Author: Fernando Santos

A new report finds Manitoba has the second-lowest number of doctors per capita in the country, with additional data showing the province has a ‘significant’ retention risk for the majority of its remaining physician population. The report was released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information citing data collected in 2022. It found Manitoba has 215 physicians per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average of 247. It also notes the province has been on a steady decline from fourth highest in 2002 to second lowest in 2022. The report concludes it would take 445 more physicians for Manitoba…

Unifor said on Monday it has reached a tentative deal with Stellantis, ending strike action.A Unifor spokesperson said in an email a “tentative agreement has been reached with Stellantis ending strike action at all Unifor facilities.””I am proud of our members at every Stellantis facility for their quick and decisive action during this brief and effective strike action,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a press release. “This agreement will considerably improve the living standards of every Unifor member at Stellantis.” The tentative agreement with Stellantis follows similar deals with General Motors and Ford Motor Co. The new Stellantis…

One of the fault lines dividing Congress is whether to continue aid for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia. A number of hard-right Republicans say no, and they say they’re willing to shut down the government over it. Alaska’s Republican senators aren’t among them. Sen. Dan Sullivan wants to reframe aid for Ukraine by deemphasizing the Ukraine part. “It’s not Ukraine. What I’ve been trying to do is make the case that it’s defeating authoritarian aggression,” he said Wednesday as he boarded a Senate elevator. “A supplemental [spending bill] has to be about Taiwan and other national security challenges.”…

A law that would have been the first in the United States to ban a controversial practice known as “abortion pill reversal” cannot take effect, a judge ruled late Saturday. US district court judge Daniel D Domenico granted a preliminary injunction in the case, ruling in favor of a Catholic health clinic that had argued the law infringed on its first amendment rights. “The state generally cannot regulate an activity if that regulation burdens religious exercise, provides for individualized exceptions, fails to regulate comparable secular activities that raise similar risks, and otherwise targets religious activity,” Domenico wrote. “The law at…

The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) is providing support for Tribal agricultural producers who have faced discrimination from the USDA-FSA in applying for the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP). This program offers one-time financial support to ranchers, farmers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination in USDA-FSA loan programs. IAC is encouraging all Native producers to apply before the January 13, 2024 deadline. The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) is providing application assistance to Tribal agricultural producers who have experienced discrimination by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) and who are interested in applying for the USDA…

Alaska State Troopers are requesting public assistance in searching for for 38-year-old Dustin Peters, a suspect in a violent felony crime that took place in Wasilla. Troopers have obtained an active felony warrant for his arrest. Peters was last seen in the Mat-Su Valley on the morning of October 6, 2023. He was driving a 2019 dark red Ford F150 with Alaska plate JRN648. Troopers have not stated what crime Peters is wanted for at this time, but say that he is armed and dangerous. If you spot him or know any information about his whereabouts, call 911 immediately, or…

After a record-breaking wildfire season, 6,517 forest fires have burned 18.5 million hectares (46 million acres) of land in Canada throughout 2023, about five per cent of the entire forest area of Canada, and more than 10 times the amount of last year. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre’s final report of the year, 769 active fires were still burning throughout Canada with 345 categorized as “out of control,” 186 as “being held,” and 238 considered to be under control. The land that has burned so far this year is about double the size of Portugal and triple…

At the InCyber Forum North America, held this past week in Montréal, Canada, the importance of maintaining meaningful global partners in cybersecurity was never more evident.As I was about to take the main stage at the InCyber Forum North America held at the Montréal Convention Center to moderate a keynote panel on the topic of protecting critical infrastructure when a powerful feeling came over me regarding the importance of this cybersecurity topic and particularly the challenges we face as a global community at this moment. No, this was not just a nervous feeling of intimidation before public speaking, nor even…

Canada on Saturday urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave while they still can, as neighbouring Israel continues to fight militants in the country and ramps up a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. “If the armed conflict intensifies, it could impact your ability to depart [Lebanon],” a government statement read. “You should consider leaving by commercial means now, if you can do so safely.” Fighting has broken out along the Israel-Lebanon border since shortly after Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese political party and armed movement that supports Hamas, traded strikes with Israel.…

FBI alleges former sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt tried to set up a meeting with Chinese consulate in Turkey. A former US army intelligence officer has been charged with attempting to provide classified defence information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – including some listed in a Microsoft Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government”. Authorities on Friday arrested former sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, at San Francisco international airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. A federal grand jury…