Mathias Colomb Cree Nation chief says more support is needed for evacuees
Helicopters safely brought hundreds of people from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation— also known as Pukatawagan— to The Pas on Saturday, but hundreds remained in the community as of Saturday evening.
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National Post
23 minutes ago
- National Post
FIRST READING: The wokest military on earth
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content Article content TOP STORY Article content One of the stated goals of the Carney government is to rejigger Canada's various military relationships. After decades of reflexively going along with the United States on defence issues, the Liberals are signalling a plan to make nice with Europe. Article content Article content This week's speech from the throne stated that Canada will be joining 'ReArm Europe,' a massive planned buildup of the continent's military strength, largely as a check against Russia. Article content Article content But as Canada strikes out to make new friends, these new allies may encounter a Canadian military that is slightly different than what they remember. Even for Western militaries that have embraced nostrums of equity and inclusion, in many ways Canada has gone further than all of them. Article content It was in 2022 that the Canadian Armed Forces dramatically dropped its standards for dress and grooming. There are no longer any restrictions on hair length or colour and everything from hoop earrings to ear spacers to eyelash extensions can now be freely worn on parade squares. Article content Canada acknowledged at the time that nobody else was doing this. As Canada's then top soldier, Wayne Eyre said at the time that Canada was 'leading the way' on 21st century military dress codes. 'We have … consulted with our allies, who have told us that we are several years ahead of them,' said Eyre. Article content Article content Three years later, Canada is still an outlier in having units filled with beards, green hair, facial piercings and sideburns. All across Europe, beard bans are standard at a minimum, with exceptions allowed under strict conditions. The Norwegian military, for instance, allows beards only with explicit, written permission. Article content Article content Even France, a country known for its freewheeling workplace dress codes, forces its soldiers to shave before marching through Paris on Bastille Day.
National Post
28 minutes ago
- National Post
Manitoba: Cool temperatures, chance of rain as crews battle wildfires near Flin Flon
Cooler temperatures and a chance of rain this week is forecast in a northwestern Manitoba city that's had to evacuate thousands due to wildfire. Article content As of Sunday night, Environment Canada was projecting temperatures in the mid teens to mid 20s over the next week, with a good chance of rain coming Saturday in Flin Flon. Article content Article content Article content Article content Thousands have been affected by wildfires across the Prairie provinces, with Saskatchewan issuing a evacuation alert Sunday morning for dozens of residents in the small northern community of Timber Bay, located about 260 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. Article content
CBC
28 minutes ago
- CBC
Government accountability watchdog calls for end to free concert tickets for city councillors
A democracy watchdog is questioning the practice of municipal governments receiving free tickets to events hosted at public venues, following a CBC News investigation. Access to free tickets has been under scrutiny after a former federal cabinet minister accepted tickets from a Crown corporation to see Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour. Documents obtained by CBC News through freedom of information requests show municipalities with taxpayer-funded arenas and theatres in British Columbia have received hundreds of complimentary tickets worth thousands of dollars to events hosted at their facilities. Facility-use agreements between the City of Kelowna and Live Nation Canada show seven complimentary tickets were allotted to the city for Tenille Townes, Darcy and Jer and Paul Brandt and Terri Clarke. The events were held at the Kelowna Community Theatre, owned by the city. Forty tickets were routinely given to the City of Prince George for shows at CN Centre — the city's arena — dating back almost twenty years, including for: Elton John, Sarah McLachlan and The Tragically Hip. And the City of Kamloops was granted 40 free tickets from Live Nation Canada to a Bryan Adams concert in 2023, as part of an agreement to use its public arena, Sandman Centre. It received another 40 tickets to Blue Rodeo. CBC has learned the tickets are generally given to mayor and council, city staff, media (including CBC), non-profits and volunteers. Tickets may be gifted to community groups or used as promotional material, but in some instances, they have been given to elected officials. Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, says these contracts aren't usually made public, and cities shouldn't be using them to get free tickets in secret. He said city politicians and staff who accept free tickets are profiting personally from a public facility or could be using them to buy relationships, if they're giving them away. "This is really deeply unethical to be doing this," Conacher said. Kelowna, Prince George and Victoria track who receives the tickets. The City of Kamloops, however, does not. Kamloops also stood out for charging fees, requiring third-party approval and redacting its free tickets from the contracts during the freedom of information request (FOI) process. The redacted documents were released on Oct. 15, 2024, three months after the initial request, and following approval of millions in borrowing to build a new performing arts centre in downtown Kamloops for concerts and other events. CBC later appealed the redactions, leading to the release of the information. CBC's investigation found a noteworthy case of free tickets in Kamloops. City emails show staff offered two tickets to each game, show and event with drinks to the mayor and council for the Memorial Cup, the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, which came to Kamloops in 2023. The email said tickets were being provided to each of them by the host organizing committee due to "significant support." Kamloops council approved nearly a million dollars in upgrades to Sandman Centre before the event. "Recognizing, approving and fast tracking the improvements Sandman Centre needed to keep our facility up to date was the first step and had those improvements not been done, the Memorial Cup would not be coming to Kamloops …" the email states. "Christmas has come early this year," added the council's executive assistant. Kamloops councillor Bill Sarai accepted the tickets. He said it is common for elected officials in communities that host the Memorial Cup to receive VIP packages to represent their city and welcome tourists. "We upgraded Sandman Centre to be able to host the Memorial Cup," Sarai said. "So, in order for us to do that, yes, we have to spend some money. Is the end goal, 'Oh, we want to spend a million dollars, so I can get a hundred-dollar ticket to go to Memorial Cup?' I think that's far-fetched." City of Kamloops corporate officer Maria Mazzotta said B.C.'s Community Charter prohibits councillors from accepting quid pro quo situations, with some exceptions, and requires councillors to report gifts or benefits that exceed $250. Full-event tickets to the Memorial Cup were about $600 each. Asked if he reported the tickets, Sarai told CBC: "I was not made aware of the value of the package." Conacher said a lack of knowledge doesn't exempt someone from penalties associated with breaching the Community Charter and criticized a "loophole," in which gifts are reported to municipal corporate officers, not the public. He said if an event is important enough for city staff or council to attend, the city should pay for tickets. "Because otherwise this is a secretive system of possibly trading favours and you have to know who is benefiting from city council or city staff, in order to know what favours they may be doing in return for someone," Conacher said. "It's a dangerously unethical practice, and the only real solution is to not have free tickets provided."
