The Drift

Category: Third Edition

  • AG says no way to measure whether border plan is working

    AG says no way to measure whether border plan is working

    Canada’s auditor general says that federal government has no idea whether its $1.1-billion action plan to strengthen border security and trade with the U.S. has produced results.

    Michael Ferguson’s audit of the Beyond the Border Action Plan was among several areas assessed in his fall report, released Tuesday.

    Ferguson’s audit on the plan focused on the progress in achieving the objectives of a shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness between the United States and Canada.

    “This audit is important because the Canada-U.S. border is vital to our economy and way of life,” the report said.

    Launched in 2011, the Beyond the Border Action Plan started with a “vision of establishing a new long-term partnership to enhance security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and services across the border, ” said the report.

    The audit found a lack of performance indicators to assess results proved problematic.

    The auditor general recommended developing indicators to measure the security, travel, and trade benefits for various initiatives of the plan.

    Treasury Board President Scott Brison said the government accepts the findings.

    “We welcome the auditor general’s report, and we agree with all the recommendations,” he said. “In particular, we agree that the Government of Canada must do a better job at reporting and tracking its progress.”

    He added “this work has to be a top priority for the government and for the Treasury Board.”

    Former prime minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama announced to much fanfare in 2011 that the plan would establish a new long-term partnership built upon a perimeter approach to security and economic competitiveness.

    They agreed, among other things, they would jointly assess border threats, share information and intelligence on law enforcement and national security, and bring greater transparency and accountability to border fees and changes.

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  • Women fighting for their place in geek culture

    Women fighting for their place in geek culture

    Women still face routine discrimination as they increasingly take their place in geek culture, a study from Carleton University has found.

    “‘Women spoil the fun’ … This was a pervasive form of discourse,” said Dr. Benjamin Woo, an assistant professor with Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. Woo’s study focused on misogyny in so-called “geek culture,” which can include interests as broad as technology, gaming, cartoons, and film sub-genres.

    In his talk titled “Angry Young Nerds: Geek Culture and Toxic Masculinity,” Woo explained how some men see women as obstacles that prevent them from fully participating in geek culture.

    Men in Woo’s study talked about what they heard happened to their peers when they got married or found a girlfriend—limiting their ability to play games, for example. According to Woo’s findings, men who had partners were especially likely to think this way.

    “Women are portrayed as nagging and seen as unsupportive,” Woo said, adding that men talked about this with a “50s sitcom sense of humour.”

    On the other hand, women who participated in Woo’s study said they must expect either invisibility or fetishistic hyper-visibility to be accepted as members of geek culture.

    Gina Freitag, a communications co-ordinator and horror film enthusiast, said other fans of the genre almost always expect her to prove herself.

    “I have to have the awareness of being categorized. People will have assumptions about my interests, which are usually incorrect,” she said.

    But Freitag said she’s never been bullied while attending fan conventions, adding that the geek community—in her experience—is very supportive.

    “Women in particular are standing up and saying, ‘Hey! We accomplish things. We do things just as well as men do, and we deserve to have recognition for that,’” said Keya Prempeh, a program co-ordinator with Carleton University’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre.

    She said that women find solidarity with other women in male-dominated spaces.

    “It’s so interesting,” said Sarah Cleary, a Carleton University psychology student who attended Woo’s presentation. “I want to learn more… It left me with more questions than answers.”

  • “Why’s it hard to be queer in our country still?”: Ottawa’s LGBTQ community reacts to discrimination

    “Why’s it hard to be queer in our country still?”: Ottawa’s LGBTQ community reacts to discrimination

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    “Why’s it hard to be queer in our country still?”

  • Doctors must assert independence from drug companies, MPs told

    Doctors must assert independence from drug companies, MPs told

    Independence and transparency are crucial to avoid conflict of interest between the pharmaceutical industry and doctors, health experts said Tuesday.

    “Doctors are trained and socialized to think that we are special, that we are better human beings than other people,” Thomas Perry, an internal medicine and clinical pharmacology specialist at the UBC Hospital in Vancouver, told the House of Commons health committee. “It’s very difficult for us as a species to come up with the idea that we might be bought or conflicted or influenced.”

    Perry, said he got used to declaring conflicts of interest as an elected official in British Columbia, which has strict conflict-of-interest rules. It was only when he returned to UBC, he said, that he realized his former medical colleagues were not used to declaring these conflicts.

    Conflict of interest can arise when doctors receive benefits from the drug industry to prescribe a certain medication without knowing whether there is a better product on the market, noted Ramez Ayoub, a Liberal member of the committee.

    Doug Coyle, a medical professor at University of Ottawa, suggested several steps that could be taken to address conflicts, including independent experts making decisions about drug coverage, and an oversight body to ensure the experts are adhering to principles of fairness and transparency.

     

     

    Coyle, the interim director of the School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, also stressed the importance of finding experts outside of the pharmaceutical industry.

    “Don’t believe the argument from the pharmaceutical industry that those who have pharmaceutical money are the experts,”said Coyle.

    The issue of conflict of interest arose earlier this year, when Matthew Herder, associate professor at the Faculties of Medicine and Law at Dalhousie University, submitted a brief to the committee emphasizing the need for institutional independence.

    “Those charged with making drug coverage decisions must not simply disclose real or potential conflict of interest; instead, they should be conflict free,” wrote Herder.

    The committee also heard testimony on the need to properly educate doctors on pharmacare to ensure its success.

    “If we are going to go ahead with a national pharmacare strategy, the decision has to be that there is physician education as a key component,” said Coyle.

    Perry echoed Coyle’s testimony and said that as drug therapy becomes more complex, physicians’ understanding is falling behind.

    “This is something that will require enormous effort to undo,” he said.

    Pharmacare is a system of public insurance coverage for prescription drugs. Under the Canada Health Act, “medically necessary services” which includes drugs administered in hospitals are free of charge. However, prescription drugs used outside hospital settings are not free.

    A May 2013 survey entitled “Canadian Views on Prescription Drug Coverage” found that 78 per cent of Canadians support the idea of a universal public prescription drug insurance program.

    The committee has been tasked with the development of a national pharmacare program.

  • Pilot killed in crash identified as Capt. Thomas McQueen

    Pilot killed in crash identified as Capt. Thomas McQueen

    The RCAF pilot killed in a training accident near Cold Lake, Alta. yesterday has been identified as Capt. Thomas McQueen of Hamilton, Ont.

    McQueen’s single-seat CF-18 Hornet crashed in Saskatchewan yesterday morning near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

    In a press conference this morning, Col. Paul Doyle of the Department of National Defence said McQueen had served in the Forces for 10 years, including a stint in the Middle East.

    Doyle extended his condolences to the captain’s family, including McQueen’s fiancée who lives near Cold Lake.

    Doyle said there will be an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

    The crash comes a week after the federal government announced it would invest in new jets to replace Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18s.

     

    Photo: Capt. McQueen poses in front of a CF-18 fighter jet in 2014, when he served as a Santa’s escort pilot. ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE/Cpl. Elena Vlassova

  • Defibrillator-equipped drones: still up in the air

    Defibrillator-equipped drones: still up in the air

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    DEFIBRILLATOR-EQUIPPED DRONES: STILL UP IN THE AIR

  • More than a trophy: Redblacks bring home history

    More than a trophy: Redblacks bring home history

    The Ottawa Redblacks are bringing home a national icon for Canada’s 150th anniversary.

    When the Redblacks defeated the Calgary Stampeders in a stunning overtime finish Sunday, they didn’t just win the Grey Cup. They won part of this nation’s culture, and a symbol of what the CFL means to Canada.

    The James Street Pub erupts in joy as the Redblacks win the Grey Cup. Video by Matthew Olson.

    The historic victory was all the sweeter for Ottawa as the city will play host to the 105th Grey Cup in 2017 as part of Canada’s sesquicentennial.

    “It’s not just about gridiron football, it’s about bringing people together,” said Jeff McWhinney. “I think Grey Cup weekend brings out the best in people.”

    As a keeper of the Grey Cup, McWhinney is one of a handful charged with taking care of the famous CFL trophy.

    “If we are to define it perfectly, we are a trustee of the cup,” McWhinney said. But it is more to him than that: It is a responsibility that McWhinney takes very seriously, and he hopes that Canadians take it seriously, too.

    “It’s not been watered down in any way; this was commissioned by Earl Grey over 100 years ago,” McWhinney said. “And we have a responsibility to maintain that honour, and the integrity that is really about our country. And we have to maintain the lines of respect that come along with the cup. It is a champion’s cup, it is a Canadian’s – it is a people’s cup, too.”

    McWhinney’s passion comes from a personal place: his father, former CFL player Glenn “Keeper” McWhinney, won the Grey Cup in 1954. Glenn passed away in 2012 at the age of 81.

    But having been around the Grey Cup for many years, there is an obvious connection for McWhinney between the Cup and Canada’s national identity.

    “The Red Serge,” McWhinney said, of the Mounties who walk the cup onto the field to be awarded to the victors. “The Royal Canadian Mounted Police – no question, hands down … Watching these guys that are truly Canadian representation, holding our Canadian Holy Grail, and they surrender it that way – if people would see it that way, it’s beyond exciting. It’s magic.”

    The fans in Ottawa share McWhinney’s enthusiasm for the game, and have waited a long time for successful football to return to the capital. The last time Ottawa won the Grey Cup it was 1976, and the team was still called the Rough Riders.

    “Ottawa sports in general, we haven’t had a lot to celebrate in my lifetime,” said Paolo Del Rio, a long-time Ottawa sports fan and administrator of the fan website Defend the R.

    A child of Italian immigrants to Canada, Del Rio was also drawn to the CFL by his father. Del Rio said football helped fulfill his father’s desire for sport when he first came to Canada, and helped his family embrace their new home.

    “Coming to this country and having something to bring themselves into the community – it might sound cheesy, but it’s their way to feel Canadian,” Del Rio said. “If it made them feel Canadian, then it’s incumbent on me to pass that along to other people. If it’s that important to them, how could it not be equally important to me?”

    The City of Ottawa, recognizing the importance of the Grey Cup to the city and to the country, worked hard to bring the championship game to Ottawa as part of the celebrations of Canada’s 150th in 2017.

    City Councillor Mathieu Fleury, a co-chair of the City of Ottawa’s Task Force on Canada’s 150th Anniversary, called the Grey Cup a “showcase event” for the festivities.

    “The more traditional Grey Cup parade, the events that go around the Grey Cup, I think it certainly builds an important environment for cities and communities to rally around not just the sport but the sport team.” Fleury said.

    The CFL and the Grey Cup are part of a sports community that spans generations. And just like McWhinney and Del Rio, the players feel that connection. When Ottawa’s MVP quarterback Henry Burris was asked how he felt after the match was over, his first response wasn’t about the game.

    “There’s my parents right there,” said Burris with a huge grin, looking into the crowd. “That’s what it’s all about. That’s what it’s all about.”

    Grey Cup Parade 2016

  • It’s GivingTuesday Canada!

    It’s GivingTuesday Canada!

    Canada is celebrating it’s third annual #GivingTuesday and people are in the mood for giving.

     

  • The Gift of Lights comes to Ottawa

    The Gift of Lights comes to Ottawa

    Ottawa has a new way to make winter driving fun this year, and light up the holiday season to boot. For the first time, Gift of Lights is visiting the capital, and has set up a two-kilometre roadway, consisting of 30 animated light displays and a tunnel made of lights at the end that drivers can navigate through.

    The display, which started on Nov. 25, can be found at Wesley Clover Parks, on Corkstown Road.

    It is $20 per car to visit and will be running every night from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. until Jan. 1. It is presented by radio station MAJIC 100 FM, and proceeds will support the Sens Foundation.

    Tunnel of lights #giftoflights #ahhhshit

    A video posted by Zack Attack🔰 (@fl4t_out) on

    A car drives through the tunnel of light in Kitchener, ON.  The tunnel in Ottawa is similar to this. 

     

    #giftoflights

    A photo posted by April (@the.days.of.a) on

     

    #santa #giftoflights #ottawa #thissrslysucked #dontgo #justdonate #christmas #christmaslights #dinosaur

    A photo posted by MacKenzie Lebensmittel (@mackenzielebensmittel) on