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Thursday March 25, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 25, 2021

There will ‘absolutely’ be queue jumping for Ontario COVID-19 vaccines in Phase 2, task force member says

A member of Ontario’s vaccine task force says that there will “absolutely” be some people jumping the line for COVID-19 vaccines in the second phase of the province’s rollout but he says the issue can be at least partly mitigated by having more family doctors administer shots.

March 4, 2021

The Doug Ford government has said that it will prioritize nearly three million people with pre-existing conditions as part of the next phase of its vaccine rollout but it has released few details on how it will identify those people and verify their medical history.

That has led to some concerns about queue-jumping, which could ultimately mean that the people most at risk of a severe outcome from COVID-19 have to wait longer for their shots.

“Listen it is not going to be perfect. Even if we have primary care expanded and in their clinics vaccinating individuals where they know their patients and they know who would be a good candidate for the first part of phase two and the second part of phase two that doesn’t fully solve this problem,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Issac Bogoch, who sits on Ontario’s vaccine task force, told CP24 on Tuesday morning. “There will be some honour system and you know what this isn’t perfect. There will be some people who jump the line, there will be, there absolutely will be. This is going to be a challenging thing to police.”

The Ford government has provided a list of 24 health conditions that would qualify residents for vaccines ahead of the general public and has broken them up into three categories – highest risk, high risk and at-risk.

Bogoch said that he doesn’t believe the issue of queue jumping will be a significant problem for the province, especially given the fact that the vaccines themselves will become a much less “limited resource” in the coming months.

But he said that the government will have to find some better ways to verify medical conditions and may have to “rely on peoples goodwill to wait their turn for vaccination” to a certain extent, as well.

“It is being billed as an 11 out of 10 problem when it probably is a two or three out of 10 problem,” he said. (CTV) 

 

Wednesday October 10, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 10, 2018

Minister confident police in Canada ready for cannabis legalization next week

Police forces across Canada should be ready for legalization of recreational marijuana next week because the federal government has provided funds, training and approval of drug-screening technology ahead of the big deadline, says a federal cabinet minister.

January 13, 2016

Bill Blair, minister of border security and organized crime reduction, says the government provided up to $161 million one year ago for police training in how to detect the presence of drugs in drivers. In August, it also approved the use of roadside drug screening equipment to identify those driving while high.

“For the first time ever, the police have been given the training, the tools and the technology to actually detect and deter,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Tuesday.

In the last 18 months, there has been a 60 per cent increase in the number of police officers trained as drug recognition experts in Canada, he said. There are now more than 880 police officers in Canada trained to recognize drug-impaired drivers.

August 13, 2018

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, however, has said there should be 2,000 trained to fulfil the government’s push to crack down on drug-impaired drivers.

Blair said police forces have access to the new Dräger DrugTest 5000, which tests saliva for cocaine and THC, the main psychoactive agent in cannabis. The device, which includes an “analyzer” and cassettes, received approval from the federal Department of Justice.

“People are already and have been for years driving under the influence of drugs and police have never had the ability to detect it,” he said. (Source: CBC News) 

 

Thursday November 2, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 2, 2017

Ontario MPP proposes law to fine distracted pedestrians

A new private member’s bill that would see distracted pedestrians fined up to $50 for crossing the road while using their smartphones was unveiled at Ontario’s Legislature on Monday.

The “Phones Down, Heads Up Act” will be introduced by Toronto MPP Yvan Baker, with a debate set for next March. The representative for Etobicoke Centre, in the city’s west end, said he was prompted to draft the legislation after his constituents raised concerns about the number of pedestrian deaths in Toronto.

In 2016, 42 pedestrians were killed on the city’s streets, the most since 2002.

Baker’s bill would ban people from looking at their phones or electronic devices when crossing roads, with an initial $50 fine for the first offence, $75 for the second and up to $125 for the third. Exceptions would include pedestrians making an emergency call or if they began speaking on the phone before stepping into the crosswalk.

“These fines are modest and are meant to act as a deterrent,” Baker said during a news conference Monday morning. He was joined by Brian Patterson, chief executive of the Ontario Safety League, a group whose work includes pedestrian advocacy. The organization is endorsing the bill.

The legislation would also mandate a ministry of transportation-led annual distracting driving awareness campaign, with a focus on texting and driving.

“This bill is about raising awareness about risky behaviour because limiting that behaviour will save lives,” Baker said. (Source: CBC News) 

 

Thursday September 17, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday September 17, 2015 Chris Austin, Liberal candidate, pulled for views 'irreconcilable' with party values The Liberal Party has removed another Alberta candidate for expressing views that it says don't conform to the party's values. In a statement Wednesday, the party said Chris Austin is no longer a candidate in Sturgeon River-Parkland. "New information was brought to our attention which led to the revocation of his green light status, ending his candidacy," the party said. "Some of Chris Austin`s views, as articulated in past comments, are irreconcilable with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada." Facebook posts still visible on Chris Austin's page include comments made after the Oct. 22 shootings in Ottawa that said "Harper has turned our Nation's Capital into a War Zone as his thirst for War," and suggest the RCMP was the "Canadian Gestapo." This riding will be the party's second nomination do-over in this campaign. - Liberal candidate Chris Brown apologizes for offensive booze-fuelled tweets - Tim Dutaud 2nd Conservative candidate dropped over embarrassing videos - Joy Davies resigns as Liberal candidate over pro-pot Facebook post - NDP candidate Morgan Wheeldon resigns over Israel comments The Liberal candidate in CalgaryÐNose Hill, Ala Buzreba, apologized and resigned earlier in the campaign for things she said on Twitter when she was 16. A third Alberta candidate fingered for off-colour remarks, Chris Brown in Peace River-Westlock, apologized for making profanity-laced remarks on Twitter, attributing them to booze-fuelled anger over the death of his partner in an accident involving a drunk driver. He remains on the ballot. All three parties have had similar candidate controversies in recent weeks, in a growing list of social media trip-ups. The deadline for all parties to nominate their slates of candidates in advance of the Oct. 19 federal election is Sept. 28. (Sou

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 17, 2015

Chris Austin, Liberal candidate, pulled for views ‘irreconcilable’ with party values

The Liberal Party has removed another Alberta candidate for expressing views that it says don’t conform to the party’s values.

In a statement Wednesday, the party said Chris Austin is no longer a candidate in Sturgeon River-Parkland.

“New information was brought to our attention which led to the revocation of his green light status, ending his candidacy,” the party said.

“Some of Chris Austin`s views, as articulated in past comments, are irreconcilable with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada.”

Facebook posts still visible on Chris Austin’s page include comments made after the Oct. 22 shootings in Ottawa that said “Harper has turned our Nation’s Capital into a War Zone as his thirst for War,” and suggest the RCMP was the “Canadian Gestapo.”

This riding will be the party’s second nomination do-over in this campaign.

  • Liberal candidate Chris Brown apologizes for offensive booze-fuelled tweets
  • Tim Dutaud 2nd Conservative candidate dropped over embarrassing videos
  • Joy Davies resigns as Liberal candidate over pro-pot Facebook post
  • NDP candidate Morgan Wheeldon resigns over Israel comments

The Liberal candidate in Calgary–Nose Hill, Ala Buzreba, apologized and resigned earlier in the campaign for things she said on Twitter when she was 16.

A third Alberta candidate fingered for off-colour remarks, Chris Brown in Peace River-Westlock, apologized for making profanity-laced remarks on Twitter, attributing them to booze-fuelled anger over the death of his partner in an accident involving a drunk driver. He remains on the ballot.

All three parties have had similar candidate controversies in recent weeks, in a growing list of social media trip-ups.

The deadline for all parties to nominate their slates of candidates in advance of the Oct. 19 federal election is Sept. 28. (Source: CBC News)

 

Friday March 13, 2015

Friday March 13, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday March 13, 2015

Niqab debate important for Canadians, religious freedoms, ambassador says

Canada’s ambassador for religious freedoms says he thinks it’s important that Canadians are having a debate about the place of the niqab in society.

Andrew Bennett says his office doesn’t get involved in domestic political issues; its mandate is to advocate for religious freedoms abroad.

But Bennett says he’s aware how fraught the issue of the niqab can be and that it’s important for Canadians to have a say.

The Conservative government’s decision to appeal a Federal Court ruling allowing a woman to have her face covered by a niqab while reciting the oath of citizenship has sparked a heated debate about religious rights in Canada.

The government argues Canadian values are at stake while the opposition says to ban the niqab goes against those very same values.

Bennett says he thinks the fact that Parliament is having what he calls a robust debate on the subject is wonderful and proof Canadian institutions are functioning.

Wednesday March 11, 2015Bennett spoke to The Canadian Press on Wednesday on the sidelines of a conference on religious freedoms in Ottawa. That same day, federal Conservatives were scrambling to clarify that their aversion to Muslim women wearing the niqab applies strictly to citizenship ceremonies.

But they struggled to explain why wearing the face-covering veil is no big deal in other spheres of life, including the federal public service, if — as Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintains — it’s contrary to Canadian values and “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.”

“That is what the prime minister said and that is a point of view that one can hold,” said Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who is responsible for federal civil service. (Source: Globe & Mail)

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