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DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT, JANUARY 30, 2025 WORTH OVER $67,000 | CARS | CASH | SHOPPING SPREES WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● A5 NEWS I CANADA TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 Salmonella linked to recalled mini pastries may have infected nearly 1,600: health agency TORONTO — The Public Health Agency of Can- ada said nearly 1,600 people may have been in- fected with salmonella linked to mini pastries that have since been recalled. The federal agency’s director of outbreak management said Monday that calculation is based on the agency’s estimation that for every reported case there are another 26.1 in the com- munity. “We would estimate that 1,592 people have been affected by this event. The ones that we don’t know about may have had mild or moderate symptoms and had those resolve at home without seeking medical care,” April Hexemer said from Guelph, Ont. The public health agency issued an outbreak notice Saturday stating 61 cases of salmonella were linked to Sweet Cream brand mini pas- tries served at bakeries, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, retirement residences and catered events. The recalled pastries were imported from an Italian manufacturer, which has paused produc- tion. Hexemer said the public health agency launched an investigation Dec.12 and noticed that an unusual number of the people infected had attended catered events that served “fancy desserts.” “We pursued records from the catered events to identify which foods in particular were served at them, and we identified that the Sweet Cream brand mini pastries were served,” Hexemer said. Investigators tested specimens from those in- fected and found 16 cases had matching genetic features, providing strong evidence that those who got sick were exposed to the same product. Of the 61 sickened, 33 were in Quebec, 21 were in Ontario, four were in British Columbia, two were in Alberta and one was in New Brunswick. The mini pastries were distributed in Nova Scotia, too, but there had been no reported ill- nesses in the province as of Monday afternoon. Hexemer said she anticipates more cases will be reported because there’s typically a two-to- seven week delay before an infected person re- ports their illness. Joseph Panetta, a Quebec-based sales man- ager of importations at Piu Che Dolci, which distributes the Italian products in Canada and the United States, said they are picking up the recalled products from all of their Canadian cus- tomers and will send them to the laboratory to be tested. Their U.S. clients have not been affected, he said. “We’re not the manufacturer nor producer. We’re just the importer and distributor, so I apologize on behalf of, on our part, but we had no idea of this and we’re doing what we can to make it right,” said Panetta. — The Canadian Press HANNAH ALBERGA Montreal report reveals lack of consensus on dismantling homeless encampments MONTREAL — In Montreal, municipal politicians, health officials and community groups can’t agree on what to do about homeless encampments, which are regularly dismantled by social workers and po- lice. As the city struggles with a rise in the number of people sleeping outside, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report by a commit- tee that studied homelessness in Montreal says there is no consensus about whether encampments should be permitted on public property. While some cities, such as Halifax, have creat- ed designated locations where homeless people can pitch a tent, the City of Montreal has long maintained that encampments are not a safe or sustainable solution to homelessness — and that tents sometimes must be taken down for security reasons. But the report released on Monday suggests that several members of the committee, composed of city officials and representatives from health, busi- ness, community and research groups, want the city to stop dismantling encampments and instead offer supports such as heated tents, sleeping bags, food and sanitation services. “This question of the functioning in an encamp- ment that would be accepted by authorities re- mains open; the opinions of members differ,” the report read. Living in fear of a dismantlement creates “instab- ility and psychological uncertainty” for people who sleep outdoors, and having to move frequently af- fects their health and “compromises their capacity to protect themselves against bad weather, tem- perature variations and extreme conditions,” the report said. Support services could make people feel safer and develop routines and a sense of community that would beneficial, it added, reflecting some of the committee members’ views. However, some committee members also high- lighted the risks of encampments, including isola- tion, violence, overdoses, crime, sexual exploitation and appropriation of public space. They also found that people in encampments would need a number of services, including for managing conflicts. In response to Montreal’s struggle with home- lessness, municipal officials formed the committee last year. Its report comes as the city is also hold- ing public consultations on how to better integrate homeless services into the neighbourhoods that surround them. Sam Watts, the CEO of the Welcome Hall Mis- sion, said cities and organizations are all grappling with how best to address the rise in homelessness and the growth in encampments. He said some argue that since encampments exist, cities should build the infrastructure to sup- port the people who live there. Watts said that while he doesn’t believe it’s helpful to “make vulnerable people more vulnerable by just simply knocking down tents and putting stuff in the garbage,” he also feels encampments are unsafe. “It’s an attractive place for people with less-than-honourable motives, and so the notion that somehow these are wonderful little commun- ities that can be nurtured and that we should sup- port them, that is a misunderstanding of the reality of many of these encampments,” he said. Instead, he believes governments and commun- ity groups need to redouble their efforts to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place and create more pathways to get people back to permanent housing. “Let’s just pause, take two steps backward and say, this is 2025, this is Canada. We can do better than this, and we must,” he said. Montreal has continued to send social workers and police to dismantle encampments on a regular basis, including on a stretch of Notre-Dame Street in October. The city has indicated it doesn’t seek out encampments to dismantle them, but responds when they’re reported in order to evaluate them for safety risks, including fires. Montreal has also made a number of new hous- ing announcements, including a pilot project for 60 modular housing units for the unhoused expected to launch this year. According to the report, many of the people sleeping in Montreal’s streets and parks have tried accessing emergency shelters but were unable, either because the spaces were full or because they didn’t meet their needs. Many shelters present “structural barriers” to certain people through rules such as not accepting couples or pets, the report added. James Hughes, the CEO of the Old Brewery Mis- sion, believes there should be more support provid- ed for people living in encampments, and that they should only be dismantled in “exceptional cases of violence or serious criminal activity. “Given the extreme lack of housing, the extreme lack of space in the emergency service network, letting them stay there is really the only option because just inviting them to leave means they’re just going to go set up an encampment 100 metres from here or across the street and maybe in a less safe place,” he said. The report includes a number of recommen- dations, including creating year-round drop-in centres, protecting existing low-cost housing, and opening more shelter and transitional housing spaces that are better adapted to people’s needs. It also suggests developing a municipal proto- col to outline how the city will intervene with unhoused people and evaluate the danger posed by encampments. The lack of an official protocol means situations are “left to interpretation, with unequal practices,” according to experts in the field, the report said. — The Canadian Press MORGAN LOWRIE Former cabinet minister Freeland distances herself from Trudeau government O TTAWA — Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland is attempting to distance herself from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his record as she com- petes for his job. In an interview with CP24 on Monday, Freeland said she found herself disagreeing with Trudeau more often in recent months and ultimately decided the government was on the wrong path. “For me, this campaign has been a real lib- eration. It is great to be able to say exactly what I think, to speak as a leader and speak in my own voice. I am loving it,” she said. Freeland quit cabinet in December after playing central roles in it since Trudeau won his majority mandate in 2015. Her departure as finance minister came after Trudeau told her he planned to replace her in that role with former central banker Mark Carney once she had delivered the fall economic statement in the House of Com- mons. When asked what she would do different- ly as prime minister if she found herself in a dispute with a cabinet minister, Freeland said she would never have done something like that. “I wouldn’t tell my finance minister I was going to fire her the day after she delivered the fall economic statement. I probably wouldn’t say that three days before she was supposed to deliver it,” she said. “Step one, right?” Freeland also said she would have made dealing with President Donald Trump and his trade threats the overriding priority driving Ottawa’s decision-making. She gave the interview the same day Trump was sworn into office and has chosen to pitch herself to Liberal voters as the best person to take on Trump in trade negotia- tions. Trump has threatened across-the-board tariffs against Canada that could severely damage the economy. Freeland also defended committing to eliminating the consumer carbon price de- spite backing the policy throughout her time in government. “No more consumer-facing carbon tax,” she told CP24 on Monday morning. That’s something the Conservatives won’t let her shake. Branding her as “Carbon Tax Chrystia,” they have been pointing out the various times when she promoted and de- fended the controversial levy in government. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in Montebello, Que., on Monday that he’s talking with the Liberal leadership candi- dates to press them to define their preferred alternatives to consumer carbon pricing. “If you’re not moving ahead with this par- ticular element, what (is it) you will put in place to ensure that Canada can continue to fight climate change and to make sure that we can reach our 2030 target?” he said. Freeland is competing for the Liberal leadership with Carney and former cabinet minister Karina Gould, along with several other candidates. Candidates have until Thursday to de- clare their intention to run and pay the first $50,000 deposit required to enter the race. Gould said she raised enough funds with- in 24 hours of her campaign launch Sunday morning to pay that deposit. Candidates ultimately have to pay a total of $350,000 to be included on the leadership ballot. — The Canadian Press KYLE DUGGAN FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland quit cabinet in December after playing central roles in it since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won his majority mandate in 2015. JANICE HANEY CARR / CDC This 2009 electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large group of Gram-negative Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that had been isolated from a pure culture. ;