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Class-action claims foreign workers exploited by Quebec recruiter, airline caterer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

MONTREAL — An international aviation catering company and a Quebec recruitment firm allegedly lured foreign workers to Canada under false pretences and exploited them, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit. The Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal is seeking authorization to launch the suit against Laval, Que.-based placement firm Trésor and inflight catering company Newrest, along with several affiliated companies. The workers centre is acting on behalf of more than 400 people since 2021 who it says were falsely promised they would be given work permits and legitimate jobs in Canada by Trésor — but were instead encouraged to work illegally.“The defendants treated the members of the class like objects: controllable, disposable, replaceable and exploitable. These experiences were profoundly degrading and dehumanizing for the members of the class and undermined their dignity, their psychological security and their self-esteem,” says the request for authorization fil...

‘Photography not allowed,’ Poilievre says of ceremony with Algonquin leaders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he did not share photos of a ceremony he participated in with Algonquin leaders on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation out of respect for their traditional customs.Poilievre shared two photos on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday with a post about joining Algonquin elders and leaders at the eternal flame on Parliament Hill to mark the occasion.The women in the photos were not Algonquin but Inuit, including Manitok Thompson, who was a cabinet minister in the Northwest Territories and then in Nunavut after the territory was created in 1999.A spokesman for Poilievre said on Saturday that the Tory leader had been at an earlier event led by Algonquin leaders to commemorate the day and that he had also spoken with other Indigenous Peoples there, including the Inuit women in the photos, whom he did not name.Poilievre told reporters today that it was a “beautiful, touching ceremony” and that his tea...

A bus crash near the Italian city of Venice kills at least 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

ROME (AP) — A bus carrying foreign tourists including Ukrainians crashed near the Italian city of Venice when it fell from an elevated street Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 18 others, authorities said.Four of the injured were in serious condition following the accident in the Mestre borough, on the mainland opposite the historic old city of Venice, said Renato Boraso, a Venice city official. Two of the dead were children, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said.Boraso confirmed that some of the victims are Ukrainians, and said the bus was bringing tourists to a camping site.Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the scene of the crash was “apocalyptic” and that he had already declared the “city’s mourning” for the “numerous victims” who were on the bus. According to local media, the bus fell a few meters before crashing close to Mestre’s railway tracks, where it caught fire. Emergency crews were on the scene.Premier Giorgia Mel...

Alberta CEOs in Ottawa to find common ground on energy, climate and economy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

CALGARY — More than 50 Alberta CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry leaders are in Ottawa this week in an effort to raise the profile of their province and promote “collaboration” on issues related to energy, climate and the economy.Led by a consortium of Alberta economic development agencies, chambers of commerce and policy organizations, the delegation includes executives from some of the province’s biggest corporations as well as startups from a range of industries.Organizers say it is the largest business delegation to Ottawa from Alberta in recent memory. The group — which has dubbed itself the “One Alberta, One Canada” delegation — has meetings and events scheduled with a number of cabinet ministers, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was slated to address the delegation at an evening reception.“I don’t know the last time I ever recall this big a group of executives and companies coming to Ottawa,” said Cenovus Energy executive chair ...

Major fire strikes Detroit-area apartment complex for seniors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

SOUTHGATE, Mich. (AP) — A major fire spread through an apartment complex for older residents in suburban Detroit on Tuesday, severely damaging the roof and forcing crews to fight the flames with aerial hoses.TV stations posted video of fire ripping through the roof at a cross-shaped complex known as the Meadows of Southgate. It appears to have three floors.It was not immediately known how many people live there or whether there were any injuries. Fire trucks and ambulances were at the scene, WDIV-TV reported.The Associated Press

Federal government to conduct nationwide emergency alert test Wednesday via mobile phones, cable TV

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — “THIS IS A TEST:” If you have a cell phone or are watching television Wednesday that message will flash across your screen as the federal government tests its emergency alert system used to tell people about emergencies.The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System sends out messages via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The Emergency Alert System is a national public warning system that’s designed to allow the president to speak to the American people within ten minutes during a national emergency via specific outlets such as radio and television. And Wireless Emergency Alerts are short messages — 360 characters or less — that go to mobile phones to alert their owner to important information.While these types of alerts are frequently used in targeted areas to alert people in the area to thing like tornadoes, Wednesday’s test is being done across the country.The test is slated to start at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday. ...

CTA bus supervisor shot on Chicago's Southwest Side

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

CHICAGO — A CTA bus supervisor was shot Tuesday afternoon on the city's Southwest Side, the agency confirms to WGN News. SkyCam9 flew above the scene at W. 47th St. and A. Archer Ave. in Archer Heights following reports of a shooting that prompted a heavy police presence. According to police, the 55-year-old CTA employee was standing outside when someone from an unknown vehicle began firing shots toward the victim and others. A CCL holder who witnessed the shooting opened fire toward the fleeing car, police added. Chicago Fire paramedics transported the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh, to Mt. Sinai Hospital in stable condition. Suspect sought in CTA Red Line armed robbery, police say WGN contacted CTA for additional information about the shooting. In response, a CTA spokesperson told WGN News, "According to preliminary information, there was a reported disturbance at the intersection of Archer & 47th following an earlier accident involving a CTA bus." Read...

Residents discuss plans for migrant shelter at Amundsen Park during community meeting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Another new migrant shelter is in the works at Amundsen Park in the city's Galewood neighborhood.A plan by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson would convert the field house into a shelter, which would house 200 people for at least six months. The facility would be the city’s 22nd migrant shelter. Ald. Lopez announces 4th District bid for Congress Alderman Chris Taliaferro, the chair of the City Council’s Police and Fire Committee, warned that the recent increase in shelters is increasing tensions between the city's Black and Latino Communities.“We can’t argue in one sentence, ‘Let’s provide opportunities for youth to get them to stop coming downtown’ and then take those opportunities away from the youth,” Taliaferro said in a statement released on Monday. “We can’t take these resources, especially in our underserved communities. This goes against everything that we’re trying to do to reduce violence.” October concert calendar: 10 of the best Chicago shows To accommodate the ...

Teen girl missing from Southwest Side since May 2022

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are looking for help as officers search for a teen girl missing from the city's Southwest Side since May of 2022. Chicago police say 15-year-old Adelia Claudia was last seen on May 23, 2022, in the 3300 block of West 51st Street in Gage Park.According to police, Claudia is known to frequent areas near the 5100 block of South Whipple Street and the 2200 block of South Albany Avenue in South Lawndale. Ald. Lopez announces 4th District bid for Congress Police say Claudia, who has black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a blue shirt with blue jeans and white gym shoes. Claudia stands 5 feet tall and weighs around 90 pounds. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 15-year-old Adelia Claudia is asked to call the CPD Area One Detective's SVU office at 312-747-8380.Tips for police can also be filed at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Jed Hoyer on 2023 Cubs' season: 'We just didn't finish the race'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Despite a September to forget, the 2023 season may have exceeded a number of expectations for fans and pundits, with some classfying it as a success.You cannot count Jed Hoyer in that category."I guess I'll start by saying no," said the Cubs president when he began his season-ending news conference referencing the fact that so many in the organization have been asked it if this past season was a success.An 83-79 record was probably above what some might have expected out of a group that came into the 2023 season with many questions to answer. They had an encouraging start, bottomed out at ten games under .500 on June 8 and were still seven games under on July 17. Yet they rallied enough to prevent a selloff at the trade deadline, went 18-9 in August, and were in position to get a Wild Card until the final week. Yet a 7-14 finish left them on the outside of the postseason looking in, producing a bitter ending to what could be looked at as an encouraging campaign. "We went f...