Impasse at strikebound B.C. ports not broken by Saturday's round of negotiations
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Jul, 2023 09:34 AM
Hundreds of supporters showed up to a rally in Vancouver backing striking B-C port workers.
Speakers from as far away as Australia and New Zealand offered support for the thousands of workers who have been off the job since Canada Day.
The workers continue to push for improved wages as the cost of living climbs, as well as protection from what they see as an overuse of contractors for maintenance work.
Vice president Pat Bolen told the crowd issues around maintenance work are the union's "line in the sand."
The charges relate to alleged violations of occupational health and safety regulations under the Workers Compensation Act, and court records show a first appearance is scheduled next month in a Prince Rupert courtroom.
The 51-year-old male driver has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, Erika Landry, spokesperson with the police in Laval, Que., told reporters. The injuries suffered by the six children in hospital are not life-threatening. Authorities did not release the ages of the dead and injured children.
Selina Robinson told the B.C. legislature that she got the news on Jan. 27. Robinson has previously shared her 2006 diagnosis about a "rare form of intestinal cancer" in a post on social media.
There will also be an immediate one-time $2 billion top-up to this year's Canada Health Transfer to help provinces ease the intense pressure on emergency rooms and children's hospitals. Provinces can also get $1.7 billion over five years to increase wages for personal support workers in long-term care and home care.
The report says Mak Parhar was found by a family member unresponsive in the bathroom of his New Westminster home on Nov. 4, 2021. The coroner's report says Parhar had ethanol, cocaine and fentanyl in his system at the time of death, ruling it accidental due to "mixed illicit drug toxicity."
West Fraser says the downtime at the Cariboo mill will help the company align its production capacity, though its plans may change if the fibre forecasts do. The company says the mill expects to mitigate some of the impact on employees through vacation scheduling and alternative work assignments.
