Noise Limit For Outdoor Events, Steps Towards Safe Impartial Blood Donation, Uber And Lyft Drivers Protest

Hosted by Ahmad Moujtahed

Stories by Ahmad Moujtahed

 

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LOCAL

Due to multiple complaints over noise from outdoor summer events in Parc Jean-Drapeau, the city of Montreal has reached an agreement with South Shore St-Lambert.

With the exception of a few events, the new noise level will be 75 decibels. Concert promoters will be required to measure noise both inside and outside the site. An inspection team with the Ville Marie borough will also conduct periodic noise tests during concerts, according to Montreal Gazette.

St-Lambert residents can learn more about the noise limits during an information session scheduled to take place on June 27 at the city’s multipurpose centre at 81 Hooper St.

 

NATIONAL

Up until the year 2013, Canada had a lifetime restriction preventing men who have sex with men from donating blood. Since then, Health Canada has approved to grant this group of men a deferral period of five years for blood donation. In 2016, the deferral period was reduced to one year.

Recently, Health Canada has approved a request by Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to reduce this deferral period from one year to three months, a significant step towards eliminating the deferral period entirely.

The announced change is based on an analysis that revealed that there will be no increased risk to the safety of blood products intended for transfusion. The possibility of transmitting HIV by transfusion is extremely low at present, namely 1 chance in 23 million in Québec, and the announced change will not alter this risk in any significant way.

The change which will apply both in Québec and in the other Canadian provinces will ensure safe non-discriminatory blood donations.

 

INTERNATIONAL

Uber and Lyft drivers have been fighting for years for the right to unionize and negotiate better pay.

Some drivers for those ride-hailing giants have decided to protest the declining wages.

Demonstrations took place on Wednesday May 8 in 10 U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York as well as some European cities like London.

The protests arrived just ahead of Uber's initial public stock offering, which is planned for Friday May 10. Uber hopes to raise $9 billion US and is expected to be valued at up to $91.5 billion.

 

It's not the first time drivers for ride-hailing apps have staged protests. Strikes were planned in several cities last month, although the disruption to riders appeared to be minimal.