Trustees reject proposal to phase out special education classes at Ottawa's largest school board
Parents held a protest outside the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board ahead of Tuesday's board meeting to discuss the Elementary Program Review. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa)
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CBC
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What's behind Mark Carney's military splurge?
For years now Canada's been badgered to pony up, and spend more money on the military. Those calls have come from our actual military itself, our NATO allies, and more recently the U.S. President. Well it looks like Mark Carney is going to pull out the credit card, and commit to spending an extra $9.3-billion on the armed forces by March, bumping our military spending up to two per cent of Canada's entire GDP. Carney has also pledged to end this country's reliance on the U.S. for equipment by diverting billions of dollars in spending to Canadian manufacturers. The timing awkwardly coincided with news about an embarrassing foray into Canadian military procurement: our plans to buy a fleet of F-35 fighter jets from America that the auditor general reported was billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. So, what is Carney's vision for the future of our military? And how serious are the threats against Canada? David Pugliese, defence reporter with the Ottawa Citizen, talks us through it. Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input! For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: Subscribe to Front Burner on your favourite podcast app. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on YouTube
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
'Not here to scare people,' but P.E.I. watchdog raising alarm bells about historic debt levels
Social Sharing P.E.I.'s auditor general says the province's net debt, the highest in the province's history, is unsustainable. Darren Noonan told MLAs the net debt is closing in on $3 billion, or nearly $15,000 for every single person in the province. He said if the current trend continues, that net debt could hit $5 billion in the next five years. Noonan says the province may need to make some tough decisions soon. "I'm not here to scare people, but I'm here to let people know that we have to start thinking about this. It has to be paid at some point," P.E.I.'s financial watchdog said in an interview with CBC News. "Our net debt continues to grow… The only way to bring it down is to address it through increased taxes or decreased spending. It's a tough thing for politicians to have to do." The auditor general was speaking as the legislature's public accounts committee met this week. This is not the first time Noonan has raised concerns about the province's mounting debt, prompting provincial officials to describe his comments as "alarmist." "I wasn't offended at the word 'alarmist,'" Noonan told MLAs at the committee meeting. "In fact, if you have to be a bit alarmist to get some attention to it… that's what it takes." In a statement, the Department of Finance said it works to ensure the province can manage its debt levels and agrees that it is important to monitor the province's debt. However, it added, "fiscal planning is complex, and it is necessary to balance a number of perspectives and factors, including Islanders' needs and being prudent financial stewards while monitoring today's uncertainties." 'We're spending money that we don't have' Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly, who chairs the public accounts committee, said these debt levels are accumulating while the province is getting record transfers from the federal government. He said the province has to control its spending. "We're spending money that we don't have," McNeilly said. "All Islanders should be concerned about this." Green Party Leader Matt MacFarlane said the more the province has to pay to service the debt, the less money it will have to deliver programs and services. "It means that we're losing programs and services and capital infrastructure that we could be having, simply because the debt is growing and growing and growing," MacFarlane said in an interview. We need the infrastructure, we need the repairs to our hospitals and schools, but what's the cost that's going to come at?... We're going to have to cut programs that we've come to rely on. — Green Party Leader Matt MacFarlane "We need the infrastructure, we need the repairs to our hospitals and schools, but what's the cost that's going to come at? It's either going to come at increased debt, which we're going to have to keep passing on to future generations to pay… or we're going to have to cut programs that we've come to rely on – social programs – and we can't do that either, really. "It's a tough position that we're in right now." Interest costing more than corporate tax brings in Noonan highlighted some other troubling trends as well. He said P.E.I.'s economy is more dependent on government spending than the economy of any other province in Canada; the province is the most dependent on federal funding; and interest charges have hit a record high of $165 million, or 5.5 per cent of total revenues. "One of our significant sources of revenue for the province is corporate income tax, and last year, we took in $157 million in corporate income revenue. Our interest expense was over $160 million," the auditor general pointed out. Noonan said the government's record-breaking capital spending is also a concern. His office reviewed eight "significant" capital budget projects, comparing the original budget to the actual completed cost in the last three fiscal years. Those projects were completed at a cost nearly 50 per cent above the amounts originally budgeted, and some were nearly 80 per cent over budget. The five-year capital plan for fiscal years 2020 to 2024 included total spending of about $610 million, but the actual capital spending over the period amounted to more than $1 billion. Noonan said his office intends to keep digging deeper into the capital spending, to find out why so many of these projects are going over budget. "There's been a lot of discussion about investment but there hasn't been any discussion on repaying the debt or how we're going to pay it back," Noonan said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Edmonton to establish new independent body under anti-racism strategy
Three years after approving an anti-racism strategy, Edmonton city council has decided on the parameters for an independent body to oversee efforts within the community. The long-promised body — the last of three strategy priorities to be completed — will be a collaborative group of existing experts, rather than a newly created non-profit organization or advisory board. Council's decision means existing anti-racism organizations or institutions that are independent from government structures will oversee anti-racism efforts and reflect on system racism at all levels in Edmonton. "The reason I'm proposing this motion — a collaborative table — is that it allows the existing organizations to work together, share best practices and be supported by the city," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said during a council meeting on Tuesday. Edmonton's anti-racism strategy, which council approved in 2022, contained three key priorities: providing sustained funding, creating a high level office to tackle racism within the City of Edmonton corporation, and creating the independent anti-racism body. A study of anti-racism efforts in other jurisdictions over the last three years didn't find anything similar to independent body being created in Edmonton, said Andre Tinio, former chair of the advisory panel that did the review. City council discussed three options for developing an independent body: the collaborative approach, a non-profit, and a council advisory committee or board. "I do have concerns about a non-profit organization or even going back to an advisory committee structure, we've done that before," said Keren Tang, councillor for Ward Karhiio. Anti-racism strategy Sohi, who had campaigned on ending hate-based violence in 2021, introduced the motion asking city staff to implement a collaborative model for the new body. The motion passed unanimously. More than two years ago, some watchers criticized the effectiveness of the anti-racism strategy and questioned why an independent body had not yet been established. "I know that it took longer than expected," Sohi said Tuesday. "In hindsight, maybe taking time was important." Between 2022 and 20223, the city spent more than $3.6 million for projects. Grants will go toward initiatives like an internship for diverse youths to help them gain leadership experience and share their experiences. Funding has also been approved for a high-level reconciliation and anti-racism office, with seven employees, that will be within the city manager's office. Sohi said the city's work was helped by being part of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Edmonton was one of three Canadian cities to take part in the North American program, which helps mayors and city officials tackle complex challenges. Edmonton was also chosen for the collaboration track sector within the program, in order to find ways to address these issues through teamwork. "I believe it sets our city on a path to be an equitable and sustainable progress on anti-racism for years to come," Sohi said.
