Hundreds of current and former female Mounties have come forward from across Canada to join a class-action lawsuit alleging harassment within the ranks of the RCMP.

Hundreds of current and former female Mounties have come forward from across Canada to join a class-action lawsuit alleging harassment within the ranks of the RCMP.

Lawyers expected dozens of women to contact them with allegations after Janet Merlo, a 19-year veteran of the force, filed suit in March but attorney Jason Murray said Monday that more than 200 people have called his firm in Vancouver

It’s a significant number. It says to us there’s a significant problem that people feel has happened within the RCMP with respect to how women are treated,” Murray said in an interview.

And more people are expected to join the class action.

“We’re still hearing from women who either are currently members of the RCMP or who have retired or left the force in other ways,” Murray said. “On a week-to-week basis we’re hearing from people coming forward who have complaints about how they feel they were treated when they were with the RCMP.”

The civil suit filed by Ms. Merlo alleges she suffered bullying and verbal abuse throughout a career that began in March 1991 and ended in March 2010, all but a few months of it at the detachment in Nanaimo, B.C.

In her statement of claim, Ms. Merlo says male members of the detachment repeatedly made statements to her then-boyfriend and now husband, Wayne Merlo, that they’d had sex with her.

“The supervising corporal on Ms. Merlo’s night shift watch commented to Wayne Merlo words to the effect... ‘Janet is the right height because you can lay a six-pack of beer on her head while she gives you a blow job,“’ says the claim.

Ms. Merlo claims offensive items were left in her mail slot by colleagues, including a dildo and a fictional manual titled “Training Courses Now Available for Women,” comprising a list of 30 derogatory courses.

The court document claims Ms. Merlo left the force in March 2010 suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The case will officially get underway with a first appearance before B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday, but a class-action suit typically takes several years to wind its way through the justice system.

Ms. Merlo’s is just one of several lawsuits filed against the national police force by women who say they suffered abuse and harassment on the job.

Cpl. Catherine Galliford is suing the RCMP in a separate case claiming she suffered post-traumatic stress because of harassment that spanned two decades. She claims she was sexually assaulted, harassed and intimidated during a career in which she was the public face of the Air India investigation and the task force that arrested serial killer Robert Pickton.

The federal government, which represents the RCMP, denied all of Ms. Galliford’s allegations in a statement of defence in her case, but the rash of allegations since she came forward last fall prompted the force to announce earlier this year that it would train 100 officers to investigate internal complaints of sexual harassment.

Mr. Murray said the women who have contacted his firm concerning Ms. Merlo’s suit will not be named in the lawsuit at this time, but their allegations may be heard in court as the cases progresses.

“Everyone’s experience is different, obviously, but (the allegations) range from people who feel they’ve been passed over for an assignment or promotion because of their gender to people who have had words and taunting all the way up to incidents of sexual assault and physical assault.”

Bruce Carson, a former senior aide to Stephen Harper charged with influence peddling.

Bruce Carson, a former senior aide to Stephen Harper who worked closely with the Prime Minister on environment and energy files, has been charged with influence peddling.

The RCMP said Friday that Mr. Carson, 66, had been charged the previous day with one count of fraud on the government – a crime that is punishable by up to five years in jail.

Mr. Carson, who worked off and on as a political adviser to Mr. Harper between 2006 and 2009 and was known in Conservative circles as “the Mechanic”for his ability to fix tricky situations, is accused of using his association with the power brokers of Ottawa to sell filtration systems to Canada’s first nations.

Mr. Harper’s office first called the RCMP on Mr. Carson after allegations connected to a news investigation by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. The matter was also referred to the office of the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner and the commissioner of lobbying.

The network reported that Mr. Carson had allegedly been lobbying Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the minister’s office on behalf of an Ottawa-based water company, H2O Pros, that employed his girlfriend.

Mr. Carson also raised the issue of water quality on reserves in a meeting in February, 2011, with Environment Minister Peter Kent, but the government says he did not promote the services of H2O Pros at that time.

Under legislation brought in by the government in 2006, senior federal officials are not permitted to lobby on behalf of private companies for five years after leaving the government.

“Any individual who doesn’t respect our laws must face their full force as well as the consequences that come with them,” Andrew McDougall, Mr. Harper’s spokesman, said in an e-mail on Friday.

There are also allegations that Mr. Carson improperly lobbied the Natural Resources department on behalf of the Canada School of Energy and the Environment (CSEE) for $25-million in federal funding. Mr. Carson took a job as the executive director of the Calgary school after spending the 2008 election campaign on Mr. Harper’s plane.

The charge laid against Mr. Carson on Thursday is not the first time he has had a run-in with the law. He was disbarred as a lawyer in 1981 and sentenced to 18 months in jail two years later after being convicted on five counts of fraud. Mr. Harper has said he was aware of some of Mr. Carson’s background but not all of it and would not have allowed him to work in his office had he known the full details of his past.

But opposition critics say Mr. Harper must take responsibility for hiring someone with a shady past.

“It is like the red carpet was rolled out because he was one of theirs,” said Charlie Angus, the NDP ethics critic. “He was part of their circle of good old boys.”

Scott Andrews, the Liberal ethics critic, said he is glad that the RCMP has taken this matter seriously, but “this is really about the judgment of the Prime Minister.”

Mr. Carson is scheduled for his first court appearance in relation to this charge on Sept. 10.

He was also being investigated by federal Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, but the ethics investigation is on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case.

The McGill Dances for Cancer Research video has won a Bronze Medal for best use of social media. ... McGill Dances for Cancer Research Lipdub

To highlight some of the critical work being done at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre, we gathered some of our top scientists, students, lab techs and dedicated volunteers, who turned on the music - and danced!

Thanks to our proud sponsor, Medicom, a donation will be made for each hit to support advances in cancer research at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre.

Visit:
http://cancercentre.mcgill.ca/

To make a direct gift, click under the photo.

Thank you for your tremendous interest and support!



We are proud to announce that the Council for Advancement and Support of Education has awarded the video McGill Dances for Cancer Research a bronze medal in the Circle of Excellence Awards for "best use of social media". This is a terrific achievement for all those who participated on this project. Congratulations!

 

Personalized Cancer Medicine, the Golden Age of cancer research," said Dr. Benjamin Neel, Director of The Campbell Family Institute

Amidst the skirl of the pipes and a glistening 400-ounce bar of solid gold symbolizing a new gold standard in cancer care, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation today announced its new 'BELIEVE IT!' campaign -- a BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE to accelerate Personalized Cancer Medicine at The Princess Margaret.
"We live in the Golden Age of cancer research," said Dr. Benjamin Neel, Director of The Campbell Family Institute for Cancer Research at The Princess Margaret. "Recent advances in genetics, including the ability to decode cancer genes, are leading us towards a more customized approach. Our goal is to bring full genetic molecular profiling to all new patients in order to truly deliver Personalized Cancer Treatment." Personalized Cancer Medicine focuses on using a patient's genetic information to more precisely diagnose their cancer and determine its prognosis, and then to select the treatment most likely to be of specific benefit to the individual.

"We're creating our own distinct model of Personalized Cancer Medicine at The Princess Margaret," stated Dr. Robert Bell, President and CEO of University Health Network. "It encompasses four key themes: Detect, Diagnose, Target and Support." The Princess Margaret's model of Personalized Cancer Medicine will help detect cancers earlier, diagnose cancers more precisely, provide targeted treatment and better support patients and their families through their cancer journey. "The Princess Margaret Cancer Program will unify around the creation and delivery of Personalized Cancer Medicine to provide the new gold standard of cancer care," added Dr. Bell. Today is Day One of the Billion Dollar Challenge, a five-year initiative to help revolutionize cancer care in Canada and around the world by creating a new gold standard of Personalized Cancer Medicine at The Princess Margaret. Changing the paradigm of cancer care requires a major investment, and in order to meet the Billion Dollar Challenge, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation will reach out to its donor community to raise $500 million while researchers will be challenged to secure the remaining $500 million through grants.

The funding will allow The Princess Margaret to recruit, train and retain highly-skilled physicians, scientists and staff who have the expertise to lead critical projects and clinical studies in order to improve the standard of care for patients. It will help build multi-disciplinary teams that include engineers, bio-informatics specialists and medicinal chemists in order to speed new technologies and discoveries to help patients sooner. The Billion Dollar Challenge will also allow for further development of award-winning psychosocial, survivorship and palliative care programs to assist patients and their families in managing pain, disease symptoms and the side-effects of treatments.

"Every patient is unique; every patient's cancer is different, so it follows that Personalized Cancer Medicine will produce the best results," said Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz, Medical Director of the Cancer Program at The Princess Margaret. "But it's not just at The Princess Margaret – it's people working collaboratively across Canada and the world that will conquer cancer in our lifetime." "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for personalized cancer medicine," stated Robert Kidd, a PMH patient and one of the event's speakers. "Radiation was too risky, surgery couldn't help me and chemotherapy wasn't working. I was part of a clinical trial that absolutely saved my life."

"As one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world, The Princess Margaret has the responsibility to lead the way in improving the standard of care for patients in the province, across Canada and around the world," said Paul Alofs, President and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. "That's why The Foundation has taken on such a lofty, ambitious goal. Can we conquer cancer in our lifetime? Believe it!"

For more information or to donate to Personalized Cancer Medicine, visit www.ibelieveit.ca 

The Federal Court ruled Thursday that a Council of Canadians lawsuit aimed at overturning the election results in seven ridings where voters reported receiving deceptive telephone calls can go ahead.

OTTAWA — The Federal Court ruled Thursday that a Council of Canadians lawsuit aimed at overturning the election results in seven ridings where voters reported receiving deceptive telephone calls can go ahead.
The Conservative Party had sought to have the case thrown out before evidence could be presented, arguing that it was a frivolous and vexatious suit, but federal prothonotary Martha Milczynski stated that without judicial scrutiny, fraudulent electoral calls "could shake public confidence and trust in the electoral process."

"Far from being frivolous or vexatious, or an obvious abuse, the applications raise serious issues about the integrity of the democratic process in Canada," said Milczynski.

"And identify practices that, if proven, point to a campaign of activities that would seek to deny eligible voters their right to vote and/or manipulate or interfere with that right being exercised freely."

At a hearing in June, Conservative lawyer Arthur Hamilton argued that the seven applications for judicial review of the election results should be thrown out of court because they were filed months after the election.

The Elections Act requires that any action to overturn an election be launched within 30 days of allegations of irregularities coming to light.

Steven Shrybman, the lawyer handling for the council, argued that the applicants only learned of an apparent attempt to keep voters from going to the polls after media reports on Feb. 23.

The court ruled, though, that when voters received calls misdirecting them on election day, they could not have known that they "could have been part of a fraud or corrupt or illegal practice," and said a determination requires "a full evidentiary record."

"It cannot be concluded at this juncture simply on the basis of inference and argument that the applicants as a group, or any of them, sat on their rights until after the time for bringing the application had expired."

The ruling does not cast judgment on the merits of the case, only asserts that it is not obviously fatally flawed, and calls for parties to get ready for a hearing "as quickly as possible."

Milczynski cites a ruling from Ontario Superior Court Justice Thomas Lederer, who in May ruled that the election of Conservative MP Ted Opitz in Etobicoke Centre should be voided because of irregularities, after former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj sued.

Opitz appealed that decision to the Supreme Court of Canada on July 10. A decision is expected in that case any day.

Council of Canadians president Maude Barlow said Thursday that she is pleased that the court didn't toss out the case.

"We'll be with the applicants every step of the way," said Barlow. "We want the truth to come out. The Canadian people all want to know what happened. We're not prejudging it but we do want our day in court."

Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey pointed out that the ruling is not evidence that the case has merit.

"The court made no decision on the merits of the applications, which we continue to believe are completely unfounded," he said Thursday.

The council, a nationalist, left-leaning citizen advocacy group, is seeking to have the court throw out the results in seven ridings where Conservatives won close races: Don Valley East, Elmwood—Transcona, Nipissing—Timiskaming, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, Vancouver Island North, Winnipeg South Centre and Yukon.

Each of the applications is from a voter who received a call telling them that their polling station had moved, seemingly as part of a concerted attempt to prevent opposition supporters from voting.

The council has also presented evidence from a Conservative call centre worker in Thunder Bay, Annette Desgagne, who signed an affidavit stating that she made calls in at least one of the ridings — Nipissing—Timiskaming — directing opposition supporters to the wrong polling stations.

The Conservatives have repeatedly stated that the party did not misdirect any voters.

DeLorey has described the council's suit as a "a transparent attempt to overturn certified election results simply because this activist group doesn't like them."

In an interview with the Toronto Star in April, Hamilton predicted the council's case would be thrown out. "They don't have any backup," he said then. "This is a publicity stunt."

The Quebec Superior Court of Justice has just delivered a major blow to the Harper government in a decision involving the CBC's unionized workers. The Court has ruled that a number of key clauses were unconstitutional in the budget legislation limiting spending which was passed on March 12, 2009.

The Quebec Superior Court of Justice has just delivered a major blow to the Harper government in a decision involving the CBC's unionized workers. The Court has ruled that a number of key clauses were unconstitutional in the budget legislation limiting spending which was passed on March 12, 2009.
It's a clear victory for CUPE Local 675 who challenged the legislation for violating the right to collective bargaining, a right protected under the guarantee of freedom of association in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The bill actually overrode wage increases that had previously been negotiated in the collective agreement with no opportunity to renegotiate.
“Basically the Court ruled that the government should have allowed the CBC to negotiate with the union. But, as usual, the Harper government chose to take the bulldozer route. It took a Superior Court decision to remind them of the importance of freedom of association and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” said Annick Desjardins, CUPE representative and lawyer assigned to the file.
“The judgement comes as a huge relief to CBC workers. The Court is reiterating that they should have a say when it comes to determining their work conditions. It's a good thing we have the Charter and courts to keep the Harper government in line and ensure that CBC workers' rights are respected,” said Isabelle Doyon, president of the union representing Radio-Canada office workers and professionals (CUPE 675).

According to the judgement, the government's attitude “is even more surprising considering that evidence indicates that the Treasury Board Secretariat was well aware of the principles established in the B.C. Health Services judgement.” The Supreme Court ruling confirmed that collective bargaining in good faith is protected under freedom of association in the Charter.

• A complete copy of the judgement

needle exchange in Stockholm

"In part, it reduces the risk of the spread of blood-borne diseases and in part – and perhaps most importantly – it increases contact with the people affected so they can receive different kinds of support," said Anders Tegnell of Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), the agency which approved the request."Other programmes, not least those in Lund and Malmö, have shown that those contacts can help prevent addicts from being hurt unnecessarily."

Last month, the Stockholm County Council (Landstinget) – the body responsible for overseeing the public healthcare system – filed a formal petition with the national health board seeking permission to launch a needle exchange programme.

In the wake of the health board's approval, plans are underway to house the needle exchange programme in a pavilion to be constructed at St. Göran's Hospital on Kungsholmen in central Stockholm.

The pavilion is scheduled to be completed by the autumn, according to County Council member Birgitta Rydberg of the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet).

"It was hard to find a landlord which was ready to house the operation. In the end, it was decided it was better to use space at a hospital on land owned by the County Council," she told the TT news agency.

Berne Stålencrantz, chair of the Swedish Drug Users' Union (Svenska brukarföreningen), expressed his enthusiasm over news that the needle exchange programme was finally moving forward.

"One loses steam after so many years. I've been working on this issue ever since I started the users' union ten years ago," he told TT.

He added that everything must now go according to plan with the needle exchange effort, expressing hopes that neighbours wouldn't complain and that no drug or syringe sales would take place near the facility.

"But we've offered to help and asked for funding to have two people on site. If we're standing there, people wouldn't simply deal right outside in plain sight. We don't want this to go awry," said Stålencrantz.

While Åke Örtqvist of Stockholm's infectious disease division admits there is no scientific way to quantify the medical benefits of needle exchange programmes, he said evidence from programmes elsewhere suggest they do help cut the spread of some diseases.

"Experience in Skåne and Finland indicate that they are a very good way to reduce HIV and Hepatitis B infections, and maybe Hepatitis C," he said to TT.