Latest news with #CPP
Edmonton Journal
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Smith hears mixed reviews for Alberta Next pitches from Edmonton crowd
Premier Danielle Smith and members of her Alberta Next panel faced more mixed reviews from an east Edmonton crowd Wednesday night than the largely positive response the evening prior in Red Deer. Article content The event was branded as the panel's Sherwood Park town hall but was held in an Edmonton hotel ballroom just west of the suburb community. Article content Article content Smith's panel along with the boisterous crowd of roughly 500 in attendance, and over 40,000 livestream viewers, heard from 72 speakers primarily on the six topics raised on the panel's website regarding Alberta's relationship with Ottawa. Article content Article content The second event in a cross-province series came after Smith and the panel debuted before a largely receptive town hall audience in Red Deer on Tuesday. Article content Article content On Wednesday, Smith drew a round of applause on entering the room to begin the event, but her opening remarks listing grievances against Ottawa were interrupted by heckles and laughter before concluding with another round of applause. Article content 'Alberta has an Ottawa problem,' she said. 'Regardless of what each of us believes about these issues or what path we think is best, we as Albertans have to be able to respectfully debate and discuss the issues her.' Article content The discussion of topics to push back against Ottawa was preceded by the same videos that must be watched before taking one of the survey's on the panel's website, with the pre-recorded messages together taking up roughly half an hour of what was a two-hour and 45-minute-long event. Article content Article content The most vocal opposition from the crowd came from speakers addressing a potential Alberta pension plan. Article content Two of the 11 speakers on the issue were in favour of leaving the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Article content Those opposed to leaving CPP stressed the risks of a making that move as well as how the issue appeared to have been settled. Article content 'Why is this question even a question when we've already done this survey,' a speaker named Nicole asked, pointing to the province's own survey from 2023 that Postmedia prompted the province to publish after it withheld the results for 21 months. That survey showed just 10 per cent of respondents wanted a provincial pension plan. Article content Fort Saskatchewan's Roberta Stasyk called a provincial plan 'a horrible idea' while questioning how it made Alberta look to the rest of Canada. Article content 'We sound like bratty children.'
Calgary Herald
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Smith hears mixed reviews for Alberta Next pitches from Edmonton crowd
Article content Premier Danielle Smith and members of her Alberta Next panel faced more mixed reviews from an east Edmonton crowd Wednesday night than the largely positive response the evening prior in Red Deer. Article content The event was branded as the panel's Sherwood Park town hall but was held in an Edmonton hotel ballroom just west of the suburb community. Article content Article content Smith's panel along with the boisterous crowd of roughly 500 in attendance, and over 40,000 livestream viewers, heard from 72 speakers primarily on the six topics raised on the panel's website regarding Alberta's relationship with Ottawa. Article content Article content The second event in a cross-province series came after Smith and the panel debuted before a largely receptive town hall audience in Red Deer on Tuesday. Article content Article content On Wednesday, Smith drew a round of applause on entering the room to begin the event, but her opening remarks listing grievances against Ottawa were interrupted by heckles and laughter before concluding with another round of applause. Article content 'Alberta has an Ottawa problem,' she said. 'Regardless of what each of us believes about these issues or what path we think is best, we as Albertans have to be able to respectfully debate and discuss the issues her.' Article content The discussion of topics to push back against Ottawa was preceded by the same videos that must be watched before taking one of the survey's on the panel's website, with the pre-recorded messages together taking up roughly half an hour of what was a two-hour and 45-minute-long event. Article content Article content The most vocal opposition from the crowd came from speakers addressing a potential Alberta pension plan. Article content Two of the 11 speakers on the issue were in favour of leaving the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Article content Those opposed to leaving CPP stressed the risks of a making that move as well as how the issue appeared to have been settled. Article content 'Why is this question even a question when we've already done this survey,' a speaker named Nicole asked, pointing to the province's own survey from 2023 that Postmedia prompted the province to publish after it withheld the results for 21 months. That survey showed just 10 per cent of respondents wanted a provincial pension plan. Article content Fort Saskatchewan's Roberta Stasyk called a provincial plan 'a horrible idea' while questioning how it made Alberta look to the rest of Canada. Article content 'We sound like bratty children.'
Edmonton Journal
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Thursday's letters: Sentence for LRT killer a head-scratcher
Article content Maybe it's just me. But does anyone else suffer from episodes of serious head scratching when reading about yet another curious court ruling? Article content Article content The most recent curious ruling is from Justice Kent Teskey who sentenced killer Jamal Wheeler to an egregiously minimal sentence for killing a man at a transit station. A violent repeat offender, on bail (of course) and apparently under 'house arrest,' with a decade-long history of assaulting transit users and carrying concealed weapons and he's sentenced to seven years. I mean, huh? But the judge did venture so far as to remind the killer that killing transit users causes people to feel unsafe. No, I'm not making this up. Article content Article content Smith has no mandate for fringe ideas Article content Danielle Smith is using taxpayer money to run a propaganda tour — called the Alberta Next panel — masquerading as public consultation. It's not; it's a staged, pre-scripted push for fringe ideas: a provincial police force, an Alberta pension plan, and now, a constitutional rewrite. She didn't campaign on this. She has no mandate. And she's stacking rooms with separatists to manufacture support. Article content Smith couldn't sell Albertans on pulling out of the CPP. Now she wants to reopen the Constitution — something no leader has dared touch in 30 years — just to stay relevant and pick a fight with Ottawa. It's reckless. It's transparent. And it's dangerous. This isn't about fixing Canada. It's about breaking it. And the person stoking that fire is a premier who floats Alberta leaving Confederation entirely. Article content Article content Danielle Smith shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the Constitution. Not now. Not ever. Article content It is amazing to me that with so much going on in Alberta and the rest of the world that cartoonist Malcolm Mayes chose to focus on the departure of the former leader of the NDP. (Very old news). Jagmeet Singh did the honourable thing, as party leader, after the loss of his seat in the House of Commons. Unlike another leader, who also lost his seat, he resigned, as expected. Article content As to having a pension, I think every person, regardless of party affiliation, who serves in House of Commons or provincial or municipal governing bodies deserves a pension after leaving office as part of compensation for service given. It is not easy to represent voters and be in the public eye, especially today when public service is so disrespected. Mayes is adding to this disrespect.
Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
AB Real Estate's board to mull fund raising on 23 July'25
Aditya Birla Real Estate said that its board is scheduled to meet on 23 July 2025, to consider raising funds through debt securities by different modes. The company will raise funds through term loans or by issuing debt securities or any other securities which may be issued in one or more tranches, on a private placement basis or otherwise, from banks, financial institutions. The proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt incurred for the capex of the Century Pulp and Paper (CPP) division and to release charges or encumbrances on CPPs assets. This move is in line with the proposed sale of the CPP division to ITC. Further, the companys board will consider unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter ended 30th June, 2025. Aditya Birla Real Estate (formerly known as Century Textiles and Industries) is established in 1897. It has presence in pulp & paper and real estate sectors. The company reported net loss of Rs 131.01 crore in Q4 FY25 compared with net profit of Rs 3.83 crore in Q4 FY24. Net sales declined 42.6% YoY to Rs 391.87 crore in Q4 FY25. The counter declined 2.52% to end at Rs 2,177.85 on the BSE.
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Early puberty is for real: How to help our children
Precocious puberty refers to the early development of puberty and secondary sexual features in children before age eight for girls and boys before age nine. While the average age for menarche (first menstruation) in India used to be around 14-16 years, it has now dropped to around 12 years, and some girls are showing signs of puberty as early as age seven. Dr Atique Ahmed, newborn and child specialist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, explains why more such cases are being noticed.A growing concern: Children with precocious puberty may suffer both the physical and emotional impact. In the short term, they will likely be taller than their peers, but the long-term consequence of closing the growth plates too soon is shorter stature. From a psychological perspective, the hurdles can be equally profound. Children who are developing ahead of their same-age peers can experience embarrassment, anxiety and depression. The mismatched social-emotional and physical developments can manifest as behavioural problems, such as an increased risk for substance use or conduct and screen-time probable causes? A noticeable rise in cases of central precocious puberty (CPP) has been observed, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic. During the outbreak, all schools remained shut across India and children under 18 were forced to spend extended periods confined at home. This prolonged isolation have coincided with a significant spike in the one cannot attribute a particular reason for its increase, several factors are being investigated. One prominent theory suggests that increased exposure to digital screens may be contributing. Research found that children's screen-time surged by approximately 2.5 times during the pandemic. It is believed that prolonged engagement with electronic devices—ranging from televisions to tablets—might be a contributing factor in the increasing incidence of CPP. Nutritional deficiency: Other lifestyle changes during the Covid lockdown may have added to the increase. Many children experienced a marked decline in physical activity and spent more time indoors, which contributed to widespread deficiency of Vitamin D. Dietary habits also shifted significantly during this time, with eating becoming a source of entertainment. A number of authors referenced ongoing increases in consumption of sweet snacks, high-calorie processed products, and pre-packaged foods. This may have contribute to a rise in childhood obesity, which resulted in the advancement of puberty in children, especially among changes: Sleep changes were reported during lockdowns, such as reduced time for sleeping and poorer quality of sleep among children. In one clinical opinion, psychological changes, technology influences or a combination of these things might have resulted in changes that led to early onset of puberty. However, we need to await clear evidence for definitive effects of Covid-19: Some researchers are exploring whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have directly affected neurological pathways involved in puberty through inflammation of the olfactory bulb, disruption of the blood-brain barrier or widespread inflammatory responses like cytokine storms. However, this connection remains under early puberty: Despite some early cases being unpreventable, parents can find actionable strategies to reduce risk and help their children cope with precocious puberty. Encouraging healthy practices is most important, such as making nutritious foods available; regular, purposeful activity; reduced screen-time; and improving sleep. Limiting exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals and providing an environment that promotes open communication can help empower children as they navigate the to India Today Magazine- Ends
