Teacher strike cancelled in Ontario
On Jan. 9, Ontario Education Minister Lauren Broten imposed a two-year contract on teachers and support staff under Bill 115, a controversial anti-strike bill. Ontario teachers’ unions argue that the legislation is unconstitutional, and have declared their intention to contend it in court.
Elementary school teachers initially announced that they would stage a one-day “political protest” against the decision last Friday, but the plans were discontinued after the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled that the protest would be illegal. Under Ontario labour laws, engaging in illegal strike actions can result in a penalty of up to $2,000 per person and up to $25,000 for a trade union.
The timing of the ruling, which came at 4 a.m. on the day of the planned protest, caused confusion among parents and school boards, since several schools had declared closure in anticipation of the protest. As a result of the ruling, many boards decided to open schools, with only eight of 72 Ontario school boards opting not to hold classes on Friday.
Harper meets with Assembly of First Nations
Last Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with members of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) following nationwide protests as part of the Idle No More movement.
Attending First Nations leaders included Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence, whose hunger strike has been raising awareness of Indigenous issues and support for the Idle No More movement since it began in December 2012.
After the meeting, AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo expressed optimism about their progress, saying that “for the first time, [Harper] provided a clear mandate for high-level talks on treaty implementation.”
However, some Chiefs have criticized the government for failing to meet their demand for a joint meeting with both Harper and Governor General David Johnston.
During the meeting, demonstrations continued across Canada in support of the Idle No More movement. Leaders have said there will continue to be protests in the coming weeks, and Spence will continue her hunger strike until her original demand for a joint meeting is granted.
Applebaum fights corruption
In the next few weeks, Montreal will have a new anti-corruption unit designed to investigate city affairs, according to an announcement made by Mayor Michael Applebaum on Jan. 11. The group, which will be the first of its kind in Canada, will consist of 20 members. Although most employees will be Montreal police officers, the unit will exist and act independently from the city.
The new unit is called Escouade de protection de l’intégrité municiaple (EPIM, or the Squad to Protect Municipal Integrity). Estimated costs for its first year of operation are $3 million, including costs for paying staff and establishing EPIM’s headquarters.
With this move, Applebaum said he seeks to send a warning to “profiteers and schemers,” who attempt to manipulate construction contracts to their benefit. Although some members of the official opposition party Vision Montreal have asked if this step comes too late given the history of corruption in Montreal, many members have praised Applebaum for creating an additional barrier to the spread of corruption in the city.
Government bureaucrats caught cheating
According to documents uncovered last week, Ottawa officials reprimanded almost 60 federal bureaucrats for allegedly plagiarising on an exam in a 2010 job application for a government position in the information technology sector.
Instances of plagiarism are normally kept confidential due to privacy concerns. However, one applicant decided to challenge the accusation in federal court, causing the records to be released.
The exam was distributed over the Internet to more than 2,000 applicants. Although applicants were allowed to use the Internet during the test, they were prohibited from copying and pasting text into their exams. Those who marked the test alleged that almost one in every twenty people who filled out the test had plagiarised in this manner.
The bureaucrats were not fired for their actions; however, they received reprimands, and were halted in any potential job advances. In addition, the government informed the applicants’ superiors of their plagiarism on the exam. Critics point to this incident as an indication that plagiarism in government is a greater problem than acknowledged.
Military planes may have defects
Questions arose last week regarding the threat posed by counterfeit Chinese parts in the cockpits of some of the Hercules planes recently bought by the Canadian military.
CBC News alleges that the counterfeit electronic chips could cause the instrument panels of the aircraft to turn blank during flight. If these parts become defective, Canadian military pilots risk flying blindly into combat zones without important information such as altitude, speed, location, or fuel supply.
The CBC says it has received documents, indicating that the military became aware of the counterfeit parts as early as July 2012; but the military has not disclosed the information, despite a CBC News investigation. The Department of National Defence denies that the parts pose a threat, but notes they will replace the parts as necessary.
Neither the manufacturer nor the electronics company that made the system has provided comments on the allegations.
