Author: Dustin Allen

The Federal Transit Administration announced on Nov. 30 that rural ferries in Alaska will receive about $132 million. The federal money comes from the 2023 Ferry Grant Program, which is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Alaska Marine Highway’s fleet has started showing its age, and the state is struggling to keep the ships staffed. Over the past year alone, there have been significant cuts to service. In a Nov. 30 address announcing the new windfall, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the funds represent “a big, fat deal” for Alaskans who rely on the service. “I grew up using the ferry system to get…

In a historic effort to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and improve the lives of 1.6 billion people globally, partners pledged a ground-breaking US$ 777 million at the 2023 Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) Forum. The Forum, hosted by RLM, a global health initiative led by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, was held during the first ever Health Day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). This global initiative unites efforts with countries endemic for NTDs to address the impact of climate change on these diseases. The pledged funds will finance essential programmes and…

Russian troops reportedly adapted their tactics by digging tunnels to launch attacks from near Ukrainian positions and using unmanned ground vehicles. According to Anton Kotsukon, spokesman for the 110th Separate Mechanized brigade, in a broadcast on October 21, Ukrainian reconnaissance units reportedly witnessed Russians using car-sized remote-controlled vehicles to deliver munitions. The fight to defend Avdiivka was fierce as Russia continued to bring new resources to the fight. “They have enough resources, very fierce fighting continues every day, every day they throw more and more new forces into the attack – both personnel and armored vehicles, aviation, artillery,” he said.…

Scott’s departure from a fast-dwindling GOP field for president was not a shock, given the fact that his standing in public polls is in the low single digits. Sen. Tim Scott, the product of a poor, single-parent household who hoped to make the ultimate climb to become the first Black Republican president of the United States, dropped out of the race Sunday night, saying it was not his time. Scott’s departure from a fast-dwindling GOP field for president was not a shock, given the fact that his standing in public polls is in the low single digits. But it appeared…

A Brampton food bank has decided to close its doors to international students, amid an overwhelming demand it says it can’t meet. Board president Catherine Rivera says Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel can’t provide enough food and other supplies to its customers because of the influx of international students showing up at the food bank since September. But others in the same line of work are calling out the food bank for using anecdotes rather than data to support its decision. They should have to if they’re using anecdotes to shut their doors on people who only have $668…

HALIFAX, CANADA — A dangerous encounter between a Chinese jet fighter and a Canadian helicopter over the South China Sea has called attention to Canada’s heightened interest in the Western Pacific, including participation in patrols through the disputed Taiwan Strait. In the October 29 incident, first reported by CNN, a helicopter was flying off the deck of the frigate HMCS Ottawa over international waters east of the Paracel Islands when the Chinese warplane began circling the helicopter, firing flares and at one point passing within about 30 meters of the Canadian aircraft. Days later, the HMCS Ottawa joined up with…

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan tabled new labour legislation Thursday proposing new “anti-scab” provisions, a commitment that he needed to meet by the end of the year under the terms of the minority Liberals’ confidence-and-supply deal with the NDP. The minister is also framing the move as “the biggest thing to happen to collective bargaining in Canada, in decades.” The bill, entitled “An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012” seeks to ban the use of replacement workers or “scabs” when a union employer in a federally-regulated industry has locked out employees or…

As doctors recommend new COVID-19 vaccine doses to combat the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant, a mutation of COVID-19 that has continued to spread despite misconceptions that the virus is in the past, officials say Canada has sufficient supply. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), deliveries of both the Moderna Spikevax and Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccines, which target the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, are “well underway.” The agency said that more than 12 million doses are currently available throughout Canada. Additional doses will be arriving in the coming weeks. In a statement sent to CTV News, the PHAC said that “individuals…

China has accused Canada of carrying out “malicious and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, after the Canadian Navy said Chinese fighter jets endangered a helicopter in two close intercepts above international waters. The comments come after CNN revealed last week that a Chinese warplane fired flares in front of a Canadian military helicopter on October 29, an operation that Canadian military officers said was reckless and could have resulted in the downing of the aircraft. The incident was the second of two “unsafe” encounters the Canadian chopper had on that day with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy…

Canadian politicians across the political spectrum are condemning the presence of a Nazi swastika symbol on Parliament Hill Saturday, during a pro-Palestinian march and rally in the capital. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and others were reacting to an image posted by Ottawa resident Howard Fremeth, which appears to show a man holding a sign portraying the Nazi symbol next to the flag of Israel, with the text “Zionism = Nazism.” “The display of a swastika by an individual on Parliament Hill is unacceptable. Canadians have the right to assemble peacefully – but we cannot tolerate antisemitism,…