Category
Human Resources
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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.…
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Police looking for suspect after transit officer shot at Vancouver area station
SURREY, B.C. – The RCMP asked residents of a neighbourhood in Surrey, B.C., to lock their doors and turn on their outdoor lights Wednesday night as they searched for a suspect in the shooting of a transit officer. Assistant Commissioner…
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Quebec Minister defends firing of whistleblower
GATINEAU, Que. – Quebec Agriculture Minister Andre Lamontagne is defending a decision to fire a whistleblowing bureaucrat who went to the media with concerns about pesticide use. While the province has legislation protecting whistleblowers, Lamontagne says there are other factors…
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Family of man who died in Ontario jail launches lawsuit against province, guards
TORONTO – The family of a man who died at an Ontario jail is suing the province and guards at the facility, alleging corrections officers used excessive force that ultimately killed the 30-year-old. Soleiman Faqiri’s relatives claim a key eye…
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Canada reduces presence in Cuba after another diplomat falls mysteriously ill
OTTAWA – A 14th Canadian has fallen ill to an unexplained illness in Havana, Cuba, prompting further reductions in embassy staffing in the country. Canadian government officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say Global Affairs Canada will consider halving…
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‘Murderous rage:’ Crown argues bus driver’s actions didn’t deserve being stabbed
WINNIPEG – A transit bus driver who was killed at the end of a late-night shift could have responded differently to a passenger refusing to get off the bus but that didn’t justify getting stabbed, the prosecution said Wednesday. Crown…
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Sexual assault investigations at hydroelectric project alarming: chief
WINNIPEG – The grand chief who represents First Nations in northern Manitoba says it’s alarming that RCMP have investigated nine sexual assault allegations at one power station construction site. Garrison Settee expects the number could be higher, but says many…
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Metrolinx to ban recreational pot use for some workers, union to fight move
TORONTO – Regional transit agency Metrolinx plans to ban workers in so-called safety sensitive positions from using recreational cannabis on or off duty. The provincial agency that operates in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area says workers in approximately 140…
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Mother whose 11 year old son died in school bus accident calls for seatbelts
OTTAWA – Denna Weston was among the first on the scene of a school bus collision that killed her 11-year-old son in Alberta 19 years ago. It was a Friday in October. Jared, a Grade 6 student, was waiting for…
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Former Mountie involved in Taser death at Vancouver airport suing government
VANCOUVER – A former Mountie involved in the death of a man jolted by a Taser at Vancouver’s airport is suing the federal and provincial governments for damages, claiming he acted in accordance with RCMP training. Kwesi Millington was in…
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Women four times more likely to experience sexual assault at work
Violence-related injuries at work are on the rise across Canada and this is especially the case for women, according to two recent studies we conducted at the not-for-profit Institute for Work and Health. We found that women are four times…
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Pay gap between women, men in Canadian tech jobs is nearly $20K per year: study
TORONTO – Women in Canadian tech jobs, with a bachelor’s degree or higher, earn nearly $20,000 less a year than their male counterparts – and that pay gap can be just as stark for visible minority and Indigenous tech workers,…