nationalobserver--2020-09-30--Meng extradition defence argument should be heard at a trial: attorney general

A lawyer for Canada 's attorney general accused the defence team for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou of trying to turn her extradition hearing into a trial Tuesday .
Crown prosecutor Robert Frater urged Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes of the B.C .
Supreme Court to `` cut off at the knees '' defence arguments that he said have no chance of success .
`` You 're being asked to turn this into a U.S. trial and our submission is you have to stand firm against that , '' Frater said .
Meng is wanted in the United States on charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that both she and Huawei deny .
Holmes is considering whether to allow the defence team to present an argument next year that Meng was the victim of an abuse of process because they allege the U.S. misled Canadian officials in its summary of allegations .
The defence is also asking the court to admit further evidence to support that claim .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Could forests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reducing future pandemics ?
But Frater told Holmes that an extradition judge has a duty as gatekeeper to ensure proceedings are swift and focused .
He said an extradition hearing is not a trial and accused Meng 's lawyers of trying to introduce evidence that would be more appropriate for a U.S. jury to hear .
Evidence that establishes a defence or an alternative inference of what happened does not meet the test of relevance for an extradition hearing so Holmes should dismiss the defence team 's motion , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep these proceedings on the straight and narrow , '' Frater told Holmes .
`` Your duty here , in my respectful submission , is not to let this proceeding become a trial , not to admit expert evidence on causality in U.S. sanctions law to force us to file responding evidence so that you can decide an issue of which , with greatest respect , you have no expertise . ''
Meng is accused of misrepresenting Huawei 's relationship with Skycom during a 2013 PowerPoint presentation to HSBC , putting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Iran .
Do n't try to turn Meng Wanzhou 's extradition treaty into a trial , a lawyer for Canada 's attorney general warns .
# Huawei Meng , Huawei 's chief financial officer , was arrested at Vancouver 's airport in December 2018 .
Defence lawyer Frank Addario told the judge Tuesday that the United States describes the PowerPoint presentation as the `` cornerstone of its case , '' yet only describes part of the presentation in its case summary .
He said additional slides in the same presentation show that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners that both did business in Iran , and the bank had the information it needed to navigate trade laws .
`` No banker would leave that meeting thinking that Huawei had distanced itself from Skycom in any way material to U.S. sanctions consequences for the bank , '' Addario said .
On Monday , defence lawyer Scott Fenton told the judge that the summary of allegations used to justify Meng 's arrest could be considered an abuse of process .
But Frater said that taken as a whole , the PowerPoint is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was safe to do business with Huawei .
The presentation 's title , `` Trust , Compliance and Co-operation , '' sets the theme for the entire presentation , he said .
`` This is a tool of persuasion , it 's a tool trying to persuade HSBC that there is no reason to discontinue their relationship with this bank because it will not put them in trouble with U.S. sanctions , '' Frater said .
U.S. officials were not required to included every single piece of evidence in its overall record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are n't relevant to the extradition hearing .
The same goes for additional affidavits from a retired bank manager and an American international law expert , he said .
`` Tell it to the U.S. judge , '' he said .

A lawyer for Canada's attorney general accused the defence team for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou of trying to turn her extradition hearing into a trial Tuesday. Crown prosecutor Robert Frater urged Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes of the B.C. Supreme Court to "cut off at the knees" defence arguments that he said have no chance of success. "You're being asked to turn this into a U.S. trial and our submission is you have to stand firm against that," Frater said. Meng is wanted in the United States on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud that both she and Huawei deny. Holmes is considering whether to allow the defence team to present an argument next year that Meng was the victim of an abuse of process because they allege the U.S. misled Canadian officials in its summary of allegations. The defence is also asking the court to admit further evidence to support that claim.
But Frater told Holmes that an extradition judge has a duty as gatekeeper to ensure proceedings are swift and focused. He said an extradition hearing is not a trial and accused Meng's lawyers of trying to introduce evidence that would be more appropriate for a U.S. jury to hear. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Evidence that establishes a defence or an alternative inference of what happened does not meet the test of relevance for an extradition hearing so Holmes should dismiss the defence team's motion, he said.
"It falls to you to try to keep these proceedings on the straight and narrow," Frater told Holmes. Don't try to turn Meng Wanzhou's extradition treaty into a trial, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general warns. #Huawei "Your duty here, in my respectful submission, is not to let this proceeding become a trial, not to admit expert evidence on causality in U.S. sanctions law to force us to file responding evidence so that you can decide an issue of which, with greatest respect, you have no expertise." Meng is accused of misrepresenting Huawei's relationship with Skycom during a 2013 PowerPoint presentation to HSBC, putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, was arrested at Vancouver's airport in December 2018. Defence lawyer Frank Addario told the judge Tuesday that the United States describes the PowerPoint presentation as the "cornerstone of its case," yet only describes part of the presentation in its case summary.
He said additional slides in the same presentation show that Meng clearly described Huawei and Skycom as partners that both did business in Iran, and the bank had the information it needed to navigate trade laws. "No banker would leave that meeting thinking that Huawei had distanced itself from Skycom in any way material to U.S. sanctions consequences for the bank," Addario said. On Monday, defence lawyer Scott Fenton told the judge that the summary of allegations used to justify Meng's arrest could be considered an abuse of process.


nationalobserver--2020-09-30--Black, Indigenous people receive apology for systemic racism in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil apologized Tuesday to Black and Indigenous Nova Scotians for systemic racism in the province 's justice system , and said the government is committed to reform .
Institutions such as the police and the courts have failed Black and Indigenous people , McNeil told a gathering at a YMCA in downtown Halifax .
He apologized for the harm , trauma and pain he said many Nova Scotians have endured over generations .
`` I see you , I hear you , I believe you and I am sorry . ''
The premier described the humiliating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning their sons to be fearful of police officers .
`` We are sorry to young Nova Scotians , to adults , families and their ancestors , who have been failed by racist institutions and systems , '' he said .
`` I can ’ t take away your pain .
I can ’ t bring back lost opportunities or lives . ''
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovery and reducing future pandemics ?
The Black Lives Matter movement in Nova Scotia and around the world , he said , has highlighted the systemic failures that have resulted from relying on law enforcement for public safety .
McNeil said he is putting together a restorative justice team composed of members of Black and Indigenous communities , as well as members of government and the police , to work on ways to reform the justice system .
He said the restorative justice team will look beyond policing .
It will analyze the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspects of the justice system , he said , adding it will also consider the social issues underlying the criminalization of Black and Indigenous communities .
`` We are graduating more African Nova Scotian and Indigenous people than ever in our history , '' McNeil said , `` but we 're not attaching them to the workforce .
Something 's wrong .
There 's an inequity we can not let stand . ''
McNeil 's apology and his call for reform follow a public apology by the Halifax police chief last November regarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which officers collect information from people .
Chief Dan Kinsella 's statements were in response to findings from a 2019 study by criminologist Scot Wortley , whose research indicated Black citizens were five times more likely to be stopped by police than white citizens .
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil apologized on Tuesday , September 29 , 2020 , to Black and Indigenous Nova Scotians for systemic racism in the province 's justice system , and said the government is committed to reform .
The restorative justice team includes Julia Cecchetto , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who said Tuesday , `` as police we have heard the call from cities and communities in Nova Scotia that it 's time for change and we know it 's time for us to show up and have the hard conversations . ''
Kate MacDonald , an activist with the African Nova Scotian community , said she joined the restorative process because she believes deep changes are needed .
`` Policing was born with racism as its backbone , so we need to re-create something with a new backbone , born out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
`` I am hoping this process involves reparations ... because there is a lot of mistrust between African Nova Scotian communities and the police and the justice system . ''
While Wortley 's report on street checks has been the driving force behind the apologies , members of Nova Scotia 's black point to a long history of racism in the province 's justice system .
Racist incidents include the case of Viola Desmond , a Black businesswoman who on Nov. 8 , 1946 , was arrested and jailed after sitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Glasgow , N.S.
, movie theatre .
There was also the April 12 , 1998 , `` driving while black '' arrest of professional boxer Kirk Johnson .
Johnson was pursued by police and his car was towed after an officer was n't satisfied by the documents offered .
A board of inquiry ruled in 2003 that Johnson 's treatment was a violation of his human rights .
The board called for a study of the way police conduct traffic stops , but that recommendation was never carried out .
The premier said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work over the next 12-18 months .

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil apologized Tuesday to Black and Indigenous Nova Scotians for systemic racism in the province's justice system, and said the government is committed to reform. Institutions such as the police and the courts have failed Black and Indigenous people, McNeil told a gathering at a YMCA in downtown Halifax. He apologized for the harm, trauma and pain he said many Nova Scotians have endured over generations. "I see you, I hear you, I believe you and I am sorry." The premier described the humiliating "lived reality" of Black mothers warning their sons to be fearful of police officers. "We are sorry to young Nova Scotians, to adults, families and their ancestors, who have been failed by racist institutions and systems," he said. "I can’t take away your pain. I can’t bring back lost opportunities or lives."
The Black Lives Matter movement in Nova Scotia and around the world, he said, has highlighted the systemic failures that have resulted from relying on law enforcement for public safety. McNeil said he is putting together a restorative justice team composed of members of Black and Indigenous communities, as well as members of government and the police, to work on ways to reform the justice system. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions He said the restorative justice team will look beyond policing. It will analyze the jail system, the judiciary and other aspects of the justice system, he said, adding it will also consider the social issues underlying the criminalization of Black and Indigenous communities.
"We are graduating more African Nova Scotian and Indigenous people than ever in our history," McNeil said, "but we're not attaching them to the workforce. Something's wrong. There's an inequity we cannot let stand." Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil apologized on Tuesday, September 29, 2020, to Black and Indigenous Nova Scotians for systemic racism in the province's justice system, and said the government is committed to reform. McNeil's apology and his call for reform follow a public apology by the Halifax police chief last November regarding street checks -- random police stops during which officers collect information from people. Chief Dan Kinsella's statements were in response to findings from a 2019 study by criminologist Scot Wortley, whose research indicated Black citizens were five times more likely to be stopped by police than white citizens. The restorative justice team includes Julia Cecchetto, the chief of police in Kentville, N.S., who said Tuesday, "as police we have heard the call from cities and communities in Nova Scotia that it's time for change and we know it's time for us to show up and have the hard conversations." Kate MacDonald, an activist with the African Nova Scotian community, said she joined the restorative process because she believes deep changes are needed.
"Policing was born with racism as its backbone, so we need to re-create something with a new backbone, born out of something else," she said Tuesday. "I am hoping this process involves reparations ... because there is a lot of mistrust between African Nova Scotian communities and the police and the justice system." While Wortley's report on street checks has been the driving force behind the apologies, members of Nova Scotia's black point to a long history of racism in the province's justice system.


nationalobserver--2020-09-30--Green party accidentally kept donations meant for Glen Murray campaign

The federal Green party accidentally kept donations that were meant to support the leadership campaign of Glen Murray , it said in a statement Tuesday afternoon .
Contributions meant for the former Winnipeg mayor and Ontario Liberal cabinet minister were incorrectly treated as general donations and kept in party coffers rather than being passed on .
Donations to the Green leadership candidates have been routed through the party , which processed them and passed 75 per cent of each contribution on to the campaign that raised the money .
Murray said in an interview that his campaign discovered proof of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that donations his team received and passed on to the party office never came back for the campaign to use .
`` We know it ’ s a very significant proportion of the funding we raised , '' he said , likely tens of thousands of dollars .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Could forests be our best strategy for COVID-19 recovery and reducing future pandemics ?
Officially , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it had brought in $ 59,650.20 , making a discrepancy on that scale very significant .
Besides making his fundraising look weaker than it was , the mistake meant Murray could n't afford to do all the campaigning he would have liked .
`` It really gummed up our planning , '' he said .
The Greens ' interim leader Jo-Ann Roberts said that the party is still determining just how much money was improperly withheld .
But it would make the top fundraisers ' tallies `` much closer . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign will be made `` as quickly as possible . ''
Voting for the party leadership has been underway since Saturday , with the winner to be announced Oct. 3 .
The federal Green party accidentally kept donations that were meant to support the leadership campaign of Glen Murray , it said in a statement on Tuesday , September 29 , 2020 , afternoon .
This week , Murray said , his volunteers are torn between trying to track down misdirected contributions and doing what a campaign normally does in the final phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure they 've voted .
Murray said he does n't know whether the situation can be put right this late in the game .
`` Heartbreakingly , I don ’ t know what they can do now , '' he said .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29 , 2020 .

The federal Green party accidentally kept donations that were meant to support the leadership campaign of Glen Murray, it said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Contributions meant for the former Winnipeg mayor and Ontario Liberal cabinet minister were incorrectly treated as general donations and kept in party coffers rather than being passed on.
Donations to the Green leadership candidates have been routed through the party, which processed them and passed 75 per cent of each contribution on to the campaign that raised the money.
Murray said in an interview that his campaign discovered proof of the problem last week, after spotting that donations his team received and passed on to the party office never came back for the campaign to use.
"We know it’s a very significant proportion of the funding we raised," he said, likely tens of thousands of dollars.


nationalobserver--2020-09-30--Donald Trump causes chaos in election debate

A confident and combative Donald Trump wasted little time testing the limits of Joe Biden 's patience Tuesday in a bitter , angry and chaotic war of words and recriminations during the first in-person confrontation of the 2020 presidential election .
Within the first 15 minutes of the televised debate , hosted by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace , Trump had picked fights with the exasperated moderator as well as Biden , who could only grin ruefully and shake his head in disbelief .
Before long , Biden looked and sounded fed up as Trump , visibly in his element @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to control the Democratic party and the influence of the `` radical left . ''
`` Will you shut up , man ? ''
a frustrated Biden finally pleaded .
`` This is so unpresidential . ''
The other 75 minutes did n't get much better .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Could forests be our best strategy for COVID-19 recovery and reducing future pandemics ?
Throughout a night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion and punctuated by all three men shouting over each other , Biden did his best to ignore his antagonist and address voters directly , speaking into the camera .
`` Everything he 's saying so far is simply a lie , '' he said .
`` I 'm not here to call out his lies .
Everybody knows he 's a liar . ''
But he was n't always able to resist rising to Trump 's bait .
`` The fact of the matter is I beat Bernie Sanders .
I beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Biden said when the president called him a proxy for the progressive Vermont senator who challenged him for the nomination .
`` I 'm here standing facing you , old buddy . ''
On the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic , Biden accused Trump of keeping to himself what he knew about the outbreak 's potential severity .
Within the first 15 minutes of the televised debate , hosted by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace , Trump had picked fights with the exasperated moderator as well as Biden , who could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in disbelief .
# debates2020 `` He knew all the way back in February how serious this crisis was .
He knew it was a deadly disease , '' Biden said .
`` He 's on tape is acknowledging he knew it .
He said he did n't tell us or give people a warning of it because he did n't want to panic the American people .
You do n't panic , he panicked . ''
Trump , as he often does , insisted that by closing U.S. borders to travellers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragedy .
`` If we would have listened to you , the country would have been left wide open , millions of people would have died , '' he said .
`` It 's China 's fault .
It should have never happened .
They stopped it from going in .
But it was China 's fault . ''
Any notion that Trump might use Tuesday 's debate to broaden his base was quickly shattered .
Asked to publicly condemn white supremacists , Trump instead told the Proud Boys to `` stand back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committing to a peaceful transition after the election .
He called out Biden 's son for having a drug problem .
And he described racial sensitivity training as a `` radical revolution '' and a `` very sick '' idea .
`` If you were a certain person , you had no status in life , '' he said of why he cancelled such training for federal employees .
`` It was sort of a reversal . ''
There was a small , physically distanced audience at the venue at Case Western Reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were required to wear masks and pass a COVID-19 test to attend , including Trump 's family .
Pre-selected topics for the 90-minute debate included the pandemic , the economy , the Supreme Court , social justice issues and the integrity of the voting process .
Neither candidate was required to wear a mask , but Trump and Biden skipped the customary pre-debate handshake .
While Trump decided to largely forgo any formal debate preparation , the more conventional Biden reportedly spent days preparing , taking part in mock debates with a coterie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president , meanwhile , was clearly more interested in relying on his now-familiar fondness for professional-wrestler showmanship .
Keen to portray Biden as a doddering oldster in a state of mental decline , the Trump campaign made hay earlier in the day with purported demands for an `` earpiece check '' to ensure no one offstage was feeding lines to his rival .
And for days , Trump has ⏤ with a straight face , seemingly ⏤ called on Biden to submit to a mutual drug test , claiming without any evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of performance-enhancing substance .
Biden , who played along Tuesday by tweeting a pre-debate photo of earbuds and a quart of ice cream , struggled at times to avoid stooping to Trump 's level , hoping to focus instead on the myriad weak spots in the president 's record while in office .
He was not lacking for options .
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. , the highest of any country on the planet , is closing in on 210,000 , with the world on the cusp of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8.4 per cent , up from historic lows but with analysts bracing for another downturn .
An explosive New York Times report paints a picture of Trump as a struggling , debt-saddled businessman who paid just $ 750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017 , owes $ 300 million in loans and wrote off more than $ 70,000 for hair styling during his tenure on `` The Apprentice . ''
Trump derided the report as `` fake news , '' insisting he 'd paid millions in taxes over the years , and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden was vice-president , for allowing him to claim generous tax credits .
`` You are the worst president America has ever had , '' Biden sighed .
Trump 's own musings about the integrity of the coming vote and apparent unwillingness to permit a peaceful transition should he lose , fuelled by baseless claims of looming mail-in ballot fraud , have experts describing him as an existential threat to American democracy .
That issue offered one of the night 's few moments of clarity .
Asked point-blank to commit to respecting certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed , then issued a plea to American voters .
`` Show up and vote .
You will determine the outcome of this election , '' he said into the camera .
`` He can not stop you from being able to determine the outcome of this election . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29 , 2020 .

A confident and combative Donald Trump wasted little time testing the limits of Joe Biden's patience Tuesday in a bitter, angry and chaotic war of words and recriminations during the first in-person confrontation of the 2020 presidential election. Within the first 15 minutes of the televised debate, hosted by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, Trump had picked fights with the exasperated moderator as well as Biden, who could only grin ruefully and shake his head in disbelief. Before long, Biden looked and sounded fed up as Trump, visibly in his element, needled him incessantly about his power to control the Democratic party and the influence of the "radical left." "Will you shut up, man?" a frustrated Biden finally pleaded. "This is so unpresidential." The other 75 minutes didn't get much better.
Throughout a night long on insults, short on substantive discussion and punctuated by all three men shouting over each other, Biden did his best to ignore his antagonist and address voters directly, speaking into the camera. "Everything he's saying so far is simply a lie," he said. "I'm not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he's a liar." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But he wasn't always able to resist rising to Trump's bait.
"The fact of the matter is I beat Bernie Sanders. I beat him a whole hell of a lot," Biden said when the president called him a proxy for the progressive Vermont senator who challenged him for the nomination. Within the first 15 minutes of the televised debate, hosted by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, Trump had picked fights with the exasperated moderator as well as Biden, who could only grin ruefully and shake his head in disbelief. #debates2020 "I'm here standing facing you, old buddy." On the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden accused Trump of keeping to himself what he knew about the outbreak's potential severity. "He knew all the way back in February how serious this crisis was. He knew it was a deadly disease," Biden said. "He's on tape is acknowledging he knew it. He said he didn't tell us or give people a warning of it because he didn't want to panic the American people. You don't panic, he panicked."
Trump, as he often does, insisted that by closing U.S. borders to travellers from China, he prevented an even greater tragedy. "If we would have listened to you, the country would have been left wide open, millions of people would have died," he said. "It's China's fault. It should have never happened. They stopped it from going in. But it was China's fault."


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Movies about real people: the Chicago 7, Gloria Steinem and two documentaries at VIFF

There have been predictions , but that scarcity of new movies hasn ’ t come yet .
I review seven today and haven ’ t even been able to get to three more : On the Rocks ( Sofia Coppola directing Bill Murray again ) , The Boys in the Band ( on Netflix , about the AIDS crisis ) and Possessor Uncut , David Cronenberg ’ s son Brandon ’ s extreme horror movie .
The Trial of the Chicago 7 : 4½ stars THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 : Two weeks before it starts on Netflix , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theatres .
Nineteen across Canada , three here in B.C .
( West Van , Langley and Victoria ) .
Some think it ’ s to tie in with our interest in the American election , although you could hardly top the shenanigans of Wednesday ’ s debate .
I think it ’ s to qualify the film for the Academy Awards , where I ’ m sure it will be a contender in several categories .
This a riveting film , with a cast of top actors at their best and terrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who showed a deft hand with political stories on TV ’ s West Wing series .
Here he takes us into the notorious trial that followed the police-against-demonstrators violence at the 1968 Democratic Party convention .
Looks at the names : Among them Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden , Sacha Baron Cohen as Abby Hoffman ( depicted as far more thoughtful than we ’ ve imagined , certainly more than his doofus buddy Jerry Rubin ) , new Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale ( angry and then gagged and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lynch as Dave Dellinger , Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the man ordered to prosecute them , and Mark Rylance as William Kunstler , the lawyer defending most of them .
And a real standout : Frank Langella as Judge Hoffman vainly trying to keep order in his court and flinging invectives and contempt citations about .
It ’ s a circus at times , we ’ ve known that , but there are a few parts of the story that were new to me .
The film shows two instances where the demonstrators did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a key question in the trial .
And in a voir dire ( without the jury present ) former attorney general Ramsey Clark ( Michael Keaton ) testified his department concluded it was a police riot .
That was not entered as evidence .
You get a lot of details and legal manoeuvres , but also thrilling drama .
( Three B.C .
theatres now ; Netflix starting Oct. 16 ) 4½ out of 5 THE GLORIAS : Why plural ?
Because it takes four actors of various ages to play feminist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because she ’ s there herself late in the film giving a moving speech at the Women ’ s March in Washington in early in 2017 .
The film is a clear-eyed , but not preachy , chronicle of how her women ’ s rights fervour developed .
Dad ( Timothy Hutton ) had big dreams and a mantra : “ If you don ’ t know what ’ s gon na happen tomorrow , it could be wonderful.
” On a trip to India Steinem , now played by Alicia Vikander , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in New York , she became sensitive to milder examples .
Writing for magazines got her only light feature assignments .
She made her name by working as Playboy bunny to write about it .
Later , played by Julianne Moore , she gathered a group and started her own magazine , MS , where even in the first issue they covered controversial subjects , such as abortion .
She allies with important figures like Bella Abzug ( played enthusiastically by Bette Midler ) , lawyer Flo Kennedy ( Lorraine Toussaint ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in marches , campaigns for an Equal Rights Amendment ( still not done ) and in her advocacy .
The film , directed and co-written by Julie Taymor , flips around the various timelines and then uses a neat trick to connect them .
The Steinems of different ages meet and talk .
It works .
One ’ s regrets draw encouraging words from another .
We don ’ t learn much about her marriage , though , and an epic film vibe at the beginning doesn ’ t last and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lots of very good content .
( Available digitally and VOD ) 4 out of 5 WOLF WALK : Here ’ s a beautiful documentary taking us into most the remote landscapes to watch wildlife .
And advocating respect and co-existence with the animals .
Chiefly wolves , but not just , in this adventure by French filmmaker and naturalist Jean-Michel Bertrand .
Three years ago , he brought us a film about wolves in one valley in the Alps .
This time , he focuses on one aspect of their lives and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it .
Young wolves must leave the pack and start again somewhere else .
Bertrand followed one for months and for more 300 kilometres to see how that works .
It ’ s not easy for the animal , which must avoid areas where other wolves already live .
Apparently they ’ re ready to kill to keep it out .
It has to stay away from the increasingly expanding towns where human beings live .
Cars can run them down and people have an ancient fear of , and an ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it 's not deserved .
He follows his subject through deep snow , sets up automatic cameras where he suspects it may go next , and then shows us close-up images of wolves that come right up and sniff the lens .
A camera crew follows him all the while , and we get spectacular images of the mountain trails he takes .
He conveys a lot of wildlife information and a deep appeal to learn to live together .
( Stream at VIFF Connect ) 4 out of 5 NO VISIBLE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the U.S. about police killings and other overreactions .
This film shows it happens in Canada , too .
Alberta filmmakers Marc Serpa Francoeur and Robinder Uppal have a thoroughly researched and alarming documentary about three cases in Calgary .
They say the city has more deaths by police than Chicago , New York City or Toronto .
The finer details are even more shocking .
A cop involved in one incident stays on the job and is involved in another a few years later .
An agency that investigates such things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only one of 71 cases it looked at .
One man who was beaten by police was described as having “ no visible trauma ” in the official report .
Security camera footage shows a man being punched and kicked in a parking lot .
One is driven away in a police car and abandoned in the cold .
Another is shot multiple times in a hotel room .
It ’ s a stunning indictment , and not our usual image of Canada .
( Streaming at VIFF Connect ) 3½ out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another film that poses the dream some have of just switching off the phones and computers for a time and foregoing those distractions .
It sets all that up and then spins a comedy that is gently funny without a great deal of import .
It ’ s a pleasant diversion , though , as a Brooklyn couple ( Sunita Mani , John Reynolds ) borrow a friend ’ s wilderness-surrounded house to live for a week without technology .
They ’ re game , but inept .
He can ’ t chop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moans that they don ’ t have any skills .
“ Millennial softness , ” one writer calls it .
That ’ s appropriate and funny , and then the film turns a corner .
A shooting star delights them at night ; next morning they have a visitor : a round furry creature about the size of a bowling ball .
It doesn ’ t do much , at first , but back on their phones , they find out they ’ ve missed an alien invasion .
Well , that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citing a report on Fox and Friends .
“ They ’ re taking over.
” They feel the paranoia , too , face more creatures outside , find a bottle of wine useful as a distraction and try to drive off .
It ’ s gets stranger from there , but entertains anyway .
( International Village and three suburban theatres ) 3 out of 5 ETERNAL BEAUTY : Since it stars Sally Hawkins , you ’ d probably think this is a comedy .
But caution , it ’ s light all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and from a couple of notes I ’ ve read , apparently a good depiction of it .
The many scenes of Sally seemingly drifting in and out of reality look genuine to me .
She is afflicted with a trauma that came on after she prepared joyously for her wedding , but the groom didn ’ t show up .
She gets phone calls from him now and then saying he still loves her .
Or , is that just her distraught imagination ?
There are many incidents that may or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Writer and director Craig Roberts worked hard , maybe too meticulously , to make it authentic .
He based it on observing a friend with schizophrenia .
So there are cute scenes ( Sally buying her own Christmas presents and asking family members who would have bought them to pay for them ) and darker ones ( a scary party ) .
There ’ s hope when she connects with an equally lost soul ( David Thewlis , as a man with no job , but an imaginary rock band , which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
“ You ’ re not marrying this fool , ” blurts out her mom in a strong performance by Penelope Wilton .
Her doctor advises a self-affirmation that I ’ ve never heard before : “ I am in my oils.
” The film does throw out this question : “ What if there ’ s no such thing as happiness , only moments of not being depressed ?
” ( Available digitally and video on demand ) 2½ out of 5 2067 : Time travel and climate change combine in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And , of course , our planet ’ s very survival is at stake once again .
This one imagines global warming so advanced that plant life is all but extinct and oxygen is non-existent .
People buy synthetic oxygen from Chronicorp , but many are getting sick from it .
The company wonders if people in the future have a solution , send a message and get this answer back : “ Send Ethan Whyte.
” He happens to be a tunnel worker for the company ( and is played by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-worker pal ( played by Ryan Kwanten ) are sent forward in time to investigate .
The motivation for the film , drawing attention to the climate crisis , is good .
Director and co-writer Seth Larney says he has thought a lot about it after a childhood where he played in the woods and streams and now worries about what we are leaving to future generations .
That idea is central to what Kodi finds in the future , most of which I won ’ t dwell on .
There is this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking him to come ?
What happened to the skeleton he finds there ?
As happens so often these days , the normal rules of time travel stories are broken and some surprises show up .
More than a bit unclear and baffling , but intriguing .
( Streaming digitally at Telus , Shaw , Cineplex , Apple TV , Google Play and more ) .
2½ out of 5

There have been predictions, but that scarcity of new movies hasn’t come yet. I review seven today and haven’t even been able to get to three more: On the Rocks (Sofia Coppola directing Bill Murray again), The Boys in the Band (on Netflix) and Possessor Uncut, David Cronenberg’s son Brandon’s extreme horror movie.
THE GLORIAS : Why plural? Because it takes four actors of various ages to play feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Five actually, because she’s there herself late in the film giving a moving speech at the Women’s March in Washington in early in 2017. The film is a clear-eyed, but not preachy, chronicle of how her women’s rights fervour developed. Dad (Timothy Hutton) had big dreams and a mantra: “If you don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow, it could be wonderful.” On a trip to India Steinem, now played by Alicia Vikander, saw extreme examples of women unempowered, and in New York, she became sensitive to milder examples.
Looks at the names: Among them Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abby Hoffman (depicted as far more thoughtful than we’ve imagined, certainly more than his doofus buddy Jerry Rubin), new Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale (angry and then gagged and shackled in court), John Carroll Lynch as Dave Dellinger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the man ordered to prosecute them, and Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, the lawyer defending most of them. And a real standout: Frank Langella as Judge Hoffman vainly trying to keep order in his court and flinging invectives and contempt citations about. It’s a circus at times, we’ve known that, but there are a few parts of the story that were new to me. The film shows two instances where the demonstrators did provoke police. Who started the violence was a key question in the trial. And in a voir dire (without the jury present) former attorney general Ramsey Clark (Michael Keaton) testified his department concluded it was a police riot. That was not entered as evidence. You get a lot of details and legal manoeuvres, but also thrilling drama. (Three B.C. theatres now; Netflix starting Oct. 16) 4½ out of 5
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 : Two weeks before it starts on Netflix, here it is in a few movie theatres. Nineteen across Canada, three here in B.C. (West Van, Langley and Victoria). Some think it’s to tie in with our interest in the American election, although you could hardly top the shenanigans of Wednesday’s debate. I think it’s to qualify the film for the Academy Awards, where I’m sure it will be a contender in several categories. This a riveting film, with a cast of top actors at their best and terrific writing, and direction by Aaron Sorkin, who showed a deft hand with political stories on TV’s West Wing series. Here he takes us into the notorious trial that followed the police-against-demonstrators violence at the 1968 Democratic Party convention.
WOLF WALK : Here’s a beautiful documentary taking us into most the remote landscapes to watch wildlife. And advocating respect and co-existence with the animals. Chiefly wolves, but not just, in this adventure by French filmmaker and naturalist Jean-Michel Bertrand. Three years ago, he brought us a film about wolves in one valley in the Alps. This time, he focuses on one aspect of their lives and has an even more taxing trek to do it.
Writing for magazines got her only light feature assignments. She made her name by working as Playboy bunny to write about it. Later, played by Julianne Moore, she gathered a group and started her own magazine, MS, where even in the first issue they covered controversial subjects, such as abortion. She allies with important figures like Bella Abzug (played enthusiastically by Bette Midler), lawyer Flo Kennedy (Lorraine Toussaint) and Dorothy Pitman Hughes (Janelle Monáe) in marches, campaigns for an Equal Rights Amendment (still not done) and in her advocacy. The film, directed and co-written by Julie Taymor, flips around the various timelines and then uses a neat trick to connect them. The Steinems of different ages meet and talk. It works. One’s regrets draw encouraging words from another. We don’t learn much about her marriage, though, and an epic film vibe at the beginning doesn’t last and it plays more like a documentary. With lots of very good content. (Available digitally and VOD) 4 out of 5
Courtesy of VIFF
Young wolves must leave the pack and start again somewhere else. Bertrand followed one for months and for more 300 kilometres to see how that works. It’s not easy for the animal, which must avoid areas where other wolves already live. Apparently they’re ready to kill to keep it out. It has to stay away from the increasingly expanding towns where human beings live. Cars can run them down and people have an ancient fear of, and an ongoing war on, wolves Bertrand argues passionately that it's not deserved. He follows his subject through deep snow, sets up automatic cameras where he suspects it may go next, and then shows us close-up images of wolves that come right up and sniff the lens. A camera crew follows him all the while, and we get spectacular images of the mountain trails he takes. He conveys a lot of wildlife information and a deep appeal to learn to live together. (Stream at VIFF Connect) 4 out of 5
NO VISIBLE TRAUMA: We get stories quite often from the U.S. about police killings and other overreactions. This film shows it happens in Canada, too. Alberta filmmakers Marc Serpa Francoeur and Robinder Uppal have a thoroughly researched and alarming documentary about three cases in Calgary. They say the city has more deaths by police than Chicago, New York City or Toronto. The finer details are even more shocking. A cop involved in one incident stays on the job and is involved in another a few years later. An agency that investigates such things has found reason for criminal charges in only one of 71 cases it looked at. One man who was beaten by police was described as having “no visible trauma” in the official report. Security camera footage shows a man being punched and kicked in a parking lot. One is driven away in a police car and abandoned in the cold. Another is shot multiple times in a hotel room. It’s a stunning indictment, and not our usual image of Canada. (Streaming at VIFF Connect) 3½ out of 5
SAVE YOURSELVES! Here’s another film that poses the dream some have of just switching off the phones and computers for a time and foregoing those distractions. It sets all that up and then spins a comedy that is gently funny without a great deal of import. It’s a pleasant diversion, though, as a Brooklyn couple (Sunita Mani, John Reynolds) borrow a friend’s wilderness-surrounded house to live for a week without technology. They’re game, but inept. He can’t chop wood or drive a stick shift and moans that they don’t have any skills. “Millennial softness,” one writer calls it. That’s appropriate and funny, and then the film turns a corner.
Courtesy of Level Film
A shooting star delights them at night; next morning they have a visitor: a round furry creature about the size of a bowling ball. It doesn’t do much, at first, but back on their phones, they find out they’ve missed an alien invasion. Well, that’s what the voice message said, citing a report on Fox and Friends. “They’re taking over.” They feel the paranoia, too, face more creatures outside, find a bottle of wine useful as a distraction and try to drive off. It’s gets stranger from there, but entertains anyway. (International Village and three suburban theatres) 3 out of 5
ETERNAL BEAUTY: Since it stars Sally Hawkins, you’d probably think this is a comedy. But caution, it’s light all right, but the subject is schizophrenia, and from a couple of notes I’ve read, apparently a good depiction of it. The many scenes of Sally seemingly drifting in and out of reality look genuine to me. She is afflicted with a trauma that came on after she prepared joyously for her wedding, but the groom didn’t show up. She gets phone calls from him now and then saying he still loves her. Or, is that just her distraught imagination? There are many incidents that may or may not be anything more delusion.
Courtesy of A71
Writer and director Craig Roberts worked hard, maybe too meticulously, to make it authentic. He based it on observing a friend with schizophrenia. So there are cute scenes (Sally buying her own Christmas presents and asking family members who would have bought them to pay for them) and darker ones (a scary party). There’s hope when she connects with an equally lost soul (David Thewlis, as a man with no job, but an imaginary rock band, which he says is on the verge of something). “You’re not marrying this fool,” blurts out her mom in a strong performance by Penelope Wilton. Her doctor advises a self-affirmation that I’ve never heard before: “I am in my oils.” The film does throw out this question: “What if there’s no such thing as happiness, only moments of not being depressed?” (Available digitally and video on demand) 2½ out of 5
2067: Time travel and climate change combine in this breezy science fiction adventure from Australia. And, of course, our planet’s very survival is at stake once again. This one imagines global warming so advanced that plant life is all but extinct and oxygen is non-existent. People buy synthetic oxygen from Chronicorp, but many are getting sick from it. The company wonders if people in the future have a solution, send a message and get this answer back: “Send Ethan Whyte.”
Courtesy Red Eye media and A71
He happens to be a tunnel worker for the company (and is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee). He and a co-worker pal (played by Ryan Kwanten) are sent forward in time to investigate. The motivation for the film, drawing attention to the climate crisis, is good. Director and co-writer Seth Larney says he has thought a lot about it after a childhood where he played in the woods and streams and now worries about what we are leaving to future generations. That idea is central to what Kodi finds in the future, most of which I won’t dwell on. There is this question though: Who sent the message asking him to come? What happened to the skeleton he finds there? As happens so often these days, the normal rules of time travel stories are broken and some surprises show up. More than a bit unclear and baffling, but intriguing. (Streaming digitally at Telus, Shaw, Cineplex, Apple TV, Google Play and more). 2½ out of 5


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Ontario changes COVID-19 guidelines for students

Ontario dropped some symptoms from a screening list for school students Thursday and said those with only a runny nose or headache can return to classes if the symptom improves after 24 hours .
Abdominal pain and pink eye are no longer considered COVID-19 symptoms , and students can go back to school after 24 hours if they only experience one possible symptom and it is improving , according to the updated guidelines , which also cover child-care centres .
Students and children with two or more of these symptoms are advised to stay home until a health-care provider provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a negative COVID-19 test result .
The province reported 625 new cases on Wednesday , 554 on Tuesday , and a record-setting 700 on Monday , but has not moved to tighten restrictions on reopened businesses since .
It has said any such moves in the future would be targeted at hot spots rather than broadly across the province .
Barbara Yaffe , the province ’ s associate chief medical officer of health , said that schools and daycare facilities should not require students and children with symptoms get a negative test result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return .
Parents responded on Twitter by saying they had , in fact , been requesting exactly that .
The Ontario government of @ fordnation is loosening rules on when students should stay home or get tested for COVID-19 as it struggles with long wait times and a testing backlog “ One week ago today , my kid got barred from a city-run daycare until we got him tested , ” wrote Phillip Mendonça-Vieira .
“ In the testing lineup , I met lots of other parents there for the same reason.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Toronto District School Board ) we needed a negative test to return to school for a runny nose , ” said Francisco Rivas .
The Opposition NDP ’ s education critic , Marit Stiles , said parents who stood in line or stayed home with their children “ have a right to be frustrated at the horrible lack of clarity on when kids need a test , and when they should return to school or daycare.
” Yaffe said some 17 per cent of children who tested positive in Ontario only had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could also be the result of another illness , and said a child 's health-care provider should advise whether a COVID-19 test is necessary .

Ontario dropped some symptoms from a screening list for school students Thursday and said those with only a runny nose or headache can return to classes if the symptom improves after 24 hours.
Abdominal pain and pink eye are no longer considered COVID-19 symptoms, and students can go back to school after 24 hours if they only experience one possible symptom and it is improving, according to the updated guidelines, which also cover child-care centres.
Students and children with two or more of these symptoms are advised to stay home until a health-care provider provides an alternative diagnosis or until they get a negative COVID-19 test result.
The changes come as the province struggles to shorten testing wait times and deals with a record backlog of results.
The province reported 64 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario schools Thursday, bringing the cumulative tally to 447.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Judge reserves decision on evidence in Huawei exec’s extradition case

A B.C .
Supreme Court judge is considering whether an argument that the United States misled Canadian officials about its case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou holds enough water to advance to another hearing in her extradition case .
Meng 's defence lawyers tried to convince Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes during a hearing this week that there 's `` an air of reality '' to that argument and it should be heard in full next year , while lawyers for Canada 's attorney general accused them of trying to turn an extradition hearing into a lengthy trial .
Holmes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as whether to admit additional evidence that would support that claim , on Wednesday .
Meng is wanted in the United States on fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud charges that both she and Huawei deny .
She is accused of misrepresenting Huawei 's relationship with Skycom in a PowerPoint presentation to HSBC , putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Farmers are paying to make that possible — and it might put them out of business Defence lawyer Frank Addario told Holmes Wednesday that Meng 's case should not be measured against a list of cases where similar applications were dismissed .
`` You were told there was a long , eye-watering string of cases that dismiss these kinds of motions , '' Addario said in reference to the Crown 's arguments this week .
`` This is not a normal garden-variety extradition case , our record is different . ''
Addario @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of alleged political interference by U.S. President Donald Trump , and because the U.S. left out key details from the PowerPoint presentation in describing its case against Meng to Canada .
Meng told HSBC that Huawei and Skycom worked together in Iran , which was enough information for HSBC to navigate U.S. trade laws , he said .
`` We are saying that what the United States did include was fundamentally inaccurate and what the United States did omit was central to the deception that the requesting state alleges the applicant committed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wanzhou say there ’ s an “ air of reality ” to the argument the U.S. misled Canadian officials about its case against the # Huawei CFO .
Crown attorneys say they ’ re trying to turn an extradition hearing into a lengthy trial .
Lawyers for Canada 's attorney general accused the defence of wasting the court 's time by pursuing a line of argument and evidence better suited for a U.S. fraud trial .
Crown prosecutor Robert Frater urged Holmes on Tuesday to `` cut off at the knees '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no chance of success .
An extradition judge has a duty to ensure proceedings are swift .
Allowing the argument to proceed would mean each side must collect testimonies on what is fundamentally a question of U.S. law — a topic that is outside the realm and responsibility of a Canadian extradition hearing .
`` An extradition hearing is not a trial , '' Frater said .
Addario countered that the alleged omission of details in the record of case against Meng constituted a deliberate attempt to deceive a Canadian court .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose version of events is presumed to be reliable does n't include the privilege of writing a certified record of case knowing it 's going to the court in a way that 's designed to trick the judge into thinking a sanctions violation was inevitable . ''

A B.C. Supreme Court judge is considering whether an argument that the United States misled Canadian officials about its case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou holds enough water to advance to another hearing in her extradition case. Meng's defence lawyers tried to convince Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes during a hearing this week that there's "an air of reality" to that argument and it should be heard in full next year, while lawyers for Canada's attorney general accused them of trying to turn an extradition hearing into a lengthy trial. Holmes reserved her decision on the argument, as well as whether to admit additional evidence that would support that claim, on Wednesday. Meng is wanted in the United States on fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud charges that both she and Huawei deny. She is accused of misrepresenting Huawei's relationship with Skycom in a PowerPoint presentation to HSBC, putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Defence lawyer Frank Addario told Holmes Wednesday that Meng's case should not be measured against a list of cases where similar applications were dismissed. "You were told there was a long, eye-watering string of cases that dismiss these kinds of motions," Addario said in reference to the Crown's arguments this week. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "This is not a normal garden-variety extradition case, our record is different."
Addario argued that the case stands apart because of alleged political interference by U.S. President Donald Trump, and because the U.S. left out key details from the PowerPoint presentation in describing its case against Meng to Canada. Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou say there’s an “air of reality” to the argument the U.S. misled Canadian officials about its case against the #Huawei CFO. Crown attorneys say they’re trying to turn an extradition hearing into a lengthy trial. Meng told HSBC that Huawei and Skycom worked together in Iran, which was enough information for HSBC to navigate U.S. trade laws, he said. "We are saying that what the United States did include was fundamentally inaccurate and what the United States did omit was central to the deception that the requesting state alleges the applicant committed," Addario said. Lawyers for Canada's attorney general accused the defence of wasting the court's time by pursuing a line of argument and evidence better suited for a U.S. fraud trial. Crown prosecutor Robert Frater urged Holmes on Tuesday to "cut off at the knees" the defence team's arguments because they have no chance of success.
An extradition judge has a duty to ensure proceedings are swift. Allowing the argument to proceed would mean each side must collect testimonies on what is fundamentally a question of U.S. law — a topic that is outside the realm and responsibility of a Canadian extradition hearing. "An extradition hearing is not a trial," Frater said. Addario countered that the alleged omission of details in the record of case against Meng constituted a deliberate attempt to deceive a Canadian court.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Dalhousie faculty association raises concerns over president’s letter on Mi’kmaq fishery

Dalhousie 's faculty association says the university 's president may have violated academic freedom after he emailed teachers , staff and students to warn them against making negative comments about an Indigenous-run fishery .
The president 's letter , dated Sept. 23 , came after weeks of tension between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers over the right of the Sipekne'katik First Nation to fish and sell lobster during the off-season in southwestern Nova Scotia .
“ Negative comments against the Indigenous community exercising their right to a livelihood are not reflective of Dalhousie ’ s core values , ” reads the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saini and vice-provost Theresa Rajack-Talley .
`` This includes any disparaging comments by any Dalhousie community member ( s ) . ''
Faculty association president David Westwood said Wednesday his organization is looking into whether the email is a `` violation of academic freedom . ''
He declined to make further comments .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Buying food online ?
Farmers are paying to make that possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of business David Robinson , the executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers , says the letter comes off as “ ambiguous at best.
” “ It tended to conflate things that might be legitimately criticism with things that might be harassment or discrimination that are illegal under the law , ” he said in an interview Wednesday .
Negative comments themselves don ’ t breach regulations and are protected by the university ’ s principles of academic freedom of expression , he added .
Robinson said Dalhousie should consider clarifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faculty wondering if negative comments could lead to disciplinary actions .
`` I think they 've handled this a little awkwardly . ''
Dalhousie spokeswoman Janet Bryson said Wednesday the president sent the email `` to promote and emphasize respectful dialogue within our community in line with our values and in response to matter where unacceptable , discriminatory remarks were made . ''
`` This was not related to academic faculty sharing their expertise .
Academic freedom is a core value of Dalhousie University and we support our faculty ’ s rights and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in an email .
Mi'kmaq fishers have been asserting their treaty right , which was affirmed in a 1999 Supreme Court decision , to fish for a moderate livelihood .
The # DalhousieU faculty association is investigating whether the school president ’ s recent letter about a Mi ’ kmaq fishery is a “ violation of academic freedom.
” They say non-Indigenous fishers have threatened and intimidated them for their off-season fishery .
The Sipekne'katik First Nation says non-Indigenous fishers recently removed 350 Mi'kmaq lobster traps from St. Marys Bay and vandalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , say the Mi'kmaq should follow the licensing system established by the federal government , which prohibits lobster fishing during the off-season , which is from May to November .
Colin Sproul , president of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen 's Association , said Wednesday the president 's letter has driven a wedge between the commercial fishing associations and the marine science department at Dalhousie .
`` Anybody ... at Dalhousie should be concentrating on science and not politics and those statements ca n't be viewed as anything but political statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sproul says the off-season was created to allow the lobster stocks to replenish .
But that claim has been criticized by some marine experts , who say the stocks are plentiful and the Indigenous fishery does n't pose an ecological threat .
Fred Whoriskey , an adjunct professor in the biology department , disagrees with Sproul .
A day after the president sent the email , the biology department published a statement of support for the Mi ’ kmaq fishers on its website .
“ The Department of Biology at Dalhousie University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fishers , '' the statement reads .
`` We respect the rule of law and reject the use of violence in all circumstances for the settling of disputes . ''
Whoriskey said the department isn ’ t concerned about appearing biased because the statement does n't breach the university 's concerns about hateful comments toward the Indigenous community .
“ We understand the university is an academic institution with academic freedom , '' Whoriskey said in an interview Wednesday .
`` So honest debate , respectful debate surrounding a variety of different issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place that would foster these kinds of discussion in a constructive and civil manner . ''

Dalhousie's faculty association says the university's president may have violated academic freedom after he emailed teachers, staff and students to warn them against making negative comments about an Indigenous-run fishery. The president's letter, dated Sept. 23, came after weeks of tension between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers over the right of the Sipekne'katik First Nation to fish and sell lobster during the off-season in southwestern Nova Scotia. “Negative comments against the Indigenous community exercising their right to a livelihood are not reflective of Dalhousie’s core values,” reads the email, signed by Dalhousie president Deep Saini and vice-provost Theresa Rajack-Talley. "This includes any disparaging comments by any Dalhousie community member(s)." Faculty association president David Westwood said Wednesday his organization is looking into whether the email is a "violation of academic freedom." He declined to make further comments.
David Robinson, the executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, says the letter comes off as “ambiguous at best.” “It tended to conflate things that might be legitimately criticism with things that might be harassment or discrimination that are illegal under the law,” he said in an interview Wednesday. Negative comments themselves don’t breach regulations and are protected by the university’s principles of academic freedom of expression, he added. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Robinson said Dalhousie should consider clarifying the statements as different interpretations could leave faculty wondering if negative comments could lead to disciplinary actions. "I think they've handled this a little awkwardly."
Dalhousie spokeswoman Janet Bryson said Wednesday the president sent the email "to promote and emphasize respectful dialogue within our community in line with our values and in response to matter where unacceptable, discriminatory remarks were made." The #DalhousieU faculty association is investigating whether the school president’s recent letter about a Mi’kmaq fishery is a “violation of academic freedom.” "This was not related to academic faculty sharing their expertise. Academic freedom is a core value of Dalhousie University and we support our faculty’s rights and responsibilities within this area," Bryson said in an email. Mi'kmaq fishers have been asserting their treaty right, which was affirmed in a 1999 Supreme Court decision, to fish for a moderate livelihood. They say non-Indigenous fishers have threatened and intimidated them for their off-season fishery. The Sipekne'katik First Nation says non-Indigenous fishers recently removed 350 Mi'kmaq lobster traps from St. Marys Bay and vandalized equipment and vessels. Non-Indigenous fishers, however, say the Mi'kmaq should follow the licensing system established by the federal government, which prohibits lobster fishing during the off-season, which is from May to November.
Colin Sproul, president of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen's Association, said Wednesday the president's letter has driven a wedge between the commercial fishing associations and the marine science department at Dalhousie. "Anybody ... at Dalhousie should be concentrating on science and not politics and those statements can't be viewed as anything but political statements," Sproul said in an interview. Sproul says the off-season was created to allow the lobster stocks to replenish. But that claim has been criticized by some marine experts, who say the stocks are plentiful and the Indigenous fishery doesn't pose an ecological threat.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Critics slam DFO  Discovery Island fish farms decision

Opponents of open-net salmon farms are disputing this week 's finding by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ( DFO ) that farms in Discovery Island waters pose little risk to wild salmon .
Environmentalist groups and conservationists claim DFO ignored crucial independent science to downplay the risks to imperiled Fraser River sockeye salmon in favour of the aquaculture industry .
The DFO studied nine different farm fish diseases and concluded they pose minimal risk to wild sockeye .
However , the federal agency failed to consider scientific findings about the harm arising from sea lice , which can concentrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ juvenile salmon transiting the region , said Stan Proboszcz , science advisor with Watershed Watch Salmon Society .
DFO boldly misled Canadians when finding Discovery Island salmon farms - situated along a critical migration route for juvenile salmon - don ’ t threaten wild fish , said Proboszcz , a past DFO risk assessment steering committee member .
“ Their pro-salmon farming bias and disregard for B.C.
’ s wild salmon could not be more clear.
” • Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing in covering Trump voters • Buying food online ?
Farmers are paying to make that possible — and it might put them out of business Stan Proboszcz , science advisor with Watershed Watch Salmon Society , says DFO 's risk assessments around fish farm harms are misleading .
Photo supplied by Stan Proboszcz .
“ It ’ s a joke , ” said Proboszcz , adding DFO also failed to do a synthesis assessment that would evaluate the combined risk all the pathogens and sea lice pose for wild fish .
DFO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control sea lice problems .
There ’ s already an extensive range of research available on sea lice which DFO relied on in February to update a sea lice management regime , said Andrew Thomson , DFO 's Pacific regional director of fisheries management .
There are measures fish farms can take to control sea lice problems , and once they are in place , the farms meet the minimum risk threshold , Thomson said .
This claim is misleading , said Proboszcz , adding DFO does require farms to manage one species @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which tends to infect wild pink and chum salmon .
However , DFO doesn ’ t require them to mitigate , Caligus clemensi , a species that unduly affect sockeye salmon .
“ Their pro-salmon farming bias and disregard for B.C.
’ s wild salmon could not be more clear , ” said Stan Proboszcz , science advisor with @ WatershedWatch_ , of DFO 's decision that Discovery Island fish farms pose little risk to sockeye .
# wildsalmon As a result of DFO ’ s findings , Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which raise Atlantic salmon , will remain open pending discussion with area First Nations .
The farms were in danger of being shut Sept. 30 , a deadline set by the Cohen Commission report investigating the precipitous decline of Fraser River sockeye .
The 2012 report identified a number of factors threatening sockeye including climate change , over-fishing , and loss of habitat .
But it also focused on the potential danger fish farms might pose to migrating smelts and recommended the fisheries minister should remove open-net pen farms in the Discovery Islands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk to the health of migrating Fraser River sockeye .
Jordan ’ s decision takes place as Fraser River sockeye salmon returns – which used to number in the millions – are predicted to be 293,000 fish , the lowest number since records began in 1983 .
DFO ’ s stance is contrary to independent scientist and peer-reviewed studies that indicate sea lice from fish farms threaten wild salmon , said Jay Ritchlin , David Suzuki Foundation director general for western Canada .
“ Science has established that fish farms can raise sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can kill young salmon , ” Ritchlin said .
“ If you want to protect struggling salmon populations , you should start by getting these fish farms out of the water.
” DFO ’ s determination of low risk to sockeye from the Discovery Island fish farms is not based on absolute findings , Ritchlin added .
Seven of nine of the risk assessments admit some degree of uncertainty , with two reporting a high level of uncertainty , he said .
Ritchlin agreed with Proboszcz that examining each disease individually doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk salmon face .
Given the precariousness of salmon runs , the fisheries minister should take a precautionary approach and pull the farms if the science is uncertain , Ritchlin said .
Jay Ritchlin , of the David Suzuki Foundation , said DFO 's findings that salmon farms pose little risk to migrating Fraser River sockeye are not absolute .
Photo supplied by David Suzuki Foundation .
NDP DFO critic Gord Johns agreed DFO has minimized independent peer reviewed science , particularly around the threat of sea lice and Piscine Orthoreovirus ( PRV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in net pen salmon that could put migratory salmon at risk of various diseases and pointed out the agency is in a conflict .
“ It ’ s abundantly clear that DFO can not both be a promoter of salmon farming , and a protector of Pacific wild salmon , ” said Johns , MP for Courtenay-Alberni .
The federal government should declare a salmon emergency and establish a plan to remediate the Fraser River , a vital watershed for so many communities and First Nations , he said .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sit idle , when we ’ re watching a collapse of wild Pacific salmon happen right before our eyes , ” Johns said .
The salmon farmers jumped to defend DFO 's findings .
DFO ’ s peer-reviewed risk assessments clearly show ocean-based salmon farms pose minimal risks to wild salmon in the Discovery Islands , said Shawn Hall , spokesperson for the BC Salmon Farmers Association .
“ Sound science will support stability and shared values our industry is bringing to the coast today and into the future , ” Hall said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is part of the economic fabric of the province , he added .
And the industry is working closely and openly with Indigenous people to create a shared future of economic opportunity and environmental stewardship , Hall added .
Aquaculture operators are looking forward to participating fully in the upcoming consultations with area First Nations , he said .
Bob Chamberlin , a former chief of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation , said he had little faith in the upcoming consultations between DFO and the seven First Nations in the Discovery Islands region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government say that they will have an outcome from all this by December , really shows what a farce this is , ” said Chamberlin .
Plus , all First Nations impacted by the loss of sockeye salmon need to have a say on fish farms , he added .
A broad coalition of more than 100 B.C .
First Nations , wilderness tourism operators , conservation organizations , and commercial and sport fishing groups all called on the federal government to cease open-net pen operations and move them on land last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group .
“ My question is , ‘ who the heck is the federal government listening to ?
’ ” , Chamberlin said .
“ Because it ’ s not British Columbians but three fish farm companies.
” DFO isn ’ t operating in the interests of the environment or fulfilling its duty to protect wild salmon , he added .
“ And I think that ’ s something that Canadians really need to be upset about .
”

Opponents of open-net salmon farms are disputing this week's finding by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that farms in Discovery Island waters pose little risk to wild salmon. Environmentalist groups and conservationists claim DFO ignored crucial independent science to downplay the risks to imperiled Fraser River sockeye salmon in favour of the aquaculture industry. The DFO studied nine different farm fish diseases and concluded they pose minimal risk to wild sockeye. However, the federal agency failed to consider scientific findings about the harm arising from sea lice, which can concentrate in farms and potentially endanger the survival juvenile salmon transiting the region, said Stan Proboszcz, science advisor with Watershed Watch Salmon Society. DFO boldly misled Canadians when finding Discovery Island salmon farms - situated along a critical migration route for juvenile salmon - don’t threaten wild fish, said Proboszcz, a past DFO risk assessment steering committee member. “Their pro-salmon farming bias and disregard for B.C.’s wild salmon could not be more clear.”
Stan Proboszcz, science advisor with Watershed Watch Salmon Society, says DFO's risk assessments around fish farm harms are misleading. Photo supplied by Stan Proboszcz. “It’s a joke,” said Proboszcz, adding DFO also failed to do a synthesis assessment that would evaluate the combined risk all the pathogens and sea lice pose for wild fish. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions DFO insists steps have already been taken to control sea lice problems. There’s already an extensive range of research available on sea lice which DFO relied on in February to update a sea lice management regime, said Andrew Thomson, DFO's Pacific regional director of fisheries management.
There are measures fish farms can take to control sea lice problems, and once they are in place, the farms meet the minimum risk threshold, Thomson said. “Their pro-salmon farming bias and disregard for B.C.’s wild salmon could not be more clear,” said Stan Proboszcz, science advisor with @WatershedWatch_, of DFO's decision that Discovery Island fish farms pose little risk to sockeye. #wildsalmon This claim is misleading, said Proboszcz, adding DFO does require farms to manage one species of sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, which tends to infect wild pink and chum salmon. However, DFO doesn’t require them to mitigate, Caligus clemensi, a species that unduly affect sockeye salmon. Sea lice on a juvenile salmon. Photo: Tavish Campbell. As a result of DFO’s findings, Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan decided Monday the 18 fish farms, which raise Atlantic salmon, will remain open pending discussion with area First Nations.
The farms were in danger of being shut Sept. 30, a deadline set by the Cohen Commission report investigating the precipitous decline of Fraser River sockeye. The 2012 report identified a number of factors threatening sockeye including climate change, over-fishing, and loss of habitat. But it also focused on the potential danger fish farms might pose to migrating smelts and recommended the fisheries minister should remove open-net pen farms in the Discovery Islands unless DFO could prove they posed minimal risk to the health of migrating Fraser River sockeye.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--O'Toole lambastes Liberals' handing of pandemic

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole used his first speech in the House of Commons as party leader to lambaste the Liberal government 's response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
In his formal reply to the Liberals ' throne speech , O'Toole drew on his own experiences with being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus .
That kicked off a lengthy attack on what he called the government 's slow and at times completely wrong approach that left too many people behind .
O'Toole , an Ontario MP , was elected leader of the party in August , but just ahead of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 as did his wife .
That forced him into quarantine , and he only emerged Wednesday to deliver his official reply to the Liberals ' throne speech .
• Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases • Former New York Times editor says media has learned nothing in covering Trump voters • Buying food online ?
Farmers are paying to make that possible — and it might put them out of business The Tories have already said they wo n't vote in favour of it , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the backing of the NDP is promised and so the Liberal government will likely survive .
`` That throne speech could have provided a clear and distinct plan on the eve of a second wave of this pandemic , it failed to do that , '' O'Toole said .
In the first wave of the pandemic , the Liberals dragged their feet on the deployment of rapid testing , scaled back a government pandemic-warning system that might have flagged the severity of the threat sooner and screwed up early aid bills despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O'Toole said .
But along with attacking the Liberals , O'Toole sought to provide some glimpses of what might be different if he were prime minister — for the Tories are , he said , a government in waiting .
He pledged tough foreign policy that would hold China more accountable for its aggressive actions on trade , increased health funding to the provinces , and fiscal policies that take the needs of small businesses to heart .
`` They do n't need to build back better , '' he said , using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopted .
`` They need to stay open so the family can survive . ''
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole used his first speech in the House of Commons as party leader to lambaste the Liberal government 's response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
O'Toole said Trudeau is a poster boy and what Canada needs is a handyman .
`` Canada doesn ’ t need another slogan , it needs a plan , '' he said .
That plan ca n't just be for those who vote Liberal but for the whole country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan that would appeal to the whole country is part of the work that lies ahead for O'Toole .
He has acknowledged several times that to form a majority government , his party will need to broaden its base and find a way to bring in new supporters .
On Wednesday , he used his first question to Trudeau in question period to press the government on its record on reconciliation with Indigenous people , not a file the Tories have made a priority in the past .

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole used his first speech in the House of Commons as party leader to lambaste the Liberal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his formal reply to the Liberals' throne speech, O'Toole drew on his own experiences with being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. That kicked off a lengthy attack on what he called the government's slow and at times completely wrong approach that left too many people behind. O'Toole, an Ontario MP, was elected leader of the party in August, but just ahead of the resumption of Parliament last week he contracted COVID-19 as did his wife. That forced him into quarantine, and he only emerged Wednesday to deliver his official reply to the Liberals' throne speech.
The Tories have already said they won't vote in favour of it, but while that vote is a confidence measure, the backing of the NDP is promised and so the Liberal government will likely survive. "That throne speech could have provided a clear and distinct plan on the eve of a second wave of this pandemic, it failed to do that," O'Toole said.
In the first wave of the pandemic, the Liberals dragged their feet on the deployment of rapid testing, scaled back a government pandemic-warning system that might have flagged the severity of the threat sooner and screwed up early aid bills despite suggestions for improvement from the Opposition, O'Toole said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But along with attacking the Liberals, O'Toole sought to provide some glimpses of what might be different if he were prime minister — for the Tories are, he said, a government in waiting.
He pledged tough foreign policy that would hold China more accountable for its aggressive actions on trade, increased health funding to the provinces, and fiscal policies that take the needs of small businesses to heart. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole used his first speech in the House of Commons as party leader to lambaste the Liberal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "They don't need to build back better," he said, using the slogan Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has adopted. "They need to stay open so the family can survive." O'Toole said Trudeau is a poster boy and what Canada needs is a handyman. "Canada doesn’t need another slogan, it needs a plan," he said.
That plan can't just be for those who vote Liberal but for the whole country, he said. Putting together a Conservative plan that would appeal to the whole country is part of the work that lies ahead for O'Toole. He has acknowledged several times that to form a majority government, his party will need to broaden its base and find a way to bring in new supporters.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Indigenous communities facing 'alarming' rise in COVID-19 cases

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous communities have been facing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks .
Miller says 673 COVID-19 cases have been reported in First Nations communities in all , and about 130 of them are active cases now .
He says Indigenous communities were successful in facing the first wave of COVID-19 with measures that limited the spread of the virus .
A lot of these practices have been impacted by COVID-19 , she said .
Many Indigenous communities are also dealing with the opioid crisis and more mental health issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` It 's absolutely something that across the country is n't dealt with in the same way that we have to response to it as northerners , '' she said .
`` These are people from small communities that we know .
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous communities have been facing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks .
Perry Bellegarde , the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations , says First Nations communities are among the most vulnerable populations in Canada and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` First Nations face unique realities that require unique approaches , '' Bellegarde said .
`` Those living in poverty or in rural areas need more support and resources , including social and health supports for families . ''
Dr. Evan Adams , the deputy chief medical officer of health at Indigenous Services Canada , said the biggest concern is ensuring that the more than 650 Indigenous communities are ready for potential COVID-19 outbreaks .
His home community on Vancouver Island , the Tla'amin Nation , had a cluster of over 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them and it 's scary for us , '' he said .
`` We want them to be prepared and not scared . ''
Miller said the federal government has provided a total of $ 2.2 billion for Indigenous communities .
`` That has been deployed according to a formula based on population and community wellness . ''
He said the government made the funding programs flexible so Indigenous communities have a lot of options on how to deal with COVID -19 outbreaks .
Miller said there is also a `` hidden epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
`` We are deploying $ 82.5 million to tackle the mental health epidemic , which in fact has claimed more Indigenous lives than the COVID has during the same time period . ''
These challenges come on top of issues Indigenous people have been facing for long time including overcrowding , underfunding , lack of infrastructure and limited access to clean drinking water in some communities .
`` All these other things are exacerbated by COVID but still are present in the top of people 's minds , '' said Miller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Indigenous communities started off with a socio-economic gap that made them more vulnerable to COVID-19 .
`` The fact that they have performed exceedingly well does n't change the fact that that socio-economic gap still exists . ''
Adams said Indigenous communities are concerned about having enough personal protective equipment and about whether they will have access to enough medical staff during the second wave of the pandemic across Canada .
`` We 're doing everything we can to make sure their plans are dusted off and ready , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take advantage of the foraging and hunting season to stay outside , especially those who are living in remote and isolated communities .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30 , 2020 .
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship .

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous communities have been facing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks. Miller says 673 COVID-19 cases have been reported in First Nations communities in all, and about 130 of them are active cases now. He says Indigenous communities were successful in facing the first wave of COVID-19 with measures that limited the spread of the virus. The measures included closing communities to outsiders, imposing local restrictions on gatherings and making sure that people were observing basic health and hygiene protocols. Reopening schools and businesses and places where physical distancing is not possible are all factors in the rise.
Kluane Adamek, Yukon regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said Wednesday that Indigenous people get their strength from connecting to their land, culture and languages. "We need resources to support community-led, community-driven solutions," she said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Being out on the land, spending time with elders and being able to harvest are things that help First Nations to face the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. "The connection through spirituality, through ceremony and through cultural practices is incredibly important."
A lot of these practices have been impacted by COVID-19, she said. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous communities have been facing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks. Many Indigenous communities are also dealing with the opioid crisis and more mental health issues because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. "It's absolutely something that across the country isn't dealt with in the same way that we have to response to it as northerners," she said. "These are people from small communities that we know. Perry Bellegarde, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says First Nations communities are among the most vulnerable populations in Canada and need more assistance to keep them safe. "First Nations face unique realities that require unique approaches," Bellegarde said.
"Those living in poverty or in rural areas need more support and resources, including social and health supports for families." Dr. Evan Adams, the deputy chief medical officer of health at Indigenous Services Canada, said the biggest concern is ensuring that the more than 650 Indigenous communities are ready for potential COVID-19 outbreaks. His home community on Vancouver Island, the Tla'amin Nation, had a cluster of over 30 cases.


nationalobserver--2020-10-01--Ontario in-school vaccination programs moved to clinics, doctors' offices

Vaccines normally offered in school to Grade 7 students will instead be delivered at community clinics and doctors ' offices in parts of Ontario , meaning parents will have to make arrangements to ensure their children are immunized .
The Ministry of Health says local public health units , which are responsible for immunization programs including those in schools , are working to let residents know where they can access the vaccines .
Students in Grade 7 are typically given vaccines for Hepatitis B , Human Papilloma Virus and Meningococcal disease in school .
Some of those shots require more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typically reaches about 10,000 students in Ottawa each year , the unit said .
In Toronto , the HPV , Hepatitis B and Meningococcal disease vaccines will be available by appointment at clinics in the new year , though parents can also ask their health-care provider to administer it , public health officials said .
Reviews of students ' immunization records are also cancelled for the rest of the year , said Toronto 's associate medical officer of health , Dr. Vinita Dubey .
Vaccines normally offered in school to Grade 7 students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and doctors ' offices in parts of Ontario , meaning parents will have to make arrangements to ensure their children are immunized .
`` Vaccines provide individuals with protection from non-COVID-19 diseases .
Students visiting their health-care providers for scheduled or urgent visits should not delay vaccinations at this time , '' Dubey said in an email .
Dr. Jennifer Blake , chief executive officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada , said it 's important for parents to ensure their children get all the necessary doses of the HPV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs .
Ontario already vaccinates students later than other provinces , she said , noting the HPV vaccine may require a third dose if administered at a later age .
The vaccine is the most important preventive measure against cervical cancer , she said .
`` What we know from the worldwide experience is that the most effective programs for vaccination are the school-based programs .
So anything that interferes with a school-based vaccination program can throw us off , '' Blake said .
`` It is something to consider as to whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's worth moving this program back to an earlier grade level so that you do have a little bit of a buffer in case something like this continues or happens again . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 1 , 2020 .

Vaccines normally offered in school to Grade 7 students will instead be delivered at community clinics and doctors' offices in parts of Ontario, meaning parents will have to make arrangements to ensure their children are immunized. The Ministry of Health says local public health units, which are responsible for immunization programs including those in schools, are working to let residents know where they can access the vaccines. Students in Grade 7 are typically given vaccines for Hepatitis B, Human Papilloma Virus and Meningococcal disease in school. Some of those shots require more than one dose. Those programs have been disrupted due to COVID-19, which has seen thousands of students choose virtual lessons over in-person classes. In Ottawa and Toronto — two regions experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases — public health officials say clinics will prioritize administering the flu vaccine this fall.
But they say vaccination clinics for students will be held in the community at a later date to replace the in-school programs. "Given the exceptional circumstances, (Ottawa Public Health) has also invited family physicians to order school-aged vaccinations to their private practice to immunize their individual patients, which is not a typical accommodation," the health unit said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions A series of so-called catch-up clinics were also held throughout the summer to help families stay on top of vaccinations, but those were paused once schools reopened, it said.
The school-based program typically reaches about 10,000 students in Ottawa each year, the unit said. Vaccines normally offered in school to Grade 7 students will instead be delivered at community clinics and doctors' offices in parts of Ontario, meaning parents will have to make arrangements to ensure their children are immunized. In Toronto, the HPV, Hepatitis B and Meningococcal disease vaccines will be available by appointment at clinics in the new year, though parents can also ask their health-care provider to administer it, public health officials said. Reviews of students' immunization records are also cancelled for the rest of the year, said Toronto's associate medical officer of health, Dr. Vinita Dubey. "Vaccines provide individuals with protection from non-COVID-19 diseases. Students visiting their health-care providers for scheduled or urgent visits should not delay vaccinations at this time," Dubey said in an email. Dr. Jennifer Blake, chief executive officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, said it's important for parents to ensure their children get all the necessary doses of the HPV vaccine despite the disruption in the school programs.
Ontario already vaccinates students later than other provinces, she said, noting the HPV vaccine may require a third dose if administered at a later age. The vaccine is the most important preventive measure against cervical cancer, she said. "What we know from the worldwide experience is that the most effective programs for vaccination are the school-based programs. So anything that interferes with a school-based vaccination program can throw us off," Blake said. "It is something to consider as to whether or not in future years, it's worth moving this program back to an earlier grade level so that you do have a little bit of a buffer in case something like this continues or happens again."