Latest news with #Sudds
Global News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
‘It's sad': New DTES playground opening cancelled after protesters in Oppenheimer Park
A community event to celebrate the official opening of a new playground in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside was scuttled Friday after protesters in Oppenheimer Park encouraged people not to pack up their tents in compliance with the overnight sheltering bylaw, Global News has learned. Playground renewal at Oppenheimer Park began in the summer of 2022 and the new safe and inclusive space for kids recently re-opened to the public following construction. The city's mayor and council were invited to attend the gathering, which had been planned for noon on May 16. Ahead of the event, Ryan Sudds, a vocal opponent of decampment efforts including tent removals on Hastings in 2023, issued a 'media advisory' claiming the Park Board was escalating decampment at Oppenheimer Park on the morning of the new playground opening. 'It's simply not accurate,' Vancouver Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung told Global News in an interview Monday. 'To suggest that opening a playground has anything to do with the park sheltering bylaw is completely false.' Story continues below advertisement Sudds, who was not available for an on-camera interview Monday, told Global News that residents of Oppenheimer Park asked him to send the media release, and he was helping them. Sudds said he doesn't consider himself an activist and no one is paying him to do this. 1:53 Vancouver police and park rangers dismantle Oppenheimer Park tents 'It's just one bylaw, one bylaw after another, after another, after another,' Gary Humchitt told Global News in reference to the efforts by park rangers to enforce the city's overnight sheltering rules. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Humchitt, who doesn't live at Oppenheimer, said he supports those sleeping in the park – including elders – and wants them to get off the streets and into proper housing. Under city bylaws updated in April 2024, overnight sheltering is allowed in public parks but tents must be taken down by 7 a.m. the following morning. Story continues below advertisement Kirby-Yung confirmed there have been no changes to the overnight sheltering rules, and nothing has changed in terms of requirements and procedures. A handful of individuals are currently staying in tents at Oppenheimer overnight and as the weather gets warmer, more people are seeking shelter in the park. On Friday morning, park rangers were conducting normal bylaw compliance work. Global News has learned two protesters were in the park encouraging new people to not pack up their belongings and/or to not follow the rules. 'We're no threat, we're just trying to make a statement,' Humchitt told Global News. When asked what happened and if it was his goal to disrupt the playground opening, Humchitt responded: 'My goal was to try to compromise with the mayor to see what he's trying to prove. I mean it was our opportunity to actually to talk to him.' Mayor Ken Sim's office declined an interview request from Global News, 'so as to not have multiple spokespeople talking to the topic'. Sim's press secretary, Taylor Verrall, said a representative from either the City or Parks Board would be reaching out regarding why the playground's grand opening was cancelled – and whether the event was hijacked by activists. Story continues below advertisement A City of Vancouver communications manager said no one from the city or Park Board was available for an on-camera interview Monday, but sent a statement attributable to the Park Board. 'The playground had already opened to the community earlier this month and the celebration planned for Friday was intended to be a casual gathering to recognize the playground renewal,' said the emailed statement. 'Unfortunately, on Friday, we were not ready to hold the event because of a variety of unforeseen circumstances including the poor weather and unavailability of key staff.' The city statement did not elaborate on the 'unforeseen circumstances'. 'These are kids that don't get access to a lot of opportunities, again one of the poorest neighbourhoods in our city,' said Kirby-Yung. 'I think it's really unfortunate, it's sad honestly and frustrating to see that disrupted on what should be a happy day for kids and for families.' Area residents Global News spoke with Monday were disappointed. 'It should be about the kids, I'm sorry,' said Dianne Mary Thérèse Brisson. 'It's bothersome that that went down like that, I'm sorry to hear that,' added Martin Hill.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberal Jenna Sudds re-elected in Kanata
The former Kanata-Carleton riding has given a large chunk of rural land to Carleton, but is projected to stay Liberal under Jenna Sudds. The west Ottawa riding no longer stretches as far west as Renfrew County because of the independent review that followed the 2021 census. The newly named Kanata includes much of the former city of the same name, plus Bells Corners. Kanata-Carleton — itself significantly redrawn before the 2015 election — voted Liberal in its three elections between the boundary changes. Sudds was elected federally for the first time in 2021, serving as minister of families, children and social development until Mark Carney's cabinet shuffle. Before that, she was a city councillor and a business association director in the area. Five candidates ran this time.
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Federal election 2025: Liberal Jenna Sudds leading in Kanata
Jenna Sudds appeared to be headed to re-election for the Liberals in the federal riding of Kanata as results began flowing in on Monday night. Article content Article content With about 12.5 per cent of polls reporting, the former Ottawa city councillor had 2,427 votes compared to 1,517 for Conservative Greg Kung. The NDP's Melissa Simon ranked a distant third with 117. Article content Sudds first vaulted from municipal politics to the federal stage in 2021, winning her Kanata-Carleton seat in a hotly-contested 2021 federal election. Article content Article content She won the riding by just 1,921 votes four years ago, based on a 73.4 per cent turnout of 86,505 eligible voters, prevailing over Conservative candidate Jennifer McAndrew, who received 38.6 per cent of the vote, while Sudds received 41.8 per cent. Article content Article content Before Sudds won in 2021, the former Kanata-Carleton riding had been held by Liberal Karen McCrimmon, who won comfortably in 2015 and again in 2019. McCrimmon declined to run federally in 2021, but has since made the move to Queen's Park, winning a July 2023 by-election for the Kanata-Carleton provincial riding and winning re-election in the provincial general election in February. Article content Sudds, a former federal government economist and executive director of two business associations, served in former prime minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet as the minister of families, children and social development until the March 14 cabinet shuffle that followed Mark Carney's swearing-in as Trudeau's successor. Article content Article content A West-Carleton resident and full-time paramedic serving the Ottawa Valley, Kung was also a senior advisor to former Conservative finance ministers Jim Flaherty and Joe Oliver. Kung has been on the boards of Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa Foundation and the Ontario Paramedic Association. Article content Article content The NDP finished a distant third in the riding in the 2021 federal election with 14 per cent of the vote. Article content A former technical writer for a Kanata tech company until she was recently laid off, Simon has lived in Kanata for more than two decades and has a bachelor's degree in social work from Carleton University. She is completing a law degree at Carleton.
Ottawa Citizen
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Five things to know from the Kanata candidates' debate
Although Kanata's federal election candidates weren't in the same room Tuesday night, they nonetheless landed punches as they tussled over such issues as the housing crisis, the affordability crisis and threats to Canadian sovereignty and its economic well-being. Article content Article content The five rivals met virtually in a Zoom debate that was livestreamed on YouTube. All of the contenders were present, including the Liberal Party's Jenna Sudds, the Conservative Party's Greg Kung, the NDP's Melissa Simon, the Green Party's Jennifer Purdy and Moinuddin Siddiqui of the Centrist Party of Canada. Article content Asked to name which countries were threats to Canada, most candidates were unequivocal. Article content 'It's pretty clear that we are under attack,' said the NDP's Simon. 'There's an economic war on Canada by the United States and what that means is we need to make sure that we're prepared to sustain our economy, regardless of what the United States chooses to do.' Article content Article content Calling Trump a threat to Canada's economy and sovereignty, Sudds said the election is essentially about who is best positioned to deal with the U.S. President. 'With Mark Carney as our leader and myself as your member of Parliament, you can rest assured that we will not sell you or Canada out for parts,' said Sudds. Article content 'The United States is definitely a threat and anybody who thinks it might only last for four years, we need to plan for the worst-case scenario, that this extends beyond four years,' said Purdy. China and Russia are also threats and 'we need to be keeping eyes on them as well,' the Green Party candidate added. Article content Article content 'Everybody have the same opinion. The threat we have right now is our neighbour country, the U.S.,' said Siddiqui. Article content Kung said Canada needs to protect its sovereignty and borders, and cited a Conservative promise to build a northern military base. But he preferred to speak of Canada's weakness rather than the threat posed by Trump. Article content Ten years of Liberal rule have left the country, he said, in a weak position vis-à-vis other countries, 'whether it be the U.S. or other nations. We've had many countries come to Canada asking for our resources, and it is this same Liberal government that has said no, that repeatedly said that there is no business case for us to get our resources to market,' Kung said.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Yukon signs $7.4m school food program agreement with Ottawa
WHITEHORSE — Yukon and the federal government have reached a $7.4-million agreement to improve school food for students in the territory. The agreement will see the federal government invest the funding over the next three years through the National School Food Program to Yukon, where about 6,200 students currently use the system. Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds says in a statement that the funding will go toward upgrading kitchens, purchasing food and providing more nutritious meals to students. Sudds says the improved school meals can ensure that "children can reach their potential because they are focused in the classroom.' In a separate statement, Yukon Education Minister Jeanie McLean says the funding will "improve students' physical and mental health, enhances their learning outcomes" and ultimately strengthen local food systems and boost the economy. Earlier in the day, the federal government also reached a $16-million deal with Saskatchewan and a $42-million agreement with Alberta on enhancing school meals, with both deals also spreading the funding over three years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2025. The Canadian Press
