Canada

STOUGHTON, Sask. — About 200,000 litres of crude oil has been spilled onto agricultural land in southeastern Saskatchewan after a pipeline leak.

The spill was detected Friday at a site 10 kilometres north of Stoughton in a low-lying area with a frozen slough.

Doug MacKnight, assistant deputy minister of Economy, says about 170,000 litres have been recovered so far.

"They'll be removing cover, vacuuming up the oil and then eventually excavating the contaminated soils and taking them away for disposal,'' MacKnight said late Monday afternoon.

"Right now it looks like it's been contained to the low area where the oil was discovered."

MacKnight says the oil is not entering any creeks or streams.

"Right now, that's the evidence on the ground, yes indeed. But, you know, until all the work's done we won't know 100 per cent, but right now it looks like it's been contained to the low area where the oil was discovered,'' he said.

MacKnight says the government was notified about the spill on Friday, but details were only made public Monday when the volume of the spill became clear.

The land is part of the Ocean Man First Nation.

Oil spill on the Ocean Man First Nation in Saskatchewan https://t.co/Pkl0icRf3p pic.twitter.com/pAsFwOLDVu
— mervin brass (@treaty4news) January 24, 2017

The Economy Ministry's petroleum and natural gas division will oversee cleanup and pipeline repairs. MacKnight says the province has sent a pipeline engineer to the site, but it will take some time to determine the cause of the spill.

"The excavation, they expect to start on Wednesday to find the damaged pipe,'' he said.

Unclear which pipeline leaked

Tundra Energy Marketing is handling the cleanup, but MacKnight says there are several pipelines in the area and could not confirm that Tundra owns the pipeline that leaked.

"If it turns out it's somebody else's pipe, we'll deal with it at that time, but the cleanup's still going to proceed,'' said MacKnight.

Tundra said in an email that "the source of the oil has not yet been determined, but as TEML owns a pipeline adjacent to the release, it has taken the lead in cleaning up the released oil.''

The company said it is co-operating with the affected parties to ensure that their concerns are addressed appropriately.

2016 spill jeopardized drinking water

The spill is nearly the size of a leak in a Husky Energy (TSX:HSE) pipeline last July near Maidstone, Sask.

The Husky leak jeopardized the drinking water of thousands of people after about 225,000 litres of oil was spilled and about 40 per cent made it into the North Saskatchewan River.

The cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort were forced to shut their intakes from the river and find other water sources for almost two months.

The company said it recovered about 210,000 litres of oil spilled before it wrapped up shoreline cleanup efforts in October.

Husky's report into the spill said shifting ground was to blame for the pipeline burst.

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The United States is called the "land of opportunity." But economists say the American dream is actually much easier to achieve in Canada.

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced his election bid, he claimed "the American dream is dead," The Washington Post reported.

On the latest episode of the "Freakonomics" podcast, economist Raj Chetty explained that Trump's claim might be true — but that opportunity might have simply moved north.

"You’re twice as likely to realize the American Dream if you’re growing up in Canada rather than the U.S.," Chetty said.

Chetty explains intergenerational income mobility. Article continues below.

When it comes to intergenerational income mobility — when a generation makes more money than the one before it — Canada is near the top of the chart.

According to The Conference Board of Canada, the U.S. is ranked 11th of 13 peer countries, while Canada is ranked fourth.

"If there were no intergenerational mobility at all ... all poor children would become poor adults and all rich children would become rich adults," the study explains.

Mobility is measured by calculating the difference in earnings between a parent and their children. The more elastic that ratio is, the easier for a person to move outside of the class they were born in.

"There is less relationship between a family’s background in Canada and the adult incomes of that family’s children. Only 19 per cent of a family’s disadvantage is passed on to their children. This means, for example, that if a family earns $10,000 less income than the average, the children will earn $1,900 less than the average."

In contrast, a family in the U.S. earning $10,000 less income than average would have children that earn $4,700 less — meaning a child from a poor family will have twice the success in Canada than she or he would in the U.S.

"Many Americans may hold the belief that hard work is what it takes to get ahead, but in actual fact the playing field is a good deal stickier than it appears," writes University of Ottawa economics professor Miles Corak, in a paper on income mobility in the U.S.

One of the reasons Canada has such higher income mobility than the U.S. might be racial integration, Chetty suggests.

“Segregation seems to correlate strongly with differences in opportunity,” the economist told Wired magazine, noting that infrastructure and education also play major roles.

income mobility chart

Canada is ranked fourth out of 13 peer countries when it comes to intergenerational income mobility. (Chart: Conference Board of Canada)

The U.S. isn't the lowest on the list. The U.K. had the worst class mobility out of all countries studied by the conference board, and while the U.S. opportunity gap has plateaued, the one in the U.K. is actually getting worse.

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OTTAWA — Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Lemieux is lashing out at what he calls “chronic political correctness,” saying Canadians shouldn’t be forced to refer to transgender individuals with gender-neutral pronouns or face fines and other penalties.

“Freedom of speech in Canada is under attack,” Lemieux said in a news release Monday. “Protection from discrimination is entirely different from not wanting to be offended. Chronic political correctness is strangling free and respectful debate in Canada and it has to stop.”

The former Ontario MP, who was defeated in the 2015 federal election, pledged to scrap Bill C-16 if he is elected Tory leader and forms government. The Liberal legislation, currently in front of the Senate, extends protection to the transgender community through the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act by recognizing gender identity and gender expression as grounds for discrimination.

Lemieux refused to say why he is opposed to using alternative pronouns such as ‘they’ in the singular form to refer to a trans person if they request it. “This isn’t about me,” he told The Huffington Post Canada.

Pierre Lemieux speaks in the House of Commons in 2012.

But Jack Fonseca, a senior political strategist with the social conservative Campaign Life Coalition, said he believes Bill C-16 will bring “raw persecution” of Christians and people of other faiths.

“It is a draconian law that requires people to say certain words that they don't believe in — that even contradicts their conscience,” he told HuffPost. “If you believe that there are only two sexes, male and female, and you are required to affirm the philosophical idea that there are multiple genders… you are being required to violate your conscience and, in some cases, your moral beliefs and religious beliefs.”

“Freedom of speech in Canada is under attack."

The Liberal party, the NDP and a majority of the Conservative caucus in the House voted in favour of C-16. Of the 40 Tories who stood opposed, only two have become leadership candidates: Saskatchewan MPs Brad Trost and Andrew Scheer.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said the bill aims to ensure equal protection to trans and gender-diverse Canadians under both human rights law and criminal law.

“This bill is not about limiting freedoms, but expanding them for all Canadians,” she told HuffPost in an email. “Discrimination undermines an individual’s freedom to build a stable and successful future and deprives us all of their participation in our society.”

jody wilson raybould

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould responds to a question on April 14, 2016 in Ottawa.

In the Commons last October, the minister noted that with this bill, the government was saying “loudly and clearly that it is time to move beyond mere tolerance of trans people. It is time for their full acceptance and inclusion in Canadian society.”

'A sword for militant radical activists'

Fonseca, however, insisted that the bill, rather than being a “shield” for those who identify as transgender, will instead become “a sword for militant radical activists to go after Christians and make them pay for opposing this ideology.

“If this dangerous bill is passed, we will see Christians’ lives ruined,” he said. “We will see them lose their jobs, their homes. Their reputations will be destroyed. We will see Christians be buried under ruinous financial debt as a means to silence them and send an example to others…. We will see people being jailed.”

While Lemieux believes the law’s goal is to intimidate Canadians, he told HuffPost he doesn’t think it will lead to incarceration.

In his news release, however, he quoted University of Toronto Professor Jordan Peterson saying just that: “It is wrong to jail someone for holding different attitudes or beliefs, or for simply refusing to use specific words on demand in a free society.”

Jordan Peterson speaks at the University of Toronto.

Peterson garnered national headlines last fall when he spoke out against the use of alternative pronouns such as ‘they,’ ‘ze’ or ‘zir’ for trans individuals.

Peterson told HuffPost he believes the legislation could land someone in jail if they refuse to pay a fine or penalties such as legal costs and are subsequently held in contempt of the court.

He and Lemieux both pointed to a comment by Ontario Chief Human Rights Commissioner Renu Mandhane that refusing to address a trans person by their chosen name and a personal pronoun that matches their gender identity would be discriminatory if it occurred in a public area covered by the code, such as a university setting.

“This is as true today for non-binary gender pronouns like 'they' as it was for the evolution of the feminist movement..."

On its website, the commission states that using “right terms” can be used to affirm identities and challenge discriminatory attitudes, while “wrong ones” can disempower, demean and reinforce exclusion.

“This is as true today for non-binary gender pronouns like 'they' as it was for the evolution of the feminist movement and the use of the term “Ms” or a married woman’s maiden name.”

While the Ontario Human Rights Code, like Bill C-16, does not specify the use of any particular pronoun or other terminology, the Ontario Commission specifically states that provincial law recognizes “misgendering” as a form of discrimination.

The federal legislation speaks only about gender identity and expression, although Wilson-Raybould noted that courts across the country have been interpreting "gender identity" and "gender expression" for many years and in hundreds of cases.

“We will look at all Canadian jurisdictions, including Ontario, for guidance on how to interpret these terms,” she wrote.

The government’s news release defines “gender identity” as a person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum, while “gender expression” is how a person publicly presents their gender, such as through their dress, hair, makeup, body language and voice.

Lemieux calls it 'forced speech'

As prime minister, Lemieux said, he would strike a new legislative committee and ask Peterson to review all laws governing speech.

“My message is quite clear: In Canada, we celebrate free speech not forced speech,” he said.

Egale Canada, a charity that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) human rights, did not return requests for comment.

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The 2017 Oscar nominations are in!

Early Tuesday morning, the 89th Academy Awards nominees were announced by former Oscar winners Brie Larson and Jennifer Hudson and other past winners at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling nabbed his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor in "La La Land" (his first nomination being for his role in "Half Nelson" in 2007), in which he plays a jazz musician trying to make it big.

ryan gosling la la land

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are both nominated for Oscars this year for "La La Land."

"La La Land” tied "Titanic" with 14 nominations — the most in Oscar history.

Quebec director Denis Villeneuve received his first-ever Oscar nomination for the sci-fi thriller "Arrival," which is also up for Best Picture.

The 2017 Academy Awards will take place on Feb. 27, 2017, hosted by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

See below for the complete list of 2017 Oscar nominees:

Best Picture

"Arrival"
"Fences"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"Hell or High Water"
"Hidden Figures"
"La La Land"
"Lion"
"Manchester By the Sea"
"Moonlight"

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert, "Elle"
Ruth Negga, "Loving"
Natalie Portman, "Jackie"
Emma Stone," La La Land"
Meryl Streep, "Florence Foster Jenkins"

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, "Manchester By the Sea"
Andrew Garfield, "Hacksaw Ridge"
Ryan Gosling, "La La Land"
Viggo Mortensen, "Captain Fantastic"
Denzel Washington, "Fences"

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, "Fences"
Naomie Harris, "Moonlight"
Nicole Kidman, "Lion"
Octavia Spencer, "Hidden Figures"
Michelle Williams, "Manchester By the Sea"

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight"
Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"
Lucas Hedges, "Manchester By the Sea"
Dev Patel, "Lion"
Michael Shannon, "Nocturnal Animals"

Directing

"Arrival," Denis Villeneuve
"Hacksaw Ridge," Mel Gibson
"La La Land," Damien Chazelle
"Manchester By the Sea," Kenneth Lonergan
"Moonlight," Barry Jenkins

Film Editing

"Arrival"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"Hell or High Water"
"La La Land"
"Moonlight"

Foreign Language Film

"Land of Mine"
"A Man Called Ove"
"The Salesman"
"Tanna"
"Toni Erdmann"

Original Score

"Jackie"
"La La Land"
"Lion"
"Moonlight"
"Passengers"

Production Design

"Arrival"
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
"Hail, Caesar!"
"La La Land"
"Passengers"

Visual Effects

"Deepwater Horizon"
"Doctor Strange"
"The Jungle Book"
"Kubo and the Two Strings"
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"

Adapted Screenplay

"Arrival"
"Fences"
"Hidden Figures"
"Lion"
"Moonlight"

Original Screenplay

"Hell or High Water"
"La La Land"
"The Lobster"
"Manchester By the Sea"
"20th Century Women"

Animated Feature Film

"Kubo and the Two Strings"
"Moana"
"My Life as a Zucchini"
"The Red Turtle"
"Zootopia"

Cinematography

"Arrival"
La La Land"
"Lion"
"Moonlight"
"Silence"

Costume Design

"Allied"
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
"Florence Foster Jenkins"
"Jackie"
"La La Land"

Documentary Feature

"Fire at Sea"
"I Am Not Your Negro"
"Life, Animated"
"O.J.: Made in America"
"13th"

Documentary Short Subject

"Extremis"
"4.1 Miles"
"Joe’s Violin"
"Watani: My Homeland"
"The White Helmets"

Makeup and Hairstyling

"A Man Called Ove"
"Star Trek Beyond"
"Suicide Squad"

Original Song

“Audition,” "La La Land"
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” "Trolls"
“City of Stars,” "La La Land"
“The Empty Chair,” "Jim: The James Foley Story"
“How Far I’ll Go,” "Moana"

Animated Short Film

"Blind Vaysha"
"Boorowed Time"
"Pear Cider and Cigarette"
"Pearl"
"Piper"

Live Action Short Film

"Ennemis Interieurs"
"La Femme et le TGV"
"Silent Nights"
"Sing"
"Timecode"

Sound Editing

"Arrival"
"Deep Water Horizon"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"La La Land"
"Sully"

Sound Mixing

"Arrival"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"La La Land"
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
"13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi"

With files from CP.

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If someone asked you where housing is more expensive, Toronto or New York City, you'd likely say New York without thinking.

But you'd be wrong. Don't let those sky-high rents in Manhattan fool you: The island is home to less than 7 per cent of the New York metro area's residents (and increasingly, it's home to the top 7 per cent wealthiest).

When looking at the entire metro areas, Toronto and Vancouver are now noticeably more expensive places to buy homes. According to new data from research firm Demographia, the median house price in the New York area was US$397,600 in 2016, compared to C$615,800 in Greater Toronto and C$830,100 in Vancouver.

Adjusted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates, Toronto's median home price was US$464,164 in 2016, about 17 per cent higher than the New York metro area. If the loonie hadn't fallen after the oil collapse, the median house price in Greater Toronto would be 69 per cent higher than in metro New York today, and Vancouver prices would be more than double New York prices.

median house price nyc toronto

In nominal terms, Toronto house prices passed New York prices around 2010, when New York was recovering from the U.S. housing bust and Toronto and Vancouver were soaring in the wake of major interest rate cuts. Since then, TO prices have run away from NYC prices.

Now you're probably thinking, this is some kind of statistical trickery. There is just no way New Yorkers pay less for housing than people in Toronto or Vancouver. OK, let's strip away the raw numbers and look purely at affordability. Here is the ratio of median incomes to median house prices.

house price income ratios

What this chart shows is that the median home price in NYC is 5.7 times the median wage. In Toronto, it's 7.7 times the median wage. You need two more years' salary to afford a home in Toronto than you do in New York.

Still not buying it? Let's look at some some middle-class homes in some middle-class neighbourhoods around metro New York.

A four-bedroom house 35 minutes from Times Square: US$349,000

This property is located in Yonkers, a 35-minute Amtrak ride from Penn Station. (Listing.)

A four-bedroom house 30 minutes from Wall Street: US$479,000

This property has been split into two two-bedroom apartments. It's located in Harrison, New Jersey, a 30-minute PATH train ride from the World Trade Center station. (Listing.)

80 kilometres outside Manhattan: $213,300

If you're willing to take on a Hamilton-to-Toronto-sized commute by car, you can buy a four-bedroom house in Islandia on Long Island for under $300K easy. It's near a large mall but not near transit. (Listing.)

So. Still think Toronto and Vancouver real estate is good value for money?

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The family of an Edmonton boy who killed himself is angry after they say his school called them twice to say he was absent.

Ethan Dizon’s mother Peggy told CBC News that they received two calls from St. Thomas More Junior High School since he died earlier this month, informing them that he hadn’t shown up for class that morning.

Peggy said she let the first call go, but that the second came on the day of his viewing.

"My family and I were traumatized," she said.

ethan peggy dizon

Ethan Dizon with his mother Peggy in an undated photo. (Photo: Peggy Dizon/Facebook)

Ethan was 14 when he died on Jan. 8, according to his obituary. His visitation was held on Jan. 20.

His older sister Chloe also expressed her frustration the day of the second call, saying his attendance record should have been changed when the school found out about his death.

“Of course he's absent — he has been dead for two weeks now,” she wrote on a Change.org petition page.

“Not only is this utterly disrespectful towards my deceased brother but this is outrageously rude towards my family and I.”

“Not only is this utterly disrespectful towards my deceased brother but this is outrageously rude towards my family and I.” — Chloe Dizon

The Edmonton Catholic School District told CBC News it regretted the error, but that Ethan’s name was kept on the automated messaging system so the family would know about messages sent to the school community about his memorial service.

But his older sister said she thinks there's a bigger problem at St. Thomas More.

Ethan was the second student to take his own life this school year, according to the Edmonton Journal. A 13-year-old boy died on Nov. 3.

ethan chloe dizon

Ethan Dizon's older sister Chloe wants an investigation into bullying at his school. (Photo: Chloe Dizon/Facebook)

Chloe Dizon said she wants the district and City of Edmonton to open an investigation into what she calls "rampant bullying" and an "elitist attitude" in the school's Sports Academies.

"As a young teen there, I have witnessed discrimination among the students, and as a result I was diagnosed with depression at the age of fifteen."

She said no one in their family knew that Ethan had suicidal thoughts or signs of depression.

School district spokeswoman Lori Nagy told the Journal they don't think the two deaths are related and haven't heard from students that bullying is a problem. However, an information session is planned for parents on how to spot potential mental health issues in their kids.

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“Do you think Donald Trump is a misogynist?”

It’s the kind of question that might shake a prime minister off his talking points, especially one who will sit down with an unpredictable, new U.S. president in weeks to talk about revising a major trade deal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau passes by reporters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Calgary on Jan. 24, 2017. (Photo: Jeff McIntosh/CP)

Especially a prime minister whose reputation as a feminist has sparked international headlines and acclaim.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear Tuesday, speaking with reporters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Calgary, that he isn’t going to go there.

“I am pleased to have a constructive working relationship with the new administration. It is… and I have made very clear over the past year, it is not the job of a Canadian prime minister to opine on the American electoral process,” Trudeau said.

“It is the job of the Canadian prime minister to have a constructive working relationship with the president of the United States and that is exactly what I intend to do.”

"It is not the job of a Canadian prime minister to opine on the American electoral process."

Moments earlier, Trudeau was asked about the thousands of Canadians and millions of people around the world who took to the streets Saturday to demonstrate against Trump. A reporter wondered what he might say to those who might be “uncomfortable” to see him working with Trump.

Trudeau said Canadians expect him to both seek out opportunities for the Canadian economy and “stand strong” for its values.

“We know how important a strong, positive trading relationship with the United States is for our communities, our businesses and Canadian workers,” Trudeau said. “But we also know that we have perspectives and (an) outlook that is deeply rooted in our sense of a shared opportunity and respect for rights.

“These are things that anyone who engages with Canada will understand and I look forward to, as always, as Canadians expect me to, having a positive working relationship with the new American administration.”

Trudeau's tweet goes viral

Trudeau steadfastly refused to criticize Trump during the U.S. campaign, saying it was his responsibility to work with either Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The prime minister did not release an official statement Saturday addressing the events in Canadian cities and towns that coincided with the massive Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Maryam Monsef, the new Status of Women minister, did not attend any of the marches. Monsef’s office told The Toronto Star she had “prior commitments in her riding.”

But Trudeau did take to Twitter to share his thoughts on the events.

“Congratulations to the women and men across Canada who came out yesterday to support women's rights,” he wrote Sunday. “You keep your government inspired.”

Congratulations to the women and men across Canada who came out yesterday to support women's rights. You keep your government inspired.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 22, 2017

Trudeau’s tweet made some waves and was picked up by some U.S. media outlets. “Trudeau's Response to the Women's March is Yet Another Reason You Should Move to Canada,” read the headline on Cosmopolitan.

Trump, unsurprisingly, had a different reaction to the protests.

Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2017

But the new president eventually noted that “peaceful protests” are all part of a functioning democracy.

Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2017

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OTTAWA – Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch wants Canada to “immediately” move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but some Canadian Jewish groups aren’t echoing her call.

Leitch launched a webpage Monday calling on the Trudeau government to relocate the mission from Tel-Aviv.

Kellie Leitch speaks during the Conservative Party French language leadership debate on Jan. 17, 2017 in Quebec City. (Photo: Jacques Boissinot/CP)

“Kellie believes that moving the Canadian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Israel's capital and the home of the Knesset, is the right thing to do,” said spokesperson Richard Chiano in an email.

“[T]he embassy's presence in Tel-Aviv sends an incorrect signal about Canada's support for Israel.”

Chiano said Leitch’s position is not motivated by President Donald Trump’s controversial election promise to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, although “it is encouraging and helpful” that he is “in favour of the same thing”.

RT Join me in calling on the Government of Canada to immediately move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. https://t.co/Fern3cIri3 #cpcldr
— Kellie Leitch (@KellieLeitch) 23 janvier 2017

Moving the Canadian embassy to Jerusalem will signal a sharp turn in Israel-Palestine policy. Canada currently recognizes East Jerusalem as part of the occupied territories.

Former foreign affairs minister John Baird earned a sharp rebuke four years ago, for example, when he met Israel’s justice minister at her East Jerusalem office.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday that the Trump administration is still “at the early stages in this decision-making process.”

Trump’s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, however, said he expects to work from Jerusalem, not from Tel Aviv, as soon as he begins his appointment, according to Israeli media.

Jewish organizations weigh in

On this side of the border, Jewish organizations were careful in their comments when asked if Canada should follow Trump’s example.

“I think that Canada, just like other American allies and other countries in the world, should be looking very, very closely [at moving the embassy],” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith, in an interview.

“Hopefully, Canada will move forward to help support peace. And there’s no question that at some point in the future, embassies of the world should be relocated in Jerusalem because it won’t be controversial,”he said.

Richard Marceau, a senior political advisor with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said in a statement that his organization would “welcome any international recognition” that validates that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

trump

U.S. President Donald Trump is shown at the White House this week.

The Trump administration will have to contend with international law if it aims to fulfill his promise, warned Rachad Antonius, a specialist on Middle East relations at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

“Neither [former Conservative prime minister Stephen] Harper nor [former U.S. president George W.] Bush wanted to move their embassies. Why? Because relocating an embassy to Jerusalem is recognizing a unified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and that is against international law. […] It would not only be a hostile action against Palestinians and Arabs, but it would be illegal.”

The professor added that Trump could also very well decide to ignore legal experts’ advice and relocate the U.S. embassy anyway. “In the Trump administration, a lot of people are more right wing [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu himself, in terms of supporting colonization.”

Canada’s new minister of foreign affairs, Chrystia Freeland, stayed mum when asked about the subject. Her spokesperson, Chantal Gagnon, said that the White House’s decision was not official yet and that Freeland would not “speculate” on this.

Feds accused of ducking issue

Antonius accused the Trudeau government of safeguarding its political interest by avoiding the question. “If [the minister] had a little bit of courage, she would’ve said that international law applies and that we beg to differ.”

CIJA’s Marceau said Canada needs to “show coherence and consistency in the application of principles that guide its foreign policy.”

“If Canada thinks that it should abstain from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel … it should also abstain from defining disputed territories as ‘occupied Palestinian territories,’” he said. “There can’t be one kind of standard in terms of prejudgment.”

Mostyn, from B’nai Brith, said the relocation of the embassies in Israel is a “necessity.”

“Sooner or later, embassies are going to be moving to Jerusalem. So the question is: how is it done in a proper way that leads to a peaceful resolution?”

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he “misspoke” when told an Ontario audience earlier this month that the oilsands need to be phased out.

“I misspoke. I said something the way I shouldn’t have said it,” Trudeau told journalists Tuesday after a cabinet meeting in Calgary. But then, the prime minister offered a long defence for why he believes the oilsands will be phased out some day.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers questions at a news conference with his cabinet after their Liberal cabinet retreat in Calgary on Jan. 24, 2017. (Photo: Todd Korol/CP)

Rick Bell from the Calgary Sun told the prime minister there was “quite a little bit of anger in Alberta” about his comments and he offered the PM the opportunity to set the record straight.

Trudeau suggested his critics had jumped on his words to “try to make political hay” but he stood firm in his belief, saying the country and the planet “need to move off of our dependency on fossil fuels.”

“First of all, I’m happy to highlight that from the very beginning of my political career I have been coming out to Alberta and listening to people and talking about how important Albertans are and Alberta is as a driver of the Canadian economy.”

One of the fundamental responsibilities of the government, the prime minister added, is to get Canadian resources to market — in a responsible and sustainable way.

'I will not run against Alberta'

Trudeau proudly noted that unlike the previous Conservative government, his Liberal government had approved two “significant” pipelines already with a third possibly on the way after U.S. President Donald Trump gave the Keystone XL project a green light Tuesday.

“I have said many many times, that I will not run against Alberta,” he told reporters.

Trudeau also noted that what he said during that Peterborough town hall was nothing really new.

“I have also spoken many, many times about our need to move off of our dependency on fossil fuels… I have always talked about managing that transition responsibility,” he said.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks to reporters at the McDougall Centre in Calgary, Alta. on Oct. 4, 2016. (Photo: Jeff McIntosh/CP)

“I talk about phasing out our dependency on coal, I talk about phasing out our use of fossil fuels, I talk about making sure that we understand that the resources in the oilsands, you know, 100 years from now we probably are not going to be using it for our fuel and energy sources except perhaps in jet fuel depending on alternatives that come up,” he later added.

“But the petrochemicals involved and the potentiality of these fossil fuel resources are always going to be valuable.”

While the transition off of fossil fuels dependency would take a long time, Trudeau said his focus as prime minister will be to ensure Canadians have good jobs, communities are prospering, the economy is growing and that everyone has opportunity. All that must be done, he said, “in a way that understands our responsibilities towards the environment, towards future generations, in a thoughtful and reasonable way.”

That, Trudeau said, is what he has “always showcased” and what he continues to believe in.

Tory rivals pounced on remarks

In mid-January, the prime minister told a town hall in Peterborough: “We can’t shut down the oilsands. We need to phase them out. We need to manage the transition off of our dependence on fossil fuels. That is going to take time. And, in the meantime, we have to manage that transition."

His words set off a firestorm in Alberta. NDP Premier Rachel Notley lashed back, saying Alberta’s oil and gas industry wasn’t “going anywhere, anytime soon.”

Conservative leadership candidates piled on. Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer, for example, called Trudeau himself to be phased out.

"We can't shut down the oilsands tomorrow. We need to phase them out." -- PM Trudeau

No, Mr. Trudeau.

Canada, we need to #PhaseHimOut pic.twitter.com/NzF4F6mPyy
— Andrew Scheer (@andrewscheer) January 13, 2017

The Prime Minister’s Office tried to downplay the incident, noting Trudeau hadn't said anything former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper hadn’t said.

Though Harper was a vocal champion of Canadian energy and a fierce advocate for pipeline projects, he joined with other G7 leaders in 2015 to commit to the full phase out of fossil fuels by the year 2100. At the time, one of his advisors called it an “aspirational target.”

With a file from Ryan Maloney

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Incredible.

A new satellite launched by NOAA, U.S.'s environmental research agency, sent back some of the clearest photos captured of planet Earth.

The GOES-16 satellite, sent into space in November 2016, has the ability to capture full-disk photos of Earth every 15 minutes with its Advanced Baseline Imager instrument (ABI).

Click the images below for a closer look.

The western hemisphere is shown in a image captured by GOAT-16.

The "game-changer" satellite serves an important purpose.

"The image is much more than a pretty picture, it is the future of weather observations and forecasting," said Louis W. Uccellini, the director of NOAA.

The Caribbean shown in a image captured by GOES-16.

The satellite's quick image-capturing abilities allow it to target regional areas where severe weather such as hurricanes may be approaching, in as quickly as 30 seconds.

It's revolutionary for meteorologists, who can zoom into active areas with a clearer focus than before — and potentially life-saving at times of natural disaster.

Watch the video above for more images from the satellite, and click here for even more.

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OTTAWA — A controversial government survey designed to gauge public appetite on reforming the electoral system has concluded that two-thirds of Canadians are satisfied with this country’s democracy.

The findings indicate, however, that while 17 per cent are “very satisfied” with the state of Canada’s democracy, half the respondents are only “somewhat satisfied.”

MyDemocracy.ca was launched on Dec. 5, 2016. Invitations to participate in the online survey were sent to 15 million Canadian households. Six weeks later, approximately 383,074 unique users had taken part in the poll, the survey’s creator, Vox Pop Labs, said in a report released late Tuesday.

Karina Gould is sworn in as Minister of Democratic Institutions during a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jan 10, 2017. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

The results, which were weighted to the census to increase the representativeness of the findings, found Canadians are generally satisfied with the current electoral system, Clifton van der Linden, the founder and chief executive officer of Vox Pop Labs, suggested in the report.

“Though satisfaction does not necessarily preclude a desire for reforming the electoral system, a majority of Canadians (67%) report being somewhat or very satisfied with the way democracy works in Canada,” he stated.

The survey’s responses could give the Trudeau government an excuse not to push forward with changes.

The online consultation was celebrated by former Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef as a way to consult directly with Canadians on the values they wanted to see reflected in a new electoral system. The Liberal party promised during the 2015 election campaign that it would be the last under the first-past-the-post, or winner-take-all, system. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pledged he would “make every vote count.”

Since forming the government, however, the Grits have not shown as much enthusiasm for reform.

Maryam Monsef speaks in the House of Commons on Dec. 5 , 2016. (Photo: Fred Chartrand/CP)

Critics panned the survey because it didn’t ask Canadians what electoral system they would prefer, nor did it ask simple questions such as: “Do you believe a political party that obtains 30 per cent of the popular vote should have 30 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons?”

Van der Linden wrote in his report that many Canadians value different features associated with different types of electoral systems. For example, 58.6 per cent of respondents said having the ability to hold governments to account was important — a feature often associated with the first-past-the-post system, where lines of party accountability are clear.

At the same time, 55.7 per cent of respondents said collaborating with other parties should be a priority in Parliament — this is often a hallmark of legislatures with voting systems that are more proportional.

This could embolden advocates of proportional representation, such as the NDP and the Green party, which have long championed having more disparate voices in Parliament and, likely, more minority governments.

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The government’s survey found a “clear preference” for a Parliament that is more co-operative, where parties work together to develop policy and share responsibility, as long as it is clear who is ultimately responsible.

Seventy per cent of respondents preferred a government where several parties have to collectively agree before a decision is made rather than a government where one party governs and can make decisions on its own, the report said.

Monsef was shuffled out of the democratic institutions portfolio earlier this month. The new minister, Karina Gould, said Tuesday that she was grateful so many Canadians had participated in the process.

“We will carefully consider these findings as we move forward,” she said in a statement.

Legislation promised for this spring

The Liberals promised during the campaign they would introduce legislation this spring so that changes could be enacted before the 2019 election.

A Commons committee dominated by opposition MPs recommended in December that the Liberals bring forward a new system of proportional representation. It also asked that Canadians be consulted n a national referendum on whether they preferred the proposed new system or the current first-past-the-post.

The Liberals on the committee, however, suggested the government should cool its heels and do nothing for the moment but take time to consult citizens before bringing in any potential changes.

The MyDemocracy.ca survey results revealed several interesting findings. Among them:

Canadians want a voting system that is easy to understand, where the ballot is not difficult to interpret;

Canadians are divided on whether special measures should be adopted to increase the representation of groups — such as women — who are currently under-represented in Parliament;

Canadians want members of Parliament to be less tied to party discipline and to have more autonomy to represent the interests of their constituents;

A slight majority of Canadians, 53 per cent, oppose mandatory voting;

A majority of Canadians support online voting but only if it doesn’t increase security risks;

Two-thirds of Canadians, 66 per cent, oppose lowering the voting age.

More than 90 per cent of Canadians support placing limits on the length of a federal election campaign.

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OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau should be standing up to Donald Trump, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said Tuesday as he urged the prime minister to push back against the U.S. president's newly enshrined support for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Keystone XL is the perfect opportunity for Trudeau to show a little resistance to the infamously protectionist Trump, Mulcair said in advance of a strategy session with his fellow New Democrat caucus members.

Trump catapulted Keystone back into the headlines with the stroke of a pen Tuesday as he signed an executive order offering pre-emptive — and highly conditional — support for a pipeline rejected by the Obama administration over environmental concerns.

Moving ahead with it would be a "massive error" for Canada, said Mulcair, who pointed out the Liberal government has already given its conditional approval to the Kinder Morgan line in B.C. and Enbridge's Line 3 between Alberta and Manitoba.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair talks with media in Ottawa on Sept. 28, 2016. (Photo: Matthew Usherwood/The Canadian Press)

He urged Trudeau to explain how supporting the TransCanada project aligns with the Liberal government's climate change goals, as well as the prime minister's stated belief that pipelines approved by the Conservative government were not subjected to proper environmental review.

"Mr. Trudeau, who was in favour of Keystone XL — is he actually going to approve that?'' Mulcair said in an interview, pointing to Canada's international commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Trump has in the past described climate change as a fraud invented by the Chinese, Mulcair noted.

"We can't let all of the bluster of Trump let us forget the essential aspect of the environment and greenhouse gas emissions and climate change."

"Mr. Trudeau, who was in favour of Keystone XL — is he actually going to approve that?''

It wasn't immediately clear whether Trudeau even has any ability at this stage to change the government's mind on Keystone XL, which won federal blessing from the previous Conservative government long before it got held up in the U.S.

In a statement, the federal Natural Resources Department trotted out some familiar boilerplate about Canada's "biggest trading partner and closest friend," noting that the federal government has already signed off on the project.

"All Canadian regulatory approvals are in place and it will now fall to TransCanada to determine its next steps."

It's unlikely Trudeau could change course on Keystone XL even if he wanted to, said Queen's University energy expert Warren Mabee.

"It really doesn't seem likely that our government ... could do what Mr. Mulcair is suggesting," Mabee said. Much of the northern stretch of the pipeline has already been built, he added.

Mulcair has called Trump a 'fascist'

Despite Mulcair's unapologetic assessments of Trump in the past — he has variously called him "bombastic" and a "fascist'' — the New Democrats found strange bedfellows with the U.S. administration when it pulled the plug on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"Frankly, I'm not sorry to see it go," Mulcair said.

None of that appears to have changed the NDP's overall opinion of the new U.S. president, particularly among some of the caucus members who are considered potential candidates in a leadership race that has yet to fully coalesce.

"Donald Trump is absolutely an extremist," said B.C. MP Peter Julian. "We need to speak out against the kind of sexist, racist, homophobic attitudes that he often seems to promote."

Indigenous rights compromised: MP

Manitoba MP Niki Ashton took issue with his decision to approve another contentious pipeline project Tuesday: the Dakota Access line, which has galvanized a national protest movement across the U.S. amid fears of the impact on the water supply for the nearby Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota.

"Today we saw him take a stand ... against indigenous rights in support of Dakota Access and we are not even a week in," said Ashton, clad in a "Stand with Standing Rock" T-shirt.

The NDP caucus meetings continue through Thursday.

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The University of Winnipeg is offering students a chance to learn the Ojibwe language on the indigenous people's traditional land.

The fast-paced, land-based language courses give students a chance to learn practices like medicine and beadwork in Riding Mountain National Park.

U of W has been a leader in promoting indigenous studies. All students at the university, regardless of their background, are required to take an indigenous studies course to graduate, according to Maclean's.

Students have the option of learning Cree or Ojibwe, or learning about topics like "indigenous self-determination," "legacy of residential schools" or "indigenous women and resilience." They can also take anthropology studies focusing on North America's indigenous groups, religious classes, or history classes focusing on Aboriginal, Metis or Inuit peoples.

Learn to speak Ojibwe in this intensive, land-based language course offered by #UWinnipeg. pic.twitter.com/edqYIMI659
— UWinnipeg (@uwinnipeg) January 23, 2017

The school, whose population is 12 per cent First Nations, Metis or Inuit, also offers awards and financial aid for indigenous students.

Signs at the school welcome students in Ojibwe, Cree, Dene, Michif, Dakota, and Inuktitut, and the school's website offers an "Ojibwe word of the week."

This banner outside Centennial Hall will welcome all visitors in Ojibwe, Cree, Dene, Michif, Dakota, and Inuktitut. pic.twitter.com/x8qjTm8ImZ
— UWinnipeg (@uwinnipeg) April 18, 2016

Aimee Guiboche and her 11-year-old daughter took Ojibwe classes from the university's Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre in 2015.

"My mom and dad never spoke the language to me," Guiboche told CBC News. Now, she's making sure her daughter has that opportunity.

Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams talks about how universities can promote indigenous languages.

The language program was developed from an earlier immersion program where students would learn about flora and fauna in Assiniboine Park, all while practicing their Ojibwe.

“We learn the language, but then we go out and we use it,” Jarita Greyeyes told Metro News.

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Andrew Borys is the absolute master of beer pong.

The 21-year-old from Calgary has probably received offers to join dozens of frat houses for his sniper-like accuracy. Despite the millions of YouTube hits — "I think I have, like, over a hundred million views now," Borys told The Huffington Post Canada — it's not even exactly what he wants to be doing.

Borys started recording his beer pong skills six years ago, hoping it would help him muster up the confidence to launch a career as a comedian.

"I started making these videos because I was really shy and quite reserved, but I always thought it would have been really cool to be on TV," he said. "I started making these videos to put myself out there, without actually having to put myself out there."

A video posted by Andrew Borys (@bbsdoingnothing) on Dec 27, 2016 at 2:55pm PST

At first, Borys was only getting 10 or 20 views at a time — and he admits "that was from me refreshing the video" — but it wasn't long before that increased. He slowly worked up to a 100 views, which he thought was a big deal, but then the views just kept coming.

"Beer pong is such a simple skill, but I'm doing something that people haven't seen before. I can see how it's happening, but it's definitely cool that it is actually happening."

In June, Borys is headed on an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the World Series of Beer Pong in Las Vegas. If he wins, he could net a $50,000 prize.

For now, he's getting in practice by filming his videos. The world series is sending him an official table, ball and cups — that's when he'll really start training.

10 Cup Stacked Pyramid! All We Know by @thechainsmokers ft. @phoeberyan (@parisblohm and @nolanvanlith remix) @rorykramer #allweknow #thechainsmokers

A video posted by Andrew Borys (@bbsdoingnothing) on Jan 9, 2017 at 10:52am PST

Borys has a few tips for those looking to get into the sport.

"Hold the ball between your middle finger and thumb, have a clear cup you want to aim at, and I like to make sure there's a bit of water on my fingers so I can have a bit more grip with the ball."

The marketing student will probably make fewer beer pong videos once he branches into comedy. But, he's still grateful for how much confidence they've brought him.

"It's helping me come out of that shell," he said.

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As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week he "misspoke" when predicting the oilsands would someday have to be phased out, a new study says reducing oil production is exactly what the country needs to be doing if the world is going to meet its targets under the Paris climate agreement.

“Canada’s exports of fossil fuels do not need to drop to zero immediately, but we cannot pursue policies that further increase extracted carbon,” economist Marc Lee wrote in the report for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute.

The report also says that a "major shortcoming" in the Paris climate accord has created an incentive for Canada to extract as much oil as quickly as it can.

justin trudeau calgary stampede

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau attends the Calgary Stampede parade, Friday, July 4, 2014. (Photo: The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Under the agreement that Trudeau signed last year, countries measure their progress in reducing emissions by looking at "territorial emissions" — in Canada's case, the carbon that's burned on Canadian soil. But it doesn't include carbon extracted in Canada and sent abroad, in the form of oil or natural gas.

Because Canada extracts much more oil than it burns (about twice as much at this point), it can export oil without taking a hit to its carbon emissions numbers — in essence, the emissions become the importer’s problem. But those importers will soon be looking to cut their own consumption of fossil fuels.

"Therefore, countries like Canada have a powerful incentive to extract fossil fuels now before their value evaporates," the CCPA said in an email. "This ‘green paradox’ is bad news for the climate."

“Neither industry nor government appear to be considering the Paris agreement in their future planning exercises."
— Marc Lee, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Many industry leaders and policymakers in Canada have argued against measuring the emissions of oil for export at the source, as the CCPA study does.

They argue smaller oil exporting countries like Canada would be unfairly burdened with reductions in emissions on behalf of energy consumers elsewhere.

But the CCPA study argues that "demand-side" policies, like the carbon tax Trudeau introduced, won't be enough to meet the temperature targets in the Paris climate deal. Governments need to implement "supply-side policies to keep carbon in the ground."

Many climate scientists have pointed out that keeping a cap on global temperature growth will require keeping some existing oil reserves in the ground.

"This means a planned, gradual wind-down of these industries needs to begin immediately, rather than the continued pursuit of new fossil fuel infrastructure," the study says.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2017. Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

The CCPA report landed a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order moving the Keystone XL pipeline forward — though to what extent is unclear. Trump said he wants to "renegotiate" the project, to ensure — among other things — that the pipeline is built with U.S.-made steel.

It also comes a day after Trudeau appeared to backtrack on a comment earlier this month that the oilsands would eventually need to be "phased out."

The Prime Minister's Office initially defended the comment, pointing out that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper said much the same thing. On Tuesday Trudeau said he "misspoke" by making the comment — but then went on to give a long defence of why he believes the oilsands will be phased out.

No change in future expectations after Paris deal

The Paris deal didn’t set out specific emissions reductions for each country, but rather set a goal of keeping temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.

What that means is that the deal creates a “carbon budget” for the world — a total amount of carbon that can be burned if global warming is to be kept under that 2 C limit.

No matter how that carbon budget for Canada ends up being calculated, it’s “much smaller than Canada’s proven reserves of fossil fuels,” economist Marc Lee wrote in the report.

carbon emissions canada

Under any scenario in which the world keeps to its temperature targets under the Paris deal, Canada can only extract a fraction of its fossil fuel reserves, economist Marc Lee writes. (Chart: CCPA)

“The ... carbon budget implies that Canada could extract carbon at current levels for at most between 11 and 24 years."

The CCPA report suggests that the Trudeau government hasn’t taken the first steps necessary to plan for a reduction or phase-out of fossil fuels.

“Neither industry nor government appear to be considering the Paris agreement in their future planning exercises,” Lee wrote. “In spite of the agreement, the National Energy Board continues to forecast increases in Canadian fossil fuel production and exports.”

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CALGARY — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched an impassioned defence for balancing the environment and economy at a raucous town hall in the heart of oil country Tuesday.

A man wearing a shirt with "I Love Oil Sands" written on it and a hat emblazoned with U.S. President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan took Trudeau to task for earlier oilsands comments.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes questions at a town hall meeting in Calgary on Jan. 24, 2017. (Photo: Jeff McIntosh/CP)

At a town hall in Ontario earlier this month, Trudeau was criticized for saying the oilsands would need to be phased out eventually. At the close of a Calgary cabinet retreat earlier Tuesday, he said he misspoke.

The questioner at Tuesday night's gathering accused the prime minister of making inconsistent statements depending on whether he was in eastern or western Canada.

"You're in Alberta right now, sir. You're not in Ottawa," the man shouted. "Yet when you come to Calgary, you tell people you're sorry.

"You are either a liar or you're confused. And I'm beginning to think it's both."

RELATED: Trudeau Says He 'Misspoke' When He Said Alberta Oilsands Must Be Phased Out

The man asked Trudeau whether he would take back the remark, prompting cheers from some in the crowd of more than 1,700.

Trudeau replied that he has been consistent in his oilsands message.

"I have repeatedly said that yes, the responsibility of any Canadian prime minister is to get our resources to market and yes, that includes our oilsands fossil fuels," he said.

"I've also said that we need to do that in a responsible, sustainable way — that you cannot separate what's good for the environment and what's good for the economy."

PM asked for show of hands on climate change

Trudeau said even former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper recognized the world would have to get off fossil fuels eventually.

He asked the crowd of mostly students to put up their hands if they think climate change is real and virtually everyone did.

A few other questions at the town hall touched on the economic pain Alberta has been going through in recent years as a result of low oil prices.

The unemployment rate in Alberta, where the economy largely centres on the oil and gas sector, was at 8.5 per cent in December, higher than the national rate of 6.9 per cent. Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs over the past few years.

"I have repeatedly said that yes, the responsibility of any Canadian prime minister is to get our resources to market and yes, that includes our oilsands fossil fuels."

Trudeau was also grilled on Canada's future peacekeeping role, trade, violence against indigenous women and strategies to tackle poverty.

A handful of hecklers interrupted Trudeau throughout the event at the University of Calgary. Trudeau responded by drawing on his past life as a teacher, telling one man he didn't want to reward bad behaviour by giving it too much attention.

Trudeau and the federal cabinet wrapped up a two-day retreat in Calgary earlier Tuesday that was focused largely on how to deal with an unpredictable new administration south of the border.

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While public awareness campaigns are fighting to end the stigma associated with adult mental illness, two Ontario parents are hoping the same spotlight can be shone on children's mental health.

Janet Ashby-Petrella and Frank Petrella of Cobourg, Ont., are heartbreakingly aware of the stigma and hurdles surrounding this issue. In August 2014, their 12-year-old son Chazz hung himself from a tree in their backyard, despite years of seeking assistance from numerous medical practitioners, agencies and organizations.

Sadly, Chazz is one of far too many. In Canada, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for kids aged 10 to 24, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Ontario had an average of 52 suicide deaths each year from 2013 to 2015 by kids aged 10 to 18. Kids Help Phone recently reported one in every five callers surveyed had considered suicide.

Knowing these statistics, Chazz's parents and four older siblings want answers. They want to know how the system failed their son and brother because they don't want this to happen to any other family.

However, Chazz's family was denied a public inquest into his care in July 2016 after a two-year investigation by the Pediatric Death Review Committee (PDRC).

The PDRC reports to the Ontario Chief Coroner and is responsible for investigating deaths of children or youth when concerns have been identified with their diagnosis or care.

The PDRC and Kingston supervising coroner Dr. Paul Dungey found Chazz's care to be "good" and advised the family that the agencies and organizations involved had taken voluntary steps to improve any concerns found during their investigation. But the family thinks more needs to be done.

"The system that failed Chazz cannot be simply 'fixed' behind closed doors by the representatives of that very system," maintain Chazz's mom and dad in a letter sent in July 2016 to Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontario's Chief Coroner.

They want Dr. Huyer to use his discretionary power to call a public inquest by jury. They feel that many key questions about their son's care haven't been answered, and some questions were not even asked at all.

In the same letter to Dr. Huyer their lawyer Julie Kirkpatrick states:

"My clients again ask you to recognize that a public inquest into the complete circumstances surrounding Chazz’s death is the only mechanism that will achieve a reliable factual foundation for meaningful recommendations to be made by a jury of individuals who have not emerged from, worked within, or become invested in the very system that failed Chazz and his family. My clients believe that the nature and result of this coroner’s investigation underscores the need for a jury of citizens to take a deep and careful look at what actually went so terribly wrong for Chazz."

Irwin Elman, Ontario's Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, doesn't mince words when he describes Ontario's mental healthcare system for children: "At best, we don't actually have one, and at worst, it's a mess."

He says Ontario isn't alone and that his counterparts in other Canadian provinces have similar frustrations. Elman has identified the following problems:

1. Fragmented and sometimes conflicting silos among Ontario services such as healthcare providers, community services, justice systems, schools and child-centric agencies.

2. Little collaboration between these support mechanisms.

3. Some treatment options have wait times exceeding 300 days.

4. Parents don't have any support in navigating the system when they try to find the right help for their child's mental illness, leaving entire families debilitated.

In light of all of this, Elman feels a public inquiry is an opportunity for those involved in Chazz's care, including his parents, "to come around him." This is a term he uses to describe how those individuals and mental healthcare organizations can move past defensiveness and blame because nobody wanted this to happen to Chazz.

"A jury of citizens in Chazz's community can objectively hear what happened to him, although it may be painful," says Elman. "And apply a lens of common sense to see what needs to change."

Meanwhile, Chazz's parents wait.

A public inquiry seems to be a way for them to finally find the right help on behalf of Chazz, to ensure other families dealing with childhood mental illness don't have to endure what they've been through.

Nothing will bring back their child, but changes to the system for children would at least give his death some meaning.

Where to get help:
1. Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 or visit www.kidshelpphone.ca for online chat counselling.

2. Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre here.

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Two are always better than one, but this duo are completely one-of-a-kind.

Nine-month-old twins from Quincy, Illinois, are making headlines after photos of them have gone viral.

Yes, they are adorable, but they are also a set of rare "chromosome twins."

"We're chromosome twins. Kalani(on left) is light with blue eyes and Jarani (on right) is the darker one with brown eyes. This is rare but so awesome to share!," their mom, Whitney Meyer wrote on Facebook site last year. Both babies were born in April 2016

“At first when they were born, I wanted to believe it but it’s so rare I didn’t think it’d happen to my twins! But sure enough they’re biracial twins!” Meyer told local news outlet KHQA on Monday.

In 2015, another set of twins in the U.K. went viral after people constantly confused them as friends.

Lucy and Maria Aylmer from Gloucester, U.K. were born to a mixed background couple.

"No one ever believes we are twins because I am white and Maria is black. Even when we dress alike, we still don’t even look like sisters, let alone twins. When we’ve met friends for the first time they never believe we are twins and they have even made us produce our birth certificates to prove that we are actually twins," Lucy told Itv News.

A photo posted by @mariaaylmer on Feb 10, 2016 at 1:47pm PST

But how rare are a twins like Lucy and Maria? According to the BBC, for mixed background couples expecting twins, there's a one in 500 chance those babies will be born with different complexions.

"Our skin colour is determined by a number of gene variants -- at least 20 variants, I would say, probably quite a few more than that," Dr. Jim Wilson, a population geneticist at the University of Edinburgh told the news site.

"Some of these we know, and some of them we don't yet know, and at each of these genes, that are influencing the colour of our skin, there tends to be two or more variants. One of which is producing a darker skin tone, and one of which is producing a lighter skin tone."

awesome day with my twin @lucindaaylmer

A photo posted by @mariaaylmer on Feb 24, 2015 at 10:44am PST

And although Kalani and Jarani share the same genes, they don't share the same habits just yet.

Meyer says Kalani is energetic and crawling, while her twin sister has yet to crawl. But both of them are equally adorable.

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Personality traits such as moodiness or open-mindedness are linked to the shape of one's brain, a study said Wednesday.

Researchers said they found a striking correlation between structural brain differences and five main personality types.

"The shape of our brain can itself provide surprising clues about how we behave — and our risk of developing mental health disorders," said a statement from the University of Cambridge, which took part in the study.

people

Psychologists have previously developed a "Big Five" model of main personality types: neuroticism (how moody a person is), extraversion (how enthusiastic), open-mindedness, agreeableness (a measure of altruism) and conscientiousness (a measure of self control).

Using brain scans from over 500 people aged 22 to 36, the new study looked at differences in the cortex — the wrinkly outer layer of the brain also known as grey matter.

Specifically it focused on combinations of thickness, surface area, and the number of folds in different people.

"We found that neuroticism ... was linked to a thicker cortex and a smaller area and folding in some brain regions," said study co-author Roberta Riccelli of Italy's Magna Graecia University.

brain

Conversely, openness, "was associated with a thinner cortex and greater area and folding."

Neuroticism, the team said, was a trait underlying mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, whereas "openness" reflects curiosity and creativity.

The deep folds in the human brain were the evolutionary solution to fitting such a large, super computer into a relatively small skull.

"It's like stretching and folding a rubber sheet — this increases the surface area, but at the same time the sheet itself becomes thinner," co-author Luca Passamonti of the University of Cambridge explained in a statement.

brain sizes

Nature vs Nurture?

The study was the first to clearly link the "Big Five" personality traits to differences in brain shape, Riccelli told AFP.

This, in turn, was "a crucial step to improving our understanding of mental disorders," she said.

"It may give us the opportunity to detect those who are at high risk of developing mental illnesses early, which has obvious implications for prompt intervention."

The research touches on a question that has occupied the minds of philosophers and scientists for centuries — are humans more a product of their genes, or of their upbringing and exposure?

The study, published in the journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, could not conclude that brain shape determines a personality type, its authors said.

"We cannot answer the question: 'What came first, the chicken or the egg?'," said Riccelli.

"Hence we can't say if we have a specific personality type because our brain has a specific shape."

Brain shape, in itself, is determined by genetic as well as environmental factors, she pointed out.

The team hypothesized that brain differences may be even more pronounced in people likelier to suffer from neuro-psychiatric illnesses.

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LOS ANGELES — Police on Tuesday were investigating the killing of internationally known Toronto hairdresser and beauty company executive Fabio Sementilli, who was found beaten and stabbed at a Los Angeles home.

Detectives did not immediately provide a possible motive. They said his black 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera was missing from the home.

Paramedics found the 49-year-old Sementilli on Monday on the patio of a gated house in the upscale Woodland Hills neighbourhood. He was bleeding profusely and died at the scene.

The Canadian-born Sementilli worked for decades as a trendsetting hair stylist and served as vice-president of education for beauty products giant Coty Inc.

fabio sementilli

Toronto hairstylist Fabio Sementilli was found dead in Los Angeles on Monday. (Photo: Facebook/Fabio Sementilli)

The company said in a statement that he was an icon in the industry.

Sementilli had established himself as a "mentor and positive role model to so many,'' said Alison Alhamed, editor in chief of the journal Modern Salon.

"He could barely walk a few feet on a trade show floor without someone stopping him to take a selfie with him and share how much he impacted their career,'' Alhamed said.

"I'm optimistic, I'm driven and I don't accept the habit of negativity around me.''
— Fabio Sementilli

On Friday, Sementilli posted a photograph on Facebook of his 1987 hairstylist certification and reminisced about how his 30-year career was aided by a strong work ethic and support from colleagues.

"I'm optimistic, I'm driven and I don't accept the habit of negativity around me,'' he wrote.

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