Ontario doctors blast province for ending health care for uninsured residents

The Ontario Medical Association is blasting the province for its plans to end a program that provides health care services for people without health insurance and is calling on the government to extend it until a new solution can be worked out.

Board Chair Dr. Cathy Faulds says the government notified the association on Friday that the Physician and Hospital Services for Uninsured Persons program will end on March 31.

Faulds says the government decision will hurt the province’s marginalized residents, who already face extra societal barriers and would have to rely on the good will of individual doctors to receive health care if the program winds down as planned.

She says the OMA wants the government to extend the program temporarily and develop a long-term solution that addresses the medical needs of uninsured residents.

The Ontario Ministry of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.

Ontario established the program in 2020 near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to pay hospitals and physicians for medical services provided to patients who don’t have provincial health coverage, such as newcomers to the province and many temporary foreign workers and international students.

© 2023 The Canadian Press

Brewing climate change? What your morning joe means for a warming world

WATCH: Consumer Matters — Changes coming to big coffee chain reward programs

A brewing climate crisis may be coming after your morning joe, with new research suggesting that global coffee production faces an “increasing challenge” from extreme weather events.

A study published in the PLOS Climate journal on March 8 showed that climate change has resulted in sub-optimal growing conditions — heat waves, droughts, frosts and floods — which means coffee production can expect “ongoing systemic shocks.”

That release follows research earlier this year that also suggested the way you prepare your coffee and your consumption habits could be contributing to climate change.

Researchers at the University of Quebec analyzed the amount of carbon emissions from four different coffee preparation methods.

They used life cycle assessment which helps translate production into pollution, with data on machine manufacturing, capsules, packaging and emissions related to the agricultural phase.

A final version of their study is yet to be published but they shared part of that scientific paper in an article on The Conversation in January.

They found that drip filter coffee had the highest carbon emissions because a higher content of ground coffee is used to prepare the drink and it also uses up more electricity.

In their analysis, brewed coffee using a French press, on average, emitted the second-highest amount of carbon dioxide.

Instant or soluble coffee was the greenest option with the lowest carbon footprint when the recommended amount of coffee and water were used per cup, the research suggested.

Pods or capsules proved to be the best choice when other methods used 20 per cent surplus of coffee and double the amount of water needed.

“Since capsules generally use less coffee per preparation, they have an advantage,” said Luciano Rodrigues Viana, a PhD student in environmental sciences at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (UQAC).

However, they are worse for the environment because they are thrown in the waste, he told Global News.

Their analysis adds to previous research comparing the environmental impacts of coffee-making methods.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production showed drip filter coffee had the highest environmental impacts on a per-cup basis.

Whereas instant coffee was a more environmentally-friendly option than capsules.

Regardless of how you prepare your coffee, the production of coffee is the most greenhouse gas-intensive phase, according to Viana.

This is because of the modernization of the agriculture sector, with coffee fields requiring intensive irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide application — all of which can release greenhouse gas emissions.

When it comes to tea, for every kilogram produced, more greenhouse gases are emitted compared to coffee, said Viana.

However, since more coffee is needed to prepare the same quantity of drink, for every litre consumed, roasted and ground coffee can emit up to four times more greenhouse gases than tea.

You don’t have to stop drinking coffee to save the planet, says Viana.

The most effective way at the consumer level is avoiding waste of coffee and water.

Governments and multinationals have a bigger role to play in fighting climate change.

Viana said coffee-producing countries and companies should create the “economic and technical conditions necessary for the emergence of coffee production that is less dependent on irrigation systems, fertilizers and pesticides, while avoiding deforestation.”

Reintroducing traditional shade coffee plantation, using organic and mineral fertilizers and installing biodigesters for wastewater treatment can also help.

To limit the environmental impact of disposable cups, the use of recyclable and reusable ones should be encouraged, he said.

Canada has started rolling out a ban on single-use plastics in an effort to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

The ban on the manufacture and import of plastic ring carriers (often used for beverage containers) will go into force in June 2023, and their sale will be banned in June 2024.

As part of that push, restaurants in Canada have started introducing eco-friendlier options.

In December 2022, Tim Horton’s started a 12-week trial run in Vancouver for fibre hot beverage lids that are plastic-free and recyclable.

This year, the coffee chain has also started introducing wooden and fibre cutlery that are compostable.

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Trudeau's security adviser warned foreign agent registry could bring pushback

WATCH: Trudeau declines to give possible date for launch of new foreign agents registry

A newly released memo shows the prime minister’s national security adviser warned him to expect some pushback from planned public consultations about a foreign agent registry, given that countries have used such registries as tools of control.

In her memo last August, Jody Thomas told Justin Trudeau the discussions “may elicit a range of reactions” – from applause to reservations.

“Concerns may be further amplified since some foreign governments, like Russia, have used ‘foreign agent registries’ to silence activists and shut down organizations critical of government,” Thomas said.

However, she said, national security experts, Canada’s allies and diaspora groups targeted by hostile states “will likely welcome these measures.”

The Canadian Press obtained the memo, marked Secret/Canadian Eyes Only, through the Access to Information Act. Portions of the document, including cabinet confidences and information about internal consultations, were withheld from release.

The memo reveals that Trudeau had a discussion last June 30 with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about “establishing a foreign agent registry in Canada and Australia’s experience in that regard.”

Australia brought in its Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act five years ago as a means of preventing outside interference in the country’s affairs.

Internationally, foreign agent registries are considered among the best practices to counter malign external influence, the memo says. The U.S. Foreign Agent Registry Act has been in place since 1938 and the United Kingdom has also moved to implement such a scheme.

Registries can require individuals to formally register with the government they are trying to influence to make such dealings more transparent, with the possibility of fines or even prison time for failing to comply.

Following a flurry of media stories about alleged foreign interference, Public Safety Canada announced a public consultation earlier this month on how Canada could implement a foreign influence transparency registry.

However, the Thomas memo indicates that last summer the department was eyeing broader public consultations that would explore not only a foreign registry but other measures to counter what the government calls hostile activities by state actors.

Such activities, intended to undermine Canada’s interests, include actions that are deceptive, coercive, covert, threatening or illegal. Goals include influencing change, obtaining military or economic advantages and gaining access to sensitive information or technologies.

“Hostile actors have become increasingly adept at exploiting Canada’s open, democratic system,” the memo says.

The broader consultations could include a look at changes to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, the Criminal Code and the Security of Information Act, it adds.

Thomas confirmed to Trudeau that, “As per your direction, your office is engaged in the consultation planning.”

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino signalled late last November in an interview that the government intended to hold a public consultation on a foreign agent registry.

But he also stressed the importance of equipping law enforcement and national security partners with “a broad range of tools” to counter not only foreign interference, but “hostile activities that are committed by state and non-state actors,” cyberattacks and ideologically motivated extremism.

Mendicino’s office had no immediate comment on the status of broader consultations.

Beyond public disclosure requirements for foreign agents, Australia’s foreign influence transparency scheme imposes additional registration obligations and prohibitions for former cabinet ministers and senior public servants, Thomas’s memo notes.

It includes a lifetime registration obligation for former cabinet ministers who go on to work for a foreign principal after leaving public office. In addition, any Australian who has acted as a foreign agent cannot serve in cabinet.

Australia’s experience suggests that some former politicians and senior public servants chose to cease their activities as foreign agents rather than have their associations made public, the memo says. Other organizations have halted activities to avoid registration, or proactively clarified their arrangements with foreign principals to comply with the legislative scheme.

© 2023 The Canadian Press

No charges warranted in police shooting that left man dead, another injured in Markham: SIU

WATCH: SIU investigating after 1 man killed in police shooting in Markham

No charges are warranted against two police officers involved in a shooting that left one man dead and another injured in Markham, Ontario’s police watchdog says.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) released its decision Saturday into the Nov. 25 shooting.

The SIU said two undercover officers in a pickup truck were surveilling an SUV believed to be connected to home invasions in Markham when two 23-year-old men exited the SUV and confronted the officers.

One of the men pointed a loaded gun at an officer’s head and the other was armed with a knife, the SIU said.

The officers then fired at the men, killing one — the man with a knife — and seriously injuring the other.

After investigating the incident, SIU director Joseph Martino found there are “no reasonable grounds” to believe the two York Regional Police officers committed a criminal offence.

The SIU is an independent agency that investigates the conduct of officers in incidents that have resulted in death, serious injury, or alleged sexual assault.

The full SIU report can be found here.

Bullet holes are seen in a window of the pickup truck the officers were using.

Bullet holes are seen in a window of the pickup truck the officers were using.

SIU

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Pope Francis updates 2019 law cracking down on sex abuse coverups

WATCH: Pope Francis ends 'pontifical secrecy' in abuse probes

Pope Francis on Saturday updated a 2019 church law aimed at holding senior churchmen accountable for covering up sexual abuse cases, expanding it to cover lay Catholic leaders and reaffirming that vulnerable adults and not just children can be victims of abuse when they are unable to freely consent.

With the update, Francis reaffirmed and made permanent temporary provisions that were passed in a moment of crisis for the Vatican and Catholic hierarchy. The 2019 law was praised at the time for laying out precise mechanisms to investigate complicit bishops and religious superiors.

But implementation has been uneven, and abuse survivors have criticized the Vatican for a continued lack of transparency about abuse cases.

The new rules conform to other changes in the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse that were issued in the last four years. Most significantly, they are extended to cover leaders of Vatican-approved associations headed by laymen and women, not just clerics.

The expansion is a response to the many cases that have come to light in recent years of lay leaders abusing their authority to sexually exploit people under their spiritual care or authority, most recently the L’Arche federation of Jean Vanier.

The new law also reaffirms that adults such as nuns or seminarians who are dependent on their bishops or superiors can be victims of abuse. Church law had long held that only adults who “habitually” lack the use of reason could be considered victims in the same sense as minors.

The 2019 law expanded that definition and it is retained in the update, making clear that adults can be rendered vulnerable to abuse as situations present themselves. The inclusion is significant given resistance in the Vatican to the #MeToo pressure to recognize rank and file parishioners who are abused during spiritual direction by a priest as possible victims.

The definition reads that a victim can be “any person in a state of infirmity, physical or mental deficiency, or deprivation of personal liberty which, in fact, even occasionally, limits their ability to understand or to want or otherwise resist the offense.”

“This can be read as further manifestation of how the church cares for the frailest and weakest,” Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Vatican’s legal office, said. “Anyone can be a victim, so there has to be justice. And if the victims are like these (vulnerable adults), then you must intervene to defend their dignity and liberty.”

Francis originally set out the norms as a response to the decades of cover-up exposed by a Pennsylvania grand jury report and the scandal over then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was eventually defrocked for abusing adults as well as minors. Francis himself was implicated in that wave of the scandal, after he dismissed claims by victims of a notorious predator in Chile.

After realizing he had erred, Francis ordered up a full review of the Chilean abuse dossier, summoned the presidents of all the world’s bishops’ conferences to Rome for a four-day summit on safeguarding and set in motion plans for a new law to hold senior churchmen to account for abuse and cover-ups, and to mandate the reporting to relevant church authorities of all cases.

The 2019 law and its update Saturday contain explicit standards for investigating bishops and superiors _ a direct response to the McCarrick case, given it was well-known in Vatican circles and in some U.S. church circles that he slept with his seminarians.

The law also mandates all church personnel to report allegations of clergy abuse in-house, though it doesn’t mandate reporting of abuse by lay leaders and refrains from requiring any reporting to police. The new law expands whistleblower protections and reaffirms the presumption of innocence and the need to protect the reputation of those accused.

The update makes clear each diocese must have an office to receive complaints, a more specific requirement than the original call for a mere “system,” such as an email address. The change derived from Francis’ realization that many dioceses, particularly in poorer parts of the world, dragged their feet.

The pope recently warned there was a “clear and present danger” of abuse in areas with fewer financial resources.

“Maybe upwards of two-thirds of the bishops’ conferences around the world haven’t really had the type of capacity-building and resources to implement process this in any meaningful way,” the Rev. Andrew Small, the secretary of the pope’s child protection advisory board, said.

Survivors have long complained that the Vatican spent decades turning a blind eye to bishops and religious superiors who moved predator priests around from parish to parish rather than report them to police.

The 2019 law attempted to respond to those complaints, but victims’ advocates have faulted the Holy See for continued secrecy about the investigations and outcomes. The most egregious recent case concerned the secret sanctions imposed in 2021 on East Timor Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. The sanctions were only confirmed after a Dutch magazine reported victims’ allegations.

Small agreed that abuse survivors, as well as the broader Catholic flock, must at the very least be informed of case outcomes.

“Part of the process of justice, let alone healing, is the awareness that people were held accountable for their actions,” he said. “And we’re not anywhere near where we should be on that.”

© 2023 The Canadian Press

Snowy competition brings together athletes from around B.C. for Winter Games

WATCH: The BC Winter Games have brought hundreds of athletes from across the province together for a sporting extravaganza. Sydney Morton brings us the highlights from the big event.

The BC Winter Games have officially begun, bringing excitement and hundreds of young athletes together in Vernon, B.C., for a full day of competition.

Friday’s events started early with a Welcome Song from the Birch Creek Drummers.

“We usually sing to other tribes. We are horse and canoe people; we used to travel, and we used to sing that to welcome other nations into our territory,” said Okanagan Indian Band Member and member of the Birch Creek Drummers, nitúsqt (William Robins).

The Welcome Song was followed by archery at Vernon Secondary School.

“We always like to welcome everyone into our territory the proper way, which is singing, prayer and everything like that.”

Avery Paterson has travelled from Prince George, B.C., to compete in archery.

“It’s really hard to not be nervous, but a lot of follow-through and process — if you have a bad shot it’s kind about going past that,” Paterson said.

Representing the Thomspon Okanagan in archery is Eliana Stein from Falkland.

“I love the community,” said Stein.  “I love the focus it brings, it’s such a dedicated sport.”

Up at Sovereign Lake, there’s everything from cross-country skiing to biathalon, sit skiing and more.

“It was great. The conditions are slow, but it was good at the end,” said Kaden Baum from Salmon Arm, who took part in sit skiing. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun.”

At Silver Star Mountain Resort, it’s non-stop fun and competition.

“We’ve all kind of sports happening We’ve got alpine skiers are out there racing slalom, we’ve got alpine, we’ve got the snow borders are out doing slopestyle,” said Ian Jenkins with Silverstar Mountain Resort.

“We’ve got the skiers up doing moguls tomorrow. They mix it up and we have got snowboard cross, slalom racing for the alpine skiers, and then the freestyle skier move it to the park and they do slope style so lots happening.”

There are two more days full of fierce competition ahead. For a full schedule of events, visit www.bcgames.org

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Crews extinguish 2-alarm fire at Toronto home

Fire crews extinguished a two-alarm blaze at a Toronto home Saturday morning.

Toronto Fire Capt. Dan Vieira said emergency crews were called just before 7 a.m. to 11 Rowntree Ave., which is in the area of Old Weston Road and St. Clair Avenue West.

Vieira said there was a heavy fire and smoke in the rear of the home.

The blaze also extended to a neighbouring house, Vieira added.

The fire has since been knocked down though crews remained at the scene to monitor the situation.

A total of four people were evacuated and displaced between the two homes involved.

Vieira said there were no injuries in the incident. The people evacuated were assessed but not transported to hospital.

There is no word on what may have caused the fire.

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Alleged impaired driver goes wrong way on Ontario highway, nearly causes multiple crashes: OPP

Impaired-related charges have been laid after a driver went the wrong way on an Ontario highway Friday evening, nearly causing multiple head-on crashes including one with police, officers say.

Ontario Provincial Police said at 7:30 p.m., officers received numerous calls about a pickup truck heading the wrong way on Highway 11 near Stephenson Road 1 in Bracebridge, Ont.

“Concerned members of the public all reported the vehicle nearly caused multiple head-on collisions, including one with police,” OPP said.

Shortly after, police conducted a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police said Orillia resident Garret Allison, 52, faces a number of charges including two counts of operation while impaired, dangerous operation, obstructing a peace officer, failing to stop for police, failure or refusal to comply with a demand, mischief, and driving the wrong way on a divided highway.

He’s scheduled to appear in a Bracebridge court on April 25.

The OPP thanked members of the public who called to report the “potentially dangerous situation.”

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Mississippi tornadoes: At least 23 people killed, dozens more injured 

WATCH: Powerful tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi – destroying buildings and obliterating at least one town – killed almost two dozen people, officials said Saturday.

Powerful tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi – destroying buildings and obliterating at least one town – killed almost two dozen people, officials said Saturday. They warned that the casualty toll could go higher.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said in a Twitter post that search and rescue teams from local and state agencies were deployed to help victims impacted by the tornadoes. The agency confirmed early Saturday that 23 people had died, four were missing and dozens were injured.

A few minutes later, the agency tweeted: “Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change.”



The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado caused damage about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of Jackson, Mississippi. The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork reported destruction as the tornado swept northeast at 70 mph (113 kph) without weakening, racing towards Alabama through towns including Winona and Amory into the night.

Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN that his town was essentially wiped out.

“My city is gone. But we are resilient and we are going to come back strong,” he said.

The National Weather Service issued an alert Friday night as the storm was hitting that didn’t mince words: “To protect your life, TAKE COVER NOW!”

“You are in a life-threatening situation,” it warned. “Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible.”

Cornel Knight told The Associated Press that he, his wife and their 3-year-old daughter were at a relative’s home in Rolling Fork when the tornado struck. He said the sky was dark but “you could see the direction from every transformer that blew.”

He said it was “eerily quiet” as that happened. Knight said he watched from a doorway until the tornado was, he estimated, less than a mile away. Then he told everyone in the house to take cover in a hallway. He said the tornado struck another relative’s home across a wide corn field from where he was. A wall in that home collapsed and trapped several people inside. As Knight spoke to AP by phone, he said he could see lights from emergency vehicles at the partially collapsed home.

Storm chaser Reed Timmer posted on Twitter that Rolling Fork was in immediate need of emergency personnel and that he was heading with injured residents of the town to a Vicksburg hospital.

The Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital on the west side of Rolling Fork was damaged, WAPT reported.

The Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office in Rolling Fork reported gas leaks and people trapped in piles of rubble, according to the Vicksburg News. Some law enforcement units were unaccounted for in Sharkey, according to the the newspaper.

Rolling Fork and the surrounding area has wide expanses of cotton, corn and soybean fields and catfish farming ponds. More than a half-dozen shelters were opened in the state by emergency officials.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Twitter post Friday night that search and rescue teams were active and that officials were sending more ambulances and emergency assets to those affected.

“Many in the MS Delta need your prayer and God’s protection tonight,” the post said. “Watch weather reports and stay cautious through the night, Mississippi!”

This was a supercell, the nasty type of storms that brew the deadliest tornado and most damaging hail in the United States, said University of Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Walker Ashley. What’s more this a night-time wet one which is “the worst kind,” he said.

Meteorologists saw a big tornado risk coming for the general region, not the specific area, as much as a week in advance, said Ashley, who was discussing it with his colleagues as early as March 17. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center put out a long-range alert for the area on March 19, he said.

Tornado experts like Ashley have been warning about increased risk exposure in the region because of people building more.

“You mix a particularly socioeconomically vulnerable landscape with a fast-moving, long-track nocturnal tornado, and, disaster will happen,” Ashley said in an email.

Earlier Friday a car was swept away and two passengers drowned in southwestern Missouri during torrential rains that were part of a severe weather system. Authorities said six young adults were in the vehicle that was swept away as the car tried to cross a bridge over a flooded creek in the town of Grovespring.

Four of the six made it out of the water. The body of Devon Holt, 20, of Grovespring, was found at 3:30 a.m., and the body of Alexander Roman-Ranelli, 19, of Springfield, was recovered about six hours later, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Thomas Young said.

The driver told authorities that the rain made it difficult to see that water from a creek had covered the bridge, Young said.

Meanwhile, the search continued in another southwestern Missouri county for a woman who was missing after flash flooding from a small river washed a car off the road. The Logan Rogersville Fire Protection District said there was no sign of the woman. Two others who were in the car were rescued. Crews planned to use boats and have searchers walking along the riverbank.

When a woman’s SUV got swept up in rushing flood waters Friday morning near Granby, Missouri, Layton Hoyer made his way through icy-cold waters to rescue her.

Some parts of southern Missouri saw nearly 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain Thursday night and into Friday morning as severe weather hit other areas. A suspected tornado touched down early Friday in north Texas.

Matt Elliott, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said the severe weather was expected across several states.

The Storm Prediction Center warned the greatest threat of tornadoes would come in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Storms with damaging winds and hail were forecast from eastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma into parts of southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois.

More than 49,000 customers had lost power in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee as of Friday night, according to poweroutage.us.

In Texas, a suspected tornado struck about 5 a.m. in the southwest corner of Wise County, damaging homes and downing trees and power lines, said Cody Powell, the county’s emergency management coordinator. Powell said no injuries were reported.

The weather service had not confirmed a tornado, but damage to homes was also reported in neighboring Parker County, said meteorologist Matt Stalley.

Associated Press writer Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, and Jackie Quinn in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.

© 2023 The Canadian Press

41% of Université de Moncton students, staff experienced sexual violence: study

WATCH: A new study shows that over 40 per cent of students and staff at Université de Moncton have experienced sexual violence at least once. The researchers behind the study are hoping it leads to tangible change in the reporting process. Suzanne Lapointe has more.

A new study written by five researchers at the Université de Moncton shows that just under half of all students and staff have experienced at least one incidence of sexual violence, harassment or coercion on campus.

“We were aware that there was some sexual violence on campus but we wanted to have a clear view of the magnitude of the problem,” co-author and Université de Moncton psychology professor Sylvie Morin said in an interview.

She and her co-authors conducted the study via online survey.

Eighty-six per cent of participants who reported having experienced an incidence of sexual violence did not report the matter to the university.

A spokesperson from the university told Global News in an emailed statement that “five complaints (had been) filed with the Ombud office in relation to the Sexual Violence Policy and 4 reports related to sexual situations” over the 2021-2022 academic year.

“There is no simple way to address this complex problem,” Morin said, noting she was hoping to see change to the university’s existing sexual violence policy, which was established in 2017.

She said there are several issues with the policy, including a lack of formal process to appeal an investigation.

“There was some concern with the communication of the results to the victims…there were some processes in the first policy that weren’t well enough described and developed to give a clear view about what to do when this matter occurs,” she said.

A new sexual violence policy has been in the works for three years.

“Three years is a long time since we have a lot of cases — well, a few cases — and we are continuing with this study to find that it’s a problem on campus,” FÉCUM president Jean-Sébastien Légèr said on Friday.

In a written statement, university president and vice-chancellor Denis Prud’Homme said:

“This violence is still under-reported in all spheres of society, and universities are unfortunately no exception to this reality. There are interveners on every campus to receive complaints from members of the university community who believe they are victims of sexual assault or violence.”

Currently, all academic and administrative staff receive six hours of mandatory training related to sexual violence, as well as training on respect in the workplace, according to a spokesperson from the university.

There is also a free and confidential sexual violence intervention service available to students and staff year-round.

They also said a revised version of the sexual violence policy will soon be tabled to a governance committee.

© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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