In the news today: B.C. port strike could end pending approval of mediator terms

By The Canadian Press on July 12, 2023.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Labour minister asks mediator for terms to end B.C. port strike

The federal labour minster has asked mediators for terms to end the B.C. port strike within 24 hours.

Seamus O’Regan issued a statement saying the scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is to our national interest.

He says that once he has received the terms from the mediator, he will forward them to both sides and they will have another 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the principles of the deal.

Trudeau meeting with Ukrainian president at NATO summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sitting down with Volodomyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit this morning, a day after the Ukrainian president blasted the alliance for failing to extend a clear invite to his country.

While Trudeau praised the allies for coming together to bring Ukraine closer to membership on Tuesday, Zelenskyy called it absurd that the leaders did not set out a timeline for that to happen.

The leaders say in a statement that Ukraine has some conditions to meet, including democratic reform and stamping out corruption.

But above all, NATO says, the war with Russia must end first.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Corporate ethics czar launches forced-labour probes into Nike, Dynasty Gold in China

Ottawa’s corporate-ethics watchdog has announced investigations into a gold-mining corporation and the Canadian branch of Nike over the possible use of forced labour by China’s Uyghur minority in their supply chains.

One of Sheri Meyerhoffer’s reports accuses Dynasty Gold Corp. of allowing forced labour to occur at its gold mine in the Hatu district bordering Kazakhstan, close to what China has called “detention” centres or “re-education” camps.

If the office finds any company responsible for forced labour, Meyerhoffer can recommend that Ottawa withdraw existing trade services, bar the firm from receiving government funds or have border guards seize imports.

1,000 fight CRA in court over pandemic payments

More than 1,000 people have gone to court to fight the Canada Revenue Agency as it tries to claw back CERB and other pandemic relief payments it says they don’t deserve.

A review of dozens of the cases in Federal Court shows that although many of the litigants are self-represented in their legal fight with the federal government, some have succeeded in winning orders that the C-R-A reconsider their cases.

Osgoode Hall law professor Jennifer Leitch says such battles are “profoundly unequal” and self-represented litigants typically don’t have good outcomes.

Montreal police raid illegal magic mushroom store on opening day

Montreal police on Tuesday raided a store selling illegal magic mushrooms and arrested four people, but a spokesperson for the shop said he expected it to reopen within 24 hours.

The first FunGuyz location in Quebec opened in Montreal Tuesday offering pills, dried fungi and chocolate bars, all containing the psychedelic agent psilocybin, a substance subject to sale and possession bans in Canada.

A store spokesperson described FunGuyz as a form of protest to challenge public policy surrounding hallucinogenic drugs, adding that the company planned to open as many as five more locations in Quebec this summer.

Drop-in centre provides needed service in Inuvik

A drop-in centre in Inuvik is providing a much-needed place for people experiencing homelessness to go during the day.

Hope House opened in the western Arctic community in October.

It offers access to a washroom, food, mental health supports, workshops and cultural activities.

It also provides a place to spend time, supplies and access to a laptop.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2023.

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