In the news today: Concerns raised after Via Rail passengers stranded

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Concerns raised after Via Rail passengers stranded

A tourist visiting Canada is questioning the safety of Via Rail after he says his phone was snatched from him by an employee when he was documenting a train delay that left passengers stranded as they ran out of food, water and working toilets.

Chip Malt was in Quebec over the long weekend to celebrate his father’s 70th birthday in the province’s capital, and said he boarded a Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City on Saturday.

“It’s my first experience on Via Rail, and will probably be my last experience on Via Rail,” he said Monday in an interview from his home in Austin, Texas.

“It was like being in prison.”

On Sunday Via Rail issued a statement apologizing for the “inconvenience” to passengers. It confirmed they were stuck for 10 hours on Saturday when a train broke down between Montreal and Quebec City after experiencing two consecutive mechanical issues.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Alberta to pursue law on opt-in sex education

The Alberta government says it’s moving ahead this fall with legislation that would require parents to proactively sign up to have their children opt-in, rather than the usual practice of opting out, for sex education.

It’s a move that has teachers wondering what problem the province is looking to solve.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, in a statement, said school boards, teachers, superintendents and parents are being consulted.

It’s not clear what the legislation might look like, but Premier Danielle Smith said in February it would involve parents opting-in their children to each formal lesson on sexual health.

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said there are a lot of unanswered questions after a spring consultation about the proposed bill.

Ontario safe consumption site users speak out

The Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre is one of 10 supervised consumption sites slated for closure after the Ontario government announced new rules.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones recently outlined a fundamental shift in the province’s approach to the overdose crisis. Ontario will shutter the 10 sites because they’re too close to schools and daycares, and the government will prohibit any new ones from opening as it moves to an abstinence-based treatment model.

Seven existing consumption sites will remain open.

Health workers, advocates and those who use the sites say the closures could prove deadly for those with opioid addictions.

The Canadian Press spoke to several people who use supervised consumption sites. Fear, anxiety and confusion dominated those discussions.

HandyDART workers plan strike rally in Vancouver

The union local for Metro Vancouver HandyDART workers says it will hold a rally in Vancouver today to mark the beginning of its strike after members voted down a final offer by employer Transdev Canada last week.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 says the rally will begin at noon across from Pacific Central Station in Vancouver.

The union local says the majority of its members are “frustrated,” and rejected the company’s offer after dealing with staffing shortages and “poor compensation” compared to other transit employees.

A statement from the union says the rally will feature speakers including local president Joe McCann, the union’s international president John Costa, as well as member of Parliament Bonita Zarillo, along with other union leaders.

It says the union local has told Transdev Canada, the company contracted by TransLink to operate the specialized door-to-door service, that it’s willing to continue negotiating, but the company won’t meet until Sept.12.

B.C. Conservative head appears on Peterson podcast

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says British Columbia needs to have a “conversation” about nuclear power playing a role in the province’s energy future, and review educational materials that he says are designed for “indoctrination” of children.

Speaking on an episode of Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson’s podcast released Monday, Rustad says he also wants to get rid of the carbon tax, which he says taxes people into poverty in “a vain attempt to change the weather.”

In the episode, which runs just over an hour and 45 minutes, Rustad and Peterson discussed a variety of topics including his revival of the B.C. Conservative Party as an election contender, energy and education policy, and “cancel culture.”

The party leader also says it was “crazy” for the former B.C. Liberal party to have banned nuclear power, saying the province needs to have a “conversation” about reconsidering its position, tying high energy costs to lower living standards.

The B.C. Conservative Party’s slate of candidates remains in flux after BC United leader Kevin Falcon bowed out of the race last month, urging people to support Rustad to defeat David Eby’s NDP in the provincial election in October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press