Anand says Israel’s ‘mistreatment’ of Canadians in flotilla violated UN treaty

OTTAWA - Israel’s mistreatment of Canadians participating in a flotilla trying to reach Gaza violated the Vienna Convention, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Monday.

In a social media post, Anand said she spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar about the issue on Monday morning.

"I raised that denying Canadian citizens access to consular services while they were detained violates the Vienna Convention and must never happen again," she said. "Canada is providing Israeli authorities with evidence of this mistreatment. We have asked for and expect an independent investigation and those responsible to be held to account."

Twelve Canadians were among 420 people on 41 boats intercepted by Israel on May 18 and 19 as they attempted to bring a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza in the midst of Israeli restrictions.

Manitoba doctors support provincial government’s proposed social media ban

WINNIPEG - The negative effects social media has on children and youth's mental and physical health is outweighing other health concerns like substance use and injuries prompting some Manitoba doctors to support a ban on these sites, a new report has found.

Doctors Manitoba, the organization representing roughly 5,000 physicians and students in the province, surveyed its members and found that social media and excessive screen time pose significant risks to the mental health, sleep and robust development in children and youth.

Of the 242 physicians who completed the survey, 90 per cent supported a ban on social media sites and artificial intelligence chatbots for children.

"The findings are quite clear. Doctors believe social media, screen time and chat bots are among the top risks to children's health and well-being, ranking higher than even smoking, drinking, injuries and sedentary lifestyles," Dr. Alon Altman, president of Doctors Manitoba, told reporters on Monday.

Carney points to Brexit, warns Alberta separation push could be ‘dangerous bluff’

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday the Alberta referendum on separation could be a "dangerous bluff," while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith cautioned it's a decision for Albertans to make, not the federal government.

Carney, who was the governor of the Bank of England during and immediately after the Brexit referendum campaign, warned that people in the United Kingdom are still trying to undo the damage caused by that decision a decade later.

"In these separation issues, it is often advanced that, 'Vote for this and it's a free option. Vote for this and we will strengthen our hand in a future negotiation.' That is a very dangerous bluff," Carney told a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Smith said last week her government will pose a question in the referendum planned for October asking Albertans if they think the province should remain part of Canada or should begin the legal process for a separation referendum.

For the patient, where does the buck stop?

The word “fiduciary” did not begin in medicine. It began in law.

For centuries, lawyers have refined a doctrine that is now woven through corporate governance, trust administration, securities regulation and pension oversight.

A fiduciary acts solely in the interest of the beneficiary. The duty is loyalty, prudence and full disclosure.

Implicit in all of these is the duty of competence and the requirement that the beneficiary’s interest comes before the fiduciary’s own. Where the duty is breached, courts intervene.

Experts explain how Indigenous rights are a major hurdle for Alberta secession

EDMONTON - Political scientists say Indigenous treaty rights represent a significant legal hurdle for separatists in Alberta, and have brought the debate on secession in Canada into unchartered territory.

"This is a new dynamic ... It's creating a lot of uncertainty," said Andrew McDougall, a lawyer and professor in the University of Toronto's political science department, in an interview Saturday.

"There needs to be consultation with Indigenous peoples, the extent to which is unclear," said Andre Lecours, a University of Ottawa professor.

Premier Danielle Smith announced in a televised address on Thursday that an Oct. 19 referendum question will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation.

Highest proportion of people since 2017 say Canada is on the right track: poll

OTTAWA - The number of Canadians who believe the country is heading in the right direction has hit its highest percentage since 2017, according to a new poll from Abacus Data.

The poll published Sunday, which can't be assigned a margin of error because it was conducted online, said 47 per cent of people believe Canada is heading in the right direction, while 39 per cent say the country is on the wrong track.

Meanwhile, the poll suggests 76 per cent of Canadians see the rest of the world as moving in the wrong direction. That figure increases to 80 per cent when the question was about the United States

Pollster David Coletto said that this is reflected by respondents saying they see Canada as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world.

‘This country cannot be broken:’ Campaign to keep Alberta in Canada launches

EDMONTON - Hundreds of people in red-and-white clothing waved Canadian flags, cheered as honking cars passed by and sang "O Canada" at a launch event for a campaign aiming to stop Alberta from quitting Confederation.

Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta's former deputy premier, said his Forever Canadian campaign will see him and hundreds of volunteers zigzagging from the province's north to the south in his "Unity Bus" to encourage Albertans to vote for staying in Canada in an October referendum.

"I will be on the road for the next six months, riding in this bus from town to town, campground to campground," he told the crowd outside his campaign's new headquarters in Edmonton's northwest.

"This is definitely the most important vote in the history of this province. This country cannot be broken up by anybody."

Proponents of solar power push for provincial infrastructure investment to boost grid resilience

In the early 1970s, licence plates were stamped with the slogan “Sunny Manitoba” — a nod to long summer days, crisp blue winter skies and frequent sun dogs reflecting off of blinding white snow. While the slogan later changed, Manitoba’s ranking as Canada’s second-sunniest province has not.

Despite that sunlit reputation, solar power — one of the most-developed renewable energy sources — makes up just a small fraction of the province’s electricity grid.

“It’s extremely marginal, especially when you compare to other jurisdictions like Alberta and Saskatchewan,” said James Wilt, policy development manager at Climate Action Team Manitoba.

Manitoba boasts a predominantly emissions-free grid, with 97 per cent of its power generated by a network of hydroelectric dams. But the provincial utility, Manitoba Hydro, has forecasted that its once-abundant renewable energy source will soon fall short. There is growing demand for power amid the electrification of sectors like transportation and heating, and the rapidly growing interest in developing electricity-hungry data centres. Combined with more unpredictable water levels owing to climate factors like extreme drought, it’s all prompted the utility to warn that capacity could run out as soon as 2030.

Pushing back against AI’s ‘inevitability’

Don’t misunderstand: I am not anti-technology. I’m anti-Big Tech forcing AI down our throats in order to better surveil us and take away our jobs while destroying the environment.

Banning YouTube removes tools from schools

It’s been a long time since the norm for audio-visual presentations in classrooms took the form of a slide projector, or a TV cart with a VHS player and a small cathode-ray tube set.

But Manitoba’s premier is asking himself something lately: are the modern equivalents good for schools?

Premier Wab Kinew said during a recent CBC interview that he does not think YouTube, the popular video-streaming site, should be used in classrooms. He made the comment during a discussion on his broader effort to keep kids aged 15 and younger from accessing YouTube and other social media apps.

The comments have caused some consternation among educators who, while recognizing YouTube in general is not a great source of information for young people, believe it nevertheless offers access to a solid repository of educational video content provided by reputable sources.

Manitoba’s newspapers portrayed province as rife with untamed potential — to the detriment of the Indigenous community

Historian Howard Zinn once compared the historian’s perspective to that of the mapmaker. We have the human tendency to see the world from our point of view, regardless of our best intentions and feigned attempts at objectivity.

Such is the same for newspapers, both historically and in their present form. Newspapers carry with them a certain perspective — a leaning of sorts that is inherent and molded in the perspective of owners, editorial boards and journalists themselves.

You can’t be neutral on a moving train, as Zinn would argue.

In the 19th century, however, newspapers notoriously and explicitly saw the world and tried to shape it from the perspective and agenda of its owners. George Brown’s Globe in Upper Canada, for example, was a classic example of a partisan media that used its platform to undermine rivals, the French and various governments.

Outrage over Northland Tales program hypocritical

Mud-slinging isn’t stopped by slinging more mud — and the concept behind the satirical TV show Northland Tales is an attempt to harmfully engage with a set of harmful beliefs and behaviours.

Combat in the classroom: Many Manitoba public school teachers are concerned violence is making their jobs more difficult

The majority of teachers in a new Probe Research study reported both the prevalence of violence and severity of incidents has increased since they joined the profession. Early years and veteran teachers, along with those working in Winnipeg, were the most likely to report worsening conditions.

Vast marine conservation reserve, bigger than P.E.I., to protect B.C. central coast

An enormous national marine conservation reserve is being established on British Columbia's central coast, spanning an area larger than Prince Edward Island.

The protected area, named Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon, is the result of an agreement between six coastal First Nations and the provincial and federal governments.

An official says the area is around 6700 sq. km and will be operated by Parks Canada along with its Indigenous and federal partners.

The reserve is within the Great Bear Sea, a diverse marine ecosystem that covers more than half of B.C.'s coast and includes glass sponge reefs, salmon, killer whales and migrating humpbacks.

MPI commits to truth, reconciliation with improved services for Indigenous Peoples

Manitoba Public Insurance announced Friday it is taking steps to advance truth and reconciliation, including improved services for Indigenous Peoples.

The Crown corporation published a statement of commitment to truth and reconciliation, while unveiling its first Indigenous action plan, after receiving input from Indigenous communities, staff, customers and others.

MPI said it expects to expand road-safety initiatives, review Indigenous employment and representation within the corporation and improve driver licensing and identification services for remote and northern communities in the first year of the five-year action plan.

“This work represents a significant milestone for our organization, but more importantly, it reflects the voices and experiences shared with us through engagement with Indigenous communities across Manitoba,” MPI president and CEO Satvir Jatana said in a news release.

Judge to determine if dismissal of man’s filing against police was unreasonable

A man who alleges two Winnipeg police officers illegally searched his room in a group home hopes a judge will agree it was unreasonable for his complaint against them to be dismissed.

Michael Filbert, 69, who has cognitive and physical disabilities, appeared before a provincial court judge Thursday to argue in favour of a judicial review. His complaint to the Law Enforcement Review Agency was dismissed in September.

He alleges the officers conducted a search without a warrant and threatened him with an electroshock weapon in 2025.

Deb Roach, a friend of Filbert’s, spoke to the Free Press on his behalf because he has hearing loss and difficulty speaking.

Alberta is to vote on whether to hold a separation referendum. Here’s how we got here

Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that Albertans will be going to the polls Oct. 19 to vote on whether there should be a future binding referendum on the province quitting Canada.

Here's a timeline of pivotal moments in Alberta's separatism debate:

Oct. 28, 1980 — The federal government ignites widespread alienation in Alberta with the National Energy Program, which seeks to cushion the shock of high oil prices through a system that artificially depresses prices for the oil-dependent province. Albertans view it as a federal money grab.

Feb. 17, 1982 — Gordon Kesler of the Western Canada Concept Party of Alberta wins a provincial byelection in the riding of Olds-Didsbury on a platform of Alberta separating from Canada. Later that year, he loses his seat in the general election, even though the party receives nearly 12 per cent of the popular vote.

CRTC triples streamers’ financial contributions to Canadian content

OTTAWA - Large TV streaming services like Netflix must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content, the federal broadcast regulator said Thursday.

That’s three times the five-per-cent initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by major streamers, including Apple and Amazon.

Contribution requirements for traditional broadcasters, which currently pay between 30 and 45 per cent, will be lowered to 25 per cent.

"The total contributions are expected to stabilize the funding at more than $2 billion in support of Canadian and Indigenous content, such as French-language content and news," the regulator said in a press release.

UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United Nations expressed “grave concern” on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls.

The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls.

Afghanistan’s justice ministry published Decree No. 18 “on judicial separation of spouses” last week, which sets out rules for separation of a married couple.

Among its most controversial provisions, it says that the silence of a girl reaching puberty can be interpreted as consent to marriage. It also includes a section on the separation of girls who reach puberty and are married, which “implies that child marriage is permitted,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.

Alberta legislature committee eyes separation vote as meeting hits bizarre roadblock

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday — straight into another roadblock.

It occurred when the governing United Conservative members on a bipartisan legislature committee introduced a motion to formally ask Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet to initiate a provincewide vote on Alberta's status in Confederation this October.

The motion was expected to pass, given the UCP members on the committee outnumber the Opposition NDP members on it three to two.

But while the motion was still being debated, the UCP caucus published a news release announcing the vote had taken place and that the motion had passed.