Would you pay for less traffic? Some experts say you already are
In the third and final part of CBC Toronto's series Gridlocked: The Way Out, CBC's Angelina King explores the controversial congestion charge and why some experts say it's necessary.
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2 days ago
Canadian cleric arrested in Armenia in connection to alleged coup attempt
A prominent Canadian cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church is among more than a dozen people Armenia's security services have arrested in connection to an alleged coup attempt this week. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who heads the Tavush Diocese in Armenia's northeast, grabbed national attention last year in the Southern Caucasus country when he began leading a protest movement asking for the resignation of its prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and even saying he would be open to replacing him as Armenia's leader. That movement picked up steam following land concessions made by Armenia to neighbouring Azerbaijan that involved the handover of Armenian border villages. Galstanyan, a dual Canadian and Armenian citizen, served as primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada in Montreal from 2003 to 2013. Pashinyan praised the work of law enforcement on his Facebook page, writing in Armenian that they prevented a large and despicable plan to destabilize his government through acts of terrorism and seize power. He also linked to a statement by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which had carried out the arrests. The committee said it had seized explosives and weaponry, and accused Galstanyan's protest movement of planning to conduct bombings and stage accidents on major roads to disrupt traffic. Galstanyan's movement has denied the charges, calling them fiction. Reached for comment, Global Affairs Canada said it is aware that a Canadian citizen was arrested in Armenia, and added consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather more information. Mélanie Joly, at the time Canada's foreign affairs minister, helped open the Canadian embassy in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2023. (Fin DePencier/CBC ) Photo: (Fin DePencier/CBC ) The arrests come after escalating tensions between the Armenian government and the country's Apostolic Church, which has been increasingly critical of Pashinyan after Armenia's loss to Azerbaijan in a 2020 war over the then Armenian-controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan's military campaign in September 2023 that forced the territory's approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee, abandoning their homes. Last month, Pashinyan accused the head of the church, Catholicos Karekin II, of secretly fathering a child despite a vow of celibacy. An Armenian priest then implied in a social media post Pashinyan is circumcised and not a true Christian. Earlier this week, Pashinyan took to Facebook to say he is ready to invite both the catholicos and the priest over and prove otherwise. Citing confidentiality, Global Affairs Canada said it cannot disclose further information about its involvement since Galstanyan's arrest. The Canadian government inaugurated its embassy in Armenia in October 2023, and has recently staffed up its presence there due to the conflict between neighbouring Iran and Israel, which has triggered an exodus from the Iran-Armenia border, including some Canadians. In November 2022, Galstanyan attended the opening of a smaller Canadian diplomatic office, an honourary consul (new window) , as a guest. In 2020, in the final days of the war against Azerbaijan, Galstanyan made waves on social media with a performance of an Armenian liturgical hymn at a cathedral in the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shushi, even as bombs could be heard landing outside the structure. Former immigration minister Jason Kenney had shared the video on his social media channels at the time, calling Galstanyan a dear friend and saying it was touching to see. Raffy Boudjikanian (new window) · CBC News
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Is it time for Canada to build its own car?
With U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to upend Canada's automotive industry, some say it's time for a homegrown solution. For The National, CBC's Nick Purdon looks at what it would take to have an industry-leading Canadian car company.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Languages commissioner concerned about supervisors' language use after survey results
The official languages commissioner is 'particularly concerned' that so many public servants say their senior managers don't always use both official languages. Article content In the 2024 Public Service Employee Survey, which was released on June 23, 20 per cent of non-supervisor public servants reported that senior managers sometimes, rarely or never use both official languages in their interactions with staff. Article content Article content Article content In response, Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge called on senior leaders in the public service to make 'the necessary changes' to ensure language rights of public servants are respected. Article content Article content 'I'd like to remind supervisors that the right to work in the official language of one's choice belongs to the employee,' he said in an emailed statement. 'It's the supervisor's duty to respect that right.' Article content The survey also found that more than a quarter of public servants said their career advancement over the previous year had suffered due to a lack of access to training in their second official language. Article content Martin Potvin, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board, said the government is 'committed to strengthening bilingualism in the public service, not only to better serve Canadians, but also to foster a work environment where employees in bilingual regions feel truly comfortable working in the official language of their choice.' Article content Article content The survey results were released a few days after new language requirements came into effect for supervisors on June 20. New supervisors in bilingual regions will now be required to have the highest proficiencies in reading and oral conversation in their second language, while maintaining an intermediate level in writing. Article content Article content Prior to June 20, supervisors required an intermediate proficiency in reading, writing and oral conversation. Article content Those who were already in supervisor roles before that date will be 'grandfathered in' and will only need to improve their second language skills to meet the new requirements if and when they change positions. Article content In a recent report, the commissioner said the new requirements don't go far enough. Article content 'I applaud this initiative as a step in the right direction, but I am concerned about what might happen to employees who are supervised by incumbents of unilingual supervisory positions or by incumbents of bilingual positions who do not meet the CBC second-language requirement,' Théberge wrote in the report.
