Canadians must choose between hobbies and children’s lives: gun-control group | Canada News Media
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Canadians must choose between hobbies and children’s lives: gun-control group

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OTTAWA — An umbrella group of gun-control advocates says any exceptions to the federal handgun freeze should be very narrowly defined.

Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun Control told the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday it is important that exemptions do not become the rule.

The Liberal government has enacted a regulatory freeze on importing, buying, selling or otherwise transferring handguns, in order to help stem firearm-related violence — measures to be reinforced through legislation.

The government says effectively capping the number of handguns in Canada will make people safer, noting they were the most serious weapon present in most firearm-related violent crimes between 2009 and 2020.

Businesses could still sell to exempted individuals, including elite sport shooters who compete or coach in handgun events recognized by the International Olympic or Paralympic committees.

Representatives of the International Practical Shooting Confederation asked MPs studying the bill to broaden the exemption to include participants in their competitions.

Unlike more traditional competitions, IPSC matches can involve firing on the move at stationary and mobile targets, and trying to be quick between shots when reloading or drawing from a holster.

The confederation’s Jim Smith said the bill “will result in a slow demise for our sport in Canada. Having no new athletes introduced to replace the existing competitors, and the inability to replace equipment as it wears out will result in the end of our sport over time.”

Cukier told MPs the exemptions should be limited to Olympic-level athletes, with a requirement that such shooters show they are entitled to use a handgun.

“I really think that we have to make a choice between hobbies and our children’s lives. I see it that starkly. And so I think any exemptions that are provided need to be very narrowly defined,” she said.

“It’s simply not true that all gun violence is a function of smuggled guns — the facts do not support that.”

Liberal MP Pam Damoff asked Smith about the possibility of the confederation becoming the new gateway to handgun ownership in Canada, effectively circumventing the freeze if it were granted an exemption.

“I guess that would be an issue of trust,” Smith said, adding that in order to take part in IPSC, competitors must take a training course and participate regularly or risk losing their qualification.

The bill would also create a new “red flag” law allowing courts to require that people considered a danger to themselves or others surrender their firearms to police.

The government says the measure would guard the safety of those applying through the process, often women in danger of domestic abuse, by protecting their identities.

Cukier criticized the notion of making people go to court for an emergency order, noting the system already allows for a firearm to be taken away from someone who poses a danger.

“What we don’t have are the provisions that require that to be done,” she said.

Two years ago, the government announced a ban on over 1,500 models and variants of what it considers assault-style firearms such as the AR-15. The Liberals plan a mandatory buyback program to offer compensation to affected owners and businesses.

However, supporters of the ban have expressed concern about manufacturers evading the measures.

Cukier said the legislation should be amended to include an evergreen definition of an assault-style firearm.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2022.

 

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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