Alberta government appeals injunction of transgender health-care law

Alberta is appealing a temporary injunction of a law banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth.

A judge granted the injunction in June, ruling the provincial law raises serious Charter issues that need to be hashed out in an ongoing court challenge of the legislation.

Court of King's Bench Justice Allison Kuntz said the law is likely to cause irreparable harm to gender-diverse youth and she didn't find the contrary evidence submitted by the province to be overwhelming.

Former Alberta health agency CEO says false claims may compromise investigation

The former head of Alberta’s front-line health agency says she's aware of misinformation that may compromise a third-party investigation into a multimillion-dollar health contracting scandal.

Athana Mentzelopoulos, once the CEO of Alberta Health Services, filed a lawsuit against the provincial government in February alleging wrongful dismissal.

She said in a letter Friday that claims are circulating publicly that she was unwilling to meet with retired Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant for an interview in his investigation.

Irish missionary and child among 9 abducted by gunmen in Haiti

An Irish missionary and eight others were kidnapped from an orphanage compound on Sunday, August 3, including a three-year-old child. Armed gang members stormed the children’s home in Kenscoff, just outside Port-au-Prince, in the early morning hours.

The missionary, Gena Heraty, is known for her decades-long care for children with disabilities. EU officials are working to secure the group’s release.

Air Canada flight attendants picketing at 4 major airports on national day of action

Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities on Monday in what their union is calling a national day of action.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says demonstrations are expected to take place at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. 

Heartland Livestock Services closes Brandon auction mart

Heartland Livestock Services announced the closure July 25; the Brandon auction mart has been a historic standby for Manitoba beef producers selling their cattle

Manitoba’s livestock producers have one less place to sell their animals.

Heartland Livestock Services announced July 25 that they are closing their Brandon location.

Carney maintains positive approval rating despite summer cooldown: poll

Prime Minister Mark Carney's popularity may be cooling off in the summer but remains broadly positive, a new poll from Abacus Data suggests.

The Carney-led Liberal government's approval rating dipped to 50 per cent in the firm's latest polling, down two percentage points compared to mid-July and the lowest level since March.

With 48 per cent viewing Carney favourably and 19 per cent disapproving, the prime minister maintains a positive net approval. That figure is a couple percentage points lower than in Abacus's previous poll.

Sacred Serendipity

 

Isaiah 29:14 

Seren-dip-ity–the dip of the serene into the common responsibilities of life.

Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little, and we're seldom disappointed.

RCMP union pushes for change to help force attract talent from U.S., other countries

The union representing front-line RCMP members wants the force to ease requirements for foreign applicants to help attract experienced police officers from agencies like the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The RCMP currently requires that applicants be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status in Canada. Applicants with permanent resident status must have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for three of the last five years.