Ian Profiri is JURIST’s Staff Correspondent for Canada. He files this dispatch from Calgary. Late Wednesday evening, the Alberta government surprised Albertans by declaring a State of Public Health Emergency in a purported effort to protect what has become a fragile healthcare system in the wake of the fourth wave of Covid-19. At approximately 10pm [...]
Calgary Sports and Entertainment (CSEC) announced Monday that, effective September 15, all future Calgary Flames, Stampeders, and Hitmen games will require every fan and employee that is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to have done so before entering their arenas. The announcement comes after the Edmonton Elks, one of the teams playing within the [...]
It’s official. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled from his residence at 24 Sussex Drive, his family in tow, to Rideau Hall Sunday to officially ask Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve the 43rd Parliament and trigger a snap election. Voting day is scheduled for September 20. Candidates have the next five weeks to appeal [...]
Canadian citizen Michael Spavor was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Chinese court late Tuesday night on charges of espionage and possession of state secrets in a case that most international observers agree is more political than legal. Chinese officials arrested Spavor and Michael Kovrig on “trumped up” charges of [...]
The controversial Grassy Mountain Coal Project has been effectively shelved following a decision from Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson. In a statement released Friday, Wilkinson determined that proposed open-pit coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass region of Alberta would likely “cause significant adverse environmental effects” as defined by subsections 5(1) [...]
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw made a series of announcements last week regarding the western Canadian province’s COVID-19 strategy. On July 29, the Alberta government rescinded mandatory isolation periods for those that have come into contact with an individual who is known to have COVID-19. Starting Aug 16, isolation periods following a positive [...]
Mary Simon became Canada’s first Inuk Governor General on Monday. She is also the first Indigenous person to hold the position in Canada’s 154-year history, and her appointment comes at a time when Canadians are grappling with their common identity in the wake of the recovery of remains at several former residential schools. Simon has [...]
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi addressed my city once again Thursday in regard to City’s Council’s response to our “third wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a year into this crisis, there is nothing unusual about emotional press conferences held by politicians at all levels throughout Canada, as our management of the pandemic has not gone [...]
