Alberta infrastructure minister says he accepted free Oilers playoff tickets

HALIFAX – A veteran human rights lawyer tried to convince a Nova Scotia judge on Wednesday that a homeless man living in a tent should have been entitled to the same welfare payments as a person with permanent housing.

Vince Calderhead, a lawyer for Bradley Lowe, a homeless man who died in an encampment last year, told the court it’s reasonable to interpret that the wording of the social assistance regulations permit the higher rate for people living in tents.

“The poor are entitled to the rule of law,” Calderhead, acting on behalf of Lowe’s estate, told the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Lowe started living in a Halifax tent encampment in a city park in September 2023 and applied for a monthly provincial payment of $950 — the standard rate at the time for people with disabilities living in a household. Instead, the 30-year-old was granted $380 a month to cover “essentials” for people without a home.

On Dec. 7, Calderhead argued before an appeal board to have Lowe’s monthly payment from the Department of Community Services raised. However, Lowe died of an opioid overdose on Dec. 15 at another tent encampment that he was visiting, family members have said.

A few days later, the one-person appeal board dismissed Lowe’s appeal, concluding he hadn’t been eligible for the higher rate. In response, Calderhead sought a judicial review before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on behalf of Lowe’s estate, seeking to show that people living in tents should receive the higher rate.

Outside the Nova Scotia Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday, Lowe’s mother, Jackie Lowe, said she asked Calderhead to continue with the case in order to recover retroactive payments that could be provided to her four-year-old grandson — and in hopes that a court victory could influence future decisions on income assistance available to homeless people.

“I understood what Bradley was fighting for, and I wanted to honour what he was trying to do and follow through with it, and I understand it could help others in the same situation,” she said.

Nova Scotia’s legislation on social assistance says a person who is renting or owns their own accommodation “must be allowed an amount of assistance at the enhanced standard household rate.”

Calderhead argued before Justice John Keith that the term “accommodation” used in the relevant regulation doesn’t have a legislative definition, and that it is reasonable for the court to infer that it could include a tent. He told Keith the appeal board member — who was not a lawyer — had incorrectly assumed that tents weren’t accommodations, and that the member relied on policies developed by the department staff rather than the actual wording of the law.

“In this matter there’s been a tone that, ‘It’s up to the department to interpret its own regulations,’ but with respect, these aren’t their (the department’s) regulations, they are the people’s regulations,” Calderhead said.

He also disputed arguments from the Department of Community Services that people who rented apartments have higher expenses than people living in tents. Calderhead has presented evidence in the case that tent dwellers often spend far more on prepared food because they don’t have facilities to prepare meals.

The lawyer representing the Department of Community Services, Matthew Ryder, argued that the appeal board’s decision should be upheld because it was “reasonable,” and it would be “legally absurd” to assume that a tent was something that the legislators had intended when drafting the regulations for who was eligible for the household rate.

Ryder said that Keith needs to consider whether the decision of the board fairly took into account the intent of the legislators.

“If we accept the applicant’s position … (Bradley Lowe) would be using funds for reasons very clearly not contemplated by the income assistance regime or by those who drafted the legislation,” Ryder said.

The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia estimated this month there were almost 1,300 homeless people in Halifax.

Jackie Lowe said her hope is that more money for people living in tents could help them to “better themselves and get out of the poverty and the position they’re in and, if they have disabilities, to access resources so they’re not so focused on staying alive on a day-to-day basis.”

“Bradley was more than a homeless person, he was a father and son and a brother. He lost his way in life …. Now I realize he was trying, and he kept trying, to find his way,” she said.

The judge reserved his decision and will rule at a later date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.

Yeji Kwon’s life is unusual, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The 18-year-old Kwon has spent the past five months on the road with her parents, playing golf on the Women’s All Pro Tour, sharpening her skills to become Canada’s next top player. That hard work paid off last week as she was the top Canadian at the qualifying stage of the LPGA Tour’s Q-Series, tying for 10th to advance to the final level.

“Definitely different from regular teenagers who go to school every day,” said Kwon on Wednesday from her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C. “I’m definitely missing out on that side but I’ve gotten used to it, and honestly, I love this life.

“I travel with my parents everywhere, we take the van, and I’ve had a lot of fun this summer. It’s been busy, it’s been very busy, but I’ve been enjoying every single moment of it.”

The qualifying stage at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., was certainly a highlight.

Kwon had a rough start to the four-round tourney on Oct. 22, shooting a 2-over 74 on the club’s Panther Course. But she bounced back the second day, reeling off five consecutive birdies to finish the day with an 8-under 64 card on the Bobcat Course.

“Going into the first round, I was definitely a little bit more nervous. I had a lot more thoughts going on,” said Kwon, noting she was more comfortable in the second round. “I was a lot more confident. I wasn’t thinking a lot.

“I wasn’t hitting the ball really, really great, but my putting was amazing. I was making everything from almost everywhere, and made almost every par save.”

She then had a 3-under third round and a 1-under fourth round to finish 10-under overall. That put her four shots back of co-winners Mimi Rhodes of England and French amateur Adela Cernousek.

“Yeji came in very prepared, had spent lots of time playing the courses and getting used to them leading up to the event,” said Salimah Mussani, Golf Canada’s women’s head coach, who was in attendance at Plantation. “She has always been a very composed golfer, from watching over the last couple years.

“She carries herself with a high sense of confidence, and complements that with a strong work ethic.”

Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Josee Doyon of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., tied for 31st at 4-under overall. All four Canadians will play in the LPGA Tour’s Q-Series final stage on Dec. 5-9 at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Ala.

“It’s super cool, because obviously, all these girls I look up to and you’re going to advance the final stage along with them,” said Kwon. “It means a lot.

“I’m not really gonna think much about it, though, just play my own game.”

Mussani said she has high hopes for Kwon, who is a member of Golf Canada’s 2024 NextGen girls team.

“To continue to grow, continue to develop her skills and learn more about herself,” said Mussani in text messages to The Canadian Press. “She is still quite young, so I hope she finds time to enjoy her youth as well, while also following her dreams and working towards her goals.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the lone Canadian in the field at the TOTO Japan Classic. She’s 13th on the Race to CME Globe Rankings after tying for 10th at last week’s Maybank Championship. That makes her the fourth highest ranked player on the Seta Golf Course in Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan when the tournament tees off on Thursday.

GRANT THORNTON INVITATIONAL — Henderson and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., will again pair up at the Grant Thornton Invitational Dec. 9-15 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. The unique tournament has golfers from the LPGA and PGA Tours team up. The all-Canadian pair finished second at last year’s GTI, a shot back of Australia’s Lydia Ko and Jason Day.

PGA TOUR — The first stage of the PGA Tour’s qualifying series was in its third day on Wednesday. Held at the Country Club of Ocala in Florida, it had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Milton. Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont., and Blair Bursey of Gander, N.L., were in contention in the tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.

EDMONTON – Alberta’s Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie says he accepted free Edmonton Oilers NHL playoff tickets and says it did not contravene government conflict-of-interest rules.

Guthrie says he attended Oilers home games during the team’s playoff run last spring as a guest of MHCare Medical, a medical supply and distribution company.

Guthrie didn’t specify exactly how many games he attended but he says he has no “business or personal relations” with Sam Mraiche, the CEO of MHCare Medical.

He’s the second Alberta cabinet minister to say he attended a game courtesy of the company, which was involved in the government’s $80-million deal to procure children’s pain medication from Turkey.

The medicine came from Istanbul-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals but its arrival was delayed due to regulatory issues and label problems and hospitals eventually stopped using the medication over safety concerns.

Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf has said he attended a game as a guest of Mraiche, while Premier Danielle Smith accepted free tickets from Explore Edmonton and Invest Alberta, and Sport Minister Joseph Schow and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis have also said they attended games but didn’t say who provided the tickets.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.

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