Youth

Friday, December 16, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday, December 16, 2016 Trudeau Comfortable With Minimum Age Of 18 To Buy Legal Pot Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thinks Canadians old enough to drink alcohol are old enough to smoke marijuana legally. Trudeau made the comment a press conference in Ottawa Thursday, days after aÊfederal task force on marijuana legalizationÊrecommended the national minimum age to buyÊrecreational marijuana beÊset at 18. The report also suggested provinces and territories be permitted to raise the age to harmonize with alcohol consumption laws. In most provinces, the legal drinking age is 19. In Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta, the age limit is 18. The Canadian Medical Association had urged the task force to recommend aÊminimum age of 21, pointing to evidence that brains are stillÊdeveloping until the age of 25. The prime minister, who has long said pot legalization is about keeping the drug away from children and profits away from criminals, told reporters the task forceÕsÊrecommendation felt like a ÒreasonableÓ compromise. ÒWe know the largest misdeeds of marijuana use happens at a lower age than 18, 19 years of age, and I think this is a responsible approach that we have found in terms ofÊbalance that is both practical and useful,Ó he said in French. The task force, chaired by former Liberal justice minister Anne McLellan, acknowledged in its report that there are aÊrange of viewsÊon the right age to be able to buy legal pot. Setting the age too high risks Òpreserving the illicit market,Ó the report reads, and raising the possibility young Canadians will face criminal records since Òthe highest rates ofÊuse are in the 18 to 24 age range.Ó The report also said a minimum age of 25, as recommended by the CMA, was ÒunrealisticÓ and would force many young Canadians to turn to the black market. (Source: Huffington Post)Êhttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/12/15/trudeau-pot-age-18-task-force_n_13656050.html Canada, marij

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, December 16, 2016

Trudeau Comfortable With Minimum Age Of 18 To Buy Legal Pot

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thinks Canadians old enough to drink alcohol are old enough to smoke marijuana legally.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday September 16, 2016 Health Canada plans to restrict fentanyl chemicals Health Canada plans to restrict six chemicals used to make fentanylÊas part of OttawaÕs attempt to address what it calls the national opioid crisis. Health Minister Jane Philpott says a bill brought in by Sen. Vern White means the federal government can act quickly to make the unauthorized import and export of the chemicals illegal. In a news release, Health Canada says its regulatory proposal expeditiously achieves the intent of WhiteÕs bill. Philpott says she is also planning a summit to take place this fall to address the opioid crisis. In British Columbia, a joint task force examining the drug overdose crisis used International Overdose Awareness Day to highlight steps the province is taking on opioid overdoses. Leaders of the task force, the provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, and the director of police services, Clayton Pecknold, say long-term and first-time users are affected equally, and no one who tries illicit drugs is safe. Kendall and Pecknold say certain steps can reduce the chance of an overdose, and they are using the international awareness day as a platform to launch the first phase of B.C.Õs fight against drug deaths. They point to a new testing service to help users determine if their drugs contain potentially deadly contaminants such as fentanyl.(Source: Toronto Star)Êhttps://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/08/31/health-canada-plans-to-restrict-fentanyl-chemicals.html Canada, Justin Trudeau, marijuana, drug, legalization, fentanyl, Ottawa, criminal, opiate

September 16, 2016

Trudeau made the comment a press conference in Ottawa Thursday, days after a federal task force on marijuana legalization recommended the national minimum age to buy recreational marijuana be set at 18. The report also suggested provinces and territories be permitted to raise the age to harmonize with alcohol consumption laws.

In most provinces, the legal drinking age is 19. In Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta, the age limit is 18.

The Canadian Medical Association had urged the task force to recommend a minimum age of 21, pointing to evidence that brains are still developing until the age of 25.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday April 21, 2016 Marijuana legislation coming to Canada next spring CanadaÕs legislation to begin the process of legalizing and regulating marijuana will be introduced next spring, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced Wednesday at the United Nations. During her impassioned speech at a special UN session on drugs, Philpott acknowledged the pot plan Òchallenges the status quo in many countries,Ó but she said the Liberal government is convinced itÕs the best way to protect youth, while enhancing public safety. Canada must do better when it comes to drug policy, she added, saying the governmentÕs approach will be rooted in science and will address the devastating consequences of drugs and drug-related crimes. ÒI am proud to stand up for our drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm,Ó she said. ÒAs a doctor, who has worked both in Canada and sub-Saharan Africa, I have seen too many people suffer the devastating consequences of drugs, drug-related crime and ill-conceived drug policy. Fortunately, solutions are within our grasp.Ó Philpott began her speech with an emotional recounting of a story she recently heard from a mother who lost her daughter to substance abuse. The woman described watching her daughter die as she sought help that should have been available to save her life, Philpott said. ÒShe described watching her daughter slip away as she struggled to access the treatment and services that should have been available to save a beautiful, fragile life,Ó she said. ÒStories like this are far too commonplace. Countless lives are cut short due to overdoses of licit and illicit substances. Today, I stand before you as CanadaÕs minister of health to acknowledge that we must do better for our citizens.Ó PhilpottÕs address happened to coincide with 4/20 the annual day of celebration for cannabis culture l

April 21, 2016

The prime minister, who has long said pot legalization is about keeping the drug away from children and profits away from criminals, told reporters the task force’s recommendation felt like a “reasonable” compromise.

“We know the largest misdeeds of marijuana use happens at a lower age than 18, 19 years of age, and I think this is a responsible approach that we have found in terms of balance that is both practical and useful,” he said in French.

The task force, chaired by former Liberal justice minister Anne McLellan, acknowledged in its report that there are a range of views on the right age to be able to buy legal pot.

Monday, July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013

Setting the age too high risks “preserving the illicit market,” the report reads, and raising the possibility young Canadians will face criminal records since “the highest rates of use are in the 18 to 24 age range.”

The report also said a minimum age of 25, as recommended by the CMA, was “unrealistic” and would force many young Canadians to turn to the black market. (Source: Huffington Post)

 

Saturday October 29, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday October 29, 2016 'Pretty Good Rich Kids': Reaching the OHL takes more than talent What does it take to make it to the Ontario Hockey League? Skill? Certainly. Speed? Sure. Strength? No question. But it also takes something else Ñ something over and above raw talent and physicality. To make it to the OHL, you also need a winning ticket in the lottery of birth. A year-long Spectator investigation finds a highly significant number of the league's Ontario-raised players are from suburban neighbourhoods where most people are well-educated, earn high incomes and live in expensive homes. The odds of them crossing paths with someone living in poverty are extremely low. For anyone familiar with the extraordinary cost of playing hockey in Ontario Ñ $15,000-or-so annually for an elite AAA player and getting higher Ñ this won't come as a shock. If you want to be the next Sidney Crosby, says Wilfrid Laurier University's William McTeer, "the first question you have to ask is how much money do your parents have and are they prepared to invest in your future as an athlete.Ó But cost isn't the only thing keeping children in Hamilton and across Ontario out of the game. Several factors, including geography, public policy and the funding mechanisms of non-profits, are making it increasingly difficult for low- and middle-income families to access the sport, particularly at competitive levels. "I think it's tragic," says Philip White, a sport sociologist at McMaster University. "You live in a culture where everybody is supposed to have an opportunity to advance and kids are simply shut out.Ó Our analysis is grounded in data. Stick with us while we get the heavy stuff out of the way. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/6931904--pretty-good-rich-kids-reaching-the-ohl-takes-more-than-talent/ Canada, Ontario,ÊHamilton, hockey, soccer, amateur, sport, professional, money, wealth,

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 29, 2016

‘Pretty Good Rich Kids’: Reaching the OHL takes more than talent

What does it take to make it to the Ontario Hockey League?

Skill? Certainly. Speed? Sure. Strength? No question.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 28, 2007 Probe into hockey brawl between 8-year-olds A decision on whether to lay a criminal charge in connection with a hockey brawl involving eight-year-olds at a tournament in Guelph, Ont. will likely come on Wednesday, says a police spokesperson.Ê "It's the interaction between the two coaches -- whether or not that was a consensual fight or an assault," Sgt. Cate Welsh of the Guelph Police told CTV.ca on Tuesday.Ê Niagara Falls Thunder coaching staff allegedly spat at a counterpart with the Duffield Devils, Welsh said.Ê But what had everyone talking is the bench-clearing brawl erupting at the game's end on Friday, which involved such young players. Players for both sides belong to Novice AAA teams.Ê "This is a really rare incident," Richard Ropchan, executive director of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association told CTV.ca, adding he can't think of a similar one in his nine years with the OMHA.Ê "Certainly the fact that eight-year-olds are involved -- well, that certainly got my attention."Ê Ropchan added that the brawl "points right to the adults involved. You can't blame the kids for that."Ê Witnesses say there were cheap shots throughout the game, culminating with a fight. (Source: CTV News)Êhttp://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2007/11/26/ontario_leads_in_child_poverty.html Hockey, fighting, contact, brawl, coaches, aggressive, brutality, history, Roman, gladiators, Rome, war, violence, editorial cartoon, 2007

 November 28, 2007

But it also takes something else — something over and above raw talent and physicality. To make it to the OHL, you also need a winning ticket in the lottery of birth.

A year-long Spectator investigation finds a highly significant number of the league’s Ontario-raised players are from suburban neighbourhoods where most people are well-educated, earn high incomes and live in expensive homes.

The odds of them crossing paths with someone living in poverty are extremely low.

For anyone familiar with the extraordinary cost of playing hockey in Ontario — $15,000-or-so annually for an elite AAA player and getting higher — this won’t come as a shock. If you want to be the next Sidney Crosby, says Wilfrid Laurier University’s William McTeer, “the first question you have to ask is how much money do your parents have and are they prepared to invest in your future as an athlete.”

But cost isn’t the only thing keeping children in Hamilton and across Ontario out of the game.

Several factors, including geography, public policy and the funding mechanisms of non-profits, are making it increasingly difficult for low- and middle-income families to access the sport, particularly at competitive levels.

“I think it’s tragic,” says Philip White, a sport sociologist at McMaster University. “You live in a culture where everybody is supposed to have an opportunity to advance and kids are simply shut out.”

Our analysis is grounded in data. Stick with us while we get the heavy stuff out of the way. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Thursday September 8, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday September 8, 2016 Children and Youth Services Minister Michael Coteau is urging city council to end Hamilton's bylaw ban on road hockey. "Road hockey bans are commonplace in municipalities across Ontario, but they don't need to be," the minister wrote in a Sept. 6 letter to council that notes Toronto and Kingston have already bucked the municipal trend. "I am hoping that your council will be next. A vote to overturn the prohibition and let kids play will challenge other municipalities to abolish similar road hockey bans in their own communities.Ó Coteau made headlines in July when he publicly urged Toronto's council to end its own street hockey ban. Council did so over the objections of its own legal staff, but proposed conditions limiting game time to daylight hours and on streets with slow traffic speeds. The move prompted Coun. Sam Merulla Ñ who fought unsuccessfully to kill Hamilton's bylaw as far back as 2002 Ñ to ask city legal staff to revisit the local ban. A report is expected later this year. Merulla said he spoke to Coteau about the value of street hockey in the summer and was "heartened" by the minister's enthusiasm. But he added the province could help by adding language to the Highway Traffic Act that would head off municipal concerns about liability. "With a stroke of a pen, they could help all municipalities feel more comfortable overnight," he said. Municipal lawyers in several cities, including Hamilton, have in the past suggested the strict language in the Highway Traffic Act doesn't provide the legal leeway needed for cities to allow sports in the street. In any event, Hamilton would only enforce its street hockey ban in response to a complaint. But municipal lawyers have argued the rule helps protect the city from lawsuits in the event of an injury. Coteau said in a brief interview he hasn't heard from municipal leaders other than Merulla that provincial rules of th

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 8, 2016

Children and Youth Services Minister Michael Coteau is urging city council to end Hamilton’s bylaw ban on road hockey.

“Road hockey bans are commonplace in municipalities across Ontario, but they don’t need to be,” the minister wrote in a Sept. 6 letter to council that notes Toronto and Kingston have already bucked the municipal trend.

“I am hoping that your council will be next. A vote to overturn the prohibition and let kids play will challenge other municipalities to abolish similar road hockey bans in their own communities.”

Coteau made headlines in July when he publicly urged Toronto’s council to end its own street hockey ban. Council did so over the objections of its own legal staff, but proposed conditions limiting game time to daylight hours and on streets with slow traffic speeds.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday, January 5, 2002 Road hockey: A proud Canadian sporting tradition or a dangerous nuisance? A Hamilton court will weigh in Monday on a father's fate after he played hockey with his kids on their street, infuriating a neighbour while breaking a bylaw that divides neighbourhoods nationwide. "The bylaw says we stay off the street," said Nadia Ciuriak, whose garden has been invaded by countless stray hockey balls from Gary Kotar's kids over the years. "If people want street hockey, the proper way of dealing with that is to go to city council and insist that the bylaw gets removed.Ó While Kotar's kids haven't caused any damage to their neighbour's property, it's the principle of breaking the bylaw and trespassing to retrieve errant balls that bothers Ciuriak. "Initially I retrieved the balls from my garden, but then I decided I had other things to do, and I didn't want them going into my garden," said Ciuriak, who has lived with her mother and sister at the house for 40 years. Ciuriak also objects to the behaviour of some of the players on her street. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, Ontario, Hamilton, sport, hockey, play, road, road hockey, youth, exercise

January 5, 2002

The move prompted Coun. Sam Merulla — who fought unsuccessfully to kill Hamilton’s bylaw as far back as 2002 — to ask city legal staff to revisit the local ban. A report is expected later this year.

Merulla said he spoke to Coteau about the value of street hockey in the summer and was “heartened” by the minister’s enthusiasm.

But he added the province could help by adding language to the Highway Traffic Act that would head off municipal concerns about liability.

“With a stroke of a pen, they could help all municipalities feel more comfortable overnight,” he said.

Municipal lawyers in several cities, including Hamilton, have in the past suggested the strict language in the Highway Traffic Act doesn’t provide the legal leeway needed for cities to allow sports in the street.

In any event, Hamilton would only enforce its street hockey ban in response to a complaint. But municipal lawyers have argued the rule helps protect the city from lawsuits in the event of an injury.

Coteau said in a brief interview he hasn’t heard from municipal leaders other than Merulla that provincial rules of the road are an impediment to changing local bylaws.

“If (the act) is a barrier … I’d love to have a conversation about it,” he said.

But the minister added, while he is keen to advocate for a “common sense approach,” he isn’t intending to enforce rule changes on any city. “Local policy-makers … have to make those decisions on behalf of the people they represent.”  (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

 

Thursday April 24, 2014

Thursday April 24, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 24, 2014

Service sector sees spike in temporary foreign workers

The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada’s hotel and restaurant sector has exploded under the Conservative government as the latest figures show the industry is the biggest user of the controversial federal program.

Recent allegations of abuse in the program – some involving three McDonald’s franchises in Victoria and others tied to a pizza place in a Weyburn, Sask., hotel – have federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney on the defensive and vowing to crack down on offenders. The minister is also musing about new restrictions that could make it harder for fast-food restaurants in urban areas to access the program.

Mr. Kenney’s spokeswoman Alexandra Fortier told The Globe on Tuesday the minister is planning to announce further changes to the program “in due course” that will go beyond new penalties included in the government’s latest budget bill.

According to data compiled by Mr. Kenney’s department, the number of foreign workers in the “accommodation and food services” sector has grown from 4,360 in 2006 to 44,740, an increase of 926 per cent. The actual number of foreign workers in that category is likely higher because the statistic captures only people working under a federal Labour Market Opinion (LMO), a process meant to ensure that no Canadian workers were available.

There are several ways for employers to bring in foreign workers without an LMO, such as through existing trade deals.

More than 200,000 workers were brought in through LMOs in 2012, but data from Citizenship and Immigration show 491,547 temporary foreign workers either entered Canada or were still present in Canada that year.

NDP MP Jinny Sims said the rise is “outrageous” and shows the need for a major review of the program, especially given that youth – who would be obvious candidates for restaurant jobs – face a 13.6-per-cent unemployment rate. Liberal MP John McCallum wrote to the Auditor-General on Tuesday asking for an audit of the program as soon as possible. (Source: Globe & Mail)

REPUBLISHED in iPolitics, The Thunder Bay Chronicle, The Lamont Leader (Alberta), The Red Deer Advocate, The Calgary Herald, The Melville Advance (Saskatchewan), The St. John’s Telegram (Newfoundland)

 

Wednesday August 14, 2013

Wednesday August 14, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday August 14, 2013

Late-night python startles Hess bar patrons

For SaleA group of bar patrons got a late-night surprise when they ran into a three-foot python on their way out of Hess Village.

Hamilton animal control was called on Aug. 7 around 3 a.m. after the patrons left the bar and found the snake slithering into some bushes in a lot near King Street West and Hess Street.

According to the Reptile Store, located a dozen or so blocks from where the serpent was discovered, these snakes are not dangerous.

The ball python is “if not the most popular species of snake, definitely the most popular python,” said Jon Kendrick, business manager of reptilestore.ca.

They get their name because, when startled, they coil up, tucking their head into the middle — like a ball.

They’re timid, Kendrick says, which makes them popular pets.

Because of its “handle-ability,” this one was likely a pet, animal control supervisor Cal Burnett said.

But animal control doesn’t know to whom the snake belongs or from where it came.
The escapee didn’t come from the Reptile Store, Kendrick ensures.

“Again, thankfully, they don’t pose a threat of any significance unless you’re a small mouse.”

Last week, a 45-kilogram African rock python killed two boys — 4-year-old Noah Barthe and his 6-year-old brother, Connor — after it strangled them in a New Brunswick apartment. (Source: CBC News)