Labour talks between Air Canada and its pilots are approaching a midnight deadline, when either side could trigger the start of a shutdown for Canada’s largest airline.

After more than 14 months of negotiations, starting Sunday the two sides will be in a position to provide 72-hour notice of a strike or lockout that could disrupt travel for the more than 100,000 passengers who fly the airline daily.

In the days leading up to the deadline, the two sides have said they remain far apart on the central question of pay.

The Air Line Pilots Association union, representing more than 5,200 pilots, has said it is corporate greed that’s holding up talks, as Air Canada continues to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market compensation.

The airline has said the union is being inflexible with “unreasonable wage demands,” prompting it to call for the government to be ready to intervene.

ALPA Canada president Capt. Tim Perry issued a statement on Friday, asking the federal government to respect workers’ collective bargaining rights and refrain from intervening in the bargaining process. He says the government intervention violates the constitutional rights and freedoms of Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau however has emphasized that it’s up to the two sides to figure out a deal.

Speaking Friday, Trudeau said the government isn’t just going to step in and fix the issue, something it did promptly after both of Canada’s major railways saw lockouts in August and during a strike by WestJet mechanics on the Canada Day long weekend.

He said the government respects the right to strike and will only intervene if it becomes clear no negotiated agreement is possible.

Numerous business groups have called on the government to intervene to protect the business and travellers.

Air Canada has said it will have to start gradually shutting down operations once 72-hour notice is given as it will take time to properly position its 252 aircraft and its crews that fly to 47 countries.

It says if operations are shut down, it will take up to 10 days to resume normal operations.

The airline is offering travellers scheduled to fly between Sunday and Sept. 23 to change their flight for free, which is a potential for extending that, and said it will notify all travellers of any impact in advance of their flight.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

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The Canadian Press

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Woodstock family wants New Brunswick Community College to stop discriminating against prospective students with special needs

After high school graduation, most students continue their education, working toward university degrees and college diplomas.

For many, their biggest stress is whether or not the school they apply to will accept them for their grades.

For students with disabilities, their biggest fear is whether their dream school will accept them despite their learning differences or physical challenges.

Daniel Kuwertz has autism. This spring, he graduated from Woodstock High School. Last spring, he applied to the Truck and Transport Service Technician program at NBCC Woodstock through the college’s Special Admissions service but was denied a seat.

Special Admissions gives applicants who have graduated high school but don’t meet NBCC’s entrance requirements a chance to apply to designated programs. The biggest hurdle is that most of NBCC’s programs only allow one Special Admissions student per course.

“It just goes to prove that the word ‘inclusion’ is just a word and not a policy,” said Daniel’s father, Kurt Kuwertz.

Kurt said the news that Daniel wouldn’t attend college this fall devastated his son.

NBCC suggested that Daniel get more experience with the industry and then reapply for registration in Sept. 2025, but there is no guarantee that he’ll get in.

His parents worry he won’t pass the interview process again, noting their son was denied admission into the program this year based on his answers being “too much of a niche.” Daniel loves school buses and wants to eventually work exclusively with them. The assessors noted his knowledge base needed to be broadened within the entire industry.

Even if the only Special Admissions seat in the course is vacant, Daniel may still need to get it, even if he is the only person to apply. The NBCC Special Admissions team can leave the spot empty if they deem an applicant unqualified for the seat. Special Admissions students must also sign an understanding agreement stating they are financially responsible for any extra help needed.

“But the college says they can’t afford to have more than one seat available for special needs students because of additional costs involved – but the student is required to pay for the extra costs. Why is the college allowed to display this level of discrimination?” said Daniel’s mother, Catherine Kuwertz.

Daniel is applying for jobs to afford the extra expenses that NBCC will require if he can get in, but no one has yet hired him due to his lack of experience.

“The jobs that Daniel would qualify to do would be more limited than an ‘average person’. This, combined with a lack of jobs available right now, really creates hardships on him,” said Catherine.

The Kuwertz family is also critical of the college’s lack of a waiting list for Special Admissions.

In an email to the River Valley Sun, an official with NBCC’s Strategic Communications noted that “due to the limited number of seats available and to ensure a fair and equitable process for all Special Admissions applicants, NBCC does not offer a waitlist.”

Catherine and Kurt want to see a change in the NBCC admission process to ensure a fair chance for all who apply to the school’s programs.

“Go by the date the application was received and interview the first x number of students. Would they be a good fit?,” said Catherine.

Daniel’s parents say the way NBCC organizes Special Admissions applicants is blatant discrimination. Catherine believes all applicants should be treated the same.

“Why just special needs students?” said Catherine.

NBCC says it is currently reviewing its Special Admissions services.

“We are evaluating existing support services and exploring new pathways to meet the needs of diverse learners throughout the province. Formal recommendations will be made following the completion of this review,” said an official with NBCC’s Strategic Communications.

The post NBCC Special Admissions service disappointing for students and parents first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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Iran Saturday sent a research satellite into orbit with a rocket built by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The report said the Chamran-1 satellite has a weight of 60 kilograms and successfully reached in 550-kilometer (341 miles) orbit in space. It said testing space hardware and software is the main mission of the satellite.

IRNA said land stations received signals from the satellite, too.

It said the satellite-carrier rocket Qaem-100, using solid fuel, was designed and made by the Guard aerospace division. Iran says it has 13 more satellite launches in a row.

Though Iran has long planned to send satellites into orbit, this is the first launch under reformist President Masoud Pezezhkian after his hardline predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a May helicopter crash.

In January Iran said it successfully launched three satellites into space with a rocket.

The program is seen by the West as part of the improvement of Tehran’s ballistic missiles. The launch also comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a regional conflict.

The United States has previously said Iran’s satellite launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution and called on Tehran to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. U.N. sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October.

Tehran,Iran, The Associated Press

Israeli airstrikes hit central and southern Gaza overnight into Saturday, killing at least 14 people as the friends and family members of a Turkish-American activist killed by an Israeli solider prepared to honor her in a funeral.

The airstrikes in Gaza City hit one home housing 11 people, including women and children, and another strike hit a tent in Khan Younis housing Palestinians displaced by the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza’s Civil Defense said Saturday. They followed airstrikes earlier this week that hit a tent camp on Tuesday and United Nations school housing displaced people on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the body of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, the Turkish-American activist killed Sept. 6 by an Israeli soldier, was returned to her home town late Friday accompanied by a police honor guard, the official Turkish news agency reported.

Draped in a Turkish flag, the coffin carrying her remains was carried from a hearse to a hospital in Didim by six officers in ceremonial uniform. Her funeral is due to be held in the coastal town in western Turkey later Saturday.

The 26-year-old activist from Seattle, who held United States and Turkish citizenship, was killed after a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces. Turkey announced it will conduct its own investigation into her death.

Anadolu Agency reported her body arrived in Didim after an autopsy at the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institute.

As Eygi’s family watched the coffin being unloaded, her mother had to be helped by medics, the agency said.

Her death earned condemnation from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the United States, Egypt and Qatar push for a cease-fire and the release of the hostages. Talks have repeatedly bogged down as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of making new and unacceptable demands.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. They abducted another 250 people and are still holding around 100 hostage after releasing most of the rest in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Around a third of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead.

It has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times, and plunged the territory into a severe humanitarian crisis. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count, but says women and children make up just over half of the dead. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants in the war.

___

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

The Associated Press

Iran says it has sent a research satellite into orbit with a rocket built by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

A Saturday report by the official IRNA said that the Chamran-1 satellite has a weight of 60 kilograms and it successfully reached a 550-kilometer orbit in space. It said testing space hardware and software is the main mission of the satellite.

IRNA said land stations received signals from the satellite too. It said satellite-carrier rocket Ghaem-100, using solid fuel, was designed, and made by the Guard aerospace division.

Though Iran has long planned to send satellites into orbit, this is the first launch under reformist President Masoud Pezezhkian after his hardline predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a May helicopter crash.

Tehran,Iran, The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Ileana forced residents and tourists in Mexico’s resort-studded Los Cabos to stay inside as rain pounded the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Ileana moved Saturday northward over the southern Gulf of California at 9mph (15 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was about 75 miles (115 km) north-northeast of Cabo San Lucas with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the center said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for portions of the Baja California Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Forecasters predicted 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain would fall with Ileana, and up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) was possible for coastal areas of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco states through Friday.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in portions of Baja California Sur during the next several hours where Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect. This heavy rainfall will bring a risk of flash flooding and mudslides to portions of western Mexico and southern Baja California.

Juan Manuel Arce Ortega, from Los Cabos Civil Protection, said, “The entire municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos are already on red alert. This means that efforts are already underway to inform the population, as well as the implementation (of measures) and evacuation to temporary shelters.”

They also urged residents to avoid crossing rivers, streams, and low areas where they can be swept away by water.

All schools in Los Cabos were also suspended Friday due to the storm.

Óscar Cruces Rodríguez of Mexico’s federal Civil Protection said in a statement that residents should avoid leaving their homes until the storm passes and if residents are in an area at risk of flooding to find temporary shelters.

Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection.

At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. “The rain isn’t very strong right now, but the waves are choppy,” he said.

“The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee,” Galvan said. “There’s some flights canceled but everything is ok at the moment.” Galvan said they are awaiting further advisories from authorities.

Rain remained consistent through Los Cabos Friday afternoon, with several roads flooded and some resorts stacking up sandbags on their perimeters. Some people were still walking around boat docks with their umbrellas.

“The priority has to be safety, starting with the workers. We always have to check on our colleagues who live in risk areas,” said Lyzzette Liceaga, a tour operator at Los Cabos.

We give them the information shared by the authorities — firefighters in risk areas — so that they can go to the shelters if necessary,” she added.

The Associated Press

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