Canada

Canadian Armed Forces to phase out old housing benefit over three years

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The facade of the headquarters of the Department of National Defence is pictured in Ottawa, on April 3, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton OTTAWA – Canada’s military has created a new program to gradually phase out its old housing benefit after hearing feedback from members who were set to lose the payments. The Armed Forces announced plans in March to create a new housing allowance that is based on salary, rather than where a soldier is posted. It was estimated the move would make thousands of people eligible for the new allowance while cutting off thousands of others. The military said that would result in a savings of $30 million a year. In an update to members, the director general of compensation and benefits says an interim program will phase out the old benefit with decreasing payments until July 2026. Brig.-Gen. Virginia Tattersall says eligible members will be enrolled automatically and should get a lump-sum payment to cover the summer months sometime in the fall. The Canadian Armed Forces is rolling out a new housing benefit that a senior commander says will better help troops struggling to find affordable accommodations while saving millions of dollars every year. The Canadian Forces Housing Differential will supplement the incomes of members who have to live and work in areas of the country with high rental costs. That includes Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, where some members were recently told they could contact Habitat for Humanity if they were having trouble finding a place to live. The benefit is set to come into effect on July 1 and will replace an existing allowance called the post living differential, or PLD, that sought to offset the cost of living and working in particularly expensive communities. Unlike that allowance, whose rates have been frozen since 2009, the new housing benefit will be tied to salary to help those who need it most, said Brig.-Gen. Virginia Tattersall, the military’s director general of compensation and benefits. The result is that thousands of members who don’t currently qualify for the PLD allowance will start to receive the housing benefit, while thousands of others will see their PLD cash cut off — at a net savings of about $30 million per year. “This benefit is about us being equitable,” Tattersall said in an interview. “It is truly trying to look after those who need it the most. So hence why it is more the junior ranks that will benefit from this than it is the senior ranks.” She added the aim is to ensure no member is forced to spend more than between 25 per cent and 35 per cent of their monthly salary on rent. An outside company has been hired to assess average rental prices near bases. Online forums catering to military personnel are rife with stories and complaints from Armed Forces members about the lack of affordable housing near military bases where they are required to work. The problem is exacerbated by the cyclical nature of military postings, as troops are routinely forced to relocate from one part of the country to another due to operational demands and career progression. Younger and more junior members face an especially hard time in certain communities such as Comox, Victoria and Halifax, where housing is extremely limited or expensive. There is also a critical shortage of housing on bases, with thousands of military members and their families currently on wait-lists while promises to build new accommodations largely stuck in neutral. To ease the problem, the local base commander at CFB Esquimalt near Victoria has started letting new sailors live in their training quarters for months after their initial training is finished. The focus on housing rather than overall cost-of-living reflects the main cost disparity of living in different parts of the country, Tattersall said, unlike in the past when cost variances were far greater. “Cost of living per se is relatively equal across the country, the one thing that does stand out is that cost of housing, or that affordability of housing,” she said. “And so that’s why we’ve focused the benefit in on that issue, because that more seems to be the real challenge for our members.” Tying the new housing benefit to salary will ensure those who are really struggling get the help they need while cutting down on spending, she added. Armed Forces members living in military housing will also not qualify. The new housing benefit will cost about $150 million per year, compared to $180 million for the PLD allowance. “And so part of finding that sweet spot in terms of something that looked after members was also ensuring that we brought ourselves back within the envelope of funding that had been authorized,” she said. The military estimates that about 28,000 Armed Forces members will qualify for the new housing benefit, which represents about 6,300 more than currently receive the PLD. However, about 7,700 members who have been receiving the existing allowance will be cut off. While the military says most of those already live in military housing or have higher salaries, the move is likely to spark complaints. Best CCTV Camera in Brampton The Royal Canadian Navy’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship HMCS Harry DeWolf docks in Victoria after arriving from Vancouver on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Home CCTV Camera in Brampton Canadian taxpayers will foot the bill for repairs to the engines on at least two of the Royal Canadian Navy’s brand-new Arctic patrol vessels because the one-year warranty on those vessels has expired. Defence Department deputy minister Bill Matthews delivered the news during an appearance before the House of Commons public accounts committee on Monday, shortly before the department reported the repairs will end up taking longer than expected. “The warranty on the AOPS (Arctic offshore patrol ships) is one year after in-service,” Matthews said. “You have two vessels that have exceeded that one-year point. So reading the warranty purely, that

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Windsor woman thought her belongings were safe in a gym locker. Then her car was stolen

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Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton The GoodLife gym at Tecumseh Mall in Windsor, Ont. A Windsor woman says her gym bag was stolen out of her locked locker, and her car stolen from the parking lot. (Dax Melmer/CBC) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton It was a brazen theft from under her nose: A Windsor woman says her car was missing for days and she’s out thousands of dollars after her bag was stolen from a gym locker this week.  Kelly Rincon said her ordeal started on Saturday, when she went to the GoodLife gym at Tecumseh Mall. She locked her bag into a locker and did her workout. When she returned, her belongings weren’t where she’d left them, the lock having apparently been cut off.  “So I immediately panicked because I said, ‘Oh my God, like, somebody took my bag,’” Rincon said.  Rincon said she immediately went to check on her car to see if it was still in the lot, because her keys were in the bag. It was, and she continued to keep an eye on it as she alerted staff and started calling the police. It was when mall security got there and insisted she speak to them inside that Rincon said she left the car alone. She saw what happened next play out on parking lot surveillance footage after the fact.  “You can clearly see like these people were waiting outside, inside of a black Ford pickup truck,” Rincon said.  “Five minutes later, you see me running outside. They watch me [check on my car] to see if it’s still there. They see me  trying to open the doors.  “When the security guards brought me inside … that’s when you can see them pull up to my car, one of the men get inside the car and drives off with the car.” Rincon said she’s “so frustrated” by the theft.  “It’s honestly one of the [worst] feelings in the world to know that you work so hard for what you have … and then people out there don’t care.” Rincon said she was told her belongings, as well as another woman’s purse, were stolen by a woman who signed up for a day pass. She says staff told her they didn’t take the woman’s identification because she didn’t have it on her. Rincon said she’s been in touch with GoodLife management, who were apologetic even as they told her they’re not liable for any loss or theft — even though she said members are encouraged to use the lockers to prevent tripping hazards on the gym floor.  A spokesperson for GoodLife confirmed that guests must show ID, but couldn’t confirm whether that policy was violated in this case, citing the ongoing police and internal investigations. The fitness chain said, however, that it’s taking steps in response to the theft, including ensuring that staff “are enforcing our secure check-in processes when guests and members enter our clubs.” “GoodLife is taking this criminal behaviour very seriously. It’s upsetting that an individual would target our members in this way,” Kelly Musovic, senior director of experience and safety with the company, said in a statement. Rincon said she is frustrated with police, as she’s been calling constantly trying to get action taken on her case, even now that her car was recovered.  “I’m not getting answers from the cops. Like, I’m not saying they’re not doing their job, but I just think that they don’t think that car theft or any of these things like stealing documents … is high priority.  “I don’t think they understand what this does to us.” Windsor police did not provide comment by deadline. But the service was recently involved in a wide-ranging effort to tackle car thefts in Ontario. Last week, police announced 23 people had been charged — and 279 charges laid — in an auto theft investigation spanning five law enforcement agencies. Cars were destined for illegal sale in five countries.  In Rincon’s case, her vehicle was dumped behind another local gym and has since been recovered by police. She doesn’t have the keys, and said the interior is likely ruined.  And because her permanent resident card was in her wallet, it, too, is gone and a pricey vacation cancelled without recourse.  “It takes up to three months to get a PR card. Unfortunately I needed one for Friday,” Rincon said. “I lost my airline ticket which was $4,000 on top of everything else that I lost.” It’s cost her about $200 in replacement cards, she said, as well as putting blocks on her credit so that the thieves can’t apply for credit in her name. Rincon said she’s afraid for her safety and the possibility of the thieves coming to her home.  “Basically they have my identity with them. So like, they could do anything at this point.” Rincon said years ago her car was stolen and was missing for nearly nine months. As far as she’s aware, the perpetrators weren’t caught in that case.  “It has happened more than once to me and I’m just sick of it,” she said. Accused in thefts involving vehicles later sold abroad also come from London, Toronto area Home CCTV Camera in Brmapton Det.-Insp. Andy Bradford from Ontario Provincial Police speaks to the media at a Project Fairfield news conference Thursday in Windsor. (TJ Dhir/CBC) Cheap CCTV Camera in Brampton Twenty-three people from Ontario face 279 charges after a widespread investigation into a large string of auto thefts related to a “sophisticated crime group.” Windsor police, Ontario Provincial Police and other law enforcement agencies made the announcement in Windsor on Thursday. Investigators say the cases involve 138 stolen vehicles and more than $500,000 in illicit drugs.  Border services, police from London and the Regional Municipality of Peel, and the anti-fraud firm Équité Association were involved in the effort, dubbed Project Fairfield.  Police said the luxury vehicles, newer model pickup trucks, SUVs and other vehicles were stolen from the Windsor area. The culprits modified the vehicle identification numbers, known as “re-vinning,” police said. The vehicles were exported to countries including Kuwait, Lebanon, Colombia and the Congo, and sold through private sales. The investigation saw a breakthrough when police stopped a known “re-vinned” vehicle on Highway

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Ex-Minneapolis officer sentenced to nearly 5 years for role in George Floyd’s death

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Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton Former officer Tou Thao listens as prosecutor Erin Eldridge speaks during his sentencing hearing in Hennepin County District Court on Monday in Minneapolis. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune/The Associated Press) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton Tou Thao, the last former Minneapolis police officer convicted in state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd, was sentenced Monday to four years and nine months — even as he denied wrongdoing. Thao had testified he merely served as a “human traffic cone” when he held back concerned bystanders who gathered as former officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine-and-a-half minutes while the Black man pleaded for his life on May 25, 2020. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” At the sentencing hearing, Thao spoke at length about his growth as a Christian during his 340 days behind bars. He said he was “distressed” by Floyd’s death but denied any role in it. “I did not commit these crimes,” Thao said. “My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God.” Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill responded that he was hoping “for more than preaching” from Thao. “After three years of reflection, I was hoping for a little more remorse,” the judge said. Thao’s lawyer, Robert Paule, said afterward that they will appeal. He declined further comment. Home CCTV Camera in Brmapton Tou Thao, who was a nine-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force, leaves the courtroom after his sentencing hearing on Monday in the death of George Floyd in May 2020. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune/The Associated Press ) Cheap CCTV Camera in Brampton Assistant Attorney General Erin Eldridge said during the hearing that Floyd’s final words “reverberated across the globe.” Floyd, she said, “narrated his own death over the course of a restraint that lasted more than nine long minutes until he lost consciousness, stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.” Thao, she said, “stood by and allowed it to happen” and stopped others from moving in to help the dying man. “He knew better, and he was trained to do better,” Eldridge said. Floyd’s killing touched off protests worldwide and forced a national reckoning of police brutality and racism. Cahill found Thao guilty in May of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In his 177-page ruling, Cahill said Thao’s actions separated Chauvin and two other former officers from the crowd, including an emergency medical technician, allowing his colleagues to continue restraining Floyd and preventing bystanders from providing medical aid. “There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao’s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances,” Cahill wrote. He concluded: “Thao’s actions were even more unreasonable in light of the fact that he was under a duty to intervene to stop the other officers’ excessive use of force and was trained to render medical aid.” Thao had rejected a plea bargain on the state charge, saying “it would be lying” to plead guilty when he didn’t think he was in the wrong. He instead agreed to let Cahill decide the case based on evidence from Chauvin’s 2021 murder trial and the federal civil rights trial in 2022 of Thao and former officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. That trial in federal court ended in convictions for all three. Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges instead of going to trial a second time, while Lane and Kueng pleaded guilty to state charges of aiding and abetting manslaughter. The sentence Cahill handed down Monday will run concurrently with Thao’s three-and-a-half-year sentence on his separate conviction on a federal civil rights charge, which an appeals court upheld on Friday. His state sentence was more than the four years recommended under Minnesota state guidelines. The sentence will be served at federal prison with credit for time served before Thao is transferred to a Minnesota prison to serve out the remainder. Lane and Kueng received three and three-and-a-half-year state sentences respectively, which they are serving concurrently with their federal sentences of 2 1/2 years and 3 years. Thao is Hmong American, while Kueng is Black and Lane is white. Minnesota inmates generally serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and one-third on parole. There is no parole in the federal system but inmates can shave time off their sentences with good behavior. Best CCTV Security Services in Brampton Former Minnesota police officer J. Alexander Kueng is seen in a booking photograph at Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 3, 2020. Kueng, who is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on a state charge of aiding second-degree manslaughter. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton J. Alexander Kueng sentenced on state charge of aiding 2nd-degree manslaughter The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back while another officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to three-and-a-half years in prison. J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty in October to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, a charge of aiding and abetting murder was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, and the state and federal sentence will be served at the same time. Kueng appeared at his sentencing hearing via video from a federal prison in Ohio. When given the chance to address the court, he declined. Floyd’s family members had the right to make victim impact statements, but none did.  Attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the family, said in a statement before the hearing that Kueng’s sentencing “delivers yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family.” “While the family faces yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them a measure of peace, knowing that George’s death was not in vain,” he said. Floyd died on May

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Canada says Armenians face ‘deteriorating humanitarian situation

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Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton A checkpoint of the Russia peacekeeping force is seen on a road towards the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia, March 14, 2023. (Vahram Baghdasaryan, PHOTOLURE via AP) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton OTTAWA – The Canadian government is again blaming Azerbaijan for escalating tensions in its Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying it is concerned about the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” for Armenians living in that region. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it is mostly populated by Armenians, and neighbouring Armenia has fought for control of the region for decades. Tensions rose in the area last fall, when the region’s main access road was blocked by groups of people suspected of being affiliated with the Azerbaijan government, and then by officials who have limited vehicle access. Azerbaijan insists the region isn’t under a blockade, despite Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch saying food and essentials are severely restricted. Last week, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it’s been denied access to all routes into the region, resulting in shortages for medicine, food and baby formula. Canada is planning on sending two officials to support a European monitoring mission that is aiming to prevent another war in the region. The Red Cross expressed alarm about Azerbaijan’s blocking of the area shortly after that country’s foreign ministry cited the group’s access to the area as proof that there was no blockade. The Red Cross said last week it has been able to evacuate “more than 600 people in urgent need of medical care since December 2022,” but still has trouble accessing the region in order to provide medical services. Global Affairs Canada said in a social media post Tuesday that Azerbaijan should comply with the International Court of Justice’s order to allow the “unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo” into the region. Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry noted that the court order still allows for the inspection of vehicles entering the territory, and has alleged that the route has been used by elements affiliated with Armenia to smuggle weapons into the area. Canadian MPs heard testimony in January about limited access to the region, but the House of Commons foreign affairs committee hasn’t completed its study or issued an interim report on how Canada should respond. The federal government plans to open an embassy in Armenia shortly, and Liberal officials often attend Armenian diaspora events. Canada is sending two officials to support a European mission that is aiming to prevent another war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The unarmed European Union mission in Armenia is a project involving a hundred civilian monitors who keep tabs on the security situation at the border with Azerbaijan. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has announced that Canada will contribute to the mission and send two recruited experts. The mission follows heightened tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an area that is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians but is internationally recognized as being part of Azerbaijan. Joly said in April that she was “deeply concerned” about Azerbaijan escalating the long-running dispute with Armenia over the province by blocking its main access road. Canada has joined similar European Union missions in the past, with military and civilian projects deployed to places such as Afghanistan and the West Bank. The move comes just months before Canada aims to open a full embassy in Armenia this fall. It also follows unconfirmed reports that Canada may loosen its arms embargo against Turkey, which Ottawa barred from receiving weapons after Canadian sensors showed up in drones Azerbaijan used in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a 2020 war. Tensions rose in the area last fall, when the region’s main access road was blocked by groups of Azerbaijanis who insisted they were independent environmental activists opposed to mining. The Azerbaijan government claims it has no ties to the groups, but others have disputed that assertion. In recent months, the two countries have lowered the temperature in their long-running dispute, but access to the region is reportedly still limited, affecting the availability of food. In April 2022, former foreign minister Stephane Dion presented a report to Joly on supporting Armenian democracy, as part of his role as the Liberals’ special envoy for Europe. The report said Ottawa should prioritize developing Armenia’s “fragile democracy” by helping efforts to fight corruption. It noted that Russia’s influence in the region is waning as Moscow diverts military resources to its invasion of Ukraine, which has put some of its neighbours on edge. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “strictly technical” issues remain in resolving one of the main disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighbours that fought a war over a contested territory. Putin met in various formats in Moscow with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, discussing a dispute over a winding road called the Lachin Corridor. That’s the only authorized connection between Armenia and the contested territory, Nagorno-Karabakh, and it’s a lifeline for supplies to the region’s approximately 120,000 people. Aliyev and Pashinyan, in a broader regional summit meeting Putin hosted in Moscow, lashed out at each other for their positions regarding the land corridor. But Putin said that on the “principal issues, there is an agreement,” and later said all that remained were “surmountable obstacles,” calling them differences in terminology and “strictly technical.” He said representatives of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan would meet in a week to try to resolve the differences. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Pashinyan said last Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other’s territorial integrity within Soviet administrative borders. It added that on Monday, Pashinyan said the territory of Azerbaijan that his government is ready to recognize includes Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan said Thursday: “I want to confirm that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity, and on this basis we can say that we are moving quite well towards settlement of our relations.” For his part, Aliyev said Thursday that the Armenian leader’s statements ensure that

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Hamilton city staff apologize for ‘minimizing’ health impacts of insect and rodent infestations

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Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s medical officer of health, apologized for comments her staff made that minimized the health impacts of pest infestations on residents. (Samantha Craggs/CBC) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton Public health staff have apologized to residents for not enforcing the city’s pest rules for over four years and recently making comments that minimized the health impacts of living with insect and rodent infestations. Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, the city’s medical officer of health, made the apology on Thursday, following CBC Hamilton’s story. “I want to apologize on behalf of the City of Hamilton as well as public health services to those in the community who felt our level of service for not addressing pest control complaints was not up to their expectations,” Richardson told reporters. Public health manager Matthew Lawson previously told CBC Hamilton there’s little evidence to suggest rats, cockroaches and bedbugs carry diseases.  Lawson also apologized Thursday, acknowledging pests can affect people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and cause allergic reactions, infections related to scratching, as well as anxiety and insomnia. “I take the health and wellbeing of those in Hamilton very seriously,” Lawson said. “That’s why I’m here today to extend an apology to those who felt pain based on my comments in a recent media story minimizing the negative impacts pest infestations can have on community members.”  Earlier in the day, Mayor Andrea Horwath urged city staff to apologize.  Home CCTV Camera in Brmapton Cheap CCTV Camera in Brampton Following their apology, she told CBC Hamilton she was shocked when she read the story and said residents felt diminished and insulted. “I want to articulate how sorry I am,” Horwath said. “People need to know the city is on their side. When they call with issues, we need to respond and if we’re not able to, we need to know why.”  A bylaw officer will be in charge of responding to new pest complaints starting next Tuesday, while also working through hundreds of cases the city has yet to respond to, Richardson said.  Horwath said she expects the city to contact every resident who has lodged a complaint and find ways to expedite the process.  Kevin McDonald, a city public health director who oversees the healthy environments division, previously said Hamilton’s public health division paused pest control in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started.  That means landlords who fail to keep buildings free of cockroaches, bedbugs or rats, as required under the city’s property standards bylaw, haven’t faced bylaw orders or fees. Public health says enforcement paused during the pandemic and a bylaw officer will pick it up next month CBC Hamilton is investigating the living conditions that tenants face and what responsibility the city has to uphold property standards. This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Parts 2 and 3 will run in the coming weeks. The cockroach and bedbug infestations in Tammy Brown’s Hamilton apartment have all but destroyed her life, she says. Roaches have taken over her fridge and stove, contaminating her food and making it impossible to cook for her two adult daughters, one of whom lives with a disability, and her four-year-old grandson.  Brown has thrown out nearly all their clothes and furniture in an effort to rid her home of the pests. “We have nothing left,” she said.  Brown, a member of the tenant advocacy group ACORN, has called the city four times in under a year, begging for it to order the landlord at 221 Melvin Ave. to fix the pest problems. She said neither public health nor bylaw has ever responded.  “Nobody from the city gives a shit,” she said. “Pardon my French, but the job is not being done.”  There’s a reason she hasn’t heard back. The City of Hamilton isn’t enforcing its own pest control rules — and hasn’t for over four years, staff told CBC Hamilton. That means landlords who fail to keep buildings free of cockroaches, bedbugs or rats, as required under the city’s property standards bylaw, haven’t faced bylaw orders or fees. Kevin McDonald, a city public health director who oversees the healthy environments division, said in an interview the decision to pause pest control happened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, when staff were reassigned to respond to the emergency.  Pest control was determined to be a low priority at that time, McDonald said. The public was notified of the change through a report prepared for the Board of Health and the previous mayor in June 2020. In that report, it does not list services — like pest control enforcement — that were put on hold, but rather services that would continue. Pest control was not on the list. Public health lifted its state of emergency related to COVID-19 over a year ago. “We appreciate and are not trying to minimize the presence of pests in someone’s home can be extremely stressful, frustrating and concerning,” said McDonald. “And depending on the type of pests, that can have a mental and physical impact on individuals.”  Best CCTV Security Services in Brampton Brown and her family live at 221 Melvin Ave. in Hamilton’s east end. (Samantha Beattie/CBC) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton However, according to public health manager Matthew Lawson, there’s little evidence to suggest rats, cockroaches and bedbugs carry pathological diseases, and the idea that residents could experience negative mental health impacts is a “novel, developing notion” that began in 2008 when bedbugs started making a resurgence in Hamilton. “I couldn’t agree with you more that nobody wants to live with pests,” said Lawson. “But pests in the modern form aren’t necessarily presenting a health hazard.”  Hamilton public health received 1,365 pest complaints from 2019 to this month, as shared with CBC Hamilton. There were fewer than five orders issued by the city in that time. A corporate landlord found guilty of violating the city’s pest control rules may face fines of up to $100,000. McDonald said enforcement will begin again by mid-August, after one bylaw officer is reassigned and trained. The bylaw officer will respond to pest control complaints, which residents can file by calling the city’s customer contact centre, he said.  “Everyone deserves

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Manitoba restaurant owner lends kitchen to Ukrainian refugees for serving Ukrainian cuisine

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Best CCTV Security Camera in Brampton Olha Mashyna, right, and her husband, Oleksandr Mashyn, have been using the kitchen at Le Goûter in Albert Beach, Man., every Monday and Tuesday for free. (Gavin Boutroy/Radio-Canada) Best CCTV Camera in Brampton Being a cook might be Olha Mashyna’s destiny. After she and her family fled the war in Ukraine and moved to Winnipeg earlier this year, a chance encounter with a Manitoba restaurant owner brought her back to doing the thing she loves — serving Ukrainian cuisine. Mashyna and her husband, Oleksandr Mashyn, have been cooking and serving Ukrainian cuisine at a restaurant called Le Goûter in Albert Beach, Man., every Monday and Tuesday. The owners, who normally close the restaurant down on on those days, offered up their kitchen for Mashyna and her husband to use — free of charge. Mashyna says it’s been a way for them to gain valuable work experience and earn some income. “It’s far from our home, but it’s … experience. It’s big experience,” Mashyna told CBC. She moved to Winnipeg’s Transcona neighbourhood with her family in March.  They came from a village close to Zaporizhzhia — about 10 kilometres from the front lines of the war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 — where they owned two stores and ran a cafe. She said it was difficult to adjust after leaving her life behind in Ukraine.  “We work hard every day. In Ukraine, we have everything. We have two apartments … two cars. We have money. We have life,” she said. “I really missed my store. It’s my love.” But as fate would have it, Mashyna met Lise Bourassa, the owner of Le Goûter, at a food handling course in April. “We started talking, and I realized we have a lot in common,” said Bourassa, who owns the restaurant in Albert Beach, on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, with her husband. The couple also owns Saffies General Store, which is right across the street from the restaurant.  “We just kind of hit it off right away,” she added. Bourassa said she and her husband were planning on closing the restaurant down for a couple nights a week anyway, since they were low on cooks.  “The restaurant’s here and this is a gift that we can give them, as the community really gave to us when we first arrived,” she told CBC. Cheap CCTV Camera in Brampton Mashyna and Mashyn are looking for a restaurant or kitchen to rent after Le Goûter closes for the season in September. (Gavin Boutroy/Radio-Canada) Home CCTV Camera in Brampton And Mashyna’s menu — which includes perogies, cabbage rolls, borscht, meatballs and other Ukrainian staples — has been a hit so far and it is because she loves serving Ukrainian cuisine.  “They always say ‘thank you’ and ‘it’s delicious,’” she said. “It’s amazing.” People even drive in from Winnipeg, about 100 kilometres to the south, to dine on the nights Mashyna works, and the food usually sells out each evening, Bourassa said. “It’s amazing how many people are coming and learning about it,” said Bourassa.  Mashyna isn’t sure if she’d move back to Ukraine, since so much has been destroyed. Instead, she’s looking for a kitchen or restaurant to rent in or around Winnipeg by September, when Le Goûter closes down for the season. “I really like Canada. I see how I can work here,” she said. “It’s my destiny, maybe. I cooked in Ukraine and cooked here.” Mashyna said she’s thankful for Bourassa and her husband for helping them as much as they have. “If I need something, they help us. They always help us,” she said. Best CCTV Camera in Brampton Olena Gordiyenko and daughter Anna have been living in Winnipeg since September. Gordiyenko’s husband and son are still in Ukraine. (Alana Cole/CBC) Home CCTV Camera in Brampton In the year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, thousands of people arrived in Manitoba after leaving their homes and lives behind to flee the war.  Some have already returned to Europe. Others are hoping to stay in Canada permanently. Then there are those, like Olena Gordiyenko, who are still facing uncertainty around what comes next.  “Of course my heart is in Ukraine,” she said, sitting in her new apartment located near the University of Manitoba where she’s working on a one-year contract.  Gordiyenko arrived in Winnipeg with her nine-year-old daughter Anna last September.  A provincial spokesperson said Tuesday more than 17,200 Ukrainians have presented to Manitoba’s reception and welcoming centre since the start of the war. Roughly 13,200 provincial health cards have been issued.  The federal government launched the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel program last March, which allowed Ukrainians to come to Canada quickly to work or study for up to three years. Those who want to become permanent residents may be able to apply for other programs, the government says.  Gordiyenko said she wasn’t planning to leave Ukraine. She had her family, a home and a good job in Zaporizhzhia, where she’s from.  “Everything was perfect and I was absolutely happy,” she said of her life in Ukraine. “Now I understand it, that I was absolutely happy because I’ve had the chance to compare.” When the war started everything changed. Gordiyenko and her family made the decision for herself and Anna to leave Ukraine, while her husband and 21-year-old son stayed behind.  Though there are exceptions, men between the ages of 18 and 60 were barred from leaving Ukraine. Her son is currently finishing his university studies online.  “It was very difficult to make a choice, but … this decision was made by our family together,” said Gordiyenko.  “The main thing was that my daughter, now, she is safe. She is not in war, she sleeps OK, she is absolutely happy here.”  Best CCTV Camera in Brampton Olena Gordiyenko and her family in Ukraine in December 2022. Gordiyenko and her daughter are living in Winnipeg, while her husband and son remain in Ukraine. (Submitted by Olena Gordiyenko ) Cheap CCTV Camera in Brampton Gordiyenko said her contract at the U of M where she’s

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