Bill deprives voters of critical information, encourages corruption, says St. Albert MLA

A bill that would stop conflict of interest investigations from happening during elections is making its way through the legislature.

Tabled under Bill 8, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, the legislation will keep unproven allegations from influencing the democratic process, according to the province.

But Marie Renaud, NDP MLA for St. Albert, believes the amendment is retaliation for the conflict of interest investigation into Premier Danielle Smith during the May 2023 election.

“It’s just the latest UCP move to remove independent oversight,” Renaud said.

Alberta ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler found that Smith breached the Conflict of Interest Act during a conversation Smith had with former justice minister Tyler Shandro about criminal charges against Artur Pawlowski, a Calgary pastor who participated in the Coutts border blockade.

Although the UCP said they are making amendments to the Conflict of Interest Act based on Trussler’s recommendations, they also pushed to have Trussler removed from the ethics commissioner position, according to Renaud.

Steve’s Note:
(
You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd. Anyone employed by the government that stands against them loses their job. Kenney fired the ethics commisioner when he was the premier) |Read more https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/bill-deprives-voters-of-critical-information-encourages-corruption-says-st-albert-mla-7865808/| stalbertgazette.com/local-news…

#UCP #ethics #commissioner #JobPosting #fired #Trussler #abpoli #guilty #ConflictOfInterest

Is this our future?

https://libranet.de/photos/stevem/image/132732609465624971c2d3a958256068

#ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #oxygen #food #water# resources #destroyed #ruined #world

Inside Digital Nomad Paradise: How a Bulgarian town became a haven for remote workers

A small town in Bulgaria is attracting a new kind of visitor: digital nomads. This alternative lifestyle, whereby people travel and work simultaneously, existed before the pandemic. But since then, digital nomadism went from niche to normal – rejecting and redefining the traditional idea of work life. For The New Reality, Krista Hessey takes us inside Bansko to discover what’s bringing hundreds of remote workers, including Canadians, to this quaint mountainside town.

Bansko looks like the sort of town you’d see only on postcards. The peaks of Bulgaria’s Pirin mountains rise over old stone houses with terracotta roofs. Narrow cobblestone streets are lined with traditional Bulgarian restaurants with benches draped with sheepskin and red and green tapestries.

In the winter, thousands of Europeans descend on Bansko — one of the most popular ski destinations in the Balkans. But in the summer months, the town quiets down, attracting families from Sofia on weekend getaways and, increasingly, hoards of remote workers.

Most came to Bansko out of sheer curiosity. They had heard about this small Bulgarian town turned digital nomad village from the various Facebook and WhatsApp groups, where nomads share tips on the best places to visit, how to get there, and where to stay. Many had planned to be here for just a few weeks but found themselves extending their stay.

“It’s the Bansko Effect,” says Maya Meyaloyo, the Israeli nomad, who runs a YouTube channel about graphic design and now owns an apartment at Four Leaf Clover.

Discontent with the rising cost of living in their home countries was the main reason they took to the road, now scouring the globe for anywhere with cheap rent, a warm climate and fast Wi-Fi.

“I can say with confidence I’m enjoying a high quality of life and saving money at the same time,” says Nasr Bitar, the young Syrian Canadian from Vancouver. In Bansko, he had a personal trainer and a life coach, which, he says, he wouldn’t be able to afford back home.

A studio apartment at Four Leaf Clover costs 250 euros a month, equivalent to about $370. Zeitler tells digital nomads they can live comfortably in Bansko for as little as 1,000 euros a month ($1,500 CAD). It’s a steal, compared with other parts of Europe or North America. |Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/10104237/digital-nomad-village-bansko-bulgaria/| globalnews.ca/news/10104237/di…

#Bulgaria #DigitalNomad #affordable #comfortable #Bansko #cdnpoli #visa #mountains #skiing #environment #Beauty

Danielle Smith to invoke Sovereignty Act on Ottawa power rules next week, say sources

The Danielle Smith government intends to put its Sovereignty Act into action next week to shield Alberta power companies from the proposed federal clean electricity regulations, CBC News has learned.

The province will use the controversial law to introduce a resolution in the legislature that declares Ottawa’s plan to slash grid emissions an unconstitutional federal measure, and spell out ways the regulations would not be enforced in Alberta, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The resolution will be tabled for debate and approval in the United Conservative Party-dominated legislature as early as Monday, the sources said. The government briefed electrical generation executives about their intentions on Thursday.

After repeatedly threatening to do so, this will be the first time Smith’s government actually puts into place the provocative law it passed last December. Formally called the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, Smith devised it as a way to enable the province to “push back against federal interference and encroachment” on provincial jurisdiction.

One of her consistent threats has been to use the act in hopes of thwarting Clean Electricity Regulations (CER), the suite of rules designed to implement the Trudeau government’s plan for a net-zero power grid by 2035. The regulations would put clear limits on when and how emitting power sources — like Alberta’s natural gas-burning plants — can be used starting in 2035, though it does not ban their use.

Defending Alberta’s natural gas plants

The vast majority of Alberta’s electricity currently comes from natural gas, and Smith has vowed to do everything she can to fight Ottawa’s plans, including an $8-million national advertising campaign urging other Canadians to fight too. |Read more https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sovereignty-act-alberta-danielle-smith-1.7040077| cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sov…

#abpoli #NaturalGas #smith #SovereigntyAct #CER #NetZero #jurisdiction #constitution

‘Homeless overnight’: She works full time, and sleeps in her car

As she delivered her fall economic update earlier this week, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told the House of Commons “our country needs more homes — and we need more of them fast.”

For one Ontario woman who’s been living in her car since August, fast can’t come fast enough.

The 45-year-old woman has been sleeping in her vehicle for the last three months while working full time and trying to find a new place to live.

“Sometimes you can’t find a safe place to sleep,” she said. “I tend to sleep at bank (parking lots) because banks have cameras and I feel secure and safe there.”

She relies on a wool blanket to keep warm, cardboard window blinds carved from boxes for privacy and the goodwill of business owners to use the bathroom. She’s learned that Tim Hortons is a good place to connect to Wi-Fi.

And while she may, for now, be experiencing homelessness, she’s not unemployed. She continues to work the same retail marketing job she’s held for two years. Her employer has good benefits, and covers her gas and cellphone bill so she can travel to meet customers across southwestern Ontario — from Collingwood to Windsor to Niagara, and everywhere in between.

“When I see others in homeless situations, huddling in corners trying to stay warm, it just breaks my heart,” she said. “Anyone can be homeless overnight and that’s what happened to me.” |Read more https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/homeless-overnight-she-works-full-time-and-sleeps-in-her-car-1.7037835| cbc.ca/news/canada/london/home…

#onpoli #homeless #credit #car #employment #cdnpoli #expenses #landlords