Category
Human Resources
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WestJet loses appeal of court decision that refused to throw out harassment suit
VANCOUVER – WestJet has lost an appeal of a court decision that refused to throw out a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing the airline of fostering a culture that tolerates harassment of female employees. Former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis is suing…
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Manitoba ‘pausing’ relationship with former B.C. premier after allegations
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government says it is “pausing” its relationship with Gordon Campbell following an allegation in a British newspaper that the former B.C. premier groped a woman in the United Kingdom. Campbell was hired by Manitoba last fall…
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Hefty damages, costs award upheld for fired, threatened employee
TORONTO – A company that fired a senior employee for alleged fraud and then tried to scare him into going along with the dismissal will have to pay him hefty damages as well as an unusually high amount for his…
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Former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell accused of sexual assault: British newspaper
LONDON – A British newspaper says police in London are investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against former British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell. The Daily Telegraph says Scotland Yard is investigating a complaint from a woman who was an…
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Preventing heart disease, stroke can offer protection for brain: report
TORONTO – Researchers have found much deeper links between cardiovascular disease and the risk of cognitive impairment than were previously known, strengthening the message to Canadians that taking steps to prevent heart disease and stroke also protects the brain. A…
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Privacy commissioner finds doctors snooped in Humboldt Broncos patient records
REGINA – Saskatchewan’s privacy commissioner has found eight people inappropriately gained access to the electronic health records of 10 Humboldt Broncos team members involved in a bus crash last April. Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured in the…
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Companies make room for the office power nap, recognizing need for rest
TORONTO – Snoozing on the job isn’t just permitted at Bob Vaez’s software company, it’s encouraged. The Toronto boss of EventMobi describes himself as “the only CEO that promotes people to sleep at work,” insisting the policy boosts productivity and…
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Parliament Hill security investigating alleged incident of racial profiling
OTTAWA – The department responsible for security on Parliament Hill has apologized after an apparent incident of racial profiling took place on the Hill this week. A spokesman for the Parliamentary Protective Service said the force is investigating the incident,…
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P.E.I. whistleblowers sue former premier, officials after privacy breach
CHARLOTTETOWN – Three whistleblowers whose private information was leaked from Prince Edward Island’s government to the Liberal Party are suing a former premier and other top officials for a total of $1.3 million in damages for the economic and emotional…
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Behind Bars
An increase in reported inmate-on-staff violence in Ontario’s correctional institutions has led to the release of a report by the province’s independent corrections adviser in December 2018, offering 42 recommendations aimed at making jails safer. But correctional violence is not…
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Diplomats file $28M suit against Canada over injuries suffered in Cuba
OTTAWA – Five Canadian diplomats and their family members who became mysteriously ill while posted to Cuba are suing Ottawa for more than $28 million. In a statement of claim filed Wednesday in Federal Court, the diplomats say the Canadian…
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Dalhousie profs ask university to confirm blackface violates code of conduct
HALIFAX – Dalhousie University’s leadership is facing mounting pressure to take a clear stance on blackface, with a group of law professors asking the school’s top academic administrator to confirm it violates the code of student conduct and personal harassment…
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iPain in the Neck
There is no turning back — digital technology and the prolific use of tablets and cellphones are here to stay. But that massive adoption of digital technology has also heralded a host of ergonomic ills stemming from bad posture, strained…
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Putting a Lid on Sedentary Lifestyle
The health risks arising from sedentary lifestyles have reached an epidemic level. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian adults are not physically active for most of the day, with both men and women spending almost 70 per cent of…
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A Tale of Two Sexes
Women have a higher risk of some musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) than men, even when both genders engage in the same tasks. Women report pain, discomfort and other MSD symptoms in the neck and upper limbs twice as often as men…
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Smartphones: More than Just a Pain in the Neck
A majority of the world’s 3.4 billion smartphone users are putting their necks at risk every time they send a text, according to new research involving the University of South Australia, released on January 15. ‘Text neck,’ as it is…
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Quebec agriculture minister says he was wrong to endorse firing of whistleblower
MONTREAL – Quebec’s agriculture minister said Monday he went too far when he claimed it was his decision to fire a whistleblowing public servant who had raised concerns about pesticide use. Last week, Andre Lamontagne said he personally approved the…
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RCMP suspend search for missing B.C. rancher Ben Tyner after nearly a week
MERRITT, B.C. – Police have suspended the search for a missing rancher in the wilderness north of Merritt, B.C., after six days of exhaustive effort turned up nothing. Thirty-two-year-old Ben Tyner was last seen on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan.…
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Psychiatric hospital fined $650,000 for failing to protect its workers in B.C.
RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC has fined the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital almost $650,000 for failing to protect the safety of its workers. The workplace safety agency says the fine is the largest such administrative penalty and was imposed because the hospital…
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First responders gather in B.C. to call for end to stigma in jobs full of trauma
VANCOUVER – Eighteen years as a firefighter had exposed Greg Gauthier to endless trauma but a call involving a tour bus hitting a family triggered his descent into mental illness as intrusive thoughts and sleepless nights became his daily existence.…
