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CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Ontario bill limiting access to long-term care home inspection reports will protect bad actors: advocate
Social Sharing The Ontario government is proposing restricting public access to long-term care (LTC) home inspection reports — a move one advocate says will protect bad actors in the sector. Currently, all LTC home inspection reports are posted online. But under the proposal, contained within a bill tabled last week by Minister of Red Tape Reduction Andrea Khanjin, the reports would be published for three years before being removed from the website. "It's very clear here that it's to shield the bad reputations of repeated bad actors in long-term care from having their records of non-compliance being made visible," said Dr. Vivian Stamatopoulos, a professor at Ontario Tech University and long-term care advocate, in an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Tuesday. Over 30,000 reports are currently available online, dating back over 15 years, including for homes that are no longer operational, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Care. The ministry will continue maintaining reports outside the three-year time period, and reports will be available "upon request," spokesperson Mark Nesbitt said in an email on Monday. "By setting a three-year publication period for reports, the government is ensuring the public has access to relevant and accurate information that reflects each long-term care home's current performance," he said. The time frame is similar to other inspection industry practices, such as for child-care settings, he said. But Stamatopoulos called the comparison a false equivalency. Children don't live in daycares, and the history of deaths, noncompliance and abuse in Ontario LTC homes demands a full public record, she said. From March 2020 to April 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 4,335 residents died in Ontario's LTC homes, according to a September 2023 report from the province's ombudsman. WATCH | 5 years ago, military report detailed abuse, neglect in Ontario's long-term care homes: Military report puts spotlight on crisis in Ontario's long-term care homes 5 years ago Duration 3:09 The Canadian Armed Forces released a report in May 2020 detailing disturbing conditions observed by its members in five Ontario LTC homes, including accounts of elder abuse and an accusation that improper care led to the choking death of a resident. The soldiers were called in to help after some of the province's long-term care facilities were overrun by COVID-19 outbreaks. If the government does implement the three-year time frame for online access to inspection reports, Stamatopoulos says by 2026, "the worst of the worst times in long-term care is just going to be gone." "And then eventually, it will all be gone." Move will add more red tape, advocate says Families, journalists and researchers all rely on the publicly available reports to demonstrate long-standing issues in the sector and support their calls for systemic change, she said. If the reports are removed, she said it will no longer be possible to do historical analysis and examine trends overtime. Stamatopoulos said she doubts the government will provide reports upon request in a timely manner. Currently, she said she is waiting for the Ministry of Long-Term Care to get back to her on questions she sent them about inspection reports four months ago. Requiring additional resources to field individual requests for reports will be inefficient and add more red tape when the data is already publicly available, she said. "Why would you go out of your way to take these reports down and then have to field these requests on a one-to-one basis if you don't have anything to hide, or if you're not trying to protect bad actors who have long histories of non-compliance?" she said.
Hamilton Spectator
01-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
‘There's always a risk': Social media posts following Pickering stabbing could court legal issues
From suspect photos to surveillance videos, public access to information doesn't always align with criminal justice legislation. A public safety alert sent out Thursday evening following a violent attack in Pickering that left a woman dead became quick fodder for social media content, with witnesses posting on-the-ground reports of suspect movements, video snippets from doorbell and surveillance cameras and, in one case, a photo of the alleged suspect that was reposted countless times. 'In this case something very shocking and heinous happened and people were very interested in knowing who this person was,' said Dr. Andrea Slane, a professor in the legal studies program at Ontario Tech University . The wealth of information online became a problem, however, when police announced the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. 'The police know they can't publish that person's information, but the general public may not know they are just as captured by that regulation as the police or the media — no one is allowed to publish information identifying this young person,' Slane explained. 'Under the law we have a greater obligation to young offenders to give them that space to be recuperated into regular society.' She said people should be cautious when posting anything related to criminal offences, noting there 'could be ramifications.' 'When something like this happens, our impulse is to go to social media and blab,' she said. 'There could potentially be an offence connected to it, it would be similar to a contempt of court offence, but I do think that's pretty rare unless someone is persistent.' She noted that identifying a suspect protected by legislation is just one risk. Some posts, such as unverified suspect photos linking someone's image to a crime, have the potential to vilify an innocent individual. 'There's always a risk if people are speculating, you might have someone say, 'I saw this guy in the vicinity,' or someone out walking happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and there could be terrible consequences for that person,' Slane said. 'People really do need to keep that in mind and that is the reason police don't randomly publish people's names or photos until they have a pretty sure case.' Slane said she expects this incident gained even more attention online given the age of the suspect. 'It doesn't surprise me there's a whole lot of activity around this and I think the narrative really started to change as soon as police said they had quite a young person in custody for this crime. I think, at first, people thought there was this crazy person out wreaking havoc, and then when the age was released, it was an extra layer of, 'How could this be? How could someone so young do this?'' Slane said. 'We don't know the whole story, certainly, but there's going to be a lot of attention with such a dramatic unfolding of events, from the public warning going out, the shelter in place and the cancelling of public events, it all created this idea that there was a maniac on the loose.' While social media has compromised publication bans to some extent, Slane said they are still important to the system and believes social media companies should be responsible for monitoring posts that could threaten the identity of someone protected under a ban. 'As soon as the internet allowed people to post things, and especially post things anonymously, it became clear that publication bans were going to be difficult to make rock solid — they weren't going to be airtight anymore,' Slane said. 'We have seen that's true, but that's no reason to abandon them. I think they still work to a pretty great extent, but the companies that host the platforms should have to step up and take things down when they're alerted to an issue.' Durham Regional Police did not respond to a request for comment on the social media posts related to the Pickering incident. 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 .
Iraqi News
23-05-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Baghdad ranks 43rd in world's largest cities by population
Baghdad ( – As of 2025, Baghdad has ascended to the 43rd position among the world's most populous cities, with a metro area population of approximately 8.06 million, according to Ontario Tech University's Sustainability Today. This growth places Iraq's capital ahead of regional counterparts such as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (7.7 million), and Alexandria, Egypt (5.7 million). Cairo remains the most populous city in the Arab world, ranking 6th globally with around 22.6 million residents . Globally, the top three most populated cities are Tokyo, Japan (37.1 million), Delhi, India (33.8 million), and Shanghai, China (29.9 million). Baghdad's population growth reflects broader urbanization trends in Iraq, where the total population is estimated at 47 million as of mid-2025 . The city's expansion underscores its significance as a central hub in the Middle East, both demographically and economically.
National Observer
24-04-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Poilievre's plans for "woke" research spook Canadian academics
Pierre Poilievre is vowing to eliminate "woke ideology" from public university research funding, echoing rhetoric used by US President Donald Trump to make massive funding cuts to that country's climate research and alarming researchers. The Conservative Party will end public funding for university research on topics that address "woke" topics, according to the Quebec section of the party platform. The platform doesn't define what is considered "woke," and Poilievre hasn't given a clear answer when asked by reporters. However, in recent years, the party has increasingly used the term 'woke' in speeches, petitions and policy statements to attack the Canadian government's climate policy. 'This bill is just another step in Trudeau's woke anti-energy agenda to end Canadian oil and gas,' reads one party statement on Bill C-50, a sustainable jobs act; 'Justin Trudeau is attempting to impose a global woke agenda on Canadians,' reads a separate petition titled 'We WON'T Eat Bugs.' Following Trump's moves to gut research in the US, the language is rattling Canadian researchers. "I'm seriously concerned that if Poilievre is elected prime minister in Canada, global climate research here will also be in the crosshairs — subject to cuts, defunding, or political interference," said Tanner Mirrlees, a political economist at Ontario Tech University, in an email. "In this mess, "woke" continues to be weaponized by far right politicians and activists against their opponents." The right uses the threat of "wokeism" to invoke fear that liberal elites are "remaking the world" and will curtail people's liberties and status, said Imre Szeman, director of the Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability at the University of Toronto. Pierre Poilievre is vowing to eliminate "woke ideology" from public university research funding, echoing rhetoric used by US President Donald Trump to make massive funding cuts to that country's climate research and alarming researchers. One of the most worrisome parts of the Conservatives' pledge is that "woke" is a category that it can fill with whatever it wants, he said. "This is why "woke" is an adjective that is able to link up all kinds of unrelated practices, beliefs, opinions, and outlooks. What's 'woke' is, in the end, anything and everything that bothers them." A 'problematic' path Trump has "set the stage" for drastic cuts to Canadian climate research if the Conservatives are elected and it is problematic that Canada may follow if so, said Villy Christensen, a professor of ecosystem modelling at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Canadians are already feeling the impact of those Trump policies. Last month, foreign researchers receiving or applying for US grants were asked by the Trump administration if their research deals with climate, environmental justice or diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Studies on these topics were threatened with losing their American funding. American government grants provide about $57 million to Canadian scholars each year, the Canadian Association of University Teachers estimates. That's about three per cent as much as the $1.8 billion allocated annually by Canada's three federal academic research grant agencies. Moreover, the Trump administration also recently let funding for six of the US's 10 climate research centres lapse for several days, before temporarily restoring their funds this week. And earlier this month, it proposed to cut almost all the climate research conducted by the US National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA, according to an internal budget document first reported by US outlets. Many of their public databases are also going dark. "This isn't just about hurting a bunch of climate scientists. This would just hurt Americans," said Simon Donner, a climate scientist and professor at the UBC. "It shows ignorance, not just about science, but about how the government works." "It's absolutely horrible. It's beyond belief that anyone can even suggest making cuts of this kind," said Christensen. Trump's latest proposed cuts would eliminate all funding for NOAA's 10 research labs across the country, eliminate funding for cooperative institutes affiliated with universities and cut the agency's competitive climate research grants for academics. The cuts would also impact key modelling labs essential for accurate weather forecasting in the US and beyond. At NASA, the proposal would roughly halve the agency's research budget, ending a host of earth science satellites, the Goddard Space Flight Centre, the return of current missions to Mars and Venus, and stall the nearly-completed Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Thousands of researchers and lab staff would lose their jobs across the two agencies. The proposal could likely change before it is sent to Congress for approval later this month, but even a scaled-back version would be devastating for climate research — including in Canada. Weather systems and climate don't take note of international borders, and the quality of Canadian weather forecasts depends — in part — on US data, and vice versa, Donner said. While the proposal only targets research facilities, not the US National Weather Service, eliminating them would destabilize the entire infrastructure used to make weather forecasts, with impacts on Canada. 'The bottom of the Jenga stack' "It's like, going to the bottom of the Jenga stack and pulling a bunch of sticks out. At some point, the whole thing's gonna fall down apart," he said. "[Canada] can't realistically replace what they're doing." In a statement, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said that its work, including weather forecasting and climate research, includes longstanding collaborations with NOAA on water monitoring, satellites, weather and climate research. It has not been "officially informed of any changes in its collaboration with NOAA." ECCC scientists have also developed mitigation and contingency plans to minimize the impact of any data disruptions from the US, and are exploring collaborations with other national governments, the World Meteorological Organization and "other partners" to add to the data it already collects in Canada for weather forecasting and climate modelling.
CBC
17-03-2025
- CBC
Man faces rare charge of advocating genocide against Jewish community, Toronto police say
Social Sharing A Toronto man is facing the rare charge of advocating genocide, in addition to more than two dozen other offences allegedly motivated by hatred toward the Jewish community, police say. Amir Arvahi Azar, 32, was arrested on Jan. 11 for incidents that took place between April 26, 2024 and Jan. 3, 2025, Toronto police said in a news release Monday. Police said they are unable to provide further details about the alleged crimes due to a publication ban. Azar faces 29 charges, including wilful promotion of hatred, which together with advocating genocide, requires the consent of the Ministry of the Attorney General. The charges have not been tested in court. Hate crime expert Barbara Perry says law enforcement has an incredibly high bar to clear when deciding whether to lay such charges. "These charges tend to be reserved for the most serious, the most threatening kind of crimes," said Perry, who is director for the centre on hate, bias and extremism at Ontario Tech University. "There are a whole array of factors that [law enforcement is] going to be looking at here," she said. "Is he really encouraging and inciting hatred towards others? Is he trying to foment hatred and hostility towards, in this case, the Jewish community? How blatant is that language? What's the context? Where is it occurring? Is it online? Is it offline." WATCH | A look at Toronto police's strategy against rise in hate crimes: How police are tackling the alarming rise in hate crimes 9 months ago Duration 15:44 History shows it's difficult to prove those charges in court, Perry said. From 2010 to 2020, 305 charges for hate-crime-related offences were processed in Canadian courts, according to an internal study by the federal government, of which wilful promotion of hatred made up 85 per cent and advocating genocide made up only six per cent. Of the 81 hate crime cases completed that decade, only 43 per cent ended with a finding of guilt, the study found. Accused also charged with arson, other offences Azar's charges also include arson, public incitement of hatred, criminal harassment, mischief to cultural property and multiple weapons offences. Deputy Chief Rob Johnson said the charges were the result of a months-long investigation led by the centralized hate crimes unit. "We know that these charges are very serious and that people are concerned," Johnson said in a video statement. "I want to assure everyone that we will continue to do everything we can to keep our communities safe." Azar was released following a bail hearing Monday, police said, with several conditions imposed, including house arrest with an ankle monitor. He is due back in court on April 28, a spokesperson for the Ontario Court of Justice said in an email. Michelle Stock, vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Ontario, says her organization will monitor the case closely. "We are encouraged to see law enforcement and Crown prosecutors upholding the rule of law and taking action to hold individuals accountable for alleged hate-motivated crimes," she said in an emailed statement.
