🩺 Four in 10 child patients face unsafe spinal surgery wait times in Canada: report

Four out of ten child patients in Canada are facing unsafe spinal surgery wait times, according to a new report.

Published Monday, the report also estimates that delaying access to pediatric spinal surgeries costs the Canadian health-care system at least $44.6 million.

The report focuses on the spinal condition scoliosis to highlight the broader issue of prolonged pediatric surgery wait times following the COVID-19 pandemic. 2,778 children are currently waiting for scoliosis surgery in Canada.

While the clinically recommended time frame for paediatric spinal surgery is six months, the report estimates that only 38 per cent of pediatric scoliosis patients are having surgeries within that period in Canada.

#healthcare

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇮🇳 Sikhs stage protests against Indian government over murder

Canadian Sikhs staged small protests outside India's diplomatic missions on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of a Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar .

About 100 protesters in Toronto burned an Indian flag and struck a cardboard cut-out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a shoe. About 200 protesters also gathered outside the Vancouver consulate.

In Ottawa, fewer than 100 people gathered in front of the Indian High Commissioner's office (embassy) in the capital. They waved yellow flags marked with the world "Khalistan", a reference to their support for making India's Punjab region an independent state for Sikhs, a cause Nijjar campaigned for.

"We are really thankful to Justin Trudeau... We want no stone left unturned to get to the bottom of this cowardly act," a protester said in Ottawa.

#India

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇺🇦 Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says that House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota should step down after taking responsibility for the invite of a Nazi soldier to Parliament.

Meanwhile, the House of Commons attempted to make everyone forget their mistake. Government House leader Karina Gould stood up on Monday afternoon to ask for unanimous consent to adopt a motion calling to strike “from the appendix of the House of Commons debates” and from “any House multimedia recording” the recognition of Hunka.

All parties agreed that the moment is embarrassing and should not have happened. But the Conservatives argued there is a difference between regretting an embarrassing moment and erasing it completely, as they refused to consent to Gould’s proposition.

Trudeau probably wishes he had a time machine.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇺🇦🇷🇺Justin Trudeau blames Russian propaganda for Canadian Parliament honoring a Nazi

"Obviously, it's extremely upsetting that this happened... this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada...

It's going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian propaganda, Russian disinformation, and continue our steadfast and unequivocal support for Ukraine," Prime Minister Trudeau said in a statement.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇵🇱🇺🇦 Poland is seeking to extradite Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian man who fought in the Waffen SS on behalf of the Nazis to face trial in Poland for war crimes.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Poilievre taunts CBC, hints at turning $400M in real estate into housing

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre taunted the CBC on X by hinting that he would convert the Crown Corporation’s over $400 million worth of real estate holdings into housing for Canadians.

“It warms my heart to think of the families that will move into a home they can afford, at the former headquarters of the CBC” wrote Poilievre on X.

The comment is also likely a nod to Poilievre’s promise to defund the CBC if elected Prime Minister as well as his recently unveiled home building plan, which includes a review of federal properties and a pledge to sell off 15% of certain holdings to developers.

Poilievre’s comments cited a recent response by the CBC to a question on the order paper in the House of Commons by Conservative MP Adam Chambers revealing how much real estate wealth the taxpayer funded broadcaster has amassed in recent years.

#Poilievre #housing

🍁 Maple Chronicles

⚡️Liberal MP Anthony Rota is stepping down as House of Commons Speaker

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇮🇳 Canada travel advisory to India updated to include protests, 'negative sentiments'

Canada has updated its travel advisory for India to include warnings about protests and "negative sentiments" towards Canadians in light of a recent breakdown in Canada-India relations.

Global Affairs Canada is urging travellers to exercise a high degree of caution when visiting India.

"In the context of recent developments in Canada and in India, there are calls for protests and some negative sentiment towards Canada on social media," reads an update to the travel advisory. "Please remain vigilant and exercise caution."

#India

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🎉 5,000 subscribers 🎉

Blood Meridian has reached 5,000 subscribers. This is a great achievement for us, but at the same time, it's only the beginning.

We will continue to share news from the southern states and Latin America, as well as our analytical work.

Each new subscriber reminds us that our work is needed. Thank you for sharing our content and recommending the channel to your friends.

Today we would like to shout out the channels that Blood Meridian admins read on a daily basis.

@CIG_telegram – current news, history and social matters
@police_frequency – US law enforcement news
@tupireport – most recent news from Brazil and other LatAm countries
@maplechronicles – news from Canada
@BellumActaNews – breaking news & geopolitics
@topicdujour – culture war frontlines
@geopoliticalblog – up-to-date reports on the hottest issues
@africaintel – your main African newsfeed
@UkraineHumanRightsAbuses – unbiased take on the war in Ukraine
@asianomics – news & analysis from all across the Asia-Pacific
@songofoil – energy industry news
@southerncrossintel – intelligence and breaking news from South America

☠️ Blood Meridian

Border Agency to renovate detainee facility for ‘high risk’ migrant offenders

The Canada Border Security Agency plans to convert a wing of its immigration detention centre into “high risk” cells as they will soon no longer be able to rely on provincial prisons to house dangerous migrants.

The director-general for the CBSA, Carl Desmarais, said that a section of the border force’s immigration detention centre in Laval, Que., would soon undergo renovations to install 48 beds for “high risk” migrants. Once completed, the agency plans to make similar renovations at detention centres in Toronto and Surrey, B.C.

Initially, high risk migrants were detained in provincial prisons throughout the country, however that arrangement is set to expire next week.

#Quebec

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Foreign students being tricked into thinking they can get permanent residency by studying in Canada

Foreign students, some of them confused by false promises from education consultants, are being misled into thinking that studying at Canadian postsecondary schools is a guaranteed route to remaining permanently in the country, senators and immigration experts are warning.

Senators warn that there are not enough permanent residence spots to cater to the rising number of these students coming to Canada.

Although attending a Canadian college or university can help a foreign student gain permanent residence here, success is not assured. Under a program known as Express Entry, Canada’s immigration system assigns scores to would-be permanent residents based on their work experience and other factors, and only the highest ranked are invited to apply.

The senators’ report calls for federal action to stop education consultants – who are paid by Canadian colleges to recruit students abroad – from overselling the ease of getting Canadian work permits after graduation.

In some cases, international students are denied these permits because their colleges are not “designated learning institutions,” meaning the schools aren’t on a government list of approved institutions.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🏠 B.C. government orders 60,000 new homes built in 10 municipalities the next five years

The B.C. government has ordered 10 of the largest municipalities in the province to build more than 60,000 new units of housing over the next five years — or face consequences.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced the exact numbers for net new units in the 10 municipalities on Tuesday, months after the province first said those communities would be targeted as part of the government's push for additional housing supply.

The 10 municipalities are Vancouver, Victoria, Kamloops, Abbotsford, Delta, Saanich, North Vancouver District, Port Moody, Oak Bay and West Vancouver.

Overall, the number of units they're being asked to add to their housing stock in the next five years ranges from 28,900 in Vancouver to 664 in Oak Bay — but when adjusted for population, all 10 would see an increase of units between eight and 14 per cent by 2028.

#BritishColumbia #housing

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Uncertainty over Rota's replacement as Speaker could force Parliament to hit pause

Speaker Anthony Rota’s resignation Tuesday will set off a race to replace him, but so far there is no clarity about exactly when that might take place.

Rota said his resignation would be effective at the end of parliamentary business on Wednesday. While there are deputy speakers who can oversee debates, they can only do so until Rota’s resignation takes effect. After that, all parliamentary business is paused until a new speaker is selected.

The last time a speaker resigned during a parliamentary session was in 1984 when Jeanne Sauvé left the post to become governor general.

Under House of Commons rules, the election of a Speaker happens under a secret ballot, with MPs ranking their preferred candidates until a candidate has majority support. Typically, the speaker comes from the governing party, but any MP can put their name forward in the race.

House leaders from all the parties are set to meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss what comes next.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Food bank report highlights food insecurity in Canada

A new report from Food Banks Canada shines a light on the growing number of Canadians struggling to feed themselves.

The inaugural Poverty Report Cards aim to capture the different challenges facing each province and territory regarding poverty and food insecurity.

"Poverty is a reality for at least 2.8 million Canadians, and even more live with food insecurity. This dire situation has led to unprecedented numbers of food bank visits," reads the report.

The report card gives each province a letter grade by focusing on four main categories: experience of poverty, poverty measures, material deprivation and legislative progress.

Leading the way is Quebec with a B- while Nova Scotia trailed all other provinces with an F. Alberta received a D, which is slightly below the national average of D+.

#Quebec #Alberta

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland is asked if the government will reopen the Deschenes Commission to investigate how many Nazi soldiers were welcomed into Canada after the war.

This is an interesting question, given Chrystia Freeland's Ukrainian ancestry.

#Freeland

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🏠 Feds unlock another $20 billion for low-cost rental construction financing

The federal government is unlocking another $20 billion in low-cost financing for the construction of rental housing across Canada, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday.

The Canada Mortgage Bonds program, which raises funds for residential mortgage financing, had an annual limit of $40 billion.

The limit is being increased to $60 billion, with the additional funds aimed at increasing rental construction specifically. This includes apartment buildings, student housing and senior residences.

The federal government says the new funding will boost rental construction by 30,000 units annually.

#housing

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Canadians flock to Alberta in record numbers as population booms by 184,400 people

Alberta's population continues to soar, according the latest Statistics Canada report, notching not only the highest net interprovincial gains ever recorded for the province, but also for any single province since such data started being recorded.

Alberta was home to 4.7 million people as of July 1, according to annual population estimates released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday — a little more than four per cent higher than the same time last year. That's an additional 184,400 people.

Other provinces, including Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, also saw their population increase at rates never observed since data started to be recorded, largely driven by a surge in international migration.

Interprovincial migration — that is, the difference between the number of people who moved to Alberta and the number who left — saw net gains of 56,245, the highest annual net gains ever recorded for any province or territory since data started being tracked in the early 1970s.

#Alberta

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Four MPs plan run for Speaker after Rota's resignation

Four MPs have declared they want to be selected to replace Speaker Anthony Rota when MPs vote on his replacement next week.

Rota is the first Speaker to resign under pressure from MPs, after he welcomed as his guest in the House and led a standing ovation for a Ukrainian veteran of a Nazi unit during a visit by the Ukrainian president.

🔹Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont, currently the deputy speaker, has declared his interest in running for the position, although he acknowledged it was rare for an opposition MP to be named Speaker.

🔹Liberal MP Greg Fergus said he would be putting his name forward as well.

🔹Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, who is currently one of two assistant deputy Speakers, has also indicated that she plans to run for the top job.

🔹NDP MP Carol Hughes, who is the other assistant deputy Speaker, has said she also intends to stand for the position.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Ontario prepares to go big on nuclear, with demand for electricity poised to soar

Demand for electricity across Canada is forecast to double in the next 25 years, and all the signs from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government indicate that nuclear energy will supply the biggest portion of the province's additional power needs.

Among the recent moves by the Ford government:

🔹The province announced it wants to nearly double production at Bruce Power, already the largest nuclear generating station in the world.

🔹The province unveiled plans to add three more small modular reactors (SMRs) to the one already in the works at Darlington, which would together provide enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes.

🔹Ontario Power Generation submitted a feasibility study to the energy minister on refurbishing Pickering, the oldest operating nuclear power plant in Canada.

Nuclear plants currently supply slightly more than half of Ontario's electricity needs. Hydro dams provide one-quarter of the supply, with gas-fired power plants and wind farms combining for all but a fraction of the remainder.

#energy #Ontario

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Canada sees fastest population growth since 1957 on influx of immigrants

Canada’s population grew by the highest rate in a single year since 1957 as the number of temporary workers, foreign students and immigrants surged.

The country’s population rose 2.9% in the 12-month period ending July 1, one of the world’s fastest growth rates, bringing the number of residents to 40.1 million. The jump was driven by the largest recorded increase in temporary residents in data going back to 1971.

The government’s immigration strategy aims to stave off economic decline amid falling birth rates and a wave of retiring older workers. Fertility reached a record low last year with 1.33 children per woman, compared with 1.44 in 2021.

The data show the country added about 700,000 non-permanent residents in 12 months, bringing the number to 2.2 million as of July 1 — a 46% jump from a year earlier. They now outnumber the 1.8 million Indigenous people counted during the 2021 census.

🍁 Maple Chronicles