CINXE.COM

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" > <channel> <title>RCI | English</title> <atom:link href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en</link> <description>CBC/Radio-Canada’s multilingual website highlighting the democratic and cultural values of Canadians of all origins.</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 17 May 2021 18:49:06 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2</generator> <item> <title>Questions about Canada vaccine supply and sharing internationally</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/questions-about-canada-vaccine-supply-and-sharing-internationally/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2021 18:49:06 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* Health *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[covid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[share]]></category> <category><![CDATA[vaccine]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185998</guid> <description><![CDATA[Even as vaccinations proceed at a good pace in Canada, some new developments have raised questions not only about the AstraZeneca vaccine, but about administration programmes and possible surpluses. Canada, like many nations was desperate for vaccines when they started…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/questions-about-canada-vaccine-supply-and-sharing-internationally/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Even as vaccinations proceed at a good pace in Canada, some new developments have raised questions not only about the AstraZeneca vaccine, but about administration programmes and possible surpluses. Canada, like many nations was desperate for vaccines when they started to become available and ordered millions of dosses each from a variety of pharmaceutical companies, in fact, millions more doses than the Canadian population. At one point Canada created a bit of backlash when it said it was taking a percentage of supply from COVAX, an international supply of AstraZeneca that was paid for by an international alliance, including Canada, that would ensure supplies for poorer developing countries After a rocky start to procurement that left Canada far behind internationally, and the controversial COVAX issue, supply has now caught up and vaccinations have proceeded at great pace. Canada is now expected to receive some 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines this week. with thousands of AZ doses now left sitting in freezers, More than 650,000 doses of AZ also arrived last week which have yet to be distributed to the provinces. with another 1 million doses set to arrive by the end of June. But word of rare but severe health complications with the AstraZeneca vaccine and three deaths from the blood clotting associated with that product has resulted in most provinces now having paused giving the AZ as a first dose. What will become of the vaccine is an unknown at this point. Over 2 million Canadians received a first shot of the AZ and can get a second shot of that vaccine if they choose. Canada also has some 300,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine but which are being held back. This is due to concerns over the possibility they may be tainted because of issues at the Baltimore production facility. Testing of those vaccines could take weeks according to Health Canada. Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in March that no vaccines would be shared until all Canadians were vaccinated. Now with supplies of other vaccines pouring in, Anand has said discussions are underway about possibly returning the AZ to COVAX, telling Global News only that more will be said on sharing vaccines in the future. Additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-to-get-4-5m-vaccine-doses-as-questions-swirl-around-immunization-effort-1.5430665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Press (via CTV): L Berthiaume: Canada could get 4.5 million doses as questions swirl around immunization effort</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covax-anand-vaccine-timetable-1.5939270" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBC: Zimonjic/Cullen: Mar 5/21: Canada to take COVAX vaccines, won’t share doses until every Canadian is inoculated: Anand</a></li> <li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/experts-call-on-canada-to-use-covax-doses-of-astrazeneca-or-give-them-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Post Media: S Kulha: May 14/21: After a vaccine rollout gone awry, Canada mulls returning AstraZeneca doses to COVAX coalition</a></li> <li><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7863743/canada-astrazeneca-doses-anita-anand/?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=em&utm_campaign=mme_politics&sfi=c4016ce622d3b9cf5ebeb9eab48a223c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global news: A Connolly: May 10/21: Canada could donate excess AstraZeneca doses to other countries, Anand suggests</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/anita-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>COVID-19: North American opinions on summer vacation travel, and the Olympics</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/covid-19-north-american-opinions-on-summer-vacation-travel-and-the-olympics/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2021 17:04:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* International *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[covid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[olympics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[survey]]></category> <category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category> <category><![CDATA[vacation]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185982</guid> <description><![CDATA[This is now the second summer of COVID-19 and opinions on travel continue to be varied. Many insist travel restrictions must remain in place to combat spread, while many others indicate they’re getting fed up with restrictions A new survey…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/covid-19-north-american-opinions-on-summer-vacation-travel-and-the-olympics/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[This is now the second summer of COVID-19 and opinions on travel continue to be varied. Many insist travel restrictions must remain in place to combat spread, while many others indicate they’re getting fed up with restrictions A new survey by Leger360 and the Association of Canadian Studies, in conjunction with the Canadian Press, examined travel plans and opinions about travel to the Olympics in Japan The online survey of Canadians and Americans regarding summer vacation plans in the midst of COVID shows a majority of respondents to the online survey are still hesitant about vacation travel. <div id="attachment_185986" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185986" decoding="async" class="wp-image-185986 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-travel.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="668" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-travel.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-travel-768x514.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-travel-272x182.jpg 272w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Leger360 -ACS, May 2021</div> While those who say they will travel indicate local day trips for the most part, or limit travel to within their province or state, it seems Canadians are far more hesitant about travel to the U.S. than are Americans about visiting Canada. When asked when they would feel most comfortable travelling to the other country, the greatest number of respondents indicated not until 2022, (Canadians-57%, and Americans -32%) <div id="attachment_185990" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185990" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185990 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-where.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="604" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-where.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-where-768x464.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Leger360 -ACS, May 2021</div> It should be noted that at the present time some provinces and states have restrictions limiting travel into the jurisdiction from residents from other provinces or states. At the present time, the U.S-Canada border also remains closed to non-essential travel. Perhaps of interest is the relatively significant number of Canadians who have no plans to ever travel to the U.S ( 19%) and Americans who will never travel to Canada (24%). <h5>OLYMPICS</h5> The summer Olympics, postponed from last year seem to proceeding and will take place in Tokyo in July. As to whether each country’s athletes should be allowed to compete, a majority of Americans say yes, while a slim majority of Canadians agree. <div id="attachment_185992" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185992" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185992 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-olym.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="525" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-olym.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-17-olym-768x404.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Leger360 -ACS, May 2021</div> The Canadian response is somewhat surprising since a subsequent question on whether it is ‘safe’ for Canadian athletes to travel to Tokyo and compete found a majority saying no, (46%) compared to those who said it was safe (35%). However, U.S respondents had a different view and more in agreement with the earlier question with a majority saying it was safe (51%), compared to a much smaller percentage saying it wasn’t (22%). Respondents all agreed that athletes competing should be given priority to vaccines (Canada-61%, U.S-58%) Additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://2g2ckk18vixp3neolz4b6605-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Legers-North-American-Tracker-May-14th-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LEGER360-ACS-2021 vacation survey</a></li> <li><a href="https://2g2ckk18vixp3neolz4b6605-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Legers-North-American-Tracker-May-14th-2021-Olympics.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LEGER 360-ACS-2021- Olympics opinion</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/vacation-hand-out-car-window-shutterstock-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Backlog growing for immigrant citizenship applications in Canada</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/backlog-growing-for-immigrant-citizenship-applications-in-canada/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2021 15:21:12 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Immigration & Refugees]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185970</guid> <description><![CDATA[Canada already had a substantial backlog of people in Canada waiting for their citizenship applications to be processed when the pandemic hit. A year ago there were almost 90,000 applications waiting for the citizenship test. When the pandemic required offices…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/17/backlog-growing-for-immigrant-citizenship-applications-in-canada/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Canada already had a substantial backlog of people in Canada waiting for their citizenship applications to be processed when the pandemic hit. A year ago there were almost 90,000 applications waiting for the citizenship test. When the pandemic required offices to be closed with in-person meetings and gatherings cancelled and with many other staff working from home. testing for the most part came to a halt except in very limited special cases. By the end of January over 300,000 had been waiting for the citizenship process to resume with over 100 thousand waiting for their actual citizenship tests. Even with the backlog, the federal government announced in April, an additional pathway to citizenship for 90,000 people living in Canada to be eligible for the citizenship process. This would apply to international students in graduate studies. <div id="attachment_185974" style="width: 1121px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185974" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185974 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp.jpg" alt="" width="1111" height="625" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp.jpg 1111w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/mendicino-hand-up-justin-tang-cp-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1111px) 100vw, 1111px" />Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says more staff have been hired and technology upgraded to speed up application and testing processing. (Justin Tang-CP)</div> Immigration Minister Marco Mendocino told CTV news that 62 additional people have been hired at the processing centre in Nova Scotia, and technology is also being upgraded to speed up the process. additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-citizenship-betrayed-waiting-1.6028800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBC: R Boudjikanian: May 17/21: Hundreds of thousands of Canadian citizenship hopefuls waiting for applications to be processed</a></li> <li><a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/frustration-over-delays-in-pr-card-and-citizenship-applications-1.5417804" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CTV: May 10/21: R McLaughlin: Frustration in delays over PR card and citizenship applications</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gov’t of Canada: Work and live in Canada after you graduate</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/immigrants-citienship-cbc-news-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Researchers find simple surgery prevents strokes in heart patients</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/researchers-find-simple-surgery-prevents-strokes-in-heart-patients/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2021 16:12:44 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Internet, Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185878</guid> <description><![CDATA[A simple surgery can save patients with irregular heart beats from often-fatal strokes, according to a large international study led by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. There is an unused, finger-like appendage in the heart which can trap…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/researchers-find-simple-surgery-prevents-strokes-in-heart-patients/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A simple surgery can save patients with irregular heart beats from often-fatal strokes, according to a large international study led by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. There is an unused, finger-like appendage in the heart which can trap blood and increase the risk of clots. Removing this left atrial appendage was found to cut the risk of strokes by more than one-third in patients with heart arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation). <h5>‘A positive impact for tens of thousands of patients’</h5> “If you have atrial fibrillation and are undergoing heart surgery, the surgeon should be removing your left atrial appendage, because it is a set-up for forming clots,” said scientist Richard Whitlock, first author of the study. “Our trial has shown this to be both safe and effective for stroke prevention. This is going to have a positive impact on tens of thousands of patients globally.” <div id="attachment_185884" style="width: 384px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185884" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185884" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/the-left-atrial-appendage-intact-credit-heather-borsellino.jpg" alt="" width="374" height="289" />‘The left atrial appendage is a leftover from how a person’s heart forms as an embryo and it has little function later in life,’ explained scientist Richard Whitlock. (artistic rendering Heather Borsellino)</div> <h5>Arrhythmia common in the elderly</h5> Heart arrhythmia is common in elderly people and is responsible for about one quarter of the strokes caused when blood clots block arteries supplying part of the brain. This study involved 4,811 people in 27 countries who were living with atrial fibrillation and were taking blood thinner medication. Some of them undertaking bypass surgery were randomly selected to have additional left atrial appendage removal surgery. Their outcomes were compared with patients who only took the medicine. The results were so dramatic that they were fast tracked into publication by the The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology conference today. <h5>Less invasive surgery possible</h5> “In the past all we had was medicine. Now we can treat atrial fibrillation with both medicines and surgery to ensure a much better outcome,” said Whitlock. The study tested the procedure on people having cardiac surgery for other reason. But Whitlock said it can also be done through less invasive methods for patients not having heart surgery. Future studies will examine that approach. ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1028267542-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Canadian whales to be sent to U.S aquarium</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/canadian-whales-to-be-sent-to-u-s-aquarium/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2021 16:01:16 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Environment & Animal Life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beluga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category> <category><![CDATA[whales]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185868</guid> <description><![CDATA[Five beluga whales in Canada are expected to be sent to a U.S aquarium possibly as early as this weekend. Following a long battle to overcome various legal and government approval processes, the four female and one male beluga will…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/canadian-whales-to-be-sent-to-u-s-aquarium/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Five beluga whales in Canada are expected to be sent to a U.S aquarium possibly as early as this weekend. Following a long battle to overcome various legal and government approval processes, the four female and one male beluga will be sent from the Marineland aquatic and recreational park in Niagara Falls, Ontario to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, U.S.A. Environmental groups in both countries challenged the move in the courts saying it could harm the whales not only physically, but also emotionally due to separation from long term relationships with Marineland’s other whales. Marineland said it would provide more room for its remaining whales, while Mystic which specializes in beluga research said the five whales will be added to their current three to aid research into beluga behaviour and comparison to wild beluga. The five belugas will be kept in a separate area from the three Mystic whales while they acclimate to the new environment. They research permit does not allow the whales to be trained for public performances. The Marineland whales, aged between seven and 12 years had been born in captivity and thus cannot be released into the wild. Laws now prevent the future capture of cetaceans for captivity nor can they be bred in captivity. Mystic says the whales will now have a safe, and spacious habitat, and have the best of health care. Animal welfare groups say Mystic could have carried out any research with the whales at Marineland, or with other captive belugas already elsewhere in the U.S. additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-beluga-1.6025503" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press (via CBC): May 13/21: Marineland sending 5 beluga whales to U.S. after aquarium overcomes legal challenges</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/mystic-aquarium-getting-5-beluga-whales-from-canada/2486446/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC: P Eaton-Robb: May 12/21: Mystic aquarium getting 5 beluga whales from Canada</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/u-s-aquarium-agrees-to-delay-acquisition-of-marineland-belugas-amid-lawsuit-1.5251439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Press 9via CTV) Jan 2/21: U.S aquarium agrees to delay acquisition of Marineland belugas amid lawsuit</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/whale-belugas-tourists-pool-scott-dunlop-cp-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Highly demanded in community, Clubhouse finally roll out Android App</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/highly-demanded-in-community-clubhouse-finally-roll-out-android-app/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Er Shen]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2021 04:41:08 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Newsroom picks —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Column]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Internet, Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Media Lab]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185920</guid> <description><![CDATA[After rapid growth and a flat increase curve aftermath, voice social App forerunner, Clubhouse finally moves forward with a solid stride. On Sunday, Clubhouse announced an Android version is coming to the world. In a press release, Clubhouse says “Access…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/15/highly-demanded-in-community-clubhouse-finally-roll-out-android-app/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[After rapid growth and a flat increase curve aftermath, voice social App forerunner, Clubhouse finally moves forward with a solid stride. On Sunday, Clubhouse announced an Android version is coming to the world. In a press release, Clubhouse says “Access to Clubhouse via Android has been by far the top request from the community of users.” The beta Android App of Clubhouse has been open to users of the U.S. for downloading on the past Sunday. In other English-speaking countries including Canada, the Android version will be available in the following days and weeks. Although Clubhouse hopes to regain the momentum of growth through the launching of the Android App, it insists the registration is invitation-only through the friends who are already on the App, making the presence on Clubhouse no less than a social label for superiority. <div id="attachment_185922" style="width: 645px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185922" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-185922" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/screenshot-2021-05-14-16-17-49-368-comandroidvending-635x357.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="357" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/screenshot-2021-05-14-16-17-49-368-comandroidvending-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/screenshot-2021-05-14-16-17-49-368-comandroidvending-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/screenshot-2021-05-14-16-17-49-368-comandroidvending-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/screenshot-2021-05-14-16-17-49-368-comandroidvending-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" />Clubhouse has been available in Canada on Google Play for download.</div> <a href="https://clubhouse.com/blog/welcome-android-users">In its official announcement,</a> Clubhouse claims “they hope to take a measured approach to growth, keeping the team small, building in public, and getting feedback from the community along the way. ” As the most-talked social App of 2021, Clubhouse has a simple concept that they want to bring the human conversation back to its basis – voice. Luckily, during the pandemic, people’s desire for voice communication has been amplified than ever. There is no doubt, comparing to typing and well-selected and beautified photos, voice conversation is real and more rooted in human nature. But we shouldn’t exclude another possibility that today’s humans may have got used to the unreal and non-real-time digital socialization, on the contrary, a real voice may have become absurd. In that sense, Clubhouse isn’t for everyone and it may fit better to the people who have a good voice and the charm of speaking. “The good thing about this period is that it has shown us how universal voice is as a medium… Farmers in rural Georgia have been making friends with entrepreneurs in Tanzania. ” Clubhouse describes a beautiful world with voice communication to us. ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/02/william-krause-tmrmceurulg-unsplash-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Bacteria only colonize the gut during and after birth: study</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/bacteria-only-colonize-the-gut-during-and-after-birth-study/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 18:21:18 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* Internet, Science & Technology *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Internet, Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fetus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gut bacteria]]></category> <category><![CDATA[McMaster University]]></category> <category><![CDATA[study]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185910</guid> <description><![CDATA[Research in recent years has uncovered the vital importance of a person’s gut bacteria for things such as digestion and overall health. But there has been some controversy as to when bacteria begin to colonize a human. New research has found…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/bacteria-only-colonize-the-gut-during-and-after-birth-study/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Research in recent years has uncovered the vital importance of a person’s gut bacteria for things such as digestion and overall health. But there has been some controversy as to when bacteria begin to colonize a human. New research has found it happens during and after a baby’s birth and not before. The study was led by scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in collaboration with colleagues from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany. The cientists collected stool samples from 20 babies delivered by Cesarean section. This excluded the transmission of bacteria that occurs naturally during a vaginal birth. “The key takeaway from our study is we are not colonized before birth,” said Katherine Kennedy, first author of the study and a PhD student. “Rather, our relationship with our gut bacteria emerges after birth and during infancy.” <div id="attachment_185914" style="width: 645px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185914" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-185914" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1132278686-635x357.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="357" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1132278686-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1132278686-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1132278686-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1132278686-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" />Research has shown that we would not be able to digest our food or stay healthy without the millions of bacteria that colonize out guts. (iStock)</div> Kennedy said the results suggest that a person’s relationship with their own gut bacteria is most important in early life, during critical stages of immunological and physiological development. “The fact that colonization of infants’ guts occurs during and after their births, means that not only is it vulnerable to early environmental influences, but could also offers a window of potential intervention,” said Deborah Sloboda, professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster. “While many of the exact mechanisms surrounding gut bacteria and their role in our early development is unclear, discovering when and how we are colonized is a key first step.” The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-00904-0#:~:text=Despite%20all%20efforts,%20we%20were,have%20a%20microbiome%20before%20birth." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Microbiology.</a> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-183875109-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Company pays to encourage employees to get vaccinated</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/company-pays-to-encourage-employees-to-get-vaccinated/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 17:52:50 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[company]]></category> <category><![CDATA[employees]]></category> <category><![CDATA[incentive]]></category> <category><![CDATA[vaccination]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185898</guid> <description><![CDATA[A company north of Montreal is promising to pay its employees $1,250 if they present proof they have had a first COVID-19 vaccination and it will pay the same again when they get their second shot. Countries around the world…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/company-pays-to-encourage-employees-to-get-vaccinated/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A company north of Montreal is promising to pay its employees $1,250 if they present proof they have had a first COVID-19 vaccination and it will pay the same again when they get their second shot. Countries around the world are encouraging their citizens to get vaccinated and generally, the number of people who are resistant is decreasing. In Canada, those willing to get the inoculation has increased from 44 per cent in November 2020 to 60 per cent in May 2021, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. <div id="attachment_185900" style="width: 645px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185900" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-185900" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/gym-1.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="301" />Once employees are vaccinated they will be able to get back to their well-equipped company gym. (DLGL Technologies Corporation/CNW group)</div> <h5>‘We want to do our share’</h5> DLGL Technologies Corporation is taking no chances. “We want to do our share in the pursuit of a secure society for all, the easing of the stress on the health system, and we want to create as soon as possible the conditions for getting back in to our headquarters in Blainville, with its spacious offices and huge windowing, its gyms and training rooms, cafeterias, golf simulators, and all those opportunities to work together that everybody misses so much, ” said company President Jacques Guénette. <a href="https://www.dlgl.com/en/vip-payroll-hr-integrated-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The company</a> offers services such as payroll, human resources, pension and recruiting to large and mid-sized organizations. It is a publisher of integrated software systems for Human Capital Management. It has about 75 employees and is recruiting. <h5>Supporting ‘a culture where people can be happy’</h5> Director of Operations Paul Lavallée said some people will continue to work from home but eventually some will want to return to the office and he want to make sure people will be happy. “It’s clear that we will have a hybrid approach, home and office, open to all in the future organization of work,” he said. “We have proven that we can be just as efficient in working from home mode, but efficiency and costs are not the only yardsticks. We have always been ready to invest in assets and organizational modes in support of a culture where people can be happy. This is a new additional opportunity to do better. And a complete vaccination will bring us closer to all these options.” ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/1-dlgl-office-1-1.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Muslim worshippers take part in Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/muslim-worshippers-take-part-in-friday-prayers-in-the-old-city-of-jerusalem/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 14:04:58 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[The world in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185874</guid> <description><![CDATA[Muslim worshippers take part in Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/muslim-worshippers-take-part-in-friday-prayers-in-the-old-city-of-jerusalem/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Muslim worshippers take part in Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123363321-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>A person walks along Spadina Avenue in Chinatown in Toronto</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/a-person-walks-along-spadina-avenue-in-chinatown-in-toronto/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 14:02:53 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Canada in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185870</guid> <description><![CDATA[A person walks along Spadina Avenue in Chinatown in Toronto on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says public health measures are driving down COVID-19 cases, but they need to be maintained a few weeks longer so that the province can return to some semblance of normal this summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/a-person-walks-along-spadina-avenue-in-chinatown-in-toronto/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A person walks along Spadina Avenue in Chinatown in Toronto on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says public health measures are driving down COVID-19 cases, but they need to be maintained a few weeks longer so that the province can return to some semblance of normal this summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123309190-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>People use social distancing circles at Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/people-use-social-distancing-circles-at-trinity-bellwoods-park-in-toronto/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 14:00:21 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Canada in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185856</guid> <description><![CDATA[People use social distancing circles at Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto, on Thursday, May 13, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/people-use-social-distancing-circles-at-trinity-bellwoods-park-in-toronto/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[People use social distancing circles at Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto, on Thursday, May 13, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123327447-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>RCI English section: goodbye</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/rci-english-section-goodbye/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 13:36:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Newsroom picks —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[* International *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Highlights]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[broadcast]]></category> <category><![CDATA[international]]></category> <category><![CDATA[RCI]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185806</guid> <description><![CDATA[Canada’s international broadcast service from the English language team of Radio Canada International has come to an end. RCI, (originally the International Service, CBC-IS) was initially created towards the end of the Second World War. The purpose was to broadcast…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/rci-english-section-goodbye/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Canada’s international broadcast service from the English language team of Radio Canada International has come to an end. RCI, (originally the International Service, CBC-IS) was initially created towards the end of the Second World War. The purpose was to broadcast news and information from home via shortwave to Canadian military personnel fighting in Europe. It also began providing reliable news and information to recently liberated countries and to Germans still in the war. That reliable news and information was considered of great value during the subsequent Cold War years, as several more languages were added to the service such as Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Hungarian and Polish. Other language sections included those such as Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese. With 14 language sections in 1990 and some 200 staff, the full English and French newsroom provided news of interest and importance for each language section specifically targeted to each of the various broadcast regions around the world. Following a major budget cut by Radio Canada of some 80 per cent in 2012, the shortwave and satellite service was terminated along with the majority of staff including the newsroom and some language sections. In recent years, only Chinese (Mandarin), Arabic, and Spanish remained along with English and French. RCI was transformed into a much smaller internet-based operation consisting of three people per language section. <div id="attachment_185844" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185844" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185844 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="561" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov-768x431.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-2018-nov-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Until the pandemic obliged people to work from home, RCI language sections had weekly video programmes in addition to the daily online reports. Shown here in Nov. 2018 are Marc, Lynn, and Levon, with web editor and show contributor Marie-Claude Simard.</div> In December 2020, the domestic public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada announced that the English and French sections of RCI would close for good in May. In their place curated stories from the domestic English and French public broadcaster will be provided. <div id="attachment_185930" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185930" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185930 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="561" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019-768x431.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-link-oct-2019-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />The Link weekly video, with Terry (sitting in for Levon), Lynn, and Marc, Oct 2019</div> A manager will now oversee the staff of eight who will adapt curated stories from the CBC and Radio-Canada into Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish, along with Punjabi and Tagalog. They will also create a weekly podcast, with field reports in Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish and Punjabi. An effort was and is being made by the RCI Action Committee to preserve and even expand the service which has garnered great support from a former prime minister, former diplomats and many academics, but the end date has come. This is the last entry by the RCI English section. From the English Section consisting of Lynn, Marc, and Levon, faithful and long-time popular replacement Terry Haig, and recently also Vincenzo Morello, as well as the many other dedicated producer presenters and news staff over that long history, we thank you for having shared our stories over these many years. – 30 – additional information <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/12/03/canadas-public-broadcaster-announces-new-cuts-to-radio-canada-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCI: Dec 3/20:Canadas public broadcaster announces new cuts to Radio Canada International</a> <a href="http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Stations/RCI_1945-1996.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCI History- 50th anniversary booklet</a> ]]></content:encoded> <enclosure url="http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Stations/RCI_1945-1996.pdf" length="1779548" type="application/pdf" /> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/rci-anteann-dwon-amanda-dawn-christie-spectres-of-shortwave-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Greyhound cancels all intercity bus service in Canada</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/greyhound-cancels-all-intercity-bus-service-in-canada/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 12:09:53 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ending]]></category> <category><![CDATA[finances]]></category> <category><![CDATA[greyhound]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pandemic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[transit]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185812</guid> <description><![CDATA[After operating in Canada for nearly a century, Greyhound bus Lines announced yesterday all service in Canada would end immediately. Around 400 jobs will be lost in total. The move is blamed on declining ridership but greatly worsened by the…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/14/greyhound-cancels-all-intercity-bus-service-in-canada/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[After operating in Canada for nearly a century, Greyhound bus Lines announced yesterday all service in Canada would end immediately. Around 400 jobs will be lost in total. The move is blamed on declining ridership but greatly worsened by the pandemic with its various official health requirements and by fears of the public or the close proximity with other passengers. In 2018, the company ended all operations in western Canada and with the pandemic last year had to pause other service with the majority of unionized staff ‘temporarily’ laid off. That now becomes permanent along with several dozen additional jobs with this decision. Greyhound Canada says it will now sell the stations it owns, and terminate leases in other facilities. A statement signed by Stuart Kendrick, Senior Vice President, Greyhound Canada, said in part, “A full year without revenue has unfortunately made it impossible to continue operations. Thank you to our dedicated staff for their commitment and service, and to our customers for choosing Greyhound Canada during better times.” The statement also says it had tried to negotiate with provincial and federal governments to subsidies unprofitable routes to remote areas of the country saying, “Financial investments from governments for Canada’s inter-city bus sector have been negligible. Operations are not feasible absent of financial support”. John Di Nino, National President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, (ATU) says some 305 unionised members are now out of work. In a strongly worded statement he blames the federal government for not stepping in saying. “The closure of Greyhound Canada today demonstrates that the Liberal government are abject failures when it comes to mass transit in this country. The collapse of Greyhound was not a foregone conclusion; this could have been avoided if our federal and provincial governments actually cared about those in remote communities who relied on intercity bus service. (…)The closure of Greyhound today further aggravates the isolation of communities that relied on the services and displays how the Liberal government really feels about them.” <div> The statement goes on to say that rural and Indigenous communities are chronically underservice by public transit and that the public inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) mentioned the need for intercity bus service as one of the steps to reconciliation. Canada with often huge distances has few options for intercity transport, especially to and from smaller centres and most especially to more remote towns and Indigenous communities. Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra tweeted that they were aware many communities depend on the service and said he was disappointed at the decision. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-185824 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/tweet-transport-2021-05-14-3.jpg" alt="" width="992" height="600" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/tweet-transport-2021-05-14-3.jpg 992w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/tweet-transport-2021-05-14-3-768x465.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px" /> </div> Officially known as Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC first began as a Canadian operation in British Columbia in 1929 later sold to Greyhound USA, and subsequently through other ownership to the current FirstGroup, a British multi national transport group. Greyhound USA, which is a separate entity, will continue to offer some service between major Canadian and U.S. cities. Additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/greyhound-canada-closes-its-services-in-canada-839752331.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greyhound press statement</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.atucanada.ca/press-releases/closure-greyhound-leaves-canadians-stranded-lack-federal-funding-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATU Canada statement </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/greyhound-canada-to-permanently-cut-all-routes-end-nearly-a-century-of-operations-1.5426545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Press: B Bundale: May 3/21: Greyhound Canada to permanently cut all routes, end nearly a century of operations</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/greyhound-canada-1.6025276" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBC: P Evans: may 13/21: Greyhound Canada shutting down all bus service permanently</a></li> <li><a href="https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/greyhound-ends-canadian-operations-after-nearly-a-century-hit-by-pandemic#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20full%20year%20without%20revenue,FirstGroup%2C%20said%20in%20a%20statement." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters: (via FP) May 13/21: Greyhound ends Canadian operations after nearly a century, hit by pandemic</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/bus-greyhound-cbc-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Quebec tables much-anticipated language legislation</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/quebec-tables-much-anticipated-language-legislation/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Terry Haig]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 19:06:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* Politics *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bill 101]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bill 96]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Coalition Avenir Quebec]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Francois Legault]]></category> <category><![CDATA[French in Quebec]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF)]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rene Levesque]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Simon Jolin-Barrette]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185744</guid> <description><![CDATA[Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec majority government has tabled much-anticipated–and controversial–legislation that it says will strengthen and protect the French language in the province. The proposed bill would revamp the province’s long-standing language legislation, known as Bill 101–first adopted in 1977…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/quebec-tables-much-anticipated-language-legislation/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Quebec’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_Avenir_Qu%C3%A9bec">Coalition Avenir Québec </a>majority government has tabled much-anticipated–<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-notwithstanding-clause-bill-101-barrette-legault-1.5998079">and controversial</a>–legislation that it says will strengthen and protect the French language in the province. The proposed bill would revamp <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebec-language-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the province’s long-standing language legislation,</a> known <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_French_Language">as Bill 101</a>–first adopted in 1977 by the government of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rene-levesque">René Lévesque</a>–that made over the linguistic rules of the province. Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, the minister responsible for the French language, presented the update today in the provincial legislature. The goal of Bill 96, he said, is to affirm that French is the province’s only official language and the common language of what he called the Quebec nation. “The French language unifies us,” he said. <div id="attachment_185768" style="width: 645px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185768" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185768 size-large" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305797-635x357.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="357" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305797-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305797-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305797-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305797-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" />Legault, left, and Jolin-Barrette have expressed concern about the decline of the French language in Quebec. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)</div> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-bill-101-language-revamp-1.6023532">The updated legislation contains more than 200 articles that affect the use of French in the workplace, tighten access to English schools and expand access to language classes.</a> As well, it seeks to change the Canadian Constitution to include a specific clause reiterating the Quebec nation’s French-language rights. “For centuries, we’ve known that defending the French language is essential to the survival and development of our nation,” Premier François Legault told a news conference after the bill was tabled. Studies released in 2018 by the province’s French-language watchdog, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), found the French language was in decline in the province. One study projected that the percentage of Quebecers who speak French at home will drop from 82 per cent in 2011 to about 75 per cent in 2036. The second study examined language spoken in workplaces and found that a quarter of Montreal employees surveyed said they use French and English equally at work, and only 18.7 per cent said they speak French exclusively at work. Following debate, the legislation is expected to pass easily. The CAQ won a landslide victory in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Quebec_general_election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provincial election in 2018</a> and continues to enjoy <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/legaults-caq-still-widely-supported-liberals-slip-among-francophones-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">widespread popular support.</a> With files from CBC News (Kate McKenna, Jonathan Montpetit), The Canadian Press ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123305799-2-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Conservancy acquires special turtle habitat</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/conservancy-acquires-special-turtle-habitat/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 18:53:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* Environment & Animal Life *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Environment & Animal Life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[acquired properties]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nature Conservancy of Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Quebec]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spiny softshell turtle]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185724</guid> <description><![CDATA[The spiny softshell turtle is designated as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act but it is getting a helping hand from conservationists. Concerned land owners have sold two properties just under two hectares large near one of the few…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/conservancy-acquires-special-turtle-habitat/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[The spiny softshell turtle is designated as endangered under Canada’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-enforcement/acts-regulations/about-species-at-risk-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Species at Risk Act</a> but it is getting a helping hand from conservationists. Concerned land owners have sold two properties just under two hectares large near one of the few sites where the turtles lay their eggs. These properties are located 70 kilometres southeast of Montreal along the Rivière aux Brochets in Pike River, Montérégie and were acquired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). “Even though this site is small, it is very important for the survival of fragile species, such as the spiny softshell turtle,” said Valérie René, project coordinator at NCC.” Rapid shoreline modification is one of the factors threatening its survival, and the shorelines on these two properties are among the few remaining natural banks on the Rivière aux Brochets.” <div id="attachment_185748" style="width: 577px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185748" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185748" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/riviere-aux-brochets-pike-river-cnc-5-1.jpg" alt="" width="567" height="425" />The shores of the Rivière aux Brochets play an important role in maintaining water quality for nearby communities. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)</div> <h5>Protected shoreline filters water</h5> The two properties were not cultivated and they have returned to their natural state. As such, they play a major role in maintaining water quality for neighbouring communities. The shoreline filters runoff water and creates a buffer zone between streams and developed areas, notes the conservancy. Biologists from the nearby Granby Zoo have been monitoring the spiny softshell turtle since 2009. In recent years, more than 1,500 eggs have been hatched at the zoo and were later released into the river. The environment is also a habitat for green dragon, a plant designated as endangered under the species protection act of the province of Quebec. <div id="attachment_185754" style="width: 572px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185754" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185754" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release.png" alt="" width="562" height="318" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release.png 992w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release-240x135.png 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release-205x115.png 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release-768x435.png 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/turtle-release-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 562px) 100vw, 562px" />After hatching the eggs, Granby Zoo biologists release young spiny softshell turtle into the Rivière aux Brochets. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)</div> The owners of the properties, the Gasser family of dairy producers and Jean Lapierre sold them so that <a href="https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/quebec/news/rescuing-a-fragile-friend.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the natural habitats could be conserved</a> for the long term. The sale was made possible through contributions from the governments of Canada and Quebec, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Granby Zoo and CGI Group, an information technology consulting firm. ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/tortue-molle-a-epine-jeune-relache-zoo-de-granby-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Families of air disaster victims offered new way to settle in Canada</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/families-of-air-disaster-victims-offered-new-way-to-settle-in-canada/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 18:15:22 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Immigration & Refugees]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[airline disasters]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[permanent residence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[victims' families]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185648</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Canadian government is offering more support for the families of victims of two plane crashes by giving them new ways to obtain permanent residence status in Canada. (The minister responsible for immigration has said Canada hopes to admit 401,000…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/families-of-air-disaster-victims-offered-new-way-to-settle-in-canada/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[The Canadian government is offering more support for the families of victims of two plane crashes by giving them <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2021/05/minister-mendicino-announces-new-permanent-residence-pathway-for-families-of-canadian-victims-of-recent-air-disasters.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new ways</a> to obtain permanent residence status in Canada. (The minister responsible for immigration has said Canada hopes to admit 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021. However, the process is long and there is a massive backlog and delay in processing times.) On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in Ethiopia claiming the lives of 157 people including 18 Canadians and many others with ties to Canada. On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airline Flight 752 was shot down by an Iranian missile in Tehran killing 176 people including 138 with ties to Canada. After the crashes, the Canadian government helped grieving families come to Canada. <div id="attachment_185666" style="width: 519px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185666" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185666" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp111664848-1.jpg" alt="" width="509" height="288" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp111664848-1.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp111664848-1-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp111664848-1-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp111664848-1-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px" />“At the centre of these disasters are the grieving families, who need wide-ranging support from the Government of Canada,” said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in announcing new pathways to immigration. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)</div> Now, in-Canada families of victims who were either Canadian citizens, permanent residents or foreign nationals who were found eligible on their permanent residence application can apply for permanent residence, says the government. They will be eligible even if they have lost their status in Canada. Family members who are outside of Canada may eventually have an easier path to obtaining permanent residence. The government is working on measures to facilitate that and promises to make an announcement once those measures are in place. People who were issued temporary resident visas following the Ukraine crash but did not travel will continue to benefit from specialized assistance and will be allowed to come to Canada if they wish to. Those who did travel to Canada with this kind of visa who are now eligible to apply for permanent residence will be able to extend their temporary status until their application is processed. “All Canadians mourned the loss of those who died in the tragedies involving Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752,” said Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. “At the centre of these disasters are the grieving families, who need wide-ranging support from the Government of Canada. This new pathway to permanent residence is one of the ways we are helping families of Canadian victims cope, in the hope that they may build their lives in Canada.” ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp16599945-1-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Canadian Civil Liberties Association says steep fines don’t help Covid fight</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/civil-liberties-association-says-steeper-covid-fines-not-helping-in-covid-fight/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Terry Haig]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 17:18:02 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[— zones vedette accueil —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Internet, Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian Civil Liberties Association]]></category> <category><![CDATA[COVID-19/Canada]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185726</guid> <description><![CDATA[In a report published today, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says some provinces took a more punitive approach toward COVID-19 infractions during the pandemic’s second wave and questions if that is the best way forward. “Our new report finds that,…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/civil-liberties-association-says-steeper-covid-fines-not-helping-in-covid-fight/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[In a report published today, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says some provinces took a more punitive approach toward COVID-19 infractions during the pandemic’s second wave and questions if that is the best way forward. “Our new<a href="https://ccla.org/cclanewsite/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-13-COVID-19-and-Law-Enforcement-The-second-wave.pdf"> report </a>finds that, during the second wave of COVID-19, many jurisdictions where there had previously been limited forms of COVID-19 enforcement, issued an increasing number of punitive fines,” the<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=canadian+civil+liberties+association&rlz=1C1GCEB_enCA947CA947&oq=canadian+civil+liberties+association+&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i457j0j69i59j0l6.10757j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie="> CCLA </a>said in a<a href="https://ccla.org/ccla-and-ppmp-release-new-report/"> press release</a> accompanying the<a href="https://ccla.org/cclanewsite/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-13-COVID-19-and-Law-Enforcement-The-second-wave.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> report. </a> And that, the association said, adversely affects racialized and lower income communities. “In many parts of the country, political leaders have continued to focus on punitive enforcement even as the social inequities driving the spread of this pandemic, and the specific challenges racialized and lower income communities are facing in accessing health services, became ever clearer,” the association said. The association urged governments to focus on proven public-health policy interventions, including paid sick leave and education rather than punitive enforcement measures. “A pandemic is a public health, not a public order, crisis,” the report says. “Punishing people with charges and fines misses the target — the virus itself — often in ways that exacerbate pre-pandemic inequality.” <div id="attachment_185734" style="width: 1290px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185734" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185734 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/basketball.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="853" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/basketball.jpg 1280w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/basketball-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/basketball-272x182.jpg 272w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" />A youth plays basketball in an otherwise quiet court in Toronto on Saturday April 17, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)</div> The CCLA said the punitive measures do little to combat COVID-19 and disproportionately cause harm to vulnerable groups. “Relying heavily on punitive fines and policing is also of questionable efficacy from a public health perspective,” the association said. “Trying to punish people into complying with broad, confusing and vague laws is unlikely to have any meaningful impact on behaviour and tends to push marginalized populations further from the services and supports that they need.” The association says it obtained comprehensive data documenting the number of tickets issued for alleged violations of COVID-19 related laws from Sept. 2020 to March 2021 in five jurisdictions: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p6F49bQs52DLBuoskR-07bqXEhL8TLwrSopb-QI-LDg/edit">It found that the number of tickets in four out of the five provinces increased from the first wave and some of the jumps were “quite substantial.” </a> Nova Scotia was the only province in the report that gave out fewer tickets per capita in the second wave compared with the first. Several provinces, the association said, introduced laws that allowed for more enforcement and higher fines. “The provinces have now reached over $24 million in fines issued since the outset of the pandemic, which is really an astounding amount of money,” <a href="https://www.revelstokereview.com/news/provinces-issued-more-covid-19-tickets-during-2nd-wave-ccla-report/">Abby Deshman, the organization’s director of criminal justice, told The Canadian Press.</a> The association said the way forward is clear: “We cannot police our way out of this pandemic,” it said. The report can be read<a href="https://ccla.org/cclanewsite/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-13-COVID-19-and-Law-Enforcement-The-second-wave.pdf"> HERE.</a> With files from The Canadian Press ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp17113743-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Union calls for anti-scab legislation</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/union-calls-for-anti-scab-legislation/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 16:38:09 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[anti-scab law]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[petition]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Unifor]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185672</guid> <description><![CDATA[Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, is calling on legislators to enact anti-scab laws across the country. Only the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia have made it illegal for companies to bring in individuals to replace workers who are…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/union-calls-for-anti-scab-legislation/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, is calling on legislators to enact anti-scab laws across the country. Only the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia have made it illegal for companies to bring in individuals to replace workers who are on strike or who have been locked out. Unifor has sent a research report on the effects of using scab labour to all elected provincial, territorial and federal legislators. In Canada, federal labour law applies to industries such as air transportation, broadcasting, banks and crown corporations. In other fields, it is the labour laws of each province or territory which apply. <div id="attachment_185688" style="width: 548px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185688" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185688" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/anti-scab-helicopter.png" alt="" width="538" height="322" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/anti-scab-helicopter.png 838w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/anti-scab-helicopter-768x460.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 538px) 100vw, 538px" />In early 2020, the Co-op Refinery in Regina Saskatchewan used helicopters to bring in replacements for the 800 workers it locked out, and it housed them in specially-built camps within the property. (Unifor)</div> <h5>‘Scabs remove any incentive for the boss to bargain fairly’</h5> Unifor’s report shows that labour disputes that involve scabs last an average six times longer than those that do not. In fact, the union says that since it was formed in 2013, its three longest labour disputes involved the use of scabs. “Scabs remove any incentive for the boss to bargain fairly and they tip the balance of power in favour of employers,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “When the boss can fly in scabs, it undermines the workers who want to exercise their right to withdraw services when an employer is unreasonable.” A national petition is asking the Canadian government to change the federal labour code to prohibit employers from using replacement workers during a legal strike or lockout. It calls for the code to include significant financial penalties for employers who don’t comply and it should only provide for limited use of temporary workers for essential maintenance work to protect the workplace. “We know all too well that scabs unnecessarily prolong labour disputes, defeat morale, fracture workplace relationships and cause tension and sometimes even violence,” said Dias. Unifor’s study is called <a href="https://www.unifor.org/en/fairness-line-case-anti-scab-legislation-canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fairness on the line: The case for anti-scab legislation in Canada</a>. Unifor created a video to promote anti-scab legislation. <div class="embed-wrap"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Anti-scab law now!" width="645" height="363" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xrBrO1n_Huk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/anti-scab-4-635x357.png" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Solar installers install solar panels on a roof in Toronto</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/solar-installers-install-solar-panels-on-a-roof-in-toronto/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 16:32:39 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Canada in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185712</guid> <description><![CDATA[Solar installers Derek Craig, left, and Dave Osborne install solar panels on a roof in Toronto on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/solar-installers-install-solar-panels-on-a-roof-in-toronto/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Solar installers Derek Craig, left, and Dave Osborne install solar panels on a roof in Toronto on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123262630-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>A man walks in front of the remains of destroyed building in Gaza City</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/a-man-walks-in-front-of-the-remains-of-destroyed-building-in-gaza-city/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 16:31:21 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[The world in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185708</guid> <description><![CDATA[A man walks in front of the remains of destroyed building after being hit by Israeli airstrikesb in Gaza City, Thursday, May 13, 2021. Gaza residents are bracing for more devastation as militants fire one barrage of rockets after another and Israel carries out waves of airstrikes. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/a-man-walks-in-front-of-the-remains-of-destroyed-building-in-gaza-city/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A man walks in front of the remains of destroyed building after being hit by Israeli airstrikesb in Gaza City, Thursday, May 13, 2021. Gaza residents are bracing for more devastation as militants fire one barrage of rockets after another and Israel carries out waves of airstrikes. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123299906-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>People wait to receive vaccine for COVID-19 in Mumbai, India</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/people-wait-to-receive-vaccine-for-covid-19-in-mumbai-india/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Radio Canada International]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 16:29:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[The world in pictures]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185698</guid> <description><![CDATA[People wait to receive vaccine for COVID-19 outside a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/people-wait-to-receive-vaccine-for-covid-19-in-mumbai-india/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[People wait to receive vaccine for COVID-19 outside a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp123297959-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Tragically Hip set to return to national television at Junos in June</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/tragically-hip-set-to-return-to-national-television-at-junos-in-june/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Terry Haig]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2021 14:46:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* Arts & Entertainment *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alex Lifeson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Arcade Fire]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Feist]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Geddy Lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gord Downie]]></category> <category><![CDATA[neil young]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rush]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secret Path]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Tragically Hip]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185650</guid> <description><![CDATA[The iconic Canadian musical rock band The Tragically Hip are set to perform on television for the first time since the death of their lead singer, Gord Downie, almost four years ago. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/13/tragically-hip-set-to-return-to-national-television-at-junos-in-june/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[The iconic Canadian musical rock band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragically_Hip">The Tragically Hip </a>are set to perform on television for the first time since the death of their lead singer, Gord Downie, almost four years ago. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Academy_of_Recording_Arts_and_Sciences">The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (</a>CARAS) announced today the band will be part of the 50th Juno Awards broadcast on June 6. Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in 2015. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gord-downie-obit-1.4359906">He died in October 2017 at the age of 53</a>, setting off a mourning that extended far and wide across the country–to Canadians of all ages and backgrounds. “It’s been such a difficult year for our fellow musicians, we wanted to do something to honour them in a way that would make Gord smile,” the band said in a press release. The band will also receive the 2021 Humanitarian Award that “recognizes outstanding Canadian artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.” <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/the-tragically-hip-set-to-perform-with-feist-at-the-2021-juno-awards-1.6020515">In a story published today</a>, the CBC’s Jess Huddleston reports the band “has donated to, and helped raise funds for various social and environmental causes, including Camp Trillium, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Sunnybrook Foundation, the Special Olympics and more.” As well, Huddleston reported, Downie was “instrumental in raising awareness about reconciliation with Indigenous communities,” noting that “Downie’s 2016 multi-media project <a href="https://secretpath.ca/">Secret Path,</a> told the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who died after escaping a residential school in 1966. Previous recipients of the Humanitarian Award include Arcade Fire, Neil Young and Rush. The award will be presented by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush. Singer-songwriter Feist will also be performing at this year’s ceremony. She is having no problem playing second fiddle. “I had a chance to tour with The Hip early on in my touring life, for something like a year,” Feist said in the press release. “Getting to be a fly on the wall of a camp that operated with such warmth and community by day, and then watch them transform and transcend every night to touch so many people was my first big education. I was a kid in their midst and I’m touched to be invited into the clan now, to play alongside them. The only way I’m making any sense of it is to imagine I’ll be singing backups for Gord, and know my 20-year-old self wouldn’t believe it. Like the rest of Canada, I’ll be so happy to hear these kings of song play again, and am very honoured to join them as they receive their Humanitarian Award.” With files from CBC News (Jess Huddleston), The Canadian Press ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp18744979-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>The world is ‘unfit’ to prevent another pandemic: expert panel</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/the-world-is-unfit-to-prevent-another-pandemic-expert-panel/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2021 19:01:53 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pandemic preparedness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[panel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[WHO]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185548</guid> <description><![CDATA[It took too long for countries to respond to the first cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in December 2019 in order to protect people from COVID-19, according to a panel of experts appointed by the World Health Organization. ‘February…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/the-world-is-unfit-to-prevent-another-pandemic-expert-panel/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[It took too long for countries to respond to the first cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in December 2019 in order to protect people from COVID-19, according to a panel of experts appointed by the World Health Organization. <h5>‘February 2020 was…a lot month’</h5> “February 2020 was…a lost month when many more countries could have taken steps to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-02 and forestall the global health, social and economic catastrophe that continues its grip,” wrote panel members. “The Panel finds that the system as it stands now is clesarly unfit to prevent another novel and highly infectious pathogen, which could emerge at any time, from developing into a pandemic.” <div id="attachment_185572" style="width: 492px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185572" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185572" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp112421271-1.jpg" alt="" width="482" height="343" />Canada’s Health Minister Patty Hajdu has called for an independent review of the country’s pandemic early warning system whose activities were severely curtailed before the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press/file)</div> <h5>Canada dismantled pandemic early warning system</h5> The panel detailed the failings of several countries. Canada has had its own critics from within the country as well. In February and the beginning of March 2020, the Canadian government indicated that the new virus was not a significant threat. It was not until March 16th that it heightened its risk assessment and began to call for public health measures. The <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-what-happened-with-canadas-pandemic-alert-system-the-gphin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Globe and Mail newspaper</a> has reported extensively on the Canadian government’s dismembering of its Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. This was an internationally recognized system that provided surveillance and early warnings about potential pandemics. Seeing no imminent pandemic threat, the Canadian government transferred GPHIN resources to other areas in 2019 and, as the Globe reports, shut down its internationally respected alert system. Canada’s health minister has ordered an independent review of this issue. <div id="attachment_185578" style="width: 547px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185578" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185578" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1254958416-1-635x357.jpg" alt="" width="537" height="302" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1254958416-1-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1254958416-1-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1254958416-1-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1254958416-1-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px" />Drawing on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the panel made several recommendations to prevent future outbreaks of disease from turning into pandemics. (iStock)</div> <h5>Prepare now, urges panel</h5> The independent panel says the world now must urgently prepare to prevent any future outbreak of disease from developing into a pandemic. It has made several recommendations including the establishment of a Global Health Threats Council that would maintain political commitment to pandemic preparedness and response. It asks countries to adopt a Pandemic Framework Convention within six months. The panel calls for a new global system for surveillance which would give the WHO the authority to publish information about outbreaks. Countries should invest in national preparedness “now as it will be too late when the next crisis hits.” The panel is also calling on countries to end the COVID-19 pandemic by redistributing, funding and increasing the availability of and manufacturing capacity for vaccines and to apply proven health measures urgently and consistently in every country. <div id="attachment_185580" style="width: 535px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185580" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185580" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1200802368-635x357.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="295" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1200802368-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1200802368-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1200802368-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1200802368-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px" />The pandemic has left 72 million more young children at risk of being unable to read or understand a simple text because of school closures, according to the independent panel. (iStock)</div> <h5>‘Deepest shock to global economy since WWII’</h5> The panel says the pandemic cost the world seven trillion U.S. dollars in lost GDP in 2020 and “has caused the deepest shock to the global economy since World War II.” It also notes that the burden of the pandemic is unevenly shared hitting hard those already disadvantaged. It says up to 125 miliion more people are estimated to have been pushed into extreme poverty, 72 million more school-age children are at risk of being unable to read because of school closure, women have suffered disproportionately, gender-based violence is at record levels and child marriages have increased. The Independent Panel was established by the World Health organization to provide an evidence-based path for the future based on lessons of the present and past to ensure the world effectively addresses health threats. Its report is called <a href="https://theindependentpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Summary_COVID-19-Make-it-the-Last-Pandemic_final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic.</a> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/cp122389979-1-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Funding will help foreign nurses get certified to work in Canada</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/funding-will-help-foreign-nurses-get-certified-to-work-in-canada/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lynn Desjardins]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2021 18:50:21 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[— Featured —]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[credentials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category> <category><![CDATA[internationally trained]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nurses]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185614</guid> <description><![CDATA[Canada has a shortage of nurses and the government has announced funding to help foreign nurses get their credentials to be able to work in Canada. The federal government will provide over $2.3 million for three projects to help nurses…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/funding-will-help-foreign-nurses-get-certified-to-work-in-canada/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Canada has a shortage of nurses and the government has announced funding to help foreign nurses get their credentials to be able to work in Canada. The federal government will provide over $2.3 million for three projects to help nurses from other countries get certified and to help meet what it calls the health care system’s urgent need for nurses. <h5>Certification different in each province, territory</h5> Complicating matters is that each province and territory in Canada has its own program for certifying professionals. It can be a very long and difficult process for professionals trained elsewhere to have their credentials recognized. While half of newcomers have a bachelor’s degree or more education they are less likely to work in the regulated occupations for which they studied. They have a lower employment rate of 68 per cent compared to 82 per cent for non-immigrants, according to the 2016 census. The federal government has a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/foreign-credential-recognition.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">special program</a> that funds provinces, territories and regulatory bodies to enhance the foreign credential recognition process. It also funds organization to provide loans and support services to help newcomers have their skills recognized. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement the federal government announced it would invest $15 million in 2021 in the fund. The announcement on this International Nurses Day allocates $2.3 million specifically to help nurses. <div id="attachment_185638" style="width: 516px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185638" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-185638" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/nurse-vaccinating-2.png" alt="" width="506" height="337" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/nurse-vaccinating-2.png 630w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/nurse-vaccinating-2-272x182.png 272w" sizes="(max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px" />The pandemic has exacerbated Canada’s shortage of nurses. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)</div> <h5>Attracting nurses part of pandemic recovery plan</h5> “Helping skilled nurses find and keep good, well-paying jobs is part of our plan to support Canada’s recovery from the pandemic,” said Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. “Our investment today will help internationally trained nurses get their foreign credentials recognized and take up jobs and will help address the shortage of nursing staff we are experiencing during the pandemic. Their experience and expertise will help keep Canadians safe and communities healthy.” Internationally trained nurses make up 8.9 per cent of Canada’s nursing work force. In the last decade, more than 25,000 nurses immigrated to Canada. ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/istock-1252566520-1-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>Vaccine passports: Canadians yes, Americans no</title> <link>https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/vaccine-passports-canadians-yes-americans-no/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marc Montgomery]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2021 18:00:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[* International *]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian headlines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Internet, Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[passport]]></category> <category><![CDATA[vaccine]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rcinet.ca/en/?p=185590</guid> <description><![CDATA[An international survey this month shows a majority of Canadians agree with the idea of a ‘passport’ showing the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19. The survey also shows only about 4 in 10 Americans would support the idea, with…<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/05/12/vaccine-passports-canadians-yes-americans-no/" style="font-size:larger"> »</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[An international survey this month shows a majority of Canadians agree with the idea of a ‘passport’ showing the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19. The survey also shows only about 4 in 10 Americans would support the idea, with an almost equal number against. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-185606 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-agree-passport.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="516" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-agree-passport.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-agree-passport-768x397.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" /> The latest figures show about 40 per cent of Canadians have received at least one vaccine shot, and the Leger360 online survey found that three quarters of them (76%) said they would like a vaccine passport. The survey also found a clear majority of Canadians felt that travellers into Canada should have a vaccine passport or proof of vaccination, as well as Canadian travellers themselves whether flying domestically or internationally. There was also majority agreement that access to public gatherings such as reataurants, sports events, concerts etc., be limited to those with proof of vaccination. While a majority of Americans agreed with the first two situations, the percentages were much lower. Less than half of Americans (48%) agreed to the latter situation. <div id="attachment_185608" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185608" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185608 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="565" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel-768x434.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-05-11-travel-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Canadian responses</div> A majority of Canadian respondents also felt that private businesses should be able to require proof of vaccination. Less than half of Americans agree with this. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-185610 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-0511-bizz.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="630" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-0511-bizz.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/leger-2021-0511-bizz-768x484.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" /> Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has said the federal government would not create a vaccine passport for Canadians, but in reality that might be a moot point if other countries require it for entry and if many businesses here so as well. Trudeau recently said the issue is being discussed with partners in Europe. The idea however seems to be likely and in spite of any objections over privacy concerns. Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the government “embraces” the idea, while at a video news conference Trudeau said, “Anything we can do to encourage people to get vaccinated is going to be important. That’s where the idea of proof of vaccination for different services or better access is something to look at. When it comes to the privacy aspects of proof of vaccinations, vaccinations aren’t just about protecting the individual. They’re about protecting all of society”. <div id="attachment_185604" style="width: 1009px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-185604" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-185604 size-full" src="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc.jpg" alt="" width="999" height="562" srcset="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc.jpg 999w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc-635x357.jpg 635w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc-205x115.jpg 205w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/covid-qr-code-sylvain-roy-roussel-cbc-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" />Starting Thursday, Quebecers will have the option of receiving a QR code as proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)</div> Several universities in the U.S. are already requiring proof of vaccination before students can return to campus, while in Canada some have said they will not require proof while others are still evaluating their position. Although many levels of government are trying to avoid the word, Quebec will issue the electronic QR code ‘passport’ this week to those vaccinated persons who want it, and Canada’s Yukon territory is working on creating a ‘functional’ vaccine passport , Yukon residents who can prove they are vaccinated can leave and return without isolation restrictions, by signing a waiver allowing officials to have access to their medical records. As to being optimistic about the coming year, here Canadians and Americans were almost the same with 55 and 54 percent respectively saying they were optimistic. additional information-sources <ul> <li><a href="https://2g2ckk18vixp3neolz4b6605-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Legers-North-American-Tracker-May-10th-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leger360-ACS-CP : Survey</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-passports-vaccination-international-travel-1.6009840" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBC: Zimonjic/Hall: May 1/21: Hajdu says Canada will come up with ‘certification’ to allow Covid-clear Canadians to travel again</a></li> <li><a href="https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2021/05/10/universities-uncertain-of-using-vaccination-passports-to-resume-in-person-learning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City News: S Rainville: May 10/21: Universities uncertain of using vaccine passports to resume in-person learning</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/proof-vaccination-businesses-quebec-government-1.6021977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBC: Montpetit/Nerestant: May 11/21: Roll out vaccine passports in time for summer, Quebec business group says</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.660citynews.com/2021/05/11/canadas-road-map-to-normalcy-could-include-covid-19-vaccine-passports-trudeau/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City News: N Newlove: May 11/21: Canada’s roadmap to normalcy could include Covid-19 vaccine passports: Trudeau</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-will-align-policy-on-vaccine-passports-with-international-allies-trudeau-1.5413894" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Press (via CTV): May 4: Canada will align policy on ‘vaccine passports’ with international allies: Trudeau</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.whitehorsestar.com/News/travel-rule-relaxation-is-planned-for-may-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitehorse Daily Star: T Giilk: May 5/21: Travel rule relaxation planned for May 25</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.saanichnews.com/news/some-canadian-universities-say-no-to-proof-of-vaccination-requirement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saanich News: May 10/21: Some Canadian universities say no to proof of vaccination certification</a></li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <media:content url="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/airport-lineup-masks-canadian-press-frank-gunn-635x357.jpg" medium="image" /> </item> </channel> </rss>