First Nation chief says B.C. landslide doubled in size, sparks concerns | Canada News Media
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First Nation chief says B.C. landslide doubled in size, sparks concerns

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WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. – The chief of Williams Lake First Nation says a landslide of debris that has dammed the Chilcotin River in British Columbia’s central Interior has nearly doubled in size since Wednesday.

Chief Willie Sellars, who toured the slide site by helicopter Wednesday and Thursday, says the water is continuing to build on one side of the dam, while the other had “completely dried up” for about two kilometres.

Officials have said the water collecting behind the slide south of the city of Williams Lake could reach a level where it will start flowing over the debris, or it will erode the material, setting off a release.

They have estimated a release could come Friday or Saturday, and could set off dozens of evacuation orders and alerts downstream.

Evacuation orders span 107 square kilometres along the Chilcotin, and officials saying the slide poses an “immediate danger to life and safety.”

The nearby Tsilhqot’in National Government has declared a state of local emergency and warned people to stay away from the river.

The state of the river also has Interior Health relocated 21 patients out of a hospital and long-term care home in Lillooet to alternate areas.

Sellars says his community is about 45 minutes away from the slide, so an evacuation of the community likely won’t be necessary.

However, he says the region is of “massive cultural significance” to First Nation communities in the region, noting the slide will also affect navigation channels for salmon.

“(There’s) a lot of history, former village sites, burial grounds, and we need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to document and protect those,” he says.

Sellars says “it’s hard to describe in words how massive this slide is, and how devastating it is,” adding he hasn’t received updated projections yet on when the dam may break.

“We want to get more information out and you know, our team is on it, and working collaboratively with the (Cariboo Regional District), the province and the federal government and I’m feeling very confident that we’re going to have that information soon.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2024.

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Climate protesters arrested outside Pierre Poilievre’s official residence in Ottawa

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OTTAWA – Ottawa police say two people were arrested this morning after an “unlawful” demonstration outside Stornoway, the official residence the Opposition leader.

Greenpeace Canada says its activists blocked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s house and two of them locked themselves to a replica oil pumpjack placed in the driveway.

The non-profit has been critical of Poilievre’s climate change voting record and his advocacy for the oil and gas sector.

Ottawa police say in a statement that about 12 people gathered outside Stornoway shortly after 7 a.m., blocking access to the residence with a “structure” and “not allowing the family to pass.”

Police say two of the demonstrators refused to comply with “repeated” orders to remove themselves from the structure and were arrested. 

They say charges are pending against the two men who were due to appear in court today. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

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N.S. Liberals say if elected next week they would move fast to cut taxes, build homes

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HALIFAX – If Nova Scotia’s Liberal Party is elected to govern on Tuesday, leader Zach Churchill says that within the first 100 days he would call for a meeting of the Atlantic premiers to discuss replacing the federal carbon tax.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday at Liberal campaign headquarters in Halifax, Churchill said he would try to sell the other premiers on his plan to use a regional cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions. 

Churchill has said newly elected New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is interested in the idea, though she has yet to commit to such a plan. He said there’s an opportunity persuade Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Mark Furey.

“We know it isn’t the right policy for pollution pricing in Atlantic Canada,” said Churchill, who has distanced himself from Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government introduced the carbon price.

“We’ve got four governments that do not want the carbon tax, and we have an alternative that can lower prices at the pump while doing our part to reduce emissions.”

He acknowledged that if the federal Liberals lose the election slated for next year, the carbon tax will likely be eliminated, negating the need for a cap-and-trade system.

Churchill said that within 100 days of taking office, a provincial Liberal government would also alert Ottawa to its plan to reduce the harmonized sales tax to 13 per cent from 15 per cent; appoint a minister of women’s health; and recall the legislature to table a budget with income tax cuts and plans to build 80,000 new homes.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s three main political leaders were scheduled Thursday to take part in a “roundtable discussion” organized by CTV News in Halifax. Churchill was expected to be joined by Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston, who is seeking a second term in office, and NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

The 90-minute exchange, moderated by CTV News anchor Todd Battis, is to be televised at 6:30 p.m. local time. 

Last Thursday, the leaders appeared together on CBC TV, and they also sparred during an event hosted earlier this week by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature and the Liberals held 14 seats, while the NDP had six and there was one Independent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

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What to know about Transgender Day of Remembrance and violence against trans people

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Wednesday is Transgender Day of Remembrance, which focuses on trans people who have lost their lives because of violence. Here is what to know.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Transgender Day of Remembrance is marked every Nov. 20 and began in 1999 to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in Massachusetts.

The day marks the end of Transgender Awareness Week, which is used to raise public knowledge about transgender people and the issues they face.

The Williams Institute at UCLA Law estimates that 1.6 million people in the U.S. ages 13 and older identify as transgender. And it says transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violence, including rape and assault.

Candlelight vigils, memorials and other events are held to mark the day. The Human Rights Campaign also released its annual report on deaths of transgender people in conjunction with the day.

International Transgender Day of Visibility, which is designed to bring attention to transgender people, is commemorated in March.

How many transgender people have lost their lives to violence?

At least 36 transgender people have died from violence in the 12 months since the last Day of Remembrance, the Human Rights Campaign said in its annual report. Since 2013, the organization has recorded the deaths from violence of 372 victims who were transgender and gender-expansive — which refers to someone with a more flexible range of gender identity or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system.

The number of victims is likely higher because many deaths often aren’t reported or are misreported, or misgendering of the victims leads to delays in their identification.

The Human Rights Campaign said there was a slight increase from the previous year, when it identified at least 33 transgender victims of violence.

A large number of the victims tracked over the past year were young or people of color, with Black transgender women making up half of the 36 identified. The youngest victim identified was 14-year-old Pauly Likens of Pennsylvania.

Two-thirds of the fatalities involved a firearm, the organization said. Nearly a third of the victims with a known killer were killed by an intimate partner, a friend or a family member.

What is at stake politically?

This year’s remembrance follows an election where advocates say victories by President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates who focused on issues like transgender athletes dealt a setback to trans people’s rights.

It also follows a wave of measures enacted in Republican states this year restricting the rights of transgender people, especially youth.

Half the states have banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next month in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s ban.

Advocates say the legislation and rhetoric is creating fewer safe spaces for transgender people, and they worry it could spur more violence against trans people.

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Associated Press writer Jeff McMillan in northeastern Pennsylvania contributed to this report.

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