Latest news with #Laskowski
Sydney Morning Herald
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
It was great while it lasted: Jazz master farewells his ‘second home'
So it's goodnight to Foundry 616, the love child of a man whose passion has been presenting jazz in Sydney for more than 40 years, Peter Rechniewski. People get Orders of Australia for doing much less. This was a hell of a penultimate gig, featuring the pianist who played the venue's first concert 13 years ago, Mike Nock. Across a career spanning seven decades, primarily in New Zealand, the US and Australia, Nock has proved himself a composer, improviser and band leader of the highest calibre. This was instantly evident on the opening Not We But One. Nock tells stories in music, and he distils essences of emotion. Here little wisps of melody from the piano provoked response, commentary and elucidation from bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Toby Hall, the latter playing with his hands against Hirst's groove, while Nock floated lines above them that were, by turns, pensive and supremely lyrical. Then, as the composition's title suggests, the three instruments seemed to converge, and the interaction had a profundity like fine poetry, where each word contains a deeper truth. This was music playing the musicians, rather than the other way around, and it stayed at this peak when tenor saxophonist Karl Laskowski joined, generating a gruff sound, and playing short, stabbing phrases that drove the groove rather than riding on it. Nock then reoccupied the foreground, finding typically surprising implications in what the rhythm section was offering. The band slipped back into a safer place with Foundry Start-Up Blues, although Laskowski grabbed the piece by the scruff and made it raw and real. Much more engrossing was the contemplative Acceptance, which had Nock making little rivulets of melody flow into the gentle, bossa nova-tinged groove, before Laskowski played a solo as languid as floating downstream in a dinghy without resort to oars. Hall crafted a stonking, bucking solo on the boppish Transitions, and Hirst, Nock's longest-serving collaborator, soloed with sinewy vigour on a blues in the second set, which also featured Laskowski deploying the brawny sound and loping lines beloved of Texan tenor saxophonists. Every composition presented different facets of Nock the composer and Nock the improviser. One moment we'd hear his love of rhythmic puzzles and child-like joy in the game of making music, and the next his capacity for crystalline beauty; one moment rhythmic drive and the next flurries of abstraction. I began listening to Nock in the 1970s via records and an Australian tour when his fabled US career was peaking, and then in 1982 came the mysterious and ethereal Ondas masterpiece. When he returned to Australia permanently in 1985, he didn't always find musicians who could consistently play at his level of invention. But he persisted. Three of the worthy ones were with him on this night, as he bid adieu to the venue that has been his second home for 13 years.
The Age
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
It was great while it lasted: Jazz master farewells his ‘second home'
So it's goodnight to Foundry 616, the love child of a man whose passion has been presenting jazz in Sydney for more than 40 years, Peter Rechniewski. People get Orders of Australia for doing much less. This was a hell of a penultimate gig, featuring the pianist who played the venue's first concert 13 years ago, Mike Nock. Across a career spanning seven decades, primarily in New Zealand, the US and Australia, Nock has proved himself a composer, improviser and band leader of the highest calibre. This was instantly evident on the opening Not We But One. Nock tells stories in music, and he distils essences of emotion. Here little wisps of melody from the piano provoked response, commentary and elucidation from bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Toby Hall, the latter playing with his hands against Hirst's groove, while Nock floated lines above them that were, by turns, pensive and supremely lyrical. Then, as the composition's title suggests, the three instruments seemed to converge, and the interaction had a profundity like fine poetry, where each word contains a deeper truth. This was music playing the musicians, rather than the other way around, and it stayed at this peak when tenor saxophonist Karl Laskowski joined, generating a gruff sound, and playing short, stabbing phrases that drove the groove rather than riding on it. Nock then reoccupied the foreground, finding typically surprising implications in what the rhythm section was offering. The band slipped back into a safer place with Foundry Start-Up Blues, although Laskowski grabbed the piece by the scruff and made it raw and real. Much more engrossing was the contemplative Acceptance, which had Nock making little rivulets of melody flow into the gentle, bossa nova-tinged groove, before Laskowski played a solo as languid as floating downstream in a dinghy without resort to oars. Hall crafted a stonking, bucking solo on the boppish Transitions, and Hirst, Nock's longest-serving collaborator, soloed with sinewy vigour on a blues in the second set, which also featured Laskowski deploying the brawny sound and loping lines beloved of Texan tenor saxophonists. Every composition presented different facets of Nock the composer and Nock the improviser. One moment we'd hear his love of rhythmic puzzles and child-like joy in the game of making music, and the next his capacity for crystalline beauty; one moment rhythmic drive and the next flurries of abstraction. I began listening to Nock in the 1970s via records and an Australian tour when his fabled US career was peaking, and then in 1982 came the mysterious and ethereal Ondas masterpiece. When he returned to Australia permanently in 1985, he didn't always find musicians who could consistently play at his level of invention. But he persisted. Three of the worthy ones were with him on this night, as he bid adieu to the venue that has been his second home for 13 years.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ever heard of Driver Inc.? Canada's trucking industry is calling it a $1B scam
The national voice of the trucking industry in Canada is renewing calls for the federal government to pump the brakes on what it says is a $1-billion scam. The scam, which the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has coined "Driver Inc.", occurs when companies incorrectly classify drivers as independent contractors, instead of employees to save money on payroll taxes. "We believe that in some parts of Canada at least a third of the companies and the drivers are participating in this, and it's hurting us twofold as a society," said Stephen Laskowski, CTA president and CEO. "Those are taxes that aren't going into our [economy], and on the flip side of it, it's about a 30 per cent advantage in the marketplace." Laskowski described Driver Inc. as a tax evasion scheme and says some trucking companies are purposely misclassifying drivers to save money. He says drivers also lose labour protections including fair pay, overtime and vacation pay, as well as health and safety protections. In 2021, the government made it illegal for federally regulated employers to misclassify employees, and added penalties for non-compliance. In a statement to CBC, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) said that prohibition was strengthened in 2024 by placing the burden on employers to prove a worker is not an employee. However, Laskowski said more needs to be done, identifying Driver Inc. as the biggest current threat to the industry — including the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war. "We have worked and pleaded with governments to address it, and the reality is they are starting to, but nowhere near to the level that needs to be done. Nowhere near," he said. Companies target newcomers Driver Karanveer Singh agrees there's a lack of enforcement against companies that break the law. Singh came to Canada from India's northern Punjab state as an international student when he was 18 years old. "I'm trying to chase the Canadian dream," he said. But Singh's journey took a detour shortly after he got his commercial trucking licence. He said the first two companies he worked for misclassified him as an incorporated driver, and also never paid him. Singh was able to prove to the Canadian Labour Board that he had been misclassified and the companies were ordered to pay what he was owed. While he was able to collect from one of the companies, Singh said it's unlikely he'll ever see the nearly $40,000 owed by the second company. "Until the government enforces it, it is useless," he said, referring to the court order. "These companies, they know what they are doing…. Most of the time they will find new immigrants, new truck drivers to target because they are so easy to target because every new immigrant is desperate for a job." A difficult problem Part of the CTA's solution involves lifting a moratorium on assessing penalties for failing to complete the fees for service box of the T4A tax slip. Laskowski said that would help the CRA identify and audit companies that rely heavily on incorporated drivers. However, it could also further slow an already sluggish system, according to Ottawa tax lawyer Dean Blachford. "With penalties comes disputes and penalty relief requests that clog up the system even if they are for small amounts," he explained in an email to CBC. "Meanwhile, the companies that are pushing the limits the most with Driver's Inc. still might not comply with the T4A requirement and instead take further evasive means (such as using shell companies) to creditor proof themselves from having to pay the penalty if CRA ever identifies them." In a statement to CBC, the CRA said it's working toward lifting the moratorium before enforcement commences. It also said the agency is not aware of the analysis underlying Laskowski's claim that Driver Inc. has resulted in about $1 billion in lost tax revenue, and "therefore cannot comment." Driving down business The owner of Kriska Transportation Group in Prescott, Ont., is also urging the federal government to act, saying the Driver Inc. model is driving companies that do comply with tax regulations out of business. The unfairness makes owner Mark Seymour's blood pressure rise. "It's widely known, it's not a dirty little secret. It's out of control," he said. Seymour has been in the business more than four decades, taking over Kriska from his late father in 1994. "I have competed as many of us have for many years based on price and service where price should be established from the same ground rules as everyone," he said. "That's paying appropriate taxes, treating people as employees and in the manner that the government would expect." Phil and Francie Langevin own P.A. Langevin Transport in Carleton Place, Ont., and say they, too, worry about the future. "There's so much wrong with this industry right now," Phil Langevin said, adding he suspects the companies that operate under the Driver Inc. model are so focused on profits that they also let safety standards slip. "These issues are falling through the cracks, and the next time you're driving on a highway with a transport truck beside you I want you to look at it and I want you to wonder how safe am I, really," Francie Langevin said. Singh said in his experience, that assessment is true. He recalled being trained by a very inexperienced driver who got them into trouble at the Port Huron border crossing. "He hit the concrete wall over there at the border, and I was so surprised. Like, this is supposed to be my trainer and he just like damaged the truck," Singh said. On his next trip, Singh said he was asked to be the trainer. "They did not [tell] me a single thing and just gave me a new training driver for me to train," he said. "They want their stuff delivered, they want their job done. "I think when these companies are allowed to operate, Canadians are not safe," he said. ESDC said it is taking action, recently entering into an information-sharing agreement with the CRA to help with enforcement and compliance. It also pointed to a dedicated team of inspectors focused exclusively on the road transportation industry across Canada. Since 2023, ESDC said the team has conducted about 540 inspections and held 320 education sessions across the country.
25-06-2025
- Business
Ever heard of Driver Inc.? Canada's trucking industry is calling it a $1B scam
The national voice of the trucking industry in Canada is renewing calls for the federal government to pump the brakes on what it says is a $1-billion scam. The scam, which the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has coined Driver Inc. , occurs when companies incorrectly classify drivers as independent contractors, instead of employees to save money on payroll taxes. We believe that in some parts of Canada at least a third of the companies and the drivers are participating in this, and it's hurting us twofold as a society, said Stephen Laskowski, CTA president and CEO. Those are taxes that aren't going into our [economy], and on the flip side of it, it's about a 30 per cent advantage in the marketplace. Laskowski described Driver Inc. as a tax evasion scheme and says some trucking companies are purposely misclassifying drivers to save money. He says drivers also lose labour protections including fair pay, overtime and vacation pay, as well as health and safety protections. In 2021, the government made it illegal for federally regulated employers to misclassify employees, and added penalties for non-compliance. Exposing the trucking industry's underground economy Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? The national voice of the trucking industry in Canada calls it a $1-billion scam and the biggest threat they're facing. CBC explores Driver Inc. In a statement to CBC, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) said that prohibition was strengthened in 2024 by placing the burden on employers to prove a worker is not an employee. However, Laskowski said more needs to be done, identifying Driver Inc. as the biggest current threat to the industry — including the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war. We have worked and pleaded with governments to address it, and the reality is they are starting to, but nowhere near to the level that needs to be done. Nowhere near, he said. Companies target newcomers Driver Karanveer Singh agrees there's a lack of enforcement against companies that break the law. Singh came to Canada from India's northern Punjab state as an international student when he was 18 years old. I'm trying to chase the Canadian dream, he said. But Singh's journey took a detour shortly after he got his commercial trucking licence. He said the first two companies he worked for misclassified him as an incorporated driver, and also never paid him. Singh was able to prove to the Canadian Labour Board that he had been misclassified and the companies were ordered to pay what he was owed. While he was able to collect from one of the companies, Singh said it's unlikely he'll ever see the nearly $40,000 owed by the second company. Until the government enforces it, it is useless, he said, referring to the court order. These companies, they know what they are doing…. Most of the time they will find new immigrants, new truck drivers to target because they are so easy to target because every new immigrant is desperate for a job. A difficult problem Part of the CTA's solution involves lifting a moratorium on assessing penalties for failing to complete the fees for service box of the T4A tax slip. Laskowski said that would help the CRA identify and audit companies that rely heavily on incorporated drivers. However, it could also further slow an already sluggish system, according to Ottawa tax lawyer Dean Blachford. With penalties comes disputes and penalty relief requests that clog up the system even if they are for small amounts, he explained in an email to CBC. Meanwhile, the companies that are pushing the limits the most with Driver's Inc. still might not comply with the T4A requirement and instead take further evasive means (such as using shell companies) to creditor proof themselves from having to pay the penalty if CRA ever identifies them. In a statement to CBC, the CRA said it's working toward lifting the moratorium before enforcement commences. It also said the agency is not aware of the analysis underlying Laskowski's claim that Driver Inc. has resulted in about $1 billion in lost tax revenue, and therefore cannot comment. Driving down business The owner of Kriska Transportation Group in Prescott, Ont., is also urging the federal government to act, saying the Driver Inc. model is driving companies that do comply with tax regulations out of business. The unfairness makes owner Mark Seymour's blood pressure rise. It's widely known, it's not a dirty little secret. It's out of control, he said. Mark Seymour, CEO of Kriska Transportation Group, says compliant companies such as his simply can't compete with those using the Driver Inc. model. (Robyn Miller/CBC) Photo: (Robyn Miller/CBC) Seymour has been in the business more than four decades, taking over Kriska from his late father in 1994. I have competed as many of us have for many years based on price and service where price should be established from the same ground rules as everyone, he said. That's paying appropriate taxes, treating people as employees and in the manner that the government would expect. Ron and Francie Langevin own P.A. Langevin Transport in Carleton Place, Ont., and say they, too, worry about the future. There's so much wrong with this industry right now, Ron Langevin said, adding he suspects the companies that operate under the Driver Inc. model are so focused on profits that they also let safety standards slip. These issues are falling through the cracks, and the next time you're driving on a highway with a transport truck beside you I want you to look at it and I want you to wonder how safe am I, really, Francie Langevin said. Singh said in his experience, that assessment is true. He recalled being trained by a very inexperienced driver who got them into trouble at the Port Huron border crossing. He hit the concrete wall over there at the border, and I was so surprised. Like, this is supposed to be my trainer and he just like damaged the truck, Singh said. On his next trip, Singh said he was asked to be the trainer. They did not [tell] me a single thing and just gave me a new training driver for me to train, he said. "They want their stuff delivered, they want their job done. I think when these companies are allowed to operate, Canadians are not safe, he said. Ron and Francie Langevin worry about the future of the trucking industry. They suspect companies that use the Driver Inc. model also cut corners when it comes to safety. (Robyn Miller/CBC) Photo: (Robyn Miller/CBC) ESDC said it is taking action, recently entering into an information-sharing agreement with the CRA to help with enforcement and compliance. It also pointed to a dedicated team of inspectors focused exclusively on the road transportation industry across Canada. Since 2023, ESDC said the team has conducted about 540 inspections and held 320 education sessions across the country. Robyn Miller (new window) · CBC News
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fallen officers honored as part of Peace Officer Memorial Day in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Thursday, May 15, 2025, is Peace Officers Memorial Day and people gathered to honor and remember them in Jacksonville. It's meant to honor law enforcement officers who have died or have become disabled in the line of duty. The ceremony took place in front of Jacksonville's Public Safety Remembrance Garden which commemorates officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice to the city. 'You don't forget them. You know, it's this profession has its risks, obviously, but their family, their families are our family,' Onlsow County Sheriff Chris Thomas said. 'And we will never forget them.' Over the years, eight law enforcement officers in the county have fallen in the line of duty, including: Deputy Steve Black, Deputy Jerry Barber, Deputy Steve Bohem, Officer Terry Lanier, Officer Mark Laskowski, Special Agent Brent McKee, Captain Jerry Scantling and Detective William Whitehead. 'It's just a constant reminder and a way for them to live on and for us to show our reverence and our gratitude for what they do for us,' Deputy Chief of the Jacksonville Police Department Ashley Weaver said. Weaver worked with Laskowski up until he died in 2022. His family members joined her in laying a brick at the memorial in his memory. 'While it is a solemn occasion, it's not meant to be about the sorrow,' Weaver said. 'It's meant to be about a celebration of their life and their service and what they did for their community.' Laskowski and other officers were honored with a 21-gun salute, Taps, Amazing Grace and a radio call along with a wreath at the fountain. 'We're fortunate in Onslow County. The support our county has for us is deep,' Sheriff Thomas said. 'They are very supportive of us and military as well. So, that makes it better in my profession to know that we have that support.' Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips also issued a proclamation marking May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
