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Wednesday, August 25, 2021 – by John McHutchion

Here’s what you need to know to get the day started:


RCMP CONDUCTING 'CHARACTER' CHECKS ON STAFF AS FORMER TOP INTELLIGENCE
OFFICIAL'S TRIAL APPROACHES

 

It took the arrest of one of its top intelligence officials to make it happen,
but the RCMP says it's now keeping better tabs on the "character" of the people
it employs.

Cameron Ortis, who led the force's National Intelligence Co-ordination Centre
(NICC), was arrested in September 2019 in Ottawa. He was accused of revealing
secrets to an unidentified  recipient and of planning to give additional
classified information to an unspecified foreign entity or terrorist group. He
is charged with multiple Security of Information Act violations, breach of trust
and a computer-related offence. He also faced internal accusations of "strange
and controlling behaviour" that employees say the force ignored.

The force brought in Alphonse MacNeil, a retired RCMP assistant commissioner
turned consultant, to review the culture within the intelligence co-ordination
unit. Ortis was appointed director general of the NICC in April 2016.

MacNeil's report pointed to a failure in leadership and a workplace culture that
left employees feeling "broken," according to a redacted copy of the report
recently released through an access to information request. "The failure of
leadership in this case was noted at many levels and it reveals a need for the
RCMP to consider how leaders are selected," the report says.

MacNeil also wrote that NICC employees felt belittled, humiliated and demeaned
in a workplace environment that violated the RCMP's core values.

In the wake of MacNeil's report on the NICC, the RCMP said it made some changes,
including what it calls "a character leadership approach to its human resources
processes."

"These new tools allow for the assessment and ongoing development of an
individual's character, with a focus on judgment, inclusiveness and
self-awareness," said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Caroline Duval in an emailed
response to CBC News.

"This approach ensures that employees, regardless of rank or level, have the
competencies, commitment and balance of character to make good decisions across
a broad range of challenges and contexts."

The RCMP said it started its "character leadership approach" over the winter.

Ortis is scheduled for an eight-week jury trial starting Sept. 6, 2022.

 


MORE ON THIS ISSUE

Read more about the RCMP's 'character' checks.

RCMP suspected person leaking secrets had high-level computer access, Ortis
investigation search warrants show.

Suspected RCMP secrecy breach fallout upgraded to 'severe,' according to
documents.




CANADA WINS 2 BRONZE MEDALS ON 1ST DAY OF TOKYO PARALYMPIC GAMES 

 

(Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

 

Keely Shaw of Saskatoon reacts after winning the bronze medal in the women's C4
3,000-metre individual pursuit today at the Izu Velodrome on Day 1 of the Tokyo
2020 Paralympic Games. Later, Aurélie Rivard of Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.,
added to her career Paralympics medal haul by claiming the bronze in the women's
50-metre freestyle S10 event. Read more from the Paralympics here.

 

 

 


IN BRIEF

 

British Columbia is reimposing a mask mandate for indoor public spaces and will
require students in Grade 4 and up to wear masks at school this fall. The new
mask mandate comes into effect today and applies to people 12 and older. British
Columbians will be required to wear masks at grocery stores, restaurants, bars,
on public transit, in taxis and in office buildings where services are offered
to the public. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that the
mandate, which was lifted in July, would be reimposed. "We now know that there
is still a need for certain measures to be taken," she said, citing rising case
counts in the province. "The mask mandate is one of those additional layers that
we're putting in place as we transition through the fall." Manitoba also
announced Tuesday that masks will be required in indoor public settings,
including schools. Quebec also said it would require students in nine regions to
wear masks at all times when they're indoors at school this year. Read more on
the return of mask mandates. 

The Quebec government is putting into place a vaccine passport system starting
Sept. 1 that will effectively bar people who aren't fully vaccinated from many
non-essential activities. The passport — an electronic record of vaccination in
the form of a quick response (QR) code — has already been tested out at various
establishments across the province, including a restaurant, bar and gym. Click
here for a primer on what you need to know about the system, which is the first
of its kind in Canada.

Canada will remain in Afghanistan beyond the Aug. 31 date set for the withdrawal
of U.S. troops from the country to help evacuate more Canadians and eligible
Afghans if the security situation permits, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
Tuesday. The prime minister made the comments after attending a virtual meeting
of G7 leaders called by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier in the day.
"I emphasized that Canada is ready to stay beyond the 31st deadline if it's at
all possible, because we want to save as many people as possible and Canadians
are ready to work to try and do that," Trudeau said. Read more on the Kabul
evacuation. 

Post-secondary students are telling Elections Canada staff to do "as much as
they can" to get out the student vote, after the agency cancelled the Vote on
Campus program for the 2021 federal election. “There's youth voter studies out
there that show youth believe voting doesn't make a difference, and I think
these types of actions, and the lack of deployment of special ballot polling
stations, exacerbates those negative trends," said Saad Shoaib, vice-president
external for the University of British Columbia's Alma Mater Society. Elections
Canada said it's not offering the program this September for logistical reasons:
the pandemic and a minority government made it too difficult to plan anything on
a campus. Vote on Campus was a targeted program that allowed students to vote in
their home ridings while away at school. It started as a pilot in 2015, but was
expanded to 109 colleges and universities in the 2019 federal election. Read
more on students and voting.

Reasonable housing costs were once a selling point for living in Nova Scotia,
but prices have spiked in recent years amid a housing stock that hasn't kept up
with population growth. Advocates and tenants have been sounding alarm bells
over the state of the housing market, including during the August provincial
election, and the issue captured more public attention last week when Halifax
police pepper sprayed and arrested protesters in the city's downtown as
officials cleared dozens of tents and temporary shelters from encampments in
local parks and green spaces. With a federal election underway, focus has
shifted to what the main federal parties will do to help with Nova Scotia's
affordable housing crisis, which is now reaching beyond low-income households.
Read more on the housing situation in the province. 

If you have a question about the federal election, send us an email at
ask@cbc.ca. We're answering as many as we can leading up to election day. Today:
How secure is mail-in voting? 

The number of people crossing the land border into Canada more than doubled in
the first week fully vaccinated Americans were once again allowed to enter the
country for non-essential travel. According to Canadian government statistics,
218,732 non-commercial travellers entered Canada by land from Aug. 9-15. The
number, which includes both Canadians and Americans, was a 111 per cent increase
from 103,344 travellers the week before, when the border was still closed to
Americans, and a nearly 200 per cent increase over the 74,562 people who crossed
during that same week in 2020. It pales, however, in comparison to the 1.4
million travellers who entered Canada that week in 2019, before the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Read more on the numbers of people entering Canada from the
U.S. 

This week, Starbucks took a new step in the return to pre-pandemic life: it's
once again offering to serve customers coffee in their reusable mug. Meanwhile,
major competitors Tim Hortons and McDonald's say they have no immediate plans to
accept reusable mugs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic first hit
in March 2020, many quick-service restaurants — including large chains
Starbucks, McDonald's and Tim Hortons — declined to accept reusable mugs because
of health concerns. That meant customers had no choice but to get their takeout
coffee in a disposable cup. To allay COVID-19 health concerns, Starbucks has
introduced a "contactless" method for handling reusable cups. Some
environmentally conscious coffee drinkers are asking why the other major chains
aren't following suit. "A lot of environmental things went on the back burner
during COVID-19," said Brenya Green of Toronto, who's eager to once again be
served coffee in her reusable mug. "It's been a bit too long now, especially now
that Starbucks has shown a solution." Read more on the return of reusable mugs.

Now for some good news to start your Wednesday: When Adrianne Hart got married
recently, she knew the residents of the Gander, N.L., retirement home where she
works wouldn't be able to attend the wedding itself. Instead, she decided to
bring a taste of the big day to them. Hart and her new husband, Joey, left the
ceremony, still in their wedding attire, and went straight to Oram's Bethesda
Manor to visit the residents. "It was so amazing, I don't even know if I can put
it into words," Hart said. "As soon as I walked in, I stepped into the lounge
and I had a full house, which I wasn't expecting. Everybody was clapping and
smiling and just, oh, just really warmed my heart." Hart said she has been
working at the home since before it opened, and knows all the residents on an
intimate level. She said it was important to both her and her husband to see the
seniors on their wedding day. Read more on how the couple shared their wedding
with the seniors.

 

The Canada Votes newsletter is your daily guide to what you need to know about
the day ahead in the federal election campaign. Delivered to your inbox Sunday
through Friday mornings. Sign up here to get the newsletter.




'I FEEL VERY HOPELESS THAT I'M STUCK HERE'

Canadian rescue efforts are underway in Afghanistan after the fall of the
country to the Taliban. As of late Tuesday, Canada has evacuated more than 1,600
people from the country. But many more are desperately trying to make their way
out.

Today, the story of an Afghan doctor who's hiding from the Taliban, and his
Canadian wife, on their desperate efforts to leave Afghanistan, and what they're
calling on the Canadian government to do to help.
Listen to today's episode




TODAY IN HISTORY: AUGUST 25

 

1878: The Saskatchewan Herald, the province's first newspaper, put out its first
issue in Battleford. Because the paper predated any railway in Saskatchewan,
then the Northwest Territories, founder Patrick Gammie Laurie transported his
first printing press by ox cart on a 72-day trek from Fort Garry.

1943: Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to visit Ottawa.
Roosevelt and prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King of Canada and Winston
Churchill of Britain had earlier attended the Quebec Conference in Quebec City.

1984: Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Mulroney slams Liberal Leader and
Prime Minister John Turner on the issue of patronage during a televised election
debate. Mulroney charges Turner had a choice when presented with a list of
patronage appointments from former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The
Conservatives went on to a landslide election victory.

1986: Wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen begins the cross-Canada portion of his
round-the-world Man in Motion fundraising tour for spinal cord research,
starting at Cape Spear, Newfoundland. 
 

 

(With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)

 


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