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Fracking worries Environmental watchdog
Canada's Environmental watchdog has expressed concern over fracking in a report tabled in the House of Comons on Tuesday.
According to CBC News, Environmental Commissioner Scott Vaughan tabled the report in his final act as auditor of Canadian environmental regulations.
Vaughan's report details how environmental protection may not be keeping up resource development. He points to the field of offshore oil and gas with two boards in Atlantic Canada who are not prepared for a potential spill.
The federal government told Vaughan that fracking is an emerging issue and is looking into it in depth.
Ottawa is expected to finish its review on fracking by March 2014.
Same-sex marriage vote passes in two U.K. countries
Tuesday was a landmark day for same-sex couples in England and Wales.
According to the BBC, the House of Commons voted in favour of the Same-Sex Couples Marriage Bill by a 400-175 majority.
The ended a long day of debates on whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal in these two U.K. nations.
While most MPs were in favour of the Biull, there were some who opposed it. 136 Conservatives opposed the Bill. The groups includes two cabinet ministers, eight junior ministers and eight whips.
Prime Minister David Cameron, called the passing of the Bill into law, "an important step forward that strenghens society".
Flickr Photo by: Neville10
Montreal's gas prices increase for no reason
By: futureatlas.com
Gas prices have reach 1.46 cents in Montreal this Tuesday, as the city increases the cost of gas by more than 10 cents per litre overnight.
However this comes as no surprise to Montrealers who are used to countless unnecessary price hikes in 2012. According to CAA Quebec, these unjustified increases are more likely to occur before holiday weekends.
CAA has also deemed eight out of the 12 gas price hikes in 2012 to be unwarranted.
Sophie Gagnon, CAA-Quebec’s vice president for public and government relations has stated that the industry makes sure to get the maximum profit by taking advantage of times when they know motorists will be on the road.
Currently Montreal-area drivers deal with the most pre-weekend price hiking when compared to Québec City and Sherbrooke.
Montreal also pays the highest gas taxes among Canada’s largest cities with an average of 36 per cent in tax on top of the average price for a litre of gasoline. This is 5 per cent higher than the overall Canadian average, currently resting at 31 per cent.
February 5th, 2013
Hosted by: Gabrielle Fahmy
Stories by: Danny Aubry, Jenna Monney-Lupert, Carlo Spiridigliozzi & Nikita Smith
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Lack of engineers in Britain has negative effect on economy
According to the New York Times, the lack of engineers in Britain is negatively affecting the country’s economy.
A recent article states that Britain’s straining manufacturing sector isn’t an attractive prospect for students in university who see careers in finance as more lucrative and prominent.
Experts say that the country needs a strong labour force right now, to try and offset the current recession it’s in.
Engineers in Britain point out the lack of support from the government, compared to countries like Germany where engineering is seen as highly prominent and many apprenticeship programs are offered, as a major factor for the decline.
Analysts state that another problem facing the industry is its image. The stereotype that it is a dirty profession, reserved for working-class, low-status citizens is held by a lot of parents that want their children to strive for a more prestigious career.
According to the Royal Academy of Engineering, more than a quarter of graduates from engineering pick jobs outside the fields of science, technology, or engineering.
STORY WRITTEN BY: NIKITA SMITH
Charities try to cash in on penny's swan song
Monday spelled the end of the Canadian penny, leaving several charities wondering waht will happen to their coin jars.
According to CBC News, several of the country's charity organizations have collected millions of pennies during a recent penny drive, preparing in advance for this day.
Feed the Children and Tim Hortons have gathered $70 and $1 million dollars respectively in penny drives dedicated to childrens foundations and feeding the hungry in third world countries.
On the negative end of things, some charities are concerned that fewer coins in circualtion could hurt fundraising efforts.
The Canadian Mint estimates it will recover 6 billion pennies. This means that there are still $60 million dollars or more out there for charities to gather.
Flickr Photo by: Kasia/flickr
Gap between Rich and Poor becomes wider
The gap between the rich and the poor is becoming more apparent.
According to a Statistics Canada report, the average income of the top 1 per cent is 10 times higher than the remaining 99 per cent of the nation.
The same can be observed in Quebec.
The Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économique (IRIS) reported that the richest 1 per cent of Quebecers have seen their income rise by 59.3 per cent from 1982 to 2010.
On the other hand, average income for the poorest 50 per cent of Quebecers has increased by 16.6 per cent during the same period.
Simon Tremblay is a researcher with IRIS.
He told the McGill Daily that the share of federal and provincial tax paid by the richest one per cent fell to 21.2 per cent—a 2.1 per cent decrease from 2007.
Tremblay added that inequalities between the rich and the poor have been on the rise, and unless there are significant political changes, these inequalities will persist.
STORY WRITTEN BY: JENNA MONNEY-LUPERT
French-Canadians threatened by culture loss
A recent report which was done in Quebec indicates that francophones throughout Canada are victims of slight culture loss.
According to the Gazette the report was made up by a Quebec independence group with some financial aid by the Parti Quebecois of Quebec.
The report is known as the Estates-General on Quebec Sovereignty project which consists of the data of 1,200 people throughout 13 regions of Quebec.
The report`s authors stated it identifies 92 ways in which the Canadian system has ignored the interests and values of Quebecers.
The head of the pro-independence group stated that he wants to remind people of how much the French language has diminished in Canada since the 20th century.
February 4th, 2013
Hosted by: Aisha Samu
Stories by: Hannah Besseau, Natasha Taggart, Nikita Smith & Kurt Weiss
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Montreal reveals plan for new Champlain bridge
The city of Montreal has released its plan for the new Champlain Bridge.
According to the Gazette, the city’s proposal, unveiled on Sunday, outlines some ideas in the works such as two lanes dedicated to public transit, a 13-kilometre-long rail system and a toll booth.
Mayor Michael Applebaum says that even with added toll booths, drivers shouldn’t be the only ones forced into paying to maintain the bridge.
A release that was issued after the press conference says that the city will turn to public funds to finance the infrastructure of the multi-billion dollar project. The provincial and federal governments will finance the majority of the project.
The new bridge is expected to be completed in 2022 and could cost up to 5 billion dollars.
Flickr Photo by: christine592
STORY WRITTEN BY: NATASHA TAGGART
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