THC in his blood within two hours of driving; and that he drove in a manner dangerous to the public.

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Almost a year has passed since a major reorganization of Yellowknife primary care. We asked the people in charge how they think it's going and what's next.

A union representing about 2,000 graduate students at Queen's University working as teaching and research assistants is on strike as of Monday morning. The school says classes will continue.

In smaller communities, the NWT's health authority says it is weighing up a series of different approaches to figure out what gives patients the best outcome.

Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian activist Saturday who played a prominent role in Columbia University's protests against Israel, a significant escalation in the Trump administration's pledge to detain and deport student activists.

The Old Port skating rink, which had been open since 1992, has been shut down permanently.

The executive committee's recommendation that Edmonton City Council should extend the downtown community revitalization levy for 10 years beyond its current 2034 expiry date may not yield decent returns on investments, the co-hosts of Episode 298 of Speaking Municipally said.

The CRLs are tools for municipalities to rejuvenate underdeveloped areas by allowing public infrastructure investments to attract private investments that can repay the public investment. Edmonton has used the downtown CRL to help build the 103A Avenue Pedway (set for completion in 2026) and invest in Warehouse Park (construction should be done this year), among other things.

But council will soon consider whether the CRL should be extended, along with a proposal for the levy to help subsidize the OEG's hoped-for new indoor and outdoor Fan Park, directly east of Rogers Place, as well as Village at ICE District, a housing, retail, and hospitality development from the company.

"This event park, like the arena itself, would be owned by the City of Edmonton. It's projected to cost $250 million, which is just an insane amount to me," co-host Mack Male said. "A third of its time would be reserved for public use. Let me just underline that again — another publicly owned and mostly publicly funded building available for the public for only a third of its lifetime."

The park would tentatively be paid for using a mix of the CRL, provincial grants, and contributions from the OEG, owned by Daryl Katz. While the city will own it, and help pay for it, the park will not be available for public use all of the time.

The province outlined its contribution to the project in its latest budget, which includes Edmonton's long-asked-for money to demolish Northlands Coliseum, as well as to provide servicing to Village at ICE District.

Co-host Troy Pavlek said he was reminded of Edmonton's decision to build the 100 Street funicular, when then-mayor Don Iveson said he felt pushed into the city contributing to the $24-million project because he didn't want to leave funds from the provincial and federal governments on the table.

"While this does get us funding from other orders of government, the provincial funding is still coming from our tax dollars, and is still — depending on your perspective — a wealth transfer to a billionaire," Pavlek said.

The March 7 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also covered the renaming of the Edmonton Prospects to the Energy City Cactus Rats, a potential new name for a field at Commonwealth Stadium, resignations at Edmonton Public Schools, and more. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.

This week, council committees will debate whether the city should expand the Coronation Eco Station, discuss the end of curbside Christmas tree collection, and review candidates for advisory boards and committees.

There is a city council meeting scheduled for March 10, a community and public services committee scheduled for March 11, and an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for March 12. There is also an executive committee meeting scheduled for March 12 and a utility committee meeting scheduled for March 14.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• Administration recommends expanding Coronation Eco Station to restructure traffic flow, increase the number of waste drop-off bins, and incorporate more climate-resilient infrastructure. A report scheduled to be presented to utility committee on March 14 said visits to eco stations increased by 22% between 2021 and 2024. The proposed expansion is budgeted at $13.5 million, with funding reallocated from a previous project that was cancelled. If council approves the expansion, construction is expected to start by the end of 2025 and finish by mid-2027.
• The city will no longer collect natural Christmas trees from in front of homes starting next holiday season. Curbside Christmas tree collection started in 1990, but city crews collected only 6,400 trees in 2025, a 51% decrease from 2015, according to a report that is scheduled to be presented to utility committee on March 14. Instead, residents will be able to drop off trees at recycling depots, eco stations, or the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. The change will save about $120,000 annually, which will be reinvested back into waste operations, the report said.
• City council is scheduled to meet to discuss the 2024 annual reports and work plans for its advisory boards and committees.
• Council committees are scheduled to meet in private for various discussions:
  • Community and public services committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Community Standards and Licence Appeal Committee, Edmonton Combative Sports Commission, Edmonton Public Library Board, Accessibility Advisory Committee, Community Services Advisory Board, Edmonton Historical Board, and the Women's Advisory Voice of Edmonton Committee.
  • Urban planning committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board, Edmonton Design Committee, and the Naming Committee.
  • Executive committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Assessment Review Board, Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee, Edmonton Salutes Committee, and GEF Seniors Housing Board.
  • Utility committee will meet to discuss a funding opportunity for the Blatchford renewable energy utility.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

The Great Canadian Roadtrip 2.0 brought out more than just the smiles on Friday night.

Hundreds of locals were stomping their feet, singing along, and cheering as Jason McCoy, Jason Blaine, and Chad Brownlee poured their heart and soul into each other's music. This trio of Canadian country legends played their biggest hits, with the twist of also singing each other's songs on stage together.  

Swift Current was a special stop on the tour for Brownlee, who almost ended up playing for the Swift Current Broncos earlier in life.

"This was almost my second home," said Brownlee. "It's just nice to be travelling across this country."

Brownlee played hits like Dear Drunk Me and Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere. At one point, he led the trio in an acapella opening so thrilling it drew the room to a still moment, as rapturous attention was drawn.

Hits like Mud, East Bound and Down, and Born Again in Dixieland had fans cheering when Jason McCoy led the stage. His brand of rebel country from the 90s earned him some loud cheers.

McCoy was proud to have organized this showcase of Canadian Country talent, especially with tensions between the United States of America and Canada being as they are at the moment.

"I think it's a point of pride," said McCoy. "We've all travelled extensively down through (America), and no matter where you go in the world like these, all sound like cliches but it's true, people are people. We gotta respect each other.

As far as being a Canadian, though, I've been to Afghanistan and played for the troops there. I do know one thing, and it's that when the other nations would speak of our Canadian forces, there was a different reverence, in that we were peacekeepers. I think that's exemplified in the way that we're not going to just back into a corner. We're Canadian, we're tough. You can't freeze us out. You can't make us run.

Most importantly, when we played for constitutional pink slips, we won at Canada's game in the Four Nations Face-Off."

Jason Blaine, who lives in Nashville, played his smash hits like Dance with My Daughter, and They Don't Make Em Like That Anymore. His music reached out and connected with the crowd, drawing real emotions as fathers hugged daughters, and partners looked to their other halves of many decades.

"I was always a fan of going to weddings or anniversaries or other special occasions," said Blaine. "There would be a song, maybe it was a Vince Gill song or Ricky Skaggs song or a Bryan Adams, and it would become part of people's wedding story. I never imagined I would grow up to be an artist and that somebody would let my songs be part of such a special memory. So now when people tell me these stories of how Dance with My Daughter is their father-daughter song, that's the highest praise."

The Gret Canadian Roadtrip 2.0 will be stopping in Medicine Hat this Wednesday, March 12.

The Bearspaw south feeder main ruptured last June, sparking months of water restrictions and a major repair effort.

While data indicates taking transit in Edmonton is getting safer, a new report from city administration shows that many Edmontonians still don't believe it.

Every morning across the Greater Toronto Area, thousands of undocumented workers head out to their jobs in construction, cleaning and home care, despite the fact that they are not legally allowed to live or work in Canada.

Unlike in the U.S., where many undocumented people entered without authorization at the southern border, most of these individuals in Canada entered the country legally. They came as temporary workers, international students, tourists or refugee claimants, and saw their visas expire or refugee claims rejected before they were able to transition to another type of legal status.

A village in northern Saskatchewan with a population of 327 has been breeding national broomball champions.

Hay River's public library has embarked on a month-long celebration of censored books. Stop in and read something that someone, somewhere thinks is dangerous.

A ministerial review could result in the overturning of a conviction.

The post Breaking: Justice Minister asked to review Halifax’s last execution appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

"It's not easy to do this any more." Developer Milan Mrdjenovich says he is leaving Yellowknife with a 70-unit complex just opening and one more to come.

The two biggests reason to be in Yellowknife in March collided on Saturday night: the Snowcastle and the northern lights. The castle, built each year on the frozen Yellowknife Bay, is also home to a snow carving contest that runs annually and attracts an international field of competitors. Photographer Bill Braden, known as FreezeFrame in his role as president of the Snowkings’ Winter Festival Society, was on hand to capture the arrival of the lights over the carvings. “The aurora […]

There is still no timeline on when a grounded cargo ship in the Bay of Islands will be removed.

First, salvagers have to remove fuel and cargo from the Baltic III, by no means a simple task.

Kris Drodge, a master mariner at the Marine Institute, says having the ship’s on-board cranes operational is a positive.

A request to fix up a road in the area to allow shore access is also awaiting approval.

The owner of the Baltic III, Mediterranean Shipping Company, has hired T&T Salvage out of the U.S., and Eastern Canada Response Corporation to help reduce the environmental impact.

The ship’s owner and its insurers will pay for the response and removal of the vessel.

Drodge says the challenges are immense to get the vessel in a position to refloat.

“So there are lots of options here but I don’t think refloating and getting it off right now is even in the cards,” he said.

The Burin Peninsula EverWind Green Fuels Project has advanced in the assessment process.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Lisa Dempster has approved the guidelines for the preparation of the environmental impact.

EverWind Green Fuels is proposing to construct and operate on the Burin Peninsula, a 10 gigawatt onshore wind project consisting of three wind farms with up to 1500 turbines; three solar farms with a total of total capacity of 2.5 GW; and a 5.5 GW hydrogen/ammonia production facility north of the Town of Marystown.

NFL MVP Josh Allen was rewarded Sunday with a contract extension that is reportedly worth $330 million US, which would make him among the league's highest-paid players.

Last week, United States President Donald Trump paused the implementation of his 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports until April 2. 

Although he’s walked back from the cliff’s edge once again, we are still on the precipice of widespread economic disruption. As was the case on the eve of the pandemic, we are ill-prepared, our social safety net containing the same deficiencies now as then.  

Despite the latest delay to across-the-board tariffs, levies on Canadian steel and aluminum products entering the U.S. are nevertheless scheduled to take effect on March 12, which will have significant impacts on a variety of industries and harm considerable numbers of workers on both sides of the border. 

The Trump administration’s broader tariff pause is likely only a temporary reprieve. The federal government has therefore kept in place the first phase of its retaliatory tariffs begun on March 4, targeting $30 billion in American goods, including appliances, clothing and a wide range of food and agricultural products. 

In a press release, the Trudeau government called the American tariffs “unjustified, and detrimental to both Americans and Canadians.” The release continued, “While we urge the U.S. administration to reconsider their decision to impose tariffs, Canada will remain firm in standing up for our jobs, our industries, and our workers.” The government aims to have the full tariff threat removed and is therefore leaving in place its first batch of counter-measures. 

As the government further indicated, should the Americans follow through with their across-the-board tariff scheme in April, Canada will implement the second phase of its plan targeting an additional $125 billion in U.S. imports. These listed items include finished vehicles, electronics, steel and aluminum. For now, the second wave is temporarily “halted.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who recently won a third majority government with another abysmally low voter turnout, is moving forward with a 25 per cent export levy on electricity supplied to Minnesota, Michigan and New York. 

In British Columbia, the provincial government looks poised to also follow through with imposing tolls on American freight trucks travelling to Alaska. 

Make no mistake, we are in a serious trade war, whether we want it or not. Trump’s latest “pause” is just another interlude in what are sure to be years of turmoil and threats. Even if Trump again kicks the can down the road in April, his actions have already spread uncertainty throughout the economy, exacerbating a slowdown that was evident before the U.S. election. Workers are going to bear the brunt of the fallout. 

As John Paul Tasker at CBC put it, “The events of the last week show what Canada is in for over the next nearly four years: chaos, unpredictability and constantly moving goal posts from a White House that doesn’t play by normal trade rules.”

Large sections of the business class are bracing for a shock, and have been noting as far back as November the financial uncertainty being caused by Trump’s tariff threats. 

The auto industry, of course, will be one of the hardest hit by the Trump trade war. According to reporting in the Toronto Star, Canada exports roughly $70 billion worth of finished autos and parts to the U.S., with many products crisscrossing the border several times. Auto sector trade overall between the U.S. and Canada amounted to roughly $120 billion USD last year alone. Moreover, according to the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, a lobby group that represents Canadian auto parts makers, their member businesses operate more than 170 plants across 26 American states employing nearly 48,000 workers. 

Though many auto and parts manufacturers were relieved by the tariff hiatus, most recognized that the threat of economic disarray still looms large. Unifor president Lana Payne called the tariff pause an “exhortation tactic,” speculating that Trump may be using the next 30 days to pressure auto executives into divesting from Canada. 

Unifor’s Auto Council and Independent Parts Suppliers Council, which represents 37,000 auto workers across Canada, released a statement on Thursday condemning “the unjust imposition and ongoing threat of tariffs.” The councils further report that they adopted a “zero-tolerance position on U.S. tariffs and threats to Canadian jobs and Canadian sovereignty,” which “commits the full resources of our respective local unions and the National Union to take direct action, to support Canadian jobs, by whatever means necessary.” This is welcome and strong language, though it remains to be seen what the commitment entails. 

As the Unifor council’s statement further points out, Canadians purchase around 2 million new vehicles every year, yet Canadian plants produce far fewer than this. Indeed, the U.S. enjoys a considerable auto trade surplus with Canada. 

No matter how you look at it, workers are in for a rough ride, in the immediate future and likely over the long haul of the Trump administration. 

If or when Trump’s tariffs are fully implemented, financial uncertainty will graduate to economic dislocation, and the pain won’t be confined to workers in select industries, like auto, steel, and aluminum. As job losses accumulate in sectors directly affected by the tariffs, it will cause a dampening of demand that drives a generalized slowdown. 

Only a short time out from the economic devastation wrought by the pandemic, workers will again be faced with heightened unemployment and turmoil. Yet, the dynamics of a recession resulting from Trump’s trade policy will look very different from the pandemic downturn. 

During the pandemic, we experienced a deep but short recession, followed by a relatively rapid recovery. The travesty is that we allowed politicians and monetary policymakers to cool the post-pandemic economy, undermine a tight labour market, and abandon the promise to “build back better.” 

A Trump-imposed trade war could mirror the recessionary downturn of the pandemic (though likely more slowly), but it won’t resemble the recovery that took place during the post-COVID reopening. Instead, the effects of American tariffs are more likely to be deep and long-lasting. 

According to Bank of Canada modelling, 25 per cent American tariffs could shave Canadian GDP down by several percentage points over the next three years, while causing considerable inflationary pressure. In other words, we could be in a “stagflationary” period for a number of years as a result of the American trade war. 

Quite clearly, we need an emergency plan to aid affected workers. As former director of research at the Canadian Auto Workers, Sam Gindin, told Class Struggle recently, in the long-term Canada needs to break its trade dependency with the U.S. Yet, for now, emergency measures will also be paramount. 

There appears to be widespread support for the government to spend to protect workers. According to polling commissioned by the Canadian Labour Congress, 90 per cent of respondents support an investment plan to promote job creation and 80 per cent want the government to support people impacted by job losses. 

Ottawa has indicated that it has plans for a “pandemic-level” response, but with Parliament prorogued, many of the items can’t be undertaken until at least March 24.

First and foremost, we desperately need to re-implement enhancements to the Employment Insurance (EI) program. The utter failure of our system of unemployment benefits was exposed for all to see during the pandemic, yet after instituting temporary half-measures during the pandemic, the government reimposed the old system, despite promises of reform. 

In fact, the current Liberal government has been ‘pledging’ to fix EI since they first formed government in 2015. Despite extensive stakeholder consultations and acknowledgement of the deep issues with the system, the government pushed off reforms again in 2023, expressing concern that change would further harm a slowing economy. The program’s overly strict eligibility rules continue to deny benefits to many unemployed workers, as well as those in non-standard forms of employment, such as gig economy work. 

With the same broken system still in place, union leaders and economists across the country are again calling for enhanced EI measures. 

There are some indications that temporary reforms are in the offing, such as improvements to the EI work-sharing program that allows workers with reduced hours to receive partial benefits, but such minor changes are unlikely to go far enough to ensure against the Trump trade threat. 

At the same time, we can’t allow a trade war to turn into a bonanza for corporations and the rich. We don’t need a repeat of the pandemic’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, wherein corporations received massive financial support, yet continued to pay out dividends to shareholders and approve exorbitant executive salaries. Government must “insure wages, not profits.” 

Beyond reforming EI and ensuring workers have the benefits they need to weather the storm, we need a broad-ranging plan of public investment to offset the private sector’s contraction. As Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has outlined, such a plan should centre green energy, public transport and housing, youth employment, and promotion of arts and culture.  

As when the pandemic hit, so much of our economic and social system remains battered and broken. Trump’s trade war could make things appreciably worse, if we allow it. The best defence is a radical alternative that centres worker protection and the public good.

Recent Class Struggle Issues

• March 4 | Quebec Is Taking Trudeau’s Lead And Attacking Unions
• February 25 | The U.S. Saw Just Half Of The Number Of Strikes In 2024 As Canada
• February 17 | The Business Lobby Wants To Take Paid Holidays From Toronto Workers
• February 10 | Doug Ford’s Government Has Been Disastrous For Workers

The Canadian Human Rights Commission and dozens of other organizations have brought concerns about Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) laws to the United Nations. 

The Canadian Human Rights Commission “remains deeply concerned by ongoing reports that people with disabilities are turning to MAID because they cannot access the basic supports and services they need to live with dignity,” the commission wrote in a January submission to the UN. The submission was delivered to a UN committee studying Canada’s compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

The convention is an international treaty that outlines what countries must do to recognize the human rights of people with disabilities. 

Canada ratified the convention in 2010. But it is not consistently implemented into Canadian law. Instead, parts of the convention have been incorporated into various Canadian laws.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission advocates for and educates Canadians about their human rights and administers the Canada Human Rights Act.

In its submission to the UN, the commission said it “remains concerned about Canada’s lack of progress in implementing the recommendations that have come from the international human rights system.” 

Many people with disabilities struggle to find adequate housing or medical care, or move to long-term care facilities to access needed supports, the submission says. 

These factors may cause some people with disabilities to pursue MAID, the commission says.

“Accessing MAID should not be the result of this inequality, nor should it be the end result of the State’s failure to fulfill its human rights obligations,” the committee said, repeating concerns it has raised twice already in Canada.

‘Promoted with conviction’

Countries that ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are required to report every four years on their progress implementing its recommendations. 

Organizations besides the government can also submit reports about their country’s progress fulfilling its treaty obligations. 

A coalition of 49 organizations wrote one large submission criticizing Canada’s progress. Another 20 organizations — including the Canadian Human Rights Commission — wrote individual submissions.

A committee of disability experts reviews each country’s report and recommends how they can improve. Canada is scheduled to appear before this committee on March 10 and 11.

This is Canada’s first committee appearance since Canada created what is called Track 2 MAID in 2021. Track 2 MAID is for individuals who are incurably sick or disabled but whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. Between 2021 and 2023, more than 1,300 Canadians died by Track 2 MAID. 

Many organizations that wrote to the UN committee said Canada should abolish Track 2 MAID altogether, including a planned expansion of MAID in 2027 to adults whose only medical condition is a mental illness. 

Track 2 MAID violates several convention rights, including the right to life, these organizations say.

“Track 2 MAID is positioned as health care serving to end suffering; it is therefore promoted with great conviction,” the coalition wrote. “In practice, people with disabilities in Canada are being denied their right to life.” 

Track 2 MAID “normaliz[es] suicide,” the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action wrote in its submission. It is based on the belief that it is better for some people with disabilities to be dead, the alliance said, calling it  “a modern form of eugenics.”   

‘Human flourishing’

The United Nations has previously raised concerns about Canada’s MAID laws endangering people with disabilities. 

In its 2017 review of Canada’s implementation of the convention, the UN committee expressed “concerns” about MAID. 

It recommended Canada collect detailed data about each MAID request and make sure safeguards are followed. It also recommended that people requesting MAID have access to a “dignified life” through palliative care, home care, disability support and “other measures that support human flourishing.” 

In 2021, three UN UN human rights experts warned Ottawa that Track 2 MAID would violate Canada’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by creating a “social assumption … that it is better to be dead than live with a disability.” 

The federal government’s most recent report to the committee cited federal reports that say most people who access MAID also received palliative care. 

The report acknowledged many people with disabilities — but not all — are concerned about Track 2 MAID.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission says it wants the federal government to “conduct a thorough and critical review” of MAID in Canada before eligibility criteria is expanded. This review should include listening to and addressing concerns from people who are marginalized. 

It also urged Ottawa to collect evidence to help explain who accesses MAID and why they do so. 

“This is a crucial step in identifying and putting in place the required safeguards to ensure that people are not making this decision as a result of human rights harms that should have been addressed in other ways,” the commission’s submission says.

“In an era where we recognize the right to die with dignity, we must do more to realize the right to live with dignity.”

The United Nations will likely release its recommendations to the federal government March 18. The recommendations are not legally binding.

The post Canadian Human Rights Commission takes MAID concerns to UN appeared first on CANADIAN AFFAIRS.