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New allegations surface at women's penitentiary
An Ontario women's prison is being hit by another alleged scandal.
According to CBC News, a guard at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario was suspended for allegedly trading sex for drugs.
While the Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) hasn't elaborated on the accusations as the case is being investigated, more inmates have come forward with similar complaints.
The union representing the guards didn't comment on the issue saying that when the investigation is over of needed they will take the necessary action.
This is not the first time Grand Valley has been under the microscope. Troubled 19-year-old Ashley Smith died in a segregation cell by choking herself with a piece of cloth in 2007.
The guards were initially charged with negligence when they didn't intervene, but were later relieved of wrong doing when it was revealed they acted on the orders of their senior manager.
Big retailers to take language watchdog to court
Several big names in retail are planning to take the Quebec language watchdog to court.
According to CBC News, the retailers are protesting the Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise's insistence on them adding French to their brand names. Some of the stores in question include giants such as Walmart, Best Buy and Costco.
An example on the OQLF website shows that Walmart could change their signs to "Le Magasin Walmart." Some retailers such as K.F.C., Second Cup and Starbucks have already taken action to comply with the language law.
The issue is surfacing as the P.Q. is looking to tighten Quebec's language law and make French the madatory language at work.
Among the big 3, Old Navy, The Gap and Guess are joining the legal battle. The cases convenes in Quebec Superior Court on Thursday.
Flickr Photo by: NCinDC
Uranium plant opens in west-end Toronto
Residents in west-end Toronto are demanding answers after discovering an unlikely next-door neighbour.
Meetings were held last week to discuss an uranium processing plant in the neighbourhood that some say they didn’t even know existed.
The General Electric-Hitachi facility has been operating in the residential area for close to fifty years.
According to the Toronto Star, the facility processes thousands of tonnes of uranium powder into pellets for nuclear reactors per year.
However, many residents claim they were unaware what the four-storey industrial building actually did.
The issue was brought to the public’s attention by an activist named Zach Ruiter.
Rabble.ca reported that Ruiter went door-to-door this fall informing citizens about the uranium processing plant in their neighbourhood.
Since then, the Toronto Star reported that some residents and a local politician have started campaigns to try and get the facility to leave town.
Throughout the controversy, GE-Hitachi officials maintained that the plant is safe and said they have no plans of relocating.
Flickr Photo by: NNSANews
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA TREMBLAY
Offensive continues in the Middle East
The Dalu family name rang out across Gaza Sunday.
According to Al-Jazeera, the Palestinian family’s home was hit by Israeli airstrikes killing at least twelve people including an eighty year old woman and four young children.
It was the deadliest day of bombings since Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said his country was ready to significantly expand its military operation in Palestine.
At least thirty died in yesterday’s attack. The total dead is now over eighty and counting.
Fighters from Gaza continue to fire rockets at Tel Aviv.
More than thirty rockets have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.
STORY WRITTEN BY: DANIEL J. ROWE
Israel warns foreign governments on Palestine U.N. membership
A warning to foreign governments in relation to possible enhanced status at the U.N. for Palestine could lead Israel to cancel the Oslo peace agreement and oust the current Palestinian Authority.
According to the New York Times, the threats reflect the last stretegy in progress as the Palestinians continue with plans for a vote in the United Nations General Assembly.
Last week, the Palestinians drafted a resolution to the member states as a first step of the campaign for international recognition of a future state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
However, Israel is opposed to the United Nations bid, saying that it is a unilateral measure that violates the peace accords and will make future negotiations with Palestine more difficult.
Israel also fears that Palestine will use their improved status to try to gain entry to the International Criminal Court, where it could seek to prosecute Israel for its actions within their borders.
The peace process has been delayed for years. Israel is ready for negotiations, however, Palestinian Authorities have said they will not negotiate if Israel refuses to stop construction in their settlements.
STORY WRITTEN BY: ISABELLA SASAKI
Openfile withholding pay
A group of Montreal journalists launched a collective action Monday against the community based news site, Openfile.
According to an article by the Concordian, the journalists were being kept waiting for up to two thousand dollars of unpaid work for over a month.
In response, four former contributors wrote an open letter and published on a Tumblr page, demanding overdue pay and an explanation for the websites hiatus.
CEO of Openfile, Wilf Dinnick, published a post on the website on September 28th, announcing a hiatus with no word on when it would be online again.
On October 2nd, Dinnick sent a group email to writers and editors, promising to pay overdue invoices within 60 days. According to the journalist’s open letter, some writers have been waiting more than 90 days.
Justin Ling, media spokesperson for the authors of the open letter, said that Dinnick contacted him shortly after the letter was published, and was left confident that everyone would be paid by the end of the year.
On a less positive note, J-Source published a recent article which quoted Dinnick saying that auditors had taken the books, stopping him being able to write the cheques for now. No further or official word about the auditing was made.
STORY WRITTEN BY: CATLIN SPENCER
PQ introduces Bill 10 in quest to fight corruption
The PQ is embarking on a blitz to pass a series of bills before parliament breaks for the holidays.
According to CBC News, the latest bill is receiving plenty of support from opposition parties. Bill 10 gives power to a judge to suspend any mayor or councillor with pay if they are facing a criminal charge that could lead to prison time.
Both the opposition Liberals and CAQ have voiced their support for the bill, however, it is not without its critics. Quebec City mayor Regis Lebeaume said that the government should not forcibly pass these laws just because a few bad apples were elected to their posts.
Currently, Mascouche mayor, Richard Marcotte, would be the only elected mayor that would be affected by Bill 10. He refuses to step down despite all of the accusations set against him.
Bill 10 is one of a group of laws the PQ plan to introduce to fight corruption. They already introduced Bill 1, a law that places pressure on companies bidding on contracts to prove they have a clean track-record when related to corruption.
Flickr Photo by: oeᴈib
November 16th, 2012
Hosted by: Hannah Besseau
Stories by: Hannah Besseau, Catlin Spencer & Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
LISTEN TO : Palm Fête - Eyes
Palm Fête throws you back to summertime on a hot, breezy beach - cool, calm and collected. Listen to the brand new track, "Eyes".
November 15th, 2012
Read by: Catlin Spencer
Stories by: Patrick Miller, Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Chloe Deneumoustier and Nikita Smith
Produced by: Alyssa Tremblay
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