Afghan school blast toll rises to 58, families bury victims

VANCOUVER – Forecasters have elevated their warnings about an atmospheric river system that is expected to hit coastal British Columbia on Friday, bringing potential flooding, heavy rain and high winds.

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the south and central coasts, while Environment Canada has upgraded its special weather statement over the region to a rainfall warning, with mountainous areas of Vancouver Island expected to get more than 200 millimetres of precipitation.

The weather agency says the atmospheric river system will arrive early Friday and persist through provincial election day on Saturday in places including Metro Vancouver, Whistler and almost all of Vancouver Island.

The north and central coasts from Bella Bella to Haida Gwaii are also under a wind warning, with gusts expected to reach 110 kilometres an hour.

The River Forecast Centre says a high streamflow advisory is in effect for the north coast, upper Fraser and the Thompson regions.

Environment Canada issued the first snowfall warnings of the season along the British Columbia and Yukon border, with accumulations up to 20 centimetres expected in some areas.

The weather office says the snow will spread through southwestern Yukon until Saturday.

It says 10 centimetres of snow is expected in most regions, but predicts up to 25 centimetres in Swift River.

It says an arctic ridge of high pressure will clear the skies on Sunday and temperatures will fall to about -20 degrees Celsius by Monday.

Environment Canada says the “first substantial snow” is also expected south of the border in Fort Nelson, B.C., starting Friday.

It says about 10 centimetres is expected in most regions, but there could be more than 20 centimetres close to the border.

The weather office is warning drivers about low visibility Friday night due to drifting snow.

It says the Trans-Canada Highway near Rogers Pass may also “see wet snow Friday afternoon before it quickly changes to rain as the weather system brings in mild air.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.

Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.

He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.

It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.

“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.

He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.

Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.

“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.

The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.

“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.

“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”

Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.

Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.

“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.

“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”

Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.

People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.

“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.

The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.

The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.

Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.

Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.

She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.

“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.

“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.

“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”

She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.

“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”

Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.

Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.

Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

— With files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her plan to “Uber-ize” and replace the province’s online continuing care directory is aimed at making it easier for patients to navigate spaces, and the analogy shouldn’t be taken too far.

It comes a day after Smith announced at a continuing care conference she aims to create a new platform that works much like the app to order rides or meals.

“What we’re talking about is creating a portal so that those (providers) who have spaces available can easily post them, and those who need a space can easily find them,” said Smith at the official opening of a new cancer centre in Calgary on Thursday.

It’s part of the United Conservative government’s health-care system overhaul that will see the responsibility for continuing care shifted from the Health Ministry to Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon.

Smith’s mention of the Uber model sparked renewed concerns from public health-care advocates, unionized health workers and the Opposition NDP that further privatization plans are afoot.

When asked if the shift might mean changes to how some in the sector are contracted, Smith said “there’s no contemplation of changing the provision model.”

Alberta Health Services currently offers an online directory that allows Albertans to search for spaces by name, location and type of care, but Smith said there’s a demand for more transparency to make sure all vacant spaces are posted.

“We’ve heard from our various non-profit and private providers that some facilities have as many as 35 per cent of spaces open,” she said.

At the same time, she said the province is at least 3,500 spaces short of being able to keep up with demand from those who are in hospital or living in communities waiting for placement in an appropriate facility.

The province has a mix of non-profit, for-profit and publicly run continuing care operators.

Nixon noted in a statement Thursday the continuing care system is a mix of private, not-for-profit and government-run facilities.

“The transfer of continuing care is not privatization and there is no intention to privatize,” he said.

He added that private service providers and organizations are crucial to maintaining the system, and government will continue to work with them.

Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare said in a joint statement Wednesday the premier’s announcement signalled a move towards more for-profit care.

NDP seniors critic Lori Sigurdson said the administrative changes do not build a single new continuing care bed or offer more service for those who are stuck without options between hospital and home.

“The UCP’s solution of ‘Uber-izing’ services with a full spectrum of available providers sounds like fancy language for the privatization of health care,” she said in a release.

Thursday, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which represents some 62,000 members in health care, said Smith is opening the door to health-care profiteering.

“This government continues to pretend it is running a Fortune 500 company instead of a province,” said vice-president Curtis Jackson in a news release.

“What Albertans need are more beds, higher staff to resident ratios, and more front-line home health-care providers backed by a fully funded and publicly delivered health-care system without the undertone of generating profits,” he said.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that Primary Care Alberta is the new organization responsible for overseeing care from family doctors and nurse practitioners.

Another new agency called Recovery Alberta officially took over the mental health and addiction portfolio earlier this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.