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August 10th, 2012
Read by: Hannah Besseau
Stories by: Alyssa Tremblay, Danny Aubry and Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi and Alyssa Tremblay
New Concordia president does CBC radio interview
Concordia's new president Dr. Alan Shepard made an appearance on CBC radio's Daybreak morning show on Friday.
Dr. Shepard just recently began his presidential mandate on August 1st.
Prior to coming to Montreal, he served as provost and vice-president at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Shepard's introduction to the Concordia community hasn't been smooth.
In April, a small group of student protesters interrupted Shepard's first public speaking event at Concordia. The meeting was cancelled after protesters refused to stop making noise.
Concordia's fall semester begins on September 5th, the day after provincial elections.
Concordia student competes in London Olympics
Concordia student and Stingers wrestler David Tremblay made his Olympic debut in London on Friday.
Tremblay is an undergraduate student in Concordia's department of Applied Human Sciences.
He lost his opening match 1-0, 1-1 against Turkish wrestler Ahmet Peker.
According to CTV news, Tremblay is out of contention for a bronze medal.
Inmates speak out against crime bill
Inmates at Ontario provincial jails have expressed outrage that the federal government si enacting the first measures of Bill C-10.
According to rabble.ca the measures were enacted one day before Prisoners' Justice Day. Inmates claim that the bill will make prisons more crowded and the prison system less about justice than it is now.
Provincial jails in Ontario don't have the functional protections for human rights the federal ones do. Close to seventy percent of Ontario provincial inmates aren't convicts but those waiting for bail or deportation.
Inmates go on a 24-hour hunger strike to honour Prisoners' Justice Day. This also commemorates an inmate who died from inhumane conditions in 1974.
Flickr Photo by: my_southborough
Drought has major impact on North America
The area in the U.S. suffering from record drought increased slightly over the past week.
In a report by CBC News, the record breaking heat and drought continues in the Southern and central United States.
The drought is very sporatic in Canada though. Southwest Manitoba and the area west of Ottawa have been unseasonably dry.
The impact on agriculture and food varies from the drought. What crops have increased in prices and Livestock have been impacted. However, rice and cotton seem to be in excellent condition.
The eastern half of the U.S. midwest did get some relief from the dry conditions. Another week of rain has led to steadily improving conditions.
Flickr Photo by: Schilling 2
Nadeau-Dubois's departure from CLASSE
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the co-spokesperson of the most agressive Quebec student association called CLASSE has decided to resign.
According to CBC News Nadeau-Dubois has stated that it's time for CLASSE to be run by a fresh face.
He has also announced that he has no intention of running for leader of any political party.
He has adivised the striking students to not be discouraged by his resignation and has encouraged them to continue striking.
Charest gives $100 to schoolchildren
Quebec Liberal premier Jean Charest switched the focus of his campaign from jobs to education, on Monday.
The Gazette says he promised a hundred dollars for every child in public primary school to help families buy school supplies.
He said the forty-five million dollar assistance will ease the financial pressure of back-to-school season.
The premier also said he would double the budget to forty million from twenty million for the Homework Assistance Program in Elementary School.
The aim of this boost, said Charest, is to help students pass exams by providing them with the right methodologies for studying.
At the morning news conference, Charest deflected questions about a new Léger Marketing poll that shows seventy per cent of Quebecers feel the ruling Liberals are corrupt.
A week into his campaign, Charest said he was suspicious of the polls, and did not mention new plans to fight collusion in the construction industry.
He did however take advantage of a stop in Lac Mégantic to launch fresh attacks on Pauline Marois.
He was also shifty about the candidacy of Jacques Duchesneau for the Coalition Avenir Quebec party.
CAQ promises tax cuts
The CAQ's Francois Legault said that Quebec families are over-taxed.
In a report by CBC News, the CAQ vowed to eliminate the $200 health service tax and to cut taxes to middle class families if elected to power.
At the end of 5 years, a family earning a combined salary of up to $100 000 would pay $1000 less in provincial taxes. The cut would cost the government $1.8 billion in lost revenue.
Both the PQ and the Liberals attacked the promise. They expressed concern over where the lost revenue would come from.
The Liberals meanwhile have promised to cover 20 percent of "green" home improvement projects, up to $3000 on a $16 000 renovation bill.
August 8th, 2012
Read and Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Alyssa Tremblay and Niki Mohrdar
Canadians take action against the Sahel food crisis
Canada’s federal government will now match each dollar donated by Canadians to aid the food crisis that is currently threatening lives in West Africa’s Sahel region. They hope to donate a kickstart amount of $10 million to the Sahel Crisis Matching Fund.
All donations will be matched by September 30.
Funds will then be sent out by the Canadian International Development Agency. Areas that will be aided include Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Sengal, Gambia and northern Cameroon.
CIDA’s minister, Julian Fantino believes that Canadians have always shown that they are willing to help those in need and therefore believes we can reach our goal.
According to CBC, $47.5 million has already been given to World Vision Canada, the World Food Programme, and the Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Oxfam, Oxfam Quebec Care Canada, Plan Canada and Save the Children.
These groups believe that the federal governments new fund will be able to raise awareness about the crisis that is currently affecting roughly 18 million men, women and children suffering from hunger and severe malnutrition.
Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada’s executive director, believes that these funds will help ensure not only immediate life-saving assistance but also crucial investments in farming and herding. This will allow people to prosper even after our assistance
Fox believes that with Canadians’ generous donations and the government match, we can do our part to break the cycle of hunger in Sahel.
The current crisis in Sahel is said to be caused by a combination of erratic rains, poor harvests and drought.
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