Truckers protest in Ottawa against Canada’s vaccine mandate - Al Jazeera English | Canada News Media
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Truckers protest in Ottawa against Canada’s vaccine mandate – Al Jazeera English

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The so-called Freedom Convoy is a rally against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers.

Hundreds of truckers have driven their giant rigs into the Canadian capital Ottawa to protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates required to cross the United States border.

The so-called “Freedom Convoy” – coming from east and west – started out as a rally against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a demonstration against government overreach during the pandemic with a strong anti-vaccination streak.

More than two hours before the protest was officially to start on Saturday, the streets of Ottawa’s city centre were packed with trucks as the blaring, non-stop honking of dozens of air horns filled the air, an AFP news agency journalist reported.

“I want it all to stop, these measures are unjustified,” said one protester, 31-year-old businessman Philippe Castonguay, outside the parliament building.

A truck that is part of a convoy to protest against COVID vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers is seen on Parliament Hill in Ottawa [Caryma Sa?d/Reuters]

Few wore masks, but many were in balaclavas as the temperature with wind-chill was minus 21 degrees Celsius (minus 6 Fahrenheit). By the end of the day, some 2,700 trucks are expected, a federal government source said.

The violent rhetoric used by some of the promoters on social media in the run-up to the protest has worried police, who were out in force.

“We are prepared as best as we possibly can for those who chose to come here to do harm or cause others to do harm,” Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said on Friday, adding the demonstration would be “massive in scale”.

Trudeau and his family have left the home where they live in downtown Ottawa due to security concerns, the CBC news outlet reported.

On Friday, Trudeau told the Canadian Press he was worried about possible violence connected with the demonstration. Earlier this week he said the convoy represented a “small fringe minority” who do not represent the views of Canadians.

About 90 percent of Canada’s cross-border truckers and 77 percent of the population have had two COVID vaccination shots.

‘Right to be heard’

Trudeau announced a vaccine mandate for federal workers in October on the eve of the election, and then last month both Canada and the US imposed one for cross-border truckers.

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole opposes vaccine mandates and expressed support for the protest after holding talks with some of the truckers on Friday.

“I support their right to be heard, and I call on Justin Trudeau to meet with these hard-working Canadians to hear their concerns,” O’Toole said after the meeting.

Counter-protesters stand across from Parliament Hill [Patrick Doyle/Reuters]

Conservative member of parliament Michael Cooper was handing out coffee to the protesters on Saturday.

The protest movement received an endorsement on Thursday from Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who tweeted, “Canadian truckers rule.”

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a major industry group, has said it “strongly disapproved” of the gathering in Ottawa.

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‘Error in judgment’: Province probes school board’s $45k Italy trip for $100k of art

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TORONTO – Ontario’s education minister has asked officials to conduct a governance review of a Brantford-area Catholic school board after trustees spent $45,000 on a trip to Italy to buy $100,000 worth of art.

Trustees of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board promised to pay back the trip expenses, not long after they were reported by the Brantford Expositor, but Education Minister Jill Dunlop said more answers are necessary.

“While I acknowledge that the (board) is taking steps to fix their error in judgment, I remain concerned that accountability was only taken after my ministry and the public expressed clear concerns for the misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Dunlop wrote in a statement.

“With that in mind, I have asked my officials to start the process to conduct a governance review of the board.”

The Brantford Expositor reported that the art purchased in Italy included life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, a large crucifix, sculptures depicting the 14 stations of the cross and a bust of Pope Francis.

Most of the art is destined for St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School, currently under construction, which the board wants to make a “flagship” school, the newspaper reported.

Board chair Rick Petrella initially told the Expositor that he and three other trustees travelled to Italy over the summer to meet artisans and commission the religious artwork.

“We looked at buying it off the shelf, but nothing stood out,” he told the newspaper.

But Petrella and the board of trustees now say in a subsequent statement that they regret the trip, and have promised to repay the expenses, as well as look at donations or other funding to offset the cost of the artwork to the board.

“We recognize that the optics and actions of this trip were not favorable, and although it was undertaken in good faith to promote our Catholic identity and to do something special for our two new schools, we acknowledge that it was not the best course of action,” they wrote.

The province is also conducting an audit of the Thames Valley District School Board in southwestern Ontario due to a staff retreat in Toronto that cost nearly $40,000, including a stay at the Rogers Centre hotel.

The ministry is also doing an expedited investigation of the Toronto District School Board after Premier Doug Ford raised concerns about a recent field trip, which saw students from 15 schools attend a protest on mercury contamination affecting a First Nation community in the north.

Videos of the protest on social media show some march participants chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, which prompted Ford to complain that teachers were trying to indoctrinate children.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Credit card fees for small businesses dipping lower as deal set to take effect

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TORONTO – Credit card fees for small and medium-sized businesses are starting to dip lower as a deal reached between the federal government and the two major card companies is set to take effect.

Mastercard and Visa are reducing interchange fees by up to 27 per cent in a move that Ottawa says will save businesses about $1 billion over five years.

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business thanked Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland for seeing the deal through. In a statement, he said qualifying businesses could expect about $350 savings per year for each $100,000 in Visa sales and about $200 in savings per year for each $100,000 in Mastercard sales.

To qualify, businesses’ sales volume can’t exceed $300,000 on Visa and $175,000 for Mastercard.

The change officially takes place Saturday, but some payment processors have already started to pass on the savings.

The small business group has, however, noted that not all processors have been clear that they’ll pass on the savings, pointing for example to Stripe where not all customers will see a change.

Kelly said Stripe’s decision means the company would keep the savings that were intended for small business customers.

“It’s extremely disappointing to see a big company take this approach,” he said.

Stripe says customers on its Interchange Plus plan, which sees costs vary by transaction type, will see the fee reductions passed through, just like other network cost and fee changes.

But those on its flat-rate plan won’t see a change, because the company says it has seen other costs and fees rise that add up to more than the reduction in interchange fees.

Other processors such as Moneris have said that qualifying businesses on both its interchange plus and flat rate model will see a reduction.

Finance Ministry spokeswoman Marie-France Faucher said the fee reduction should benefit about 90 per cent of businesses that accept credit card, and the department expects companies to pass on the savings.

“The federal government is closely monitoring the implementation of the credit card fees reduction, with the strong expectation that all payment processors like Stripe will pass the savings on to small businesses.”

She said the revised code of conduct for the industry has also given businesses more rights, including switching processors without penalty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Quebec nurses union votes in favour of new collective agreement

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MONTREAL – Quebec’s largest nurses union has reached a deal with the provincial government more than a year and a half after their collective agreement expired in March 2023.

Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé, known as the FIQ, announced Thursday evening that two-thirds of union members had voted to adopt a new collective agreement recommended by a conciliator.

The details of the deal were not disclosed, but a major sticking point had been the government’s push for nurses to be more flexible in moving between health-care facilities to address staffing needs.

The union rejected a deal in principle in April over concerns about transfers between health centres, but president Julie Bouchard says those requirements will now be better defined.

However, Bouchard is not declaring victory and says the union will continue to fight to improve difficult working conditions, which include mandatory overtime and staff shortages.

The union has 80,000 members, including the majority of Quebec nurses, and the new collective agreement covers the period from 2023 to 2028.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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