Tag Archives: Health Care

Politics

Polls suggest Liberals may be on their way to forming a majority government

(Article had to be rewritten after 338Canada released a surprise re-evaluation at 8 AM.)


As Canada prepares for an election, which may be called sometime before parliament is recalled on March 24, polls show the Conservatives and Liberals in a statistical tie. But 6 out of 8 recent polls also show the Liberals rising quickly and now narrowly ahead. On Sunday 338Canada projected the odds of a Conservative forming a majority government has fallen from 99% on January 19 to a mere 13%. About 8 AM Tuesday – an hour after Cortes Currents sent in its daily radio broadcast! – 338Canada revised its projections to suggest Mark Carney’s Liberals may be on it’s way to forming a majority government.

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Politics

Q&A With NDP Candidate Tanille Johnston

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Cortes Currents asked all three candidates in North Island-Powell River (NIPR) for an interview. Jessica Wegg, of the Green Party, was the first to respond. Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn, who 338Canada currently projects as leading in our riding, has yet to acknowledge the invitation. NDP candidate Tanille Johnston, whose party is trailing in the projections, intends to visit Cortes Island soon and emailed her answers to my questions.

As with my previous interview with Jessica Wegg, this is a discussion of Johnston’s beliefs, not a debate on policy. There is some fact checking on her remarks about the Conservatives negativity (by comparing the name calling and negative imaging in the headlines of Conservative, NDP and Green press releases) and whether they do represent the rich (by looking at the cost to attend a party event and a report from the National Post).

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Politics

Nic for North Island, an Interview with The Green Party Candidate

While the Green party has shown promise in the past, especially on Vancouver Island, this has yet to translate into votes on election day. So my biggest question for Nic Dedeluk, the candidate for North Island riding, is why should we vote Green? 

Nick Dedeluk: “The Green Party is running candidates in 69 ridings, but we have six ridings that we are really hopeful will actually get elected. Getting six green MLAs voted in would be really positive for BC politics and holding the other parties accountable to moving forward  in a way that’s better for our environment.” 

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Youth

For Teens Who Drink and Do Drugs, Here’s How to Reduce the Harm

Editor’s notes: “In Local Health Area 72 (Campbell River), which includes Cortes and Quadra Islands, 13.5 litres of absolute alcohol are sold per person. This is considerably higher than the Island Health average of 10.9 and the provincial average of 9.0. Given that one litre of absolute alcohol is equivalent to 58 standard drinks, residents of LHA 72 are consuming 783 alcoholic beverages annually, on average” – from the the Cortes Island and Quadra Island profiles

“In Vancouver Island North, which includes Campbell River, Cortes and Quadra Islands, 52% of youth have tried alcohol, compared to 45% provincially. Similarly, 37% of Vancouver Island North youth have tried marijuana, compared to 26% provincially. Tobacco sees a similar trend, with 29% of Vancouver Island North youth trying tobacco, compared to 21% of youth provincially” – from the Cortes Island and Quadra Island profiles

By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About 40 per cent of Canadian teenagers drank alcohol in the last year and one in five used cannabis, according to a bi-annual Health Canada survey that asks kids about substances. 

The 2021-22 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey was filled out by 61,096 kids from Grade 7 to 12 — typically 12 to 17 — in all provinces except New Brunswick, which opted out. This is its 11th year collecting data on tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and drug use. 

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Cost of Climate Change

Canada’s largest labour organization adopts climate action plan at tri-annual convention

By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Despite differences of opinion, a clear majority of delegates voted to adopt the Canadian Labour Congress’ (CLC) proposed climate action plan at its tri-annual convention in Montreal.

On May 9, workers representing local, regional and national unions weighed in on a climate action plan that will shape the mandate of Canada’s largest labour organization for the next three years. This is the first time the CLC, which represents more than three million workers across the country, has devised action plans as well as policy resolutions for different topics, including climate change, Indigenous justice, affordability, infrastructure, health care and organizing.

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