HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA
City to mull issue of burial fund for poor veterans
STAFF REPORTER MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE mlightstone@herald.ca @CH_Lightstone
City hall’s cemetery operations staff and brass from a federal burial fund for poor veterans have been hashing out details about the resting place for some vets in the Halifax area.
At issue are the costs associated with keeping cremated remains in a columbarium in Fairview Cemetery.
Janet Bryson, a spokeswoman with Halifax Regional Municipality, said Friday a "memorandum of understanding" has been developed between the fund and municipality.
Regional council is to consider the matter at its Tuesday session.
Bryson said the Nova Scotia branch of the Last Post Fund had in years previous sold a number of columbarium spots at a cheaper rate than the current $400 a piece.
She said the municipality, which is to operate and maintain the site, is proposing previous sales be exempt from being increased to reflect the price hike.
"We aren’t going to charge them that $400," said Bryson.
"But that is outside of our (municipal government) administrative order, and that’s why it has to go to regional council for approval."
A city staff report says local market prices for columbarium spaces range from $200 to $625.
The Last Post Fund is a federal burial fund for veterans that also supports other programs to honour the memory o f Canadians who served their country.
In March, the owner of the Pleasant Hill cemetery outside Halifax made a public pitch offering dis count burials for military and police veterans. Bill Mont, a flea market king and veteran in his 80s, told a news conference the cost of a final goodbye at his cemetery will be chopped to $500 for a burial plot from the regular $1,500 fee.
Mont said his cemetery has plenty o f space.
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THIS IS SCARY- EVIL DICTATORS CAN SLITHER IN2 OUR BORDERS ALONG WITH VICTIMS.... AND THE ONUS IS ON CANADA 2 GET THEM OUT???? WTF??? REMEMBER RWANDA????
Supreme Court allows appeal in war crimes case
MIKE BLANCHFIELD THE CANADIAN PRESS
O T TAWA — The Supreme Cour t of Canada has granted the appeal of a former Congolese diplomat who was seeking refugee status in Canada in a ruling that will have implications for future war crimes cas es.
In a precedent-setting 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola is entitled to a new hearing on whether he was complicit by association in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the government o f his country.
The court ruled that a person can only be excluded from refugee protection "if there are serious reasons for considering that he or she voluntarily made a knowing and significant contribution to the crime or criminal purpose of the group alleged to have committed the crime."
The ruling said the burden of proof lies with the government that is trying to deny a refugee applicant .
The ruling clarifies the line that defines whether senior public officials should be excluded from the definition of a refugee for being part of a government that commits war crimes.
The Immigration and Refugee Board, which originally ruled against Ezokola, will now reconsider the case based on today’s ru ling .
A "detailed assessment is required to determine whether the particular facts of this case establish serious reasons" to deny Ezokola’s claim, the high court said in its decision .
"A refugee hearing is not a criminal trial b efore an international tribunal. International criminal tribunals render verdicts for some of the most serious crimes in the international legal order," justices Louis LeBel and Morris Fish wrote for the court.
"In contrast, the Board makes exclusion determinations; it does not determine guilt or innocence."
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NOVA SCOTIA RISING- THIS IS SOOO COOL
More blueberries, less grunt
Cumberland County’s Doug Bragg Enterprises builds blueberry harvesters and high-speed flail mowers from scratch
AARON BESWICK TRURO BUREAU
COLLINGWOOD — T here’s a small community in the Cob equid Mountains where the widely accepted ru les o f industrial manufacturing are being broken.
"If I have to go down to Maine because of a loose wire, then everybody loses money," said Peter Swinkels, engineer at Doug Bragg Enterprises Ltd.
"The way we do it here, we have complete control over quality and don’t get held hostage by the supply chain."
For the Collingwood, Cumberland County, company that means building blueberry harvesters and high-speed flail mowers from scratch.
Raw steel, bearings, plastic pellets and transistors arrive on trucks, which roll along beside the River Philip. Out roll 90 per cent of the low-bush blueberry harvesters used in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Maine. And they’re not simple machines. The blu e contrivances of hydraulics, rakes, conveyor belts and loading platform completely encircle the tractors they are custom made to fit.
They were invented by the late Doug Bragg in the late ’70s and early ’80s to mechanize the relatively young low-bush blueberry industry, on which the Bragg family was to rebuild and diversify the area’s economy to include large employers like Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd.
Blueberries are one of the more unlikely gifts of the two world wars that tore men from their rocky, acidic fields of the high country along the Cob equid Mountains.
With the men gone off to fertilize another continent’s fields with their blood, the women took their children down from the hills to villages, like Collingwood and Oxford, nestled in the gentle river valleys.
Fields went fallow and blueb erry vines spread their long tentacles through the ungenerous soil of those painstakingly cleared hardwood hills.
Meanwhile, the economy was changing and families no longer wanted to live hand to mouth on hardscrabble subsistence farms.
The Bragg family, who’d come from England in the 1800s to work the woods and the fields, were immersed in farming and lumber when they, like others in the area, began turning their eyes toward the blue vines spreading across the high country.
"I can rememb er when I was seven, trucks leaving to carry blueberries to Kentville and Boston," said Carl Bragg, 59, Doug’s son and president of the company named for his father.
From its beginnings in the 1960s, right through to the ’80s, the industry was rough and ready. Old vans and school buses would rumble into Cumberland County towns at about 5 a.m. to pick up groups of teenagers to rake berries on the hills. Low-bush blueberry vines blossom every two years.
In the off years, diesel fuel would be spread — about 400 litres to the half-hectare — on the fields and burned as a form o f cru de pruning .
"Dad didn’t like that, he thought there was a better way," said Bragg.
So in the Bragg family maintenance shop, the elder Bragg tinkered away to invent, first, a mechanized blueberry harvester and then a flail mower that made burning fields obsolete.
Blueberries can’t be planted like traditional crops, their seeds are eaten, digested and spread by birds and bears.
"They are a truly wild crop," said Bragg. "All we can do is entice with fer tility and protect against disease."
But despite the stubborn little plant’s resistance to conventional agriculture, field owners managed to entice the spread o f vines to the point that Atlantic Canada is now producing about 68 million tonnes annually — half the total commercial output in North America .
With more than 16,000 hectares in production, Nova Scotia is Canada’s largest producer. The communities of Collingwood and Oxford are at the industry’s heart.
And the industry has changed. It’s going high-tech, and Doug Bragg Enterprises is leading the way.
Since 2000, the company has spent more than $3 million on research and development projects, usually in par tnerships with the recently renamed Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus in Truro.
The newest harvesters being designed in Collingwood will be equipp ed with global p osition systems. They will als o, while on the move, weigh the blueberries as they are being collected, providing field owners with realtime updates on yields and progress on their fields.
Meanwhile, the company has been moving more and more in-house. They have a casting furnace to p our their own zincaluminum wheels, a metal laser cutter for fabricating the raw steel, a plastic moulding machine for turning plastic pellets into, well, pretty well anything they want. They even manufacture their own circuit boards.
"Our welders are also fabricators," said Swinkels, as he watched a harvester taking shape around a new John Deere tractor.
"We don’t build in obsolescence, so the goal is that a 20-year-old harvester can be refurbished, like this one here, and rebuilt around a new tractor. Our welders have to do a lot of thinking because every harvester is custom built to fit the tractor sent to us by the farmer."
Back in Bragg’s office, he explained that the short seasons and variable market for harvesters demand their unusual manufacturing model. Last year, they built 17 harvesters, this year it’ll be 40.
The harvesting season is only 21 days long, meaning that if something breaks and a farmer has to wait for a part, there are big loss es.
"Some people say, ‘Why don’t you manufacture these parts in China,’ " said Bragg. "We need complete control over quality and can’t tolerate the variabilities of the supply chain."
Asked what drives a company to put so much into research and development when there are no large competitors, he said: "When you’re on top there will always be s omeone coming along trying to take your place. We don’t intend to let that happen."
Some people say, ‘Why don’t you manufacture these parts in China.’ We need complete control over quality and can’t tolerate the variabilities of the supply chain.
Carl Bragg
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NOVA SCOTIA RISING
Port cargo traffic rises
REMO ZACCAGNA BUSINESS REPORTER
r zaccagna@herald.ca @CH-RemoZaccagna
The Port of Halifax had a stable second quarter in terms of total cargo it handled, but saw a big spike in the volume of containerized cargo coming through the facility.
According to figures the Halifax Port Authority released Friday, total cargo tonnage in the second quarter increased by 0.6 per cent to 2,194,260 metric tonnes from the same period last year.
But containerized cargo jumped 9.7 per cent from the same quarter last year, with 111,712 20-foot-equivalent container units either being imported or exported through the port. Exports, in particular, rose 13.8 per cent, much of that destined for China.
"We’ve been focusing on Asia over the last little while, and Asia was strong in this quarter," said port spokesman Lane Farguson.
General cargo jumped 0.5 per cent in the quarter, but bulk cargo, such as oil and grains, dropped by 11.5 per cent when compared to the same period last year, "Most of the bulk cargo that moved through the Port of Halifax is not material that we handle. We track it, but we don’t have a lot of influence over it," he said.
"Like gypsum, for example, that comes in and out; that’s something that’s not handled by the port or any of the businesses that lease our property.
But it does pass through the port, so that’s why it’s tracked in that regard."
In the second quarter, 35,330 cruise passengers called on Halifax, a 23.6 per cent increase from last season.
Overall, 22 cruise vessels docked in Halifax, a sizable increase from the 16 that called on the port in 2012.
Farguson said the port is expecting 133 ships, carrying approximately 240,000 passengers, to arrive during the 2013 cruise season.
Overall, cargo tonnage is up 7.4 per cent year-to-date, a trend Farguson expects to continue.
"Because we are halfway through the year, it looks as though we are seeing positive, gradual growth," he said.
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BETTER 4 FOREIGN WORKERS AND BETTER 4 THOSE OF US AT HOME....
Tighter law helps all
Rules on foreign workers fairer for ever yone
Nova Scotia employers wanting to bring in temporary foreign workers will have a tougher time as of Aug. 1. That’s a good thing.
Under new provincial rules, it will be harder for employers and recruiting agents to unlawfully take money from foreign workers in exchange for a job.
It will also be easier for officials to weed out employers who have violated the labour code or infringed health and safety rules protecting their existing workers.
From Aug. 1, employers must register with the provincial labour standards division before they recruit or hire foreign workers.
A registration certificate will be required every time they seek federal approval to bring in temporary workers. Unregistered employers who recruit foreign workers may be fined up to $25,000.
Employers also face hefty fines if they use unregistered recruitment agencies.
Ottawa has also been tightening up rules for its controversial temporary foreign worker program .
Earlier this year, when the Royal Bank of Canada admitted using foreign IT workers, the federal government reformed the program by closing loopholes and requiring employers to pay prevailing wages to foreign workers.
This reduces the advantage of hiring foreign workers for lower wages.
Temporary foreign workers are hired when local workers lack skills or experience or choose not to accept jobs for the wages and conditions offered. These federal reforms target employers simply seeking cheaper labour.
Ottawa wants to s ee business plans showing how thes e employers will migrate to hiring more Canadian workers instead.
And while the registration process in Nova Scotia is free, Ottawa will recover more program expenses from employers, so other taxpayers don’t subsidize the cost of hiring foreign workers.
Foreign workers in Nova Scotia, including seasonal farm hands, earn upwards of $10 an hour and are protected by the labour standards code. On top of that, employers pay for workers’ transportation and insurance, and in some cases provide accommodation.
On balance, when other payroll costs are factored in, temporary foreign workers may not be cheaper than Canadian workers.
But it appears they are carving out a more permanent place in the labour market.
The number of temporary foreign workers entering the province each year is relatively steady, between 2,000 and 3,000. But the number remaining in the province has increased dramatically in the past two years.
Last year, 2,324 temporary foreign workers entered the province and 4,364 were living here in December. That suggests temporary foreign workers may be staying longer and employers may be becoming more dependent on them .
Some of those employers, who gathered in Halifax this week to be briefed on the reforms, were reportedly disgruntled at the changes.
It will be harder and more costly to hire foreign workers. But that’s a fair exchange.
The new rules remove incentives to use foreign workers as cheap labour. That protects Canadian workers.
The provincial requirement to only use registered recruiters will protect foreign workers from illegal and unscrupulous practices.
And together, the federal and provincial reforms should ensure businesses have done all they can to recruit locals first.
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NOVA SCOTIA RISING- R BELOVED BLACK LOYALISTS.... a must have book
Whitehead’s story of Africans in Nove Scotia enthralls
July 20, 2013 - 12:00am JOHN BOILEAU
In the space of 35 years, colonial Nova Scotia experienced three waves of black immigration that changed the makeup of the province.
Loyalists leaving the new American republic after the Revolutionary War, Jamaican Maroons forcibly relocated because of rebellion and slaves fleeing Chesapeake Bay plantations during the War of 1812 formed the beginnings of several black communities across Nova Scotia, most of which still exist today.
Because they were largely illiterate, first-hand accounts from these groups are rare. Fortunately, their former masters and the British who brought them here were meticulous record keepers. It is largely through these records that Ruth Holmes Whitehead has gleaned the story of Loyalists in the first group, in particular those from the southern colonies of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Whitehead chose those colonies because South Carolina and Georgia, which had formerly been a part of South Carolina, had the largest black populations at the time. Many present-day Nova Scotians who are descendants of Black Loyalists have ancestors from there, some of whom were probably enslaved by her ancestors. As a former registrar at the Charleston Museum, Whitehead was familiar with existing research resources.
Despite the research material available to her, Whitehead faced a formidable task. The enslavement of an estimated 10 million Africans, torn from their ancestral roots, cut deeply into their collective memory, leaving only a scattering of dim recollections at best.
Additionally, research in the United States is seriously hindered by a lack of black surnames in historical documents before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which declared slavery illegal and occurred 80 years after the Loyalists had left the new American republic.
While their masters may not have recorded last names, we are fortunate that the British who carried them to freedom did.
Many readers will be familiar with Lawrence Hill’s 2007 masterly best-selling novel The Book of Negroes, which used the real Book of Negroes as the inspiration for his story of Aminata Diallo. Whitehead has also employed this key British document to tell the true story of these refugees, along with an impressive list of other reference material.
The result will appeal to anyone with an interest in Nova Scotia history, black and white.
Whitehead proceeds in an orderly fashion, beginning with an account of the background to the slave trade and the deplorable conditions of the transatlantic passage. In this summary, she reveals three astonishing medical facts, whose impact is still felt today.
The first is that black slaves were the unintended "biological containers" that brought the most serious malaria virus to the New World, a disease that still plagues Central and South America and has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Secondly, the slave trade aided in the adaptation of the yellow fever mosquito to the New World. This mosquito laid its eggs in the water cisterns of slave ships and quickly learned to live almost exclusively on human blood. In the New World, it spread not only yellow fever, but dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever as well.
Thirdly, the Africans who survived the voyage were those whose bodies were the most adept at retaining salt, making them able to combat the severe dehydration that was perhaps the leading cause of death aboard slave ships. As Whitehead notes, "There is speculation that this may underlie problems of hypertension in New World blacks today."
But facts such as these are incidental to Whitehead’s main story, in which she has traced a number of slaves from their colonial American masters, to the shores of Nova Scotia where they founded new communities, to the return of a few former slaves to Africa and the subsequent establishment of the new country of Sierra Leone.
Based on minimal information (some of the best of which incongruously came from wanted posters for runaway slaves) and exhaustive research, Whitehead has pieced together what will likely be the most complete account of her subjects’ lives.
Her book is a fine addition to the history of the black presence in Nova Scotia.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/books/1143377-whitehead-s-story-of-africans-in-nove-scotia-enthralls
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NOVA SCOTIA RISING- we so love our Chinese families.... the last paragraph is so telling...
"I never feel I’m in a foreign country in Canada," he says. "I feel at home. Where freedom, that’s your home."
NOVA SCOTIA A-Z: Canadian Traveller calls Dartmouth home
July 20, 2013 - 12:00am By LOIS LEGGE Features Writer
As a naval architect, Kwan sojourned all over the world
Retired naval architect, George Han Hwa Kwan, originally from China, poses for a portrait in his Dartmouth home. Kwan immigrated to Canada in 1981 when he took a job in Calgary (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff)
George Kwan once dreamed of becoming a ship’s captain.
But seasickness got in the way.
So he found another dream.
And for the next 50 years, he forged another connection to the sea, designing everything from coastal defence vessels to offshore drilling rigs.
He travelled the "free world," almost as he imagined years ago, gazing at the beautiful ships in Hong Kong’s harbour, dreaming of life on the water and thinking: "You could go everywhere, anywhere you wished."
Over the years, the now-80-year-old retired naval architect has gone everywhere from China — where he was born and raised though not always free — to the Arctic.
Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, England, Sweden, Chile and Taiwan too.
Now Dartmouth.
"In my life, the longest house I live in is this house," he says on a warm June day, as sunlight streams over his model schooner and lights up pictures of the boats he helped build.
"And the longest town I stayed in my life is Dartmouth."
Kwan came to Dartmouth in 1992 from Calgary, where he’d immigrated in 1981 to take a job as senior naval architect for Dome Petroleum. He lived there but travelled the globe for various projects, including to Japan, where he led the unique conversion of a tanker into a gravity-based Arctic offshore drilling rig that made the pages of A History of Canadian Marine Technology.
In Nova Scotia, he worked on the Panuke offshore project for German Marine, and later for SNC-Lavalin, overseeing the construction of 12 coastal defence vessels for the Defence Department. He eventually became a marine inspector for Public Works and played a key role in the construction of aluminum boats for the Canadian Coast Guard and the RCMP.
All while heading several volunteer organizations — the Chinese Society of Nova Scotia and Chinese Benevolent Association of Nova Scotia — close to his roots and close to his heart.
"My mother used to be active in YWCA in Beijing," says the father of two and husband to Helen for 50 years. "Our family tradition is like this."
His cultural tradition is like this too. And he’s shown his enduring respect for those traditions, his elders and his ancestors by establishing Atlantic Canada’s only Chinese cemetery (in Middle Sackville), helping to organize Chinese New Year celebrations and spearheading local relief efforts for Chinese earthquake victims.
His career and voluntary accomplishments have been rewarded with an honorary doctorate of civil law from Saint Mary’s University, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and other accolades, all of them unexpected.
"I consider this not only given for myself, me alone," he says. "It is also to respect our Chinese people’s contribution. Let us be encouraged by this and work hard. That’s it."
But while Kwan is a champion of Chinese contributions here, he finds it difficult to talk about his life there.
Before finding work with a major Hong Kong naval architecture firm in 1973, Kwan lived through the Japanese occupation of China, the Kuomintang regime and the Communist revolution.
"(When) I went to Hong Kong, the first movie I saw was Doctor Zhivago," says the friendly, accomplished immigrant, who grew up in Beijing with seven brothers and sisters and still has family there.
"When I look at that movie, it’s nothing to compare with what I experienced in China … nothing to compare."
How does it compare?
"I can’t tell you," he says, turning as serious as he’s been all morning.
"I can’t tell you. I cannot tell you. It’s too hard … it gets into politics. Unless I want to write a story and never go back again."
Not that he plans to live there again. He’s been happy, as he puts it, to live "half my life in free world."
And more than half of that in Canada.
"I never feel I’m in a foreign country in Canada," he says. "I feel at home. Where freedom, that’s your home."
http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1143368-nova-scotia-a-z-traveller-calls-dartmouth-home
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Canadians and Americans- we love each other but our cultures are sooooo different....
EXAMPLE- BOY SCOUTS- Canada was all up in the air cause girls wanted to join boy scouts instead of guides and the sex and babies be4 being 15 thing and the 'male identity thinging' - AMERICA.... all worried about the homosexual thing- this article does well in explaining our different natures.... and the continued closeness and loyalty of Canada and America... well done..
America is guns, race and religion- SERIOUSLY
Canada is hockey, family, equal opportunities and responsible government ... imho
EDITORIAL: America the inexplicable also irresistible to Canadians
HERALD EDITORIAL PAUL SCHNEIDEREIT
pauls@herald.ca CH_PaulS
Paul Schneidereit is an editorial writer and columnist
America the inexplicable also ir resistible to Canadians
A lone legislator filibustering into the night, on her feet for 10 hours trying to time-out proposed legislation limiting abortions.
After a not-guilty verdict in a nationally watched, racially charged trial, sporadic assaults, vandalism and small-scale rioting in response — though nowhere near what was predicted — in spots across the country.
Following a mass shooting at an elementary school that leaves more than two dozen children dead, an impassioned national debate over gun ownership by a country bitterly divided on the issu e.
No one would mistake any of these scenarios as Canadian. Thes e snapshots are American stories, familiar to us from news coverage, yet foreign in ways that go beyond the simple meaning of that word.
In the big picture, the United States is our neighbour, biggest trading partner and closest ally. We’re intimately knowledgeable about American culture, awash in U.S. music, movies and TV shows. Many Canadians and Americans share intertwined family trees and deep, long-lasting cross-border friendships.
Yet we often don’t understand each other. For all the ways we’re close, many Canadians often find themselves baffled by the issues, arguments and attitudes found south of the border.
These people are familiar to us, yet we sometimes find ourselves asking: Who are these people?
Columnists Jim Meek and Lee-Anne Goodman explore some of this uncomfortable territory in their columns on the back page of today’s Opinions section.
Religion, race and guns are often cited as barometers by which our differences can be measured. But what shouldn’t be underestimated is that our divergent identities are rooted in very different, though clearly linked, histories.
The United States was born in violent revolution, forcefully tearing itself from Great Britain’s grasp. From the beginning, Americans stood apart, their new country a grand experiment in popular democracy.
Canada, meanwhile, benefited from the lessons Britain learned from that revolution. Responsible government came here long before independence. Our ties to Britain stayed strong, oftentimes seemingly felt more deeply here than back in London.
One result, historians suggest, is that Americans put less faith in authorities and more in themselves, whereas Canadians prize good government that provides stability.
Those are generalizations, of course, but that doesn’t mean they can b e dismiss ed.
That said, religion, race and guns do carry a far higher profile in U.S. affairs as compared to Canada .
Church-reported attendance among Americans is more than twice that of Canadians. Perhaps that’s one reason why we’re often so perplexed when we see U.S. political or public leaders invoking their faith — well beyond the perfunctory way we’re used to in Canada — in public affairs.
On the issue of race, U.S. society is still dealing with aftershocks of that country’s long embrace of slavery and segregation of blacks, an issue that helped spark a bloody civil war. Even considering our historical tensions b etween French and English, Canada has had no comparable experience.
Finally, no doubt du e to our differing paths to independence, many Americans and Canadians hold fundamentally different views on public ownership of firearms. We treasure our constitution, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, yet many of us seem genuinely pu zzled when Americans rally to their far older Second Amendment, which protects the right to b ear arms.
Of course, Americans themselves hold different views, at times radically so, on all these subjects. And because all three hot buttons — religion, race and guns — fuel passionate debate, it’s hardly surprising when politicians south of the border, as politicians are wont to do, seek to score partisan points amid, and in many cases thanks to, the tumult.
Which sometimes leads to another phenomenon vir tually unseen in Canada — the spectacle of a criminal trial, whether of O.J. Simpson or George Zimmerman (and I am not equating their "not guilty" verdicts), hijacked by various politicians and partisan groups with their own agendas and turned into a divisive, at times destructive, national debate.
So we’re alike in many ways, different in others. That was probably inevitable, considering how we got here.
What’s not inevitable, though, is believing Canadians — while we’re demonstrably different — are somehow better than Americans. That’s a regrettable, selflimiting path that too often leads to attitudes that look little different from the stereotypes we mo ck.
The America s een through the distorting lens of media coverage — which by its nature focuses on the sensational and unusual — often tells us very little about the everyday lives of people who, just like us, are mostly doing the best they can to make ends meet and lead good lives.
Like many Canadians, my father’s family emigrated to North America in the 2 0th century, some landing in Canada, some in the U.S., so I have many relatives south of the border. Like some Canadians (although far fewer), I’m married to an American, so I also have various in-laws — representing Democrats, Republicans and indep endents, but all wonderful people — in the States.
Whatever our differences, we are, and will remain, unalterably linked by geography, history, trade and blo o d.
AND... JIM MEEK'S COLUMN- AS USUAL EXCELLENT
CANADA AND USA
MEEK: The great values divide
July 19, 2013 - 3:20pm By JIM MEEK
Pollster Michael Adams might bristle at the joke that defines a Canadian as an "unarmed American with health care coverage." After all, that’s a punch line, not a serious attempt to define the distinctions between Canadians and their American cousins.
Adams is dead serious about this stuff.
He published Fire and Ice, the United States, Canada and the Myth of Converging Values in 1993. And as a darling of the Canadian liberal intelligentsia, he’s been dining out on his book ever since.
In brief, Fire and Ice argues that Americans are more innovative, competitive, religious, individualist, racist and entrepreneurial than Canadians.
And while America has a "revolutionary tradition" dating back to 1776, Canada has a "counter-revolutionary tradition" that pre-dates Confederation.
Indeed, Canadians have rarely come across a rebel movement they couldn’t talk to death.
Here I reference not only the hot-and-cold, on-again, off-again separatist aspirations of Quebec governments over the past 40 years, but also Joseph Howe’s strategic reversal of course in his role as Nova Scotia’s Father of Confederation.
In the mid-1860s, Howe fought to keep Nova Scotia out of the Canadian federation. By 1869, he was serving in the cabinet of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.
Adams’ view of Canadian values was taken up by historians long before he happened along, and in their accounts, the evidence of trust in government piles deep.
Construction of the great national railway was one early example of a private-public partnership; and (in another fine Canadian tradition) the success of the endeavour was abetted by the kind of corruption, bribery and cosy private sector-government relationships now evident in the Quebec construction industry.
I’m not deeply entrenched in the Adams camp on the great values divide, but if the American motto is "In God We Trust" (as it says on American coins), in Canada we still put our faith in "peace, order and good government" (as it says in our own Constitution.)
You can even hear this distinction in political speech. When U.S. politicians call on a higher authority during a terrorist crisis — or a football game — they go to the top and use God. Elected officials in Canada cite regulators instead: If the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says that diseased salmon is safe to eat, by golly we’ll eat it.
Adams loses me when his work upholds the narcissistic Canadian view that we are necessarily better than them — and my underlying quibble with the pollster’s analysis is that he is too fond of American weaknesses and too attached to so-called Canadian virtues.
In real life, every virtue conceals its corresponding flaw. So like many Canadians, Adams celebrates the state-mandated compassion of our social programs while failing to acknowledge the unhealthy sense of entitlement it breeds.
South of the border, our friends are now snared in a similar values trap. Rugged individualism may be the American way — and the American way forward — but the nation should face the fact that constraints on personal opportunity are robbing citizens of economic mobility and entrenching a growing underclass of disgruntled citizens. (Today, Canadians are far more mobile across geographic and income boundaries.)
The overriding political question, north of the border, is whether American values are gaining a stronger foothold in this former British colony.
In my view, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s fate teeters uneasily on the strength of the contrarian view that the two nations’ values are trending toward each other. Evidence for the defence, among the neo-conservative crowd, includes the number of pickup trucks in Alberta and the strong immigrant vote for the Conservatives in the last federal election.
Me, I’m a certified Yank-o-phile and happily beat a drum on behalf of a more self-reliant Canada.
But I still think Adams has the numbers on his side. Yes, Canadians are a lot like Americans. We are also different enough that Mr. Harper is plenty worried about the next federal election.
Jim Meek is a Halifax-based freelance writer and a principal of Public Affairs Atlantic Inc.
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SEE WE NEED TO FIX OURSELVES- NOT POLITICS.... it's about communities ... always has been and always will be.... this is awesome
Galvanized by movement to revive rural fortunes
PAUL MACNEILL
Editor’s Note
Paul MacNeill is Publisher of Island Press Limited. He can be contacted at paul@peicanada.com
Of all the events I’ve been involved with, The Georgetown Conference, Rural Redefined is hands down the most rewarding.
It started out as a simple idea 17 months ago: host a conference for rural Atlantic Canadians to come together to celebrate our successes and search for solutions to the issues we face. But it is fast becoming much, much more. Ordinary Atlantic Canadians are embracing the concept o f Georgetown and are transferring its ideals into real-world discussions and practical s olutions for their hometowns.
Communities are talking in a way rarely seen. It is happening in places like MacAdam, N.B., where 235 of 1,400 town residents showed up for a community brainstorming session. It is happening in Antigonish and Annap olis Royal. It’s happening in places like Saskatchewan and the Kootenay region of B.C., where local rural leaders see the potential o f transferring the Georgetown model to their region.
It is even happening in the United States.
The Georgetown Conference is the first Canadian project ever selected to present to the Newspapers and Community-Building Symposium, co-sponsored by the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media at Kansas State University and the National Newspaper Association.
That’s a pretty big deal. But it pales in comparis on to what is truly impressive about the conference — the people it is attracting as attendees.
Bit by bit, word of Georgetown is seeping into all corners of Atlantic Canada. It will attract the "doers and producers" from towns big and small. In total, 2 50 will converge on Georgetown, P.E.I., Oct. 3 to 5. These are the folks who can take an idea gleaned at the conference and implement it back home.
There will be no MPs, MLAs or cabinet ministers. We are not against politicians, but the reality is if a p olitician walked into the room — even if they want to just sit in the back row and listen — the dynamic will change.
We need a dis cussion independent of politics, but one that includes the right senior civil servants. There will be some municipal leaders. Our attendees operate businesses, some big, some small. Some are in tourism, others theatre. Some are community volunteers, others activists.
They all share a deep desire to ensure rural communities remain vibrant . They know we cannot rely on government to solve our problems. That is not a criticism of any level of government; it is a reality.
Look at Winkler, Man. Twenty years ago its population was declining with a steadily falling school enrolment. Sound familiar? The population dipped to 5,000.
Winkler does not benefit from natural resources. It is a farming community. Starting in 1997, it began welcoming immigrants, just 50 the first year. Unlike Prince Edward Island, which has had difficulty keeping new residents, Winkler somehow found the key.
So how does a rural Manitoba community with no big industry or oil keep new Canadians? A good chunk of the reason can be found in how Winkler treated new residents. The community goes out of its way to be welcoming.
Laurie Sawatzky knows firsthand what Winkler did right and what pitfalls to avoid. For the past 11 years, she has been executive director of South Central Immigration Services, the body responsible for ensuring Winkler is a welcoming community.
Sawatzky will be in Georgetown, just one on the impressive list of grassroots speakers. Her message is particularly important.
We often think of ourselves as friendly, but do newcomers share that perception? Many don’t. Each year, hundreds of Newfoundlanders and foreign workers arrive in our towns, but we do little to make them feel a part of the greater community. How hard would it be to organize a Newfoundland night at a local pub or club? Not very, but a little goodwill could be the difference between a seasonal and yearround resident. Building a reputation for welcoming newcomers could even help towns like Morell, St. Peter’s, Montague, Cardigan, Georgetown and S ouris win new residents among those young families looking for amenities but who do not want to pay the housing price necessary to live in Stratford or Cornwall.
The only p olitician invited to speak is Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, and he is not being asked because he is a politician. Prior to joining cabinet, Doug Griffiths wrote the book 13 Ways to Kill Your Community. It is a powerful primer for any community that wants to measure where it stands.
The Georgetown Conference is not an academic exercise. It is a real attempt to reset the discussion on the viability of rural communities. There is still time to participate. Visit www.thegeorgetownconference. ca for details.
In the coming months you will hear more about the conference and our plans to stimulate discussion on the lo cal level.
Unfortunately, not everyone who applies will earn a s eat in the Kings Playhouse; regional equality is imperative for a truly regional event. But that doesn’t mean the ideals of Georgetown cannot be used as motivation to begin the necessary change.
There is no shortage of ideas. What is lacking is a non-political venue to share them, toss them in the air, tweak them and s ee them to fruition .
That is what Georgetown is all about.
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Canadian Forces | Infantry training afghan forces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-64L319Lbc
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this is how Afghan Military is reporting skirmishes.... scared me thought we were back in john kerry/jane fonda Vietnam days.... anyway... this is how Afghanistan's military is doing their news release.... sorry 4 mistaking.... the style.... in our world 'exrememist' is like burning ur supper... over blowing up ur Muslim woman and stove.... anyway... proud of The Islamic Republic of Afghanistn
ISAF: NATO forces in Afghanistan
Ministry of Defense
Press Release (No. 151): July 17, 2013
Publish Date:Jul 17, 2013
One armed enemy commander and eight extremists, including two foreign fighters killed, one enemy combatant arrested
http://mod.gov.af/en/tender/press-release-10-9
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Operation Nanook set for Nunavut, Yukon next month
Armed Forces, numerous agencies, to practice emergency response, law enforcement
NUNATSIAQ NEWS
Master Cpl. Tim Patterson, a flight engineer with the 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at Borden, Ont., photographed through the rainy windscreen of a CH-146 Griffon helicopter at Mike Zubko Airport in Inuvik, during Operation Nanook 2012. (PHOTO BY SGT. FRANK HUDEC, CANADIAN FORCES)
The federal government is set to run the 2013 version of its annual Arctic emergency response and law enforcement exercise, Operation Nanook, between Aug. 2 and Aug. 23 this year at four locations in Nunavut and Yukon.
Billing it as a "sovereignty operation," Ottawa has conducted Operation Nanook exercises every year since 2007.
Focusing mostly on disaster response and law enforcement, these operations bring branches of the armed forces together with numerous civilian agencies, including the Coast Guard, Transport Canada, the RCMP, Public Safety Canada and territorial governments.
"In the Arctic, responding to emergencies requires a coordinated team approach," the Department of National Defence said on a web page describing Operation Nanook 2013.
This year, Ottawa plans mock emergencies in four places:
• Resolution Island
The RCMP and the armed forces will play out a scenario that involves "suspected suspicious activity" on Resolution Island, which lies just past the mouth of Frobisher Bay in Hudson Strait. This exercise will include a transfer at sea between a Royal Canadian Navy vessel and a Coast Guard vessel, as well as a shore landing.
• King William Island
Canadian Rangers will conduct "sovereignty patrols" and report on "activities" in the Northwest Passage.
• Cornwallis Island
The Canadian Armed Forces, working with hunters, will respond to "suspected poaching activity" that falls within the law enforcement mandate of Environment Canada.
• Whitehorse
The armed forces will work with the City of Whitehorse and the Government of Yukon on a mock disaster relief exercise that responds to a wildfire.
The Department of National Defence says that about 1,000 people will participate in this year’s version of Operation Nanook.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office has not announced if Harper will make his customary summer visit to northern Canada to view Operation Nanook exercises and promote the Conservative government’s northern strategy.
The new defence minister, Rob Nicholson, has not yet announced any plans to visit either.
In 2011, a mock disaster exercise planned for Resolute Bay turned into a real one, when First Air flight 6560 crashed into a hillside near the community’s airport, killing 12 people.
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674operation_nanook_set_for_nunavut_yukon_next_month/
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HEARTBREAKING.... CAUSE THEY BLEED AND DIE THE SAME..... we did this 4 payequity- started in 1985.... finally some settlement in 1996-1997..... then they double taxed us and refused to go back to the early years of the women with courage enough to fight- $8 while men getting $18 hr 4 same work- well guess what... MAKE SURE YOUR GRIEVANCE INCLUDES UR HEIRS..... and keep in mind your union will sell u out 4 the working paying membership of 2day..... u will be traded.... and betrayed... and no politician is ev-a gonna $$$ - seriously..... believe it... take a look around the world... what we have is each other... good luck 2 u
RCMP veterans press for end to disability clawback
RCMP launch class-action lawsuit to stop benefits clawback for disabled Mounties
The Canadian Press
Posted: Jul 15, 2013 7:38 AM AT
Last Updated: Jul 15, 2013 10:17 AM AT
David White receives about $67 a month of the nearly $1,300 he is paid in benefits and pension. David White receives about $67 a month of the nearly $1,300 he is paid in benefits and pension. (CBC)
RCMP vet fights government clawbacks$900M veterans clawback settlement reached
Wounded RCMP veterans are pressing the federal government to stop clawing back their disability benefits.
Former Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Mountie David White has launched a class-action lawsuit against the government to stop the practice.
White says the clawback is costing him nearly $1,300 per month.
White, who served for more than 20 years, is the representative plaintiff in a class-action suit started in 2008. It could represent up to 1,000 Mounties.
He suffered hearing loss and developed sound sensitivity a decade ago in two service-related accidents in the mid-1990s and 2001.
The incidents led to his involuntary release from the RCMP in 2002, for which he was given a pain and suffering pension from Veterans Affairs and long-term disability for several hearing impairments linked to his 30 years of service.
But White and other injured RCMP members say most of that money is clawed back under a system similar to one that a judge deemed harsh and unfair in a class-action lawsuit by military veterans, but which still applies to the police veterans.
As months drag on, he says aging and injured RCMP veterans are dying before they see any money returned to them.
"It's disappointing," White said at his lawyer's office in downtown Halifax.
"Some of our veterans are suffering and the clawback being stopped is definitely going to help them. They're getting older and it would be nice to have it resolved before too long."
RCMP want same consideration as injured military vets
Dan Wallace, White's lawyer, plans to meet with federal attorneys Monday in the hopes of crafting a deal for injured RCMP veterans who have seen their awards heavily skimmed off since 1975.
Wallace, who also handled the protracted military veterans' case, said several meetings with Justice Department lawyers have been cancelled over the last year and a settlement has not been proposed for a class that could number around 800 people.
He says it's not clear why Ottawa has allowed the case to drag on after a Federal Court judge ruled in May 2012 that Canadian Forces veterans should not have their awards clawed back because the money is not income.
"People need the money and people are dying, so it would be nice for them to see the day when it ends," Wallace said.
"It's really a question of dignity for a lot of these folks, so we hope the government will do the right thing."
The need to move it along became clear in 2009 with the death of Gerard Buote, the man who initiated the case a year earlier. Soon after, White took over as the lead plaintiff.
Wallace says if the meeting fails to produce proposals to settle the matter and end the clawback, the group will head to court in the fall to have the case certified as a class action. He says he's heard from about 200 people so far who want to join.
Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesman with the Treasury Board, said in an email that he wouldn't comment on the case because it is before the courts.
Both the Royal Canadian Legion and the Veterans Ombudsman have urged Ottawa to end the practice, calling it unfair and unnecessary in the wake of the Federal Court decision.
White suffers from extreme sound sensitivity
White was diagnosed with tinnitus, which causes a steady ringing in his ears, hearing loss and hyperacusis, which effectively makes every sound — like the turning of a page or water dripping — extremely loud.
He wears several devices, including hearing aids, earplugs and a machine, to deaden the sound but says nothing can take away the steady thrum in his ears.
"I deal with this every day," he says. "I was medically discharged from the RCMP, I was unable to work, I can't go to large sporting events or anything where there's noise. But the income that I'm supposed to get from a disability pension is considered wage loss ... and I lose it and that doesn't make sense to me."
The government reduces RCMP veterans' long-term disability benefits by the amount of their disability pension.
White was assessed by Veterans Affairs at being 42 per cent disabled and has $1,297 disability benefits. He gets the remaining $67 per month.
He estimates that he's lost $100,000 since he was released from the force.
Wallace says he will ask for a return of all money that was clawed back, with interest.
About 8,000 wounded military veterans were awarded a $887.8-million dollar settlement after former army sergeant Dennis Manuge launched a class-action suit against Ottawa in 2007.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/07/15/ns-wounded-rcmp-veterans.html
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Slim pickings for young job-seekers
July 19, 2013 - 4:43pm By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter
With summer job boards sparse, students look to Forces for work
Master Corporal Keaton Young-Jones, 22, is working as a military police officer at Camp Aldershot outside Kentville this summer. He says the military not only provides a good part-time income, but it teaches discipline and focus as well. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)
It’s summer, when many a young student’s fancy turns to jobs.
But with fewer opportunities opening up, fewer hours in part-time work and increased competition for many of those spots, some people may wonder whether there are summer jobs out there for students or young people in general.
On Thursday, there were only 20 listings for jobs across the province on the federal government’s student job bank website, and only four of those were posted in July.
Statistics Canada figures for May — when university students start looking for summer work or their first career — showed the youth employment rate was at 17.9 per cent, down from 20.6 per cent in April and only slightly higher than it was the previous May.
Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box or taking matters into your own hands to deal with the need for work.
Keaton Young-Jones and David Williams both looked to the Canadian Forces’ reserves for work, specifically with the military police. They are both master corporals with the MP regiment and working this summer at the army’s training centre at Aldershot, outside Kentville.
There are plenty of jobs open for young people wanting to get involved with the military police through the reserve force. Of 168 positions in the MP regiment, 70 are unfilled.
Young-Jones, 22, joined the program when he was entering Grade 12. He had an interest in volunteer firefighting because he was looking into being a first responder. But a recruiting visit by the reserves, with the promise of good money for what was still, essentially, volunteer work, pointed him in a different direction.
He has parlayed that into a deployment to Afghanistan and short contracts as a recruiter and trainer, giving him employment outside the usual one weekend and four weeknights nights a month plus summers that most reservists get.
Young-Jones said his position is giving him a primary source of income along with experience toward a civilian policing career.
"I’m not a desired applicant for a lot of police forces yet because I’m still pretty young," he said. "The way I see it is that it’s a stepping stone for me.
"Honestly, it’s probably one of the best-paying part-time jobs you can get out there."
Williams, 27, knows that well. He joined the MP unit at 17.
He said getting into the MP regiment is something he recommends for students looking to pay for their education or just have some pocket money.
"I think it’s an excellent career choice for young people going to school," he said. "I went through university all funded by the military."
But Williams said joining also "gave me the discipline and the ability to focus on things and make the right choices."
He said part of his tuition at the time was paid by the military, and his work over the summer and on weekends throughout the year allowed him to pay the balance.
"I finished university without any student loans whatsoever."
Williams also was able to buy his own car and pay for insurance and gas with money he made through the year. He is able to sustain himself on the money he makes from the reserves, along with some training courses he teaches through the year.
"If you were looking for work with the reserves, you would be able to support yourself," he said.
But sometimes people can also take employment into their own hands.
Jarrett MacDonald Schnare is going into Grade 12 at Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning and has run a DJ company, now called JSRB Audio Visual Productions, since he was 12.
He started out getting an occasional gig to provide music for a middle school dance, but things started to pick up two years ago when he and Ryan Bezanson, who by that point had joined the company, received a $5,000 government loan for students in business.
That was used to buy sound and light equipment, which opened up more work for them.
"That was the best investment I ever made," said MacDonald Schnare, 17.
That loan is just about paid off, and the additional work has allowed him and Bezanson to continue to invest in the business.
Before the loan, he was only doing two or three school dances and maybe one wedding a year. In the last two years, they have done 30 school dances and more than 40 weddings, plus jobs such as doing the sound for outdoor concerts.
They have four or five students who get some work helping them set up at the dances.
While he is pouring money back into the business, MacDonald Schnare also works part time at McDonald’s.
He said he thinks jobs are out there for students to find, or to make for themselves.
"A lot of people nowadays, they complain about how they don’t have a job or they don’t have money, but at the same time they don’t want to go and get a job," he said.
"I wouldn’t say it’s that hard to find a job. It depends on how picky you are."
He said he went to McDonald’s looking for a part-time job with no employment history and was hired with no trouble.
"In a sense, it is difficult trying get a job around here at 15 or 16, but if you really look and you really want a job, then it’s not too complicated."
One of the bastions of summer employment, government funding for student jobs, still provides work for students.
Brian Watson, the manager of student employment programs with the province’s Economic Development and Tourism
Department, said it provides $4-million in funding that creates about 950 cost-shared jobs annually for students.
He said the amount of competition for jobs depends on where they are and what organizations are successful in applying for the funding.
"I think it varies," Watson said. "Because of the requirements of the program, in some small communities there may be only a couple of young people or a small group competing for the positions, while in the city there could be fairly extensive competition."
He said the government is able to meet about half the requests made for funding.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1143259-slim-pickings-for-young-job-seekers
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CANADA MILITARY NEWS: P2Jul20/Canadians success Nijmegen/Nato Troops Afghanistan/Canada Military-news-hard won lessons/Canada/2008-John Glenn reminds USA of DEMOCRAT History war disasters-just saying
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/07/canada-military-news-p2jul20canadians.html
July 19, 2013, Members from Roto 3, pose for a group photo prior to the International 5km running race, "Run Thru Sparta", at Camp Phoenix, Kabul.
Le 19 juillet 2013, membres de la Roto 3, posent pour une photo de groupe avant le 5 km course à pied internationale, "Run Thru Sparta", au Camp Phoenix, Kaboul.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=660955430598442&set=a.277293098964679.79140.207409132619743&type=1&theater
COMMENT:
Am so darn proud of of our men and women- they honour our nations' our Nato countries sons and daughters serving r the real heroes of this world ... and that's a fact.... their bleeding on the foreign soil 4 actual freedom of innocents 2 walk upon- shows more honour and courage than all the gold and jewels and hollywood icing... thank u... thank u thank u
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Canadian Armed Forces contingent successfully completes the Nijmegen Marches
NR – 13.236 - July 19, 2013
OTTAWA – A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) contingent of 176 participants from across Canada proudly overcame a major physical challenge by crossing the finish line today after partaking in the 97th annual International Four Days MarchesNijmegen.
Led by Brigadier-General Kevin Cotten, the Canadian contingent marched
40 kilometres a day for four days in a row, while wearing standard combat clothing and carrying a military rucksack weighing at least 10 kilograms.
After completing the demanding 160 kilometres, members of the CAF contingent who completed the Four Day Marches Nijmegen were awarded the Four Day Marches Cross by Brigadier-General Cotten. The contingent then marched the streets of Nijmegen for the Victory Parade along the ‘Via Gladiola,' so named for the flowers thrown to the marchers along the way by tens of thousands of spectators.
"It was an incredible experience to march along a route lined by so many cheering Dutch people who continue to demonstrate their gratitude to present-day Canadians for the gallant and heroic actions of an earlier generation of Canadians who fought and died in the defence of their freedom," said Brigadier-General Cotten. "This year's contingent demonstrated once again that Canada has a first-class, modern military that is well trained, and ready to take on any challenge. Thank you to our Dutch hosts and Bravo Zulu to all!"
This year, the Canadian contingent was made up of both CAF members and a strong contingent of civilian VIPs, as well as a team dedicated to the ill and injured. Throughout the CAF contingent's training period, teams raised $42,129.01, which will be donated to both the Military Families and Soldier On funds.
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Hard-won lessons of Afghan war on 'life support,' outgoing army commander warns
Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press
Sun, 14 Jul 2013 14:06:00 CST
The outgoing commander of the Canadian Army, Lt.-Gen. Peter Devlin seen here on July 12, 2013, says budget restraint and under-spending at National Defence have left some of the army's hard-won capabilities from the Afghan war on "life support." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Murray Brewster
OTTAWA - Budget restraint and under-spending at National Defence have left some of the army's hard-won capabilities from the Afghan war on "life support," says the outgoing commander of the Canadian Army.
The federal government needs to recognize that intelligence operators are as much a part of today's front line as soldiers and tanks, said Lt.-Gen. Peter Devlin, whose three-year tenure as Canada's top soldier comes to an end Thursday.
"I am unusually proud that there is an army that has been reloaded and I've spent an incredible amount of energy and effort to pay respect to the lessons that were learned with blood in Afghanistan," Devlin said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Much of Devlin's 35-year career in the military was spent in the field in Afghanistan, as well as in Iraq as an exchange officer with the U.S. Army.
But the transition from the front line to Ottawa's political trench warfare can be daunting, and Devlin's candid — but tactful — assessments of the effect of budget-slashing at National Defence have been like fingernails on a chalkboard to a government that's staked much of its reputation on embracing the military.
Before a Senate committee last December, Devlin revealed the army's baseline budget had been cut by 22 per cent and warned there was little fat to cut throughout the organization — a view that did not sit well in political circles.
It has been a scramble to maintain not only training, but elements Devlin described as the "softer skills" essential to fighting modern wars, such as intelligence, surveillance and expertise in countering improvised explosive devices.
"Some of them, to be quite frank, are on life support," he said. "Some are important; others we have had to make rough choices."
Each of those elements figured prominently in the hit-and-run war against the Taliban, and yet the army has found itself redirecting soldiers from infantry, armoured and artillery regiments in order to maintain the necessary intelligence capability.
The ranks of troops who conduct information and electronic warfare — more important than ever on the modern-day battlefield — are stretched thin, Devlin said. "The definition of what soldiers are considered the pointy end of the stick is much broader now, and I would argue that the intelligence analyst is a pointy-ended soldier today."
The army is pushing it, he said, but has "just enough" door gunners for training to man the new CH-47F Chinook helicopters, which began arriving last month.
Equipment such as surveillance balloons and electronics towers, used to keep 24-hour watch over the battlefield, are instead packed up in storage and used sparingly for training because of shrinking budgets, he added.
"If our training scenarios are not rich enough to keep those skills honed at the level they should be, it will mean we will take extra time, extra training and extra resources to bring them up to an appropriate level to represent Canada professionally — the way Canada needs to be represented — domestically or internationally."
A series of internal briefings, released to The Canadian Press over the last year, echo Devlin's concerns, including one memo that warns of possible "degradation," particularly in intelligence.
"Recent operational experience has reinforced the conviction that deployed land forces ... depend on a sophisticated (human intelligence) network that draws from all sources," said the April 8, 2011, briefing, obtained under the Access to Information Act.
The army found itself hobbled at the beginning of the Kandahar mission in 2005, by the absence of that sophisticated ground network of sources, and by its lack of experience in interrogating prisoners.
Defence analysts have been warning for months that while the army has been able to maintain training at the highest level for quick reaction units, which are designed to deploy in a crisis, its ability to mount a sustained operation similar to the one in Afghanistan has been compromised by cuts to training and readiness.
Devlin's comments come just days after the parliamentary budget office revealed that National Defence had under-spent its budget by as much as $2.3 billion last year — bringing the cumulative total of unused funds to $9.6 billion since 2006.
The department claims some of that cash is the result of government belt-tightening in the form of strategic review and deficit reduction, which combined could carve as much as 13 per cent a year out of the defence budget.
When asked last week, the department refused to provide detailed figures. But Stephen O'Connor, the associate deputy minister of financial services, told CTV on Friday that the figures for under-spending last year were not as bad as the budget office made it seem.
O'Connor estimated the number at slightly less than $1.5 billion. "That's still a large number, we understand that, but there are reasons behind that number," he said.
http://www.mysask.com/portal/site/main/template.MAXIMIZE/?javax.portlet.tpst=f059e2ed0c0e3921802ac01060315ae8_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_f059e2ed0c0e3921802ac01060315ae8_viewID=story&javax.portlet.prp_f059e2ed0c0e3921802ac01060315ae8_topic_display_name=National%20News&javax.portlet.prp_f059e2ed0c0e3921802ac01060315ae8_topic_name=National&javax.portlet.prp_f059e2ed0c0e3921802ac01060315ae8_news_item_id_key=24198413&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken
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Army frustrated over inability to push through enhanced drug screening
"Soldiers want this," Devlin said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "They all want to (take the test), and why this is so difficult; I don't get it."
Army frustrated over inability to push through enhanced drug screening
"Soldiers want this," Devlin said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "They all want to (take the test), and why this is so difficult; I don't get it."
The idea of enhanced screening was first proposed in 2007, at the height of the Afghan war.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/the-canadian-press/130716/army-frustrated-over-inability-push-through-enhanced-drug-sc
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This is Peter MacKay's background and what he's good at.... laws need 2 be changed more fairly 4 victims especially 4 little kids and youth.... $$$ monsters need caging better... praying 4 the victims
Peter MacKay ‘last glimmer of hope’ for Ernest MacIntosh inquiry: complainants
http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/740024/peter-mackay-last-glimmer-of-hope-for-ernest-macintosh-inquiry-complainant/
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So glad to see peter mackay has justice-
Cabinet shakeup may shift law-and-order agenda into cruise control
University of Ottawa criminology Prof. Irvin Waller said MacKay will be called upon to lead the charge on the new victims’ bill of rights, while Blaney will have to stick-handle efforts to rein in policing costs — an initiative Toews launched early this year.
He described MacKay, who once practiced criminal and family law, as an "interesting appointment" given his "centre right" rather than "extreme right" leaning. Waller said he’s "hopeful" the new minister will put forward a "world-class bill" that’s really focused on victims rather than "punishment for the most extreme cases, which is what Nicholson has really been doing."
New Defence Minister Rob Nicholson and new Justice Minister Peter MacKay during swearing-in ceremony July 15. Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Tobi Cohen
Published: July 16, 2013, 4:46 pm
OTTAWA — The Harper government has pumped out more justice and public safety policy than, perhaps, any other area since taking office, but a major shakeup this week in those portfolios suggests the law-and-order agenda may shift into cruise control heading into the 2015 election.
And if the medium is indeed the message, it also signals a notable shift in personality as sympathetic former Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay takes over Justice from the tightly scripted Rob Nicholson, while fly-below-the-radar former Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney assumes the Public Safety portfolio, replacing the ever confrontational Vic Toews who announced his retirement from federal politics.
%name Cabinet shakeup may shift law and order agenda into cruise control
Fresh faces in Stephen Harper's cabinet
"Toews was like a bull in a china shop and wore his colours on his sleeve," University of Ottawa political historian Michael Behiels said of the former minister, who once proclaimed that those who didn’t like his now-defunct Internet surveillance bill were effectively siding with child pornographers.
Behiels suggested Blaney is "not driven by the same kind of moralistic zeal" and would be able to deliver the same government message with "a different tone."
As for the government’s tough-on-crime agenda, Carleton University political science Prof. Bruce Hicks said much of it was "front loaded" to appeal to the Conservative base that voted the party into power — even if experts argue certain controversial changes like mandatory minimum sentences won’t have a serious impact on crime rates or recidivism.
The government’s Safe Streets and Communities Act passed early last year along with a bill to scrap the long-gun registry, while legislation to improve RCMP accountability and address harassment in the police force became law last month.
"It’s not clear that there is much more to do," Hicks said, suggesting that could be good for MacKay, a "more traditional Progressive Conservative-Liberal style politician" who tends to "trust" the bureaucrats who ultimately run his department.
"It’s really running a big department that is a service department. You don’t need a strong partisan advocate at the top. You need a good manager who will ensure the department runs smoothly."
With Nicholson at the helm of Justice for more than six years and Toews in charge of Public Safety for more than three, it appears much of the heavy lifting has indeed been done and that the goal now is to steer the course ahead of the next election.
That said, there remain a few areas left to tackle.
University of Ottawa criminology Prof. Irvin Waller said MacKay will be called upon to lead the charge on the new victims’ bill of rights, while Blaney will have to stick-handle efforts to rein in policing costs — an initiative Toews launched early this year.
He described MacKay, who once practiced criminal and family law, as an "interesting appointment" given his "centre right" rather than "extreme right" leaning. Waller said he’s "hopeful" the new minister will put forward a "world-class bill" that’s really focused on victims rather than "punishment for the most extreme cases, which is what Nicholson has really been doing."
He described Blaney, a civil engineer, as a bit more of an "unknown" but suggested there’s an opportunity for him to make a name for himself, especially in his native Quebec, which has been particularly critical of the Tories’ law-and-order agenda.
As many of the federal tough-on-crime changes ultimately affect operations and costs at the provincial level, it’ll also be incumbent on both to improve cooperation with the provinces, said Paul Thomas, a professor emeritus in political science at University of Manitoba .
Meanwhile, Tim Smith, a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said his organization will be pushing for a modified Internet surveillance law that would require providers to preserve information like emails and text messages while law enforcement obtains a warrant.
Police will also press the government to introduce legislation that would allow them to obtain DNA from a suspect at the time of arrest, Smith said, adding that "fingerprints were 20th century."
On the immigration front, the departure of Jason Kenney after five years marked another big change in a priority portfolio that may also be destined for the back burner.
Vancouver-based immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said Kenney has left little for successor Chris Alexander to do on immigration, but that the citizenship file is due for an overhaul. He expects the former diplomat will have plenty of work tackling backlogs in processing as well as citizenship and permanent residency fraud. He also expects him to improve immigration security by working more co-operatively with countries like China.
tcohen@postmedia.com
http://o.canada.com/2013/07/16/cabinet-shakeup-may-shift-law-and-order-agenda-into-cruise-control/
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Canada and Australia join forces to improve food security in Africa - $15 million project call launched Join our daily free Newsletter
MENAFN - - 7/16/2013 12:55:00 PM
http://www.menafn.com/eb59811e-4514-42f5-af47-08e470477e8e/Canada-and-Australia-join-forces-to-improve-food-security-Africa--USD15-million-project-call-launched?src=main
Canada and Australia join forces to improve food security in Africa - 15 million project call launched
ACCRA, GHANA, Jul 16, 2013, 2013 (Menafn - Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) --Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC) today are launching a call for concept notes for the Cultivate Africa's Future (CultiAF) initiative, a 4-year, CA15 million research partnership designed to combat hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by harnessing the potential for innovation among the region's smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women.
The announcement, made at the 2013 Africa Agricultural Science Week conference, represents a significant investment in research that will help promote food security in Eastern and Southern Africa by tackling persistent problems such as post-harvest losses, malnutrition, poor product quality, and inefficient water use. Managed by IDRC, and funded equally by IDRC and AIFSC, CultiAF contributes to Canada's and Australia's commitment to combat hunger, food and insecurity throughout the developing world.
"Sub-Saharan African agricultural productivity is the lowest in the world. This program will support research to find more effective ways to increase productivity and food security," says IDRC President Jean Lebel. This strategic partnership between IDRC and ACIAR will promote the use of existing science and technology expertise. "Canada's IDRC is pleased to partner with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to advance ideas and innovative breakthroughs that increase food security through practical science for development." added Mr. Lebel.
"Australia and Canada prioritize food security as a key element in our aid agendas, and recognize the untapped potential of innovation for smallholder farmers in helping food reach those who need it", says Mellissa Wood, Director of the Australian International Food Security Centre, which leads and funds ACIAR's involvement in the CultiAF partnership.
Under the Call, research organizations from 10 countries - Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe - are eligible to compete for grants of up to CA3 million dollars each.
Winning collaborative research projects should help smallholder farmers reduce post-harvest loss of crops; improve yields and livestock productivity through better water use; and improve nutrition. Resulting innovations are expected to be of use to other parts of Africa and will support national and regional food security efforts on the continent.
CultiAF builds on Canadian and Australian leadership in research innovation and food security throughout the world.
More information is available at www.idrc.ca/CultiAF.
About Canada's International Development Research CentreA key part of Canada's aid program, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring change to those who need it most.
About the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)The ACIAR is part of the Australian Government's Official Development Assistance Program. Research funded by ACIAR aims to help developing countries to help themselves, by contributing to solving agricultural problems and building their research capacity. ACIAR's involvement in CultiAF is delivered through the Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC).
http://www.menafn.com/eb59811e-4514-42f5-af47-08e470477e8e/Canada-and-Australia-join-forces-to-improve-food-security-Africa--USD15-million-project-call-launched?src=main
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Canadian cities cash-strapped but keep books balanced
Experts say the likelihood of a financial emergency like the one Detroit finds itself in happening to a Canadian city is extremely low.
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Canadian Decoration Awarded to Two Afghan Generals
Publication date: 18 July 2013
By: Captain Isabelle Bresse
http://www.cjoc-coic.forces.gc.ca/fs-ev/2013/07/18-eng.asp
His Excellency Ambassador Glenn Davidson presented Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal to Afghan National Army Brigadier Generals Ahmad Habibi and Ahmad Shah July 1 at the Afghan Ministry of Defense headquarters compound in Kabul, Afghanistan.
"Today, the first of July, is the national day of Canada. I think it is very appropriate that on this day we honor these two distinguished generals from the Afghan National Army for their contribution to this military mission here in Afghanistan," Davidson said. "For their leadership, courage and support to the Canadian troops with whom they have fought and served with."
The medal recognizes a military deed or activity performed in a highly professional manner that brings benefit or honor to the Canadian Forces. Afghan Army leaders and family members attended the pinning event. Both generals gave speeches of thanks and talked about the future of the Afghan National Security Forces.
Habibi was cited for "outstanding leadership and close cooperation with Task Force Kandahar" while serving as Commander of the 1st Brigade, 205th Corps. He was awarded for his "operational focus and commitment to development and effective governance of his area of operations," and his efforts helped bring greater stability to the area. His "courage and dedication have contributed to the success of the Canadian Forces mission in Kandahar and fostered an enduring bond between the ANA and the Canadian Forces."
Canadian Army Maj. Gen. Dean Milner, Deputy-Commander NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, also provided remarks, and talked about his personal relationship with both medal recipients.
"General Habibi has been fighting down in Kandahar for a number of years," Milner said. "I met him in 2010, and from that moment on we established an outstanding friendship, partnership. We patrolled together, we did a lot of operations together, ate together – even ran together. I had the opportunity to see a great leader. He knew the significance of working with the people. You can see the effects of his work throughout different parts of the country. … It was a great partnership and an honor and privilege to work alongside these two fine generals."
According to the citation, Shah, the Deputy Commander, Operations Coordination Center-Region (OCCR) South, was awarded for his work as the commander of 205th Hero Corps in 2010-2011. Returning to active service at the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, he fully integrated the Canadian Contingent into 205th Hero Corps operations through partnered mentor teams. Shah "enabled team success and was a valued member of the Senior Security Partners, consulting the Commanding General and Senior Canadian staff within Regional Command South."
"I met General Shah in 2011," Milner said. "He is an extremely hard worker and a great leader. He established some great partnerships with the Canadians. He helped build up that OCCR to be the best OCCR in Afghanistan at the time. So I’d just like to thank him for his commitment and performance and all the great work he does for his country."
http://www.cjoc-coic.forces.gc.ca/fs-ev/2013/07/18-eng.asp
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CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Jul20- Honouring USA Vets- and always our own and Nato brothers and sisters- 2008- Iraq Afghanistan-KEEPING PERSPECTIVE- from former democrats
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/07/canada-military-news-jul20-honouring.html
THANK A VETERAN.... IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN-.... REALITY BITES FOLKS... ;-)
WE REMEMBER....KEEPING PERSPECTIVE 2008
I get tons of this stuff, but I thought this was a good history lesson on what past presidents have done.
John Glenn (DEMOCRAT) said this ----- It should make us all think a little:
There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq.
When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, tell them the following :
FDR (DEMOCRAT) led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us; Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ... an average of 112,500 per year.
Truman (DEMOCRAT) finished that war and started one in Korea.
North Korea never attacked us.From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ... an average of 18,334 per year.
John F. Kennedy (DEMOCRAT) started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.
Johnson (DEMOCRAT) turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ... an average of 5,800 per year.
Clinton (DEMOCRAT) went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. < SPAN>Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.
This one is a fact that makes me mad as hell.
In the years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and, North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. And the Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking.
But Wait, There's more.
It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno (DEMOCRAT) to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation .
We've been looki ng for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton (DEMOCRAT) to find the Rose law firm billing records.
It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.
It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!
Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB! The Military morale is high!
The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts.
But Wait ....There's more!
JOHN GLENN (on the Senate floor - January 26, 2004)
Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.
This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military.
Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):
'How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?'
Senator Glenn (D-Ohio): 'I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in t he space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me, as I went the other day . . to a veteran's hospital and look those men ... with their mangled bodies ... in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job!
You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee ... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DAD'S didn't hold a job.
You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery , where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags . You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you have the gall to tell ME that those people didn't have a job?
W hat about Metzenbaum? For those who don't remember During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA.
Now he's a Senator!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran.
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CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Jul19- Our Troops/Afghanistan the good/Canada news/Nova Scotia rising/Miss Alex/Hockey/MUSLIMS R COOL IN CANADA
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/07/canada-military-news-jul19-our.html
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Russian news, Vladimir Putin has called for the nation’s strategic bombers to enter a state of ‘full combat readiness’ following the ‘snap drills’ that were initiated after Israel bombed Russian-made missiles within Syria.
http://tatoott1009.com/2013/07/19/they-are-keeping-everyone-distracted-while-disaster-is-about-to-strike-russia-just-said-they-are-at-full-readiness-for-war-against-who/
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WW3 Brews As USA Nation Distracted By Trayvon Martin Case -USA media misses the real news
http://www.storyleak.com/ww3-brews-as-nation-distracted-by-trayvon-martin-case/
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