Latest news with #Dahir
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
St. Paul police name detective, officer, employee of the year
St. Paul's police chief on Thursday named a homicide investigator as Detective of the Year and a patrol officer who regularly recovers firearms and large amounts of drugs as Officer of the Year. Sgt. Jennifer O'Donnell, a St. Paul officer of more than 30 years who works in the homicide/robbery unit, was the primary investigator on 156 homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults last year and assisted on more, according to her commendation. She was the primary investigator in the fatal shooting of Nicholas Sletten, 42, in the North End in October. Murder charges were filed in January. 'This was a complex investigation that required ongoing intensive work,' said O'Donnell's commendation, which described her and her colleagues as working 'tirelessly' on the case. Chief Axel Henry named Abdirahman Dahir as 2024 Officer of the Year. He grew up in St. Paul, became a Police Explorer at age 14, and later a St. Paul parking enforcement officer before he joined the department's police academy in 2021. A patrol officer in the Western District, Dahir recovered 22 handguns, of which 3 were stolen and one a 'ghost gun,' and several thousand fentanyl pills during 18 stops last year that were either traffic or investigative, his commendation said, adding that last year 'was not an anomaly.' Dahir recovered 30 handguns the year before. Richard Bertholf, who works in the police Video Management Unit, was recognized as Professional Employee of the Year. When Andre L. Mitchell, 26, was shot and killed while two children were in his backseat in November, Bertholf 'immediately responded to multiple urgent requests to gather nearby video that may have captured the shooting,' his commendation said. He found videos that showed four people shooting at Mitchell and two suspect vehicles, and gathered information about suspects. Four people have been charged in Mitchell's murder. Don't pay for traffic tickets over text: DPS warns of scam messages Who's in charge? CDC's leadership 'crisis' apparent amid new COVID-19 vaccine guidance DOC commissioner asks for patience from Stillwater prison families, dismisses idea of reopening Appleton prison Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US 40 St. Paul street lights stripped of copper wiring, though reports are down overall
Ya Biladi
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
King Mohammed VI presides over a Council of Ministers
On Monday, King Mohammed VI presided over a Council of Ministers at the Royal Palace in Rabat, dedicated to approving an organic law project, four draft decrees related to the military domain, several international conventions, and proposals for appointments to senior positions, according to a statement from the spokesperson of the Royal Palace. The Council of Ministers approved an organic law amending and supplementing the law governing the status of magistrates. The aim of this reform is to strengthen the guarantees afforded to magistrates by aligning them with the latest amendments to the General Statute of the Civil Service. It introduces provisions for medium- and long-term sick leave, as well as maternity, paternity, guardianship (kafala), and breastfeeding leave. The King also approved four draft decrees related to the military sector. These include a decree on military air navigation, and another decree amending and supplementing the regulations governing the status of military attachés, their deputies, and other assigned military personnel. The other two draft decrees amend and supplement, respectively, the Dahir that sets the monthly salary system for members of the Royal Armed Forces, and the decree that establishes the pay structure, food allowances, and travel expenses for military personnel on a special progressive salary scale, along with the corresponding administrative and accounting rules. «These two measures reflect the special attention that His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, devotes to improving the material conditions of certain categories of military personnel, with the aim of enhancing their operational capabilities and raising their levels of competence and readiness». As part of efforts to strengthen partnerships and cooperation with several brotherly and friendly countries, the Council of Ministers also approved eleven (11) international conventions: eight (8) concerning the African continent, two (2) at the Asian level, and one (1) with a European country. Six of these conventions were signed in the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla in the Moroccan Sahara, representing explicit recognition of Morocco's full sovereignty over this part of its national territory. The agreements cover a range of areas including judicial and customs cooperation, higher education, scientific research and innovation, transport, logistics and energy, as well as the prevention of double taxation and the fight against tax evasion. One of the agreements also concerns the establishment in Morocco of the permanent headquarters of the African Union of the Blind.
Ya Biladi
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
King Mohammed VI presides over a Council of Ministers
On Monday, King Mohammed VI presided over a Council of Ministers at the Royal Palace in Rabat, dedicated to approving an organic law project, four draft decrees related to the military domain, several international conventions, and proposals for appointments to senior positions, according to a statement from the spokesperson of the Royal Palace. The Council of Ministers approved an organic law amending and supplementing the law governing the status of magistrates. The aim of this reform is to strengthen the guarantees afforded to magistrates by aligning them with the latest amendments to the General Statute of the Civil Service. It introduces provisions for medium- and long-term sick leave, as well as maternity, paternity, guardianship (kafala), and breastfeeding leave. The King also approved four draft decrees related to the military sector. These include a decree on military air navigation, and another decree amending and supplementing the regulations governing the status of military attachés, their deputies, and other assigned military personnel. The other two draft decrees amend and supplement, respectively, the Dahir that sets the monthly salary system for members of the Royal Armed Forces, and the decree that establishes the pay structure, food allowances, and travel expenses for military personnel on a special progressive salary scale, along with the corresponding administrative and accounting rules. «These two measures reflect the special attention that His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, devotes to improving the material conditions of certain categories of military personnel, with the aim of enhancing their operational capabilities and raising their levels of competence and readiness». As part of efforts to strengthen partnerships and cooperation with several brotherly and friendly countries, the Council of Ministers also approved eleven (11) international conventions: eight (8) concerning the African continent, two (2) at the Asian level, and one (1) with a European country. Six of these conventions were signed in the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla in the Moroccan Sahara, representing explicit recognition of Morocco's full sovereignty over this part of its national territory. The agreements cover a range of areas including judicial and customs cooperation, higher education, scientific research and innovation, transport, logistics and energy, as well as the prevention of double taxation and the fight against tax evasion. One of the agreements also concerns the establishment in Morocco of the permanent headquarters of the African Union of the Blind.
CBC
18-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Budgetary transparency report card gives Hamilton city hall an 'F'
Social Sharing A report looking at fiscal accountability and transparency in Canadian municipalities has given Hamilton a failing grade – one of only four out of the country's 32 largest cities to receive such low marks. "They have had some backsliding that is unnerving, and is such an easy fix," says Nicholas Dahir, research officer at the C.D. Howe Institute and co-author of the report. He notes that Hamilton used to release a total of its operating and capital budgets, to show the city's full expenditure for a year, but no longer makes it easy to find that total. He adds that the city still hasn't released its end-of-year financial statements, showing what it spent, for 2023. "There was a while where I would check the webpage every day and still did not see the 2023 financial statements," Dahir told CBC Hamilton on Thursday. "It broke my heart every time." Report titled 'Could do better' The report card, which the C.D. Howe Institute has published annually since 2010, grades cities on things such as how easy-to-find and easy-to-understand its budget information is; whether budgets are finished before the start of the fiscal year; if year-end fiscal statements are available in a timely manner and if budgeting is done using public sector accounting standards, which are the gold standard for municipal budgets, says Dahir. "We look at how easy it is for someone… to make a determination for themselves," on how the city is spending public money, he says. Hamilton also got a failing mark last year, as well as in 2010, the first year of the report. Its highest marks were in 2016, 2017 and 2021. That was before it began posting separate operating and capital budgets without combining them in a summary, said Dahir. This year's report was titled " Could Do Better: Grading the Fiscal Accountability of Canada's Municipalities, 2024." Four cities – Richmond, BC, Ottawa, Quebec City and Vancouver – scored marks in the A-range, while Hamilton flunked alongside three others: Gatineau, Regina and Windsor. "Their Fs reflect multiple problems with transparency, reliability and timeliness," the document states. Cybersecurity attack to blame for delay: city In an email to CBC Hamilton, Mike Zegarac, the general manager of finance and corporate services, said the low grade "reflects the impact of last year's cybersecurity incident." The city was hit by a ransomware attack in February, 2024, which impacted 228 online "applications" and the city spent much of the year working to restore them. In his email statement, Zegarac said the attack "delayed the completion of our audited financial statements" which is "one of the two documents used for the Institute's assessment." "Because the statements could not be finalized and published within their review period, this had a significant effect on our score," he wrote. "We take the Institute's findings seriously... While the Institute's evaluation focuses on the timing and presentation of audited financials and the budget, it does not capture the full picture of the City's financial health or transparency efforts. Hamilton continues to demonstrate strong fiscal stewardship, as shown by our AAA credit rating—the highest possible from S&P and achieved by only a few Canadian municipalities—and the recent GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award recognizing the clarity and quality of our 2024 budget." The failing grade also came the same week that the Canadian Open Data Society gave the city a 2024 Open Data Accessibility Award. "The City of Hamilton's Open Data Portal provides an intuitive and inclusive platform for residents to explore, visualize, and download city data," states the society on its website. "The portal offers insights into vital topics, including housing, transportation, public health, and economic development, with datasets like Ward Profiles enabling granular, localized analysis." 'Somebody understands this. It's a problem with me' But Dahir also said Hamilton's budget format makes it hard for the average person to find key numbers, and says the 2024 budget started in February, while the fiscal year starts in January, meaning money was being spent without approval from those responsible for a month. He also said the budget and year-end financial statements use different accounting methods, making it possible to compare whether projections match up with actual expenditures. "There's this impulse to think, 'Somebody understands this. It's a problem with me," said Dahir, suggesting there may even be councillors who struggle to grasp all aspects of the budget in its current format. "Nobody wants to be the first one to raise their hand and say they don't understand what's happening here." Chris Erl, a local politics researcher at Toronto Metropolitan University, said deciphering the city budget is "very challenging… even for people who engage with municipal issues regularly. I often tell folks that I have a Ph.D. in municipal government and I still have a hard time understanding the budget." He says there appears to be a "disconnect" between the experts compiling the budget and the ordinary citizens who have to live with its consequences. "The fact that the budget is challenging for everyday Hamiltonians to understand is further proof that far too many parts of our local government operate in silos," he says, noting this failing grade could be seen as an opportunity for improvement. "Council can move forward with 'plain language' policies that are expanded to ensure an accessible, simplified version of the budget is offered to residents," Erl said. "And, ultimately, council should be working toward a revised communications strategy that meaningfully engages residents with the budget process."
CBC
16-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Calgary scores D+ grade for financial transparency in new report
The City of Calgary has a lot of room to improve its budget transparency, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Every year, the think tank grades major Canadian municipalities based on the transparency and accountability of their financial documents. For 2024, Calgary received a grade of D+. That's a worse mark than Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, and a worse grade than the C+ the C.D. Howe Institute gave Calgary for its 2023 documents. Report co-author Nicholas Dahir said Calgary presents its budget and financial statements using different accounting standards, which makes the numbers more difficult to understand. Calgary does not include projections using public sector accounting standards (PSAS) in its budget, Dahir said, but it does use PSAS in its end-of-fiscal-year statements. "This creates a huge friction for someone who's not an expert in accounting," said Dahir, a research officer with the C.D. Howe Institute. "To people who don't know about that accounting discrepancy, it is a huge gap and it impedes engagement. Why would you engage in the budget process, or with the financial statements at the end of the year, if you think the numbers are just in two different worlds?" Dahir said it should be easy for the city to make its financial documents more consistent and accessible. Calgary's end-of-year financial statements include budget projections using PSAS-consistent numbers. "You're doing that work anyway. Why not simply do it at the start of the year, as well? That way, anyone can make a like-with-like comparison," said Dahir. "Municipal budgets are not incomprehensible. It can be better. In the past, it was worse, and over time cities have improved — and Calgary could, too." The report does give Calgary credit for consistently releasing its financial statements on time. Mayor's response Calgary relies heavily on its auditors and credit rating agencies to advise the city on budgeting and reporting, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said. "The C.D. Howe report is just another opportunity for us to see where they flag some gaps and what we can improve on," said Gondek. "The last three years that I have spent working with administration and council on improving our budget process are proof that I'm very much striving to make our budget more transparent and more clear to the public." The C.D. Howe Institute awarded its top letter grade, an A, to Richmond, B.C. Vancouver, Quebec City and Ottawa followed with A- grades. The report said the 2024 financial documents for these four cities stood out "for clarity, completeness and promptness." Red flag Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp was critical of the city for its poor grade, saying the result is a red flag. Sharp argued it's a problem when even city councillors have a difficult time getting answers to how much the city is spending in certain areas this year compared to previous years, and added the city's trust with its citizens is built on clarity. "When Calgarians can't easily access or understand how their tax dollars are being spent, then we have a real problem," Sharp said. "I don't think you need to have a finance degree to understand the city budget." Sharp added the city needs to work to build trust and confidence with Calgarians, to communicate how much the city is spending clearly and transparently.
