Latest news with #Moroz
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
Council of River Heights students has cabinet minister's ear on value of AI, other tech in education
River Heights teens want their high schools to embrace technology — the possibilities of artificial intelligence, in particular — rather than ban it. Grade 11 student Salina Lupu uses AI-powered chatbots to help her strategize how best to manage her time when she's working on a major project. Matias Lastra, 17, keeps these tools in his back pocket when he needs to break down a complex math equation or the process to solve it. The new Kelvin High School student council co-presidents shared how they're using the technology to do their homework with government officials this week. '(AI) can be a really helpful tool if used properly and if we're taught how-to use it properly,' Salina said. Mike Moroz, Manitoba's minister of innovation and new technology, has created an inter-school council to hash out policies on AI and other issues affecting students. The MLA for River Heights has begun inviting public and private school students from his constituency to meet at the legislature on a semi-regular basis. 'Kids don't get the credit they deserve for how much they think about the world around them,' said Moroz, who taught high school drama and humanities before he ran for public office in 2023. Kelvin, Gray Academy, Grant Park High School and St. Mary's Academy make up his newly formed council. Moroz said it is 'critically important' that students from these schools understand their voices have value and the government provides a microphone. Technology, affordable housing and environmental and social justice issues are among the topics they've discussed to date, he said. On Monday, the last day of the spring legislative session, a half-dozen students gathered at 450 Broadway for the council's second official meeting. Student leaders found common ground related to their thoughts on the growing role of smartphones and AI in education and how the technologies are viewed by adults around them. The Manitoba government banned the use of cellphones during classes, except when teachers approve their use for educational or inclusion purposes, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. 'It's difficult to ban technology when we require it,' said Chinanuokum Onyiuke, a Grade 12 student at St. Mary's. The 18-year-old noted screens have been deeply embedded into her school experience. 'We use Teams every single day,' she said. Many teachers across the province use Microsoft Teams as a virtual extension of their classroom. Students can send messages and upload assignments to the software program via phones, tablets and laptops. Members of the River Heights inter-school council acknowledged their teachers are grappling with how to police phone usage and AI-related plagiarism, but they said outlawing the tools is not the answer. 'There's a lot of fear from the educators' side because they don't know how to approach this and they're thinking of (technology) more as a threat to our education than a resource,' said Diana Bonakdar, 16. The St. Mary's Grade 11 student said she told Moroz about the need 'to shift our mindset' to view AI as a tool that can speed up processes rather than something to be feared. Moroz is planning to have students get together about once every two months throughout the rest of his term. The setup is unique in that some participants rarely mingle — despite attending schools across the street from one another, in the case of Kelvin and St. Mary's. Manitoba Education runs a separate student advisory council. It consists of 30 high school students from campuses across Manitoba. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Council of River Heights students has cabinet minister's ear on value of AI, other tech in education
River Heights teens want their high schools to embrace technology — the possibilities of artificial intelligence, in particular — rather than ban it. Grade 11 student Salina Lupu uses AI-powered chatbots to help her strategize how best to manage her time when she's working on a major project. Matias Lastra, 17, keeps these tools in his back pocket when he needs to break down a complex math equation or the process to solve it. The new Kelvin High School student council co-presidents shared how they're using the technology to do their homework with government officials this week. '(AI) can be a really helpful tool if used properly and if we're taught how-to use it properly,' Salina said. Mike Moroz, Manitoba's minister of innovation and new technology, has created an inter-school council to hash out policies on AI and other issues affecting students. The MLA for River Heights has begun inviting public and private school students from his constituency to meet at the legislature on a semi-regular basis. 'Kids don't get the credit they deserve for how much they think about the world around them,' said Moroz, who taught high school drama and humanities before he ran for public office in 2023. Kelvin, Gray Academy, Grant Park High School and St. Mary's Academy make up his newly formed council. Moroz said it is 'critically important' that students from these schools understand their voices have value and the government provides a microphone. Technology, affordable housing and environmental and social justice issues are among the topics they've discussed to date, he said. On Monday, the last day of the spring legislative session, a half-dozen students gathered at 450 Broadway for the council's second official meeting. Student leaders found common ground related to their thoughts on the growing role of smartphones and AI in education and how the technologies are viewed by adults around them. The Manitoba government banned the use of cellphones during classes, except when teachers approve their use for educational or inclusion purposes, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. 'It's difficult to ban technology when we require it,' said Chinanuokum Onyiuke, a Grade 12 student at St. Mary's. The 18-year-old noted screens have been deeply embedded into her school experience. 'We use Teams every single day,' she said. Many teachers across the province use Microsoft Teams as a virtual extension of their classroom. Students can send messages and upload assignments to the software program via phones, tablets and laptops. Members of the River Heights inter-school council acknowledged their teachers are grappling with how to police phone usage and AI-related plagiarism, but they said outlawing the tools is not the answer. 'There's a lot of fear from the educators' side because they don't know how to approach this and they're thinking of (technology) more as a threat to our education than a resource,' said Diana Bonakdar, 16. The St. Mary's Grade 11 student said she told Moroz about the need 'to shift our mindset' to view AI as a tool that can speed up processes rather than something to be feared. Moroz is planning to have students get together about once every two months throughout the rest of his term. The setup is unique in that some participants rarely mingle — despite attending schools across the street from one another, in the case of Kelvin and St. Mary's. Manitoba Education runs a separate student advisory council. It consists of 30 high school students from campuses across Manitoba. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manitoba cabinet minister denies insider trading after selling shares in phone company blamed for 911 outage
A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of insider trading for selling his shares in Telus while knowing the company's 911 phone outage may have contributed to a 55-year-old's death. The Tories filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner Tuesday, alleging Mike Moroz, minister of innovation and new technology, relied on information he only knew as government minister when he unloaded his stocks in the telecommunications company. The party argued Moroz's actions violated Manitoba's conflict of interest act. It seems that the "minister was privy to insider information that only he had in regards to a damning … Telus report in relation to the death of a Manitoban when the 911 system went down," Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said. However, Moroz is rejecting the allegations. He said he was solely acting on public information and media reports when he chose to sell his stocks in Telus, and his decision shows he was going "above and beyond" requirements from the ethics commissioner. Shares sold 1 month after news The Tory complaint centres on the timing of Moroz selling his shares. Public disclosure records show he disposed of his Telus shares on May 13, one day before he named the company in question period for a 911 outage that prevented Dean Switzer's loved ones from reaching emergency dispatch centre. None of their more than 20 calls were answered. Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, Man., on March 23. The story was initially reported by CTV News on Apr. 8 and the next day Moroz sent a letter to Telus regarding his concerns. A month later, the Progressive Conservatives brought up the outage in question period and Moroz didn't single out the company while answering questions, according to a official transcription of the legislative debate. He only mentioned Telus by name on May 14, the day after he sold his shares, according to disclosure records. The next day in question period, Moroz revealed he had read Telus's interim report about the phone outage. "Mr. Moroz had a private interest, he owned shares in Telus Corporation. He sold those shares while being informed of an internal investigation into a system failure that disrupted access to emergency services," the PC complaint reads. "This is a textbook example of making financial decisions related to information not available to the general public, and abusing access available solely as a result of his position as a minister of the Crown." Moroz denied having privileged information. He called the Tory accusations "baseless." "I acted based on publicly available information and media reporting. If the opposition had done their research properly, they also would have made this determination," he told reporters, who waited 46 minutes for Moroz to address media after the Progressive Conservatives answered questions on the ethics commissioner complaint. Moroz said he was relying on publicly accessible information, such as Telus's letters to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which can be found online. "We have no regulatory authority over telecommunications, so there is no conceivable inside information that I could have access to," Moroz said. "Telus owes me nothing in terms of communication. In fact, neither the interim report nor the final report were sent to my office. I got them online with everyone else." He added the ethics commissioner, with whom he met shortly after becoming a cabinet minister late last year, had no issue with him owning stocks in Telus. Moroz said he went "above and beyond what's necessary" in choosing to sell the stocks. The minister's office said Moroz lost around $1,000 on the transaction, but his spokesperson didn't answer when asked about the value of the stocks he had in total. 'No impropriety:' Moroz "What I wanted to make sure I did was make sure that not only was there no impropriety, but there's no appearance of impropriety." Public disclosure records only require MLAs to list the shares, held by themselves, their spouse or dependents, in which the value exceeds $5,000. Moroz added he sold his shares on May 8, but it took until May 13 for the change to be reflected in the disclosure records. The PCs brought forward the new ethics complaint just days after the party was rapped by the ethics commissioner for trying to push through a silica sand mining project after losing the 2023 election. The commissioner recommended three senior Tories, including former premier Heather Stefanson, be fined between $10,000 and $18,000 each.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manitoba cabinet minister denies insider trading after selling shares in phone company blamed for 911 outage
A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of insider trading for selling his shares in Telus while knowing the company's 911 phone outage may have contributed to a 55-year-old's death. The Tories filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner Tuesday, alleging Mike Moroz, minister of innovation and new technology, relied on information he only knew as government minister when he unloaded his stocks in the telecommunications company. The party argued Moroz's actions violated Manitoba's conflict of interest act. It seems that the "minister was privy to insider information that only he had in regards to a damning … Telus report in relation to the death of a Manitoban when the 911 system went down," Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said. However, Moroz is rejecting the allegations. He said he was solely acting on public information and media reports when he chose to sell his stocks in Telus, and his decision shows he was going "above and beyond" requirements from the ethics commissioner. Shares sold 1 month after news The Tory complaint centres on the timing of Moroz selling his shares. Public disclosure records show he disposed of his Telus shares on May 13, one day before he named the company in question period for a 911 outage that prevented Dean Switzer's loved ones from reaching emergency dispatch centre. None of their more than 20 calls were answered. Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, Man., on March 23. The story was initially reported by CTV News on Apr. 8 and the next day Moroz sent a letter to Telus regarding his concerns. A month later, the Progressive Conservatives brought up the outage in question period and Moroz didn't single out the company while answering questions, according to a official transcription of the legislative debate. He only mentioned Telus by name on May 14, the day after he sold his shares, according to disclosure records. The next day in question period, Moroz revealed he had read Telus's interim report about the phone outage. "Mr. Moroz had a private interest, he owned shares in Telus Corporation. He sold those shares while being informed of an internal investigation into a system failure that disrupted access to emergency services," the PC complaint reads. "This is a textbook example of making financial decisions related to information not available to the general public, and abusing access available solely as a result of his position as a minister of the Crown." Moroz denied having privileged information. He called the Tory accusations "baseless." "I acted based on publicly available information and media reporting. If the opposition had done their research properly, they also would have made this determination," he told reporters, who waited 46 minutes for Moroz to address media after the Progressive Conservatives answered questions on the ethics commissioner complaint. Moroz said he was relying on publicly accessible information, such as Telus's letters to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which can be found online. "We have no regulatory authority over telecommunications, so there is no conceivable inside information that I could have access to," Moroz said. "Telus owes me nothing in terms of communication. In fact, neither the interim report nor the final report were sent to my office. I got them online with everyone else." He added the ethics commissioner, with whom he met shortly after becoming a cabinet minister late last year, had no issue with him owning stocks in Telus. Moroz said he went "above and beyond what's necessary" in choosing to sell the stocks. The minister's office said Moroz lost around $1,000 on the transaction, but his spokesperson didn't answer when asked about the value of the stocks he had in total. 'No impropriety:' Moroz "What I wanted to make sure I did was make sure that not only was there no impropriety, but there's no appearance of impropriety." Public disclosure records only require MLAs to list the shares, held by themselves, their spouse or dependents, in which the value exceeds $5,000. Moroz added he sold his shares on May 8, but it took until May 13 for the change to be reflected in the disclosure records. The PCs brought forward the new ethics complaint just days after the party was rapped by the ethics commissioner for trying to push through a silica sand mining project after losing the 2023 election. The commissioner recommended three senior Tories, including former premier Heather Stefanson, be fined between $10,000 and $18,000 each.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba calls on CRTC for answers on 911 outage
The Manitoba government has asked Canada's telecoms regulator to order a public explanation of a 911 outage that left a man's family unable to get through while he suffered a fatal heart attack. In a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the province's Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz said he was not satisfied with Telus' three-page report to the regulator, which redacted the outage's cause and some additional details. 'The lack of information in the interim report and in communications by Telus with my office does little to reassure Manitobans that they can count on these telecommunications companies,' Moroz wrote to Marc Morin, the CRTC's secretary-general, on Monday. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz said he was not satisfied with Telus' three-page, partially redacted report to the CRTC about the failure to receive 911 calls in Manitoba in March. Fisher Branch-area resident Dean Switzer, 55, died after suffering a heart attack March 23. Loved ones, who were Telus wireless customers, were unable to get through to 911 for more than an hour, the legislature was previously told. Moroz's letter said more than 25 calls to 911 were placed while the service was down. The outage, between March 22 to 24, prevented the calls from reaching a 911 communications centre in Brandon. Telus' report to the CRTC, dated May 16, did not disclose how many customers were affected nor what was done to fix the issue. The report said technical details were kept confidential because 'bad actors' could use the information to attack Canada's 911 networks. Bell is Manitoba's 911 network provider. Telus' report claimed the outage was due to a problem on Bell's side. Bell said the exact cause is not yet known, but the problem was resolved when Telus reset 'trunks' on its side of the network. 'While it's our expectation that telecommunication providers will actively work together, I am imploring you in this instance to order them to publicly collaborate to restore Manitoban's (sic) confidence in their operations across our province,' Moroz wrote. 'Furthermore, I ask that you direct Telus to release redacted portions of the report.' Telus spokeswoman Liz Sauvé said a thorough investigation was conducted with Bell. 'I am imploring you in this instance to order them to publicly collaborate to restore Manitoban's (sic) confidence in their operations across our province.'–Minister Mike Moroz in a letter to the CRTC 'We will continue our ongoing dialogue with the provincial government to reassure them and all Manitobans that the right steps have been taken to prevent another disruption of this nature,' she wrote in an email. A Bell spokesperson said 911 service and the Brandon 911 agency that receives calls were 'operational' during the time in question. 'Emergency calls from Bell customers and nine other service providers serving the area in question, with the exception of Telus, were successfully processed and delivered to the PSAPs,' the spokesperson wrote in an email, referring to public safety answering points. 'The exact root cause of the 911 call delivery issue as it relates to Telus-originated 911 calls is unknown, but we can confirm that Telus wireless 911 calls destined to Brandon PSAP were not delivered to Bell MTS.' The spokesperson said a piece of equipment in Bell's network reset, and it is unclear why Telus 'ceased' sending 911 calls to Bell MTS when the reset occurred. 'When Bell was made aware that Telus 911 calls were not being routed to Brandon PSAP, we collaborated with Telus and attempted to reset 911 trunks on our side of the network, but this did not fix the issue,' the spokesperson wrote. 'Telus then reset trunks on its side of the network and 911 calling was restored.' The spokesperson said Telus informed Bell that it attempted to reset the trunks on Telus' side prior to this, but the issue was not fixed. It is possible the sequencing of resets resolved the issue, but it is not yet known, the spokesperson said. 'It did nothing to reassure the public that the emergency network is stable and working when they need it.'–PC Leader Obby Khan 'Telus has informed us that it has implemented automatic rerouting of 911 calls to its 911 third-party call centre in the event of a similar occurrence in the future,' the spokesperson wrote. Moroz said Telus did not alert the province of any service disruption or failure. He asked the CRTC to direct all telecommunications providers in Manitoba to proactively alert the province and his ministry when service disruptions or failures affect 911 services. 'When Manitobans reach out to 911, they need to be able to count on it being there,' Moroz told the Free Press. 'This is about ensuring that that system is in place, that it's infinitely reliable and that when it's not, those responsible for the maintenance of the service are held accountable.' He said the CRTC has 'full authority' to investigate the province's concerns and 'take whatever action they feel is necessary.' In question period, Opposition Tory Leader Obby Khan again demanded the NDP government call a public inquiry, citing 'minimal' details in Telus' report. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 'It did nothing to reassure the public that the emergency network is stable and working when they need it,' Khan said. In response, Deputy Premier Uzoma Asagwara said the province will work with 'partners' who provide 911 service 'to make sure that Manitobans don't see that happen again.' 'There's a process for investigating these things. We're following that process,' Moroz told the Free Press. — with files from Gabrielle Piché Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
