Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 18, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba 204-783-8500 1425 Ellice Avenue Monday to Friday 10AM – 6PM Saturday 10AM – 6PM Sunday 11AM – 5PM www.la-z-boy.com/winnipeg SAVE10 % -50 % STOREWIDE MANY ITEMS SOLD WELL BELOW COST L a - Z - B o y C a n a d a h a s c h o s e n W i n n i p e g t o l i q u i d a t e A L L e x c e s s a n d d i s c o n t i n u e d i n v e n t o r y F A C T O R Y A U T H O R I Z E D INVENTORY OVERSTOCK SELL-OFF WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● A13 O TTAWA — An organization advo- cating for people with disabilities says the new federal disability benefit could be delayed beyond the promised July 1 payment date because the government still hasn’t approved the regulations. March of Dimes Canada launched a campaign Friday urging Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera to act quickly to draft those regulations, adding the federal government could tarnish its legacy if it fails to act. The organization is calling on Can- adians to write letters to Khera, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other cab- inet ministers to stress the importance of getting the benefit implemented on time. March of Dimes spokesperson Amanda MacKenzie said that with Par- liament currently prorogued, a promise of $243 million to help low-income people with disabilities apply for the benefit is also at risk, since the opposition parties are vowing to take down the government at the first opportunity. “People with disabilities in commun- ities across the country deserve the same dignity and autonomy and independence that the rest of us have,” MacKenzie said in an interview Friday. “While I understand this is one of the many items government is trying to wrap up, there are people with disabilities that simply can’t be left behind again. This would be a tremendous failure.” The benefit, which is supposed to start paying out on July 1, will see eligible people receive up to $200 per month. MacKenzie said that sum is lower than many wanted but still enough to help those struggling to keep a roof over their head and food in the fridge. And while she said she’s happy the legislation passed, the regulations set- ting out how the benefit will actually operate, including who is eligible, are still in draft stage and require govern- ment approval. Khera’s office said in a media state- ment that the work of the government continues even with Parliament pro- rogued, and the government is aiming to meet the July 1 payment date. “The Canada Disability Benefit is a major milestone in our strong and un- wavering commitment to creating a more inclusive and fairer Canada for all. This benefit is a direct result from the advocacy and hard work of the disabil- ity community,” wrote Waleed Saleem, press secretary for Khera. “We have been clear; we are working to ensure that there are no claw backs and that all Canadians who receive this benefit are better off.” Nicole Neeson, who has spent more than 40 years living with physical dis- abilities, is one of those who pushed for the creation of the benefit. Neeson said Friday her provincial dis- ability support in Ontario is not enough to allow her to pay her bills and live a life above the poverty line. She said the new federal benefit will give her a bit more room in her budget. “We need to be pushing the govern- ment to keep their word,” she said. “This is a priority.” MacKenzie agreed. “We’re in a world where there’s a likeli- hood of our economy hitting some pretty serious skids next week,” she said, refer- ring to president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. “This is going to be more important than ever.” — The Canadian Press NEWS I CANADA SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2025 Disability benefit at risk unless quick action taken to approve regulations: advocates ALESSIA PASSAFIUME Supreme Court set to decide whether to hear challenge of Quebec secularism law MONTREAL — The Supreme Court of Canada will announce next week whether it will hear a challenge of Que- bec’s secularism law, known as Bill 21. The groups seeking leave to appeal say they have been informed the coun- try’s highest court is expected to pub- lish its decision on Thursday. In 2024 the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the law, which prohibits some public sector workers such as teachers and police officers from wearing reli- gious symbols on the job. Groups including the National Coun- cil for Canadian Muslims, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Eng- lish Montreal School Board have sought leave to appeal that decision. Bill 21 pre-emptively invokes Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to shield the legislation from any court challenges over funda- mental rights violations. — The Canadian Press Two officers charged in Ontario wrong-way crash that killed four TORONTO — Two police officers are facing crimin- al charges for their alleged involvement in a deadly wrong-way highway pur- suit that killed four people, including an infant and his grandparents, Ontario’s po- lice watchdog said Friday. The Special Investiga- tions Unit said two Durham regional police officers have each been charged with three counts of crimin- al negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. The April 2024 crash on Highway 401 east of To- ronto immediately raised questions about why police allegedly pursued a rob- bery suspect into oncoming traffic on one of Canada’s busiest highways. The ensuing six-vehicle crash also seriously injured the infant boy’s parents, who were all travelling together in a sedan. Durham regional police Chief Peter Moreira called it a “tragic and catastroph- ic event that devastated a family and profoundly im- pacted a community.” He declined to answer questions about the SIU’s findings in a brief news con- ference on Friday. He said the force would also con- duct its own internal inves- tigation as required by law. The SIU declined to offer further comment with the case before the courts. The watchdog has previ- ously said Durham officers gave chase around 8 p.m. on April 29 to a cargo van iden- tified as a vehicle of interest in an alleged Clarington, Ont., liquor store robbery reported by an off-duty of- ficer. Police pursued the cargo van through local streets and eventually followed it into oncoming highway traffic at Stevenson Road in Oshawa. The 21-year-old man driving the cargo van died in the crash and a 38-year- old male passenger was in- jured. The grandparents killed in the crash had just ar- rived in Canada from India for a family visit days be- fore, their son said. In a statement shared by SIU shortly after the crash, Gokulnath Manivannan said losing his 60-year-old father, 55-year-old mother and three-month-old son had left him with profound grief. The two officers who have been charged are set to appear in an Oshawa court Feb. 13. Moreira, said the officers had been suspended with pay and would be assigned to administrative duties “if and when they are reinstat- ed.” He said he believed one officer had over 32 years of experience while the other had four. — The Canadian Press Cyber threat disrupts sales at liquor, pot stores in New Brunswick FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s liquor and cannabis stores had to shut down their debit and credit card machines last week af- ter detecting a cybersecur- ity threat, and the problem has yet to be fixed. Florence Gouton, a spokesperson for NB Li- quor, said “some anom- alies” were found Jan. 7 and external experts were called in to investigate, but much of the payment sys- tem remained off-line on Friday. “We were able to open stores for cash transactions only,” Gouton said in an emailed statement from the Crown corporation. “That remains the case today.” Gouton said the inves- tigation is continuing, but she said NB Liquor and Cannabis NB were gradual- ly restoring their systems as a technical team worked around the clock. “It is not simply a matter of turning the systems back on, but rather restoring the systems in a sequence and order that makes sense to the business and minimizes disruption to our customers and partners,” she said. Gouton said the corpor- ation was not hit by a ran- somware attack, and she said there was no impact on customers’ personal infor- mation. But she did not disclose details about what went wrong in what it described this week as a “potential cyber threat”, saying the corporation will not be of- fering interviews as its in- vestigation continues. In her statement, Gouton said NB Liquor apologizes for the inconvenience ex- perienced by customers, suppliers and agency part- ners. NB Liquor operates a net- work of stores in 29 com- munities across the prov- ince. — The Canadian Press ;