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Anti-racism group calls for investigation into OPP recruit evaluations
OPP recruits allege racial discrimination: group
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
An anti-racism organization is calling for an investigation into how Ontario's provincial police force assesses new recruits, as three Black recruits allege they faced racial discrimination during their year of probation.
The Black Class Action Secretariat says it wants the province's inspector general of policing to examine Ontario Provincial Police probationary evaluation and coaching practices as well as probationary outcome data across the force to look for racial disparities.
The group's director of advocacy says that while the OPP has an internal office that aims to ensure its policies and practices are inclusive, "the question is whether that commitment reaches the coach officer's notebook, the probation file, and the release decisions."
In a news conference today at the provincial legislature, Alain Babineau said there are people within police ranks quietly deciding "who belongs in uniform and who does not."
The call for an investigation comes as the non-profit says three Black recruits stationed in different regions faced a "strikingly similar pattern of discrimination." The OPP says it's looking into those concerns.
The secretariat says the recruits, who are sharing the allegations under pseudonyms under fear of reprisals, were mocked and penalized for their accents and communication styles and disciplined for behaviours common among white officers.
Two of the recruits were dismissed before the end of their probation period, while the other remains on medical leave, the group said.
A spokesperson for the OPP said the force acknowledges the concerns raised by the Black Class Action Secretariat on behalf of the three recruits.
"We take these matters seriously and are reviewing the various concerns brought forth," Staff Sgt. Joe Brisebois said in an email.
The force can't comment on specifics when it comes to employment-related matters, he said.
"What we can say is that the OPP is dedicated to ensuring open, accessible, equitable and respectful workplaces, and is committed to reflecting the diverse communities it serves," as well as ensuring a workplace that fosters a safe and inclusive environment, he said.
"We do not condone or tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind."
The Inspectorate of Policing, an independent oversight office that opened in 2024, acknowledged The Canadian Press's request for comment Wednesday but did not immediately provide one.
One of the recruits, who used the pseudonym Paul, said Wednesday he has two master's degrees and excelled at the police college, but found himself ridiculed and judged for the way he spoke after joining a detachment in the province's southeast.
"I caught my coach officer and my colleagues ridiculing me. A dispatcher joked on the record about my accent affecting a radio call," he said, phoning into the news conference.
"When I tried to discuss it, it was used against me," he said.
Paul said he was one of three Black officers in his detachment and was released from his position after 10 months. The experience changed his career, he said, adding he is "still trying to heal from the mistreatment and discrimination."
Another of the recruits going by the pseudonym Peter said he "immediately felt isolated" after reporting for duty at a detachment in central Ontario.
"My sergeant would make fun of how I pronounced some words, asking me to repeat things in front of my colleagues so everyone could laugh," he said in a call played at the news conference.
"I wasn't coached at all, it just felt like I was being watched to be documented."
Peter said he was reprimanded for using his phone's GPS to navigate the city when it was a "common practice" among his white colleagues.
The stress eventually caught up with him, and he went on medical leave in the spring, questioning whether to continue on this career path, he said.
Organizers also shared a statement on behalf of the third recruit, who went by the name John. John said he spent a decade in the human service field before becoming an officer, and was stationed at a detachment in southwestern Ontario — the only Black recruit in his platoon.
"I felt there was no trust or confidence in me from Day One," the statement said. "It felt like not only did they expect me to fail, they wanted me to fail."
He also faced reprimand for using his phone GPS when others were doing the same without issue, and at one point had his driving privileges taken away without explanation, he said.
John said he was let go two weeks before the end of his probation, on grounds that he was not a good fit. "What it really meant was that I didn't belong, that they didn't see me as one of them, that they didn't want me there," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Paola Loriggio | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Union issues 72-hour strike notice for Teck copper mine in B.C.
Strike notice issued for Teck copper mine in B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The union representing some 1,200 workers at a Teck Resources Ltd. copper mine in the British Columbia Interior has served a 72-hour strike notice.
United Steelworkers Local 7619 says the notice follows unsuccessful negotiations to reach a fair collective agreement with the operator of the Highland Valley Copper site near Logan Lake, B.C.
The union says it has raised concerns about Teck's ability to attract and retain skilled workers, particularly in the trades.
It says it put forward proposals to address staffing shortages, improve wages and strengthen pensions to ensure the mine is a competitive employer in B.C.'s growing mining industry.
Teck says it has a contingency plan to maintain safety and environmental management during a possible strike and that it's committed to reaching a "fair and reasonable" collective agreement that supports the operation's viability.
If a negotiated agreement isn't reached, strike action will begin as early as 8 a.m. on Saturday.
The labour dispute comes as Teck and Anglo American PLC work to close their multibillion-dollar merger deal announced last year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:TECK.A)
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Marando pitches northern investment in leadership bid
He would redirect funding from Highway 413 to northern roads and health care.
Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Dylan Marando says Northern Ontario should receive more health care funding per resident and more highway investment to meet needs he argues Queen’s Park is overlooking.
In an interview with the Miner and News, Marando outlined proposals he would pursue if he became premier, including a northern economic opportunity zone and a dedicated treatment centre in Northwestern Ontario.
The zone would offer lower personal and corporate income taxes, faster project approvals and higher per-capita investment in public services. Its boundaries and the details would be developed with northern communities.
“The north makes a unique economic contribution to our province, and that contribution isn’t always captured by the policy agenda of Queen’s Park.”
Marando said that consultation would include municipal leaders and representatives from the public and private sectors. He suggested communities north of the French River as one possible basis for the zone, rather than a settled boundary.
Northern highways
Marando would seek to twin as much of Highways 69, 11 and 17 as possible, while considering a 2+1 design where engineering challenges, costs or community concerns make twinning less practical.
He did not specify which stretches of Highways 11 and 17 would take priority or when construction would begin.
He said highway expansion would improve safety, access to services and the movement of goods. To help pay for it, he would redirect resources from Highway 413 and the proposed tunnel beneath Highway 401, neither of which he would pursue.
He also said major southern highway investments would wait until meaningful progress had been made on twinning the major northern routes.
“I’d rather start with twinning, twin as much as we can and then have 2+1 as the backup rather than the default.”
Marando acknowledged some communities may favour 2+1 as a faster or more affordable option and said he would be open to that approach where it meets local needs.
Health care and treatment
Marando said northern hospitals and other health care facilities need funding formulas that account for the higher cost of delivering services in northern and rural communities.
He would pair increased funding with provincial support for recruitment incentives and more opportunities to train health care workers through northern colleges and universities.
“Hospitals and other health care facilities in the north should expect an increase in funding.”
He said the workforce challenge extends beyond doctors and nurses to personal support workers, custodial and kitchen staff, clerical workers and other health professionals.
Asked about reliance on agency nurses and other temporary staff, Marando said the Ford government’s staffing and funding approach is hurting hospitals’ ability to recruit and sustain services. He did not outline a specific plan to replace agency staffing.
Marando also opposed the expansion of privately delivered, publicly funded health care and said he wants private, for-profit providers out of long-term care and seniors care.
“I would treat universality and public financing of our health care system as absolute bedrocks.”
According to the province, Ontario’s community surgical and diagnostic centres deliver OHIP-insured services outside hospitals and cannot charge patients for insured services. They may also offer uninsured services.
Marando’s platform calls for publicly funded psychotherapy, counselling, addiction treatment and other evidence-based mental health services under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
When asked whether he would support a dedicated treatment centre in Northwestern Ontario, he replied, “The short answer is absolutely.”
He said recruitment incentives and expanded northern training opportunities would help staff a centre, although he did not identify a location, opening date, or budget.
His addiction proposals also include banning online gambling, rather than only its advertising.
Housing and community safety
Marando said addressing homelessness requires more supportive, co-operative, non-profit and public housing, alongside mental health care and addiction treatment.
He would give Ontario municipalities revenue equivalent to one percentage point of the HST, describing it as permanent, predictable funding that would strengthen their ability to respond to local needs.
“There isn’t a neat and tidy answer to the challenge of homelessness.”
Asked about reducing crime beyond expanding jail capacity, Marando said his approach would focus on the opportunities available to young people, including keeping them in school, improving graduation rates and helping them move into post-secondary education and employment.
“Gangs don’t compete with other gangs. Gangs compete with our schools.”
He criticized government advertising promoting expanded jail capacity and said the province should work toward reducing the need for prisons.
Development and affordability
Asked to assess Greg Rickford’s performance as minister of Indigenous affairs and First Nations economic reconciliation, Marando declined to discuss his individual record. He instead criticized the Ford government’s focus on the Ring of Fire and its approach to consultation.
Marando said the province should pursue economic opportunities across the north and allow more time for Ring of Fire development if that is needed to build partnerships with First Nations.
The Ontario government says it has partnership agreements with Aroland, Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations as part of its Ring of Fire infrastructure plans, and describes First Nations as partners in northern development.
Marando said his proposal to speed up approvals would require more resources for consultation and regulatory review, not less.
“The speed that I’m talking about isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about devoting more resources to the consultative process and the regulatory approval process so that we can arrive at genuine partnership faster.”
On affordability, Marando proposes provincial income tax relief for Ontarians under 35 earning under $50,000. Asked what he would offer older residents, he pointed to extending rent controls to all buildings and sales tax relief on necessities such as internet and cellphone service.
He also proposed eliminating provincial corporate income tax for small businesses during their first five years of operation, saying he hopes they would pass some savings on to consumers.
Marando did not provide an overall cost or financing plan for his proposals during the interview. He identified cancelled southern highway projects as a source of funding for northern highway expansion.
The Ontario Liberal Party is scheduled to announce its next leader Nov. 21.
Copyright 2026, Kenora Miner & News. All rights reserved.
Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News.
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La panne majeure de Facebook : les réactions les plus hilarantes vues sur internet
Hier, une importante panne des réseaux Facebook et Instagram est survenue dans plusieurs régions à travers le monde : Canada, États-Unis, France, Japon, Inde, etc.
Pour certains, l'accès était carrément impossible et pour d'autres, il n'y avait pas moyen de publier sur la plateforme.
Pour l'instant, la cause derrière cette panne n'est pas connue, mais en attendant d'en connaître un peu plus sur le problème, plusieurs ont eu le plaisir de tourner la situation au ridicule et de se servir de Twitter comme "bouche-trou" le temps que tout revienne en ordre.
Voici un condensé des commentaires les plus hilarants publiés sur Twitter dans les dernières heures :
1. La recherche de likes
Facebook est en panne, les gens vont s'mettre à sortir dans les rues, montrer leur photo aux étrangers et demander : est-ce que tu l'aimes?! hein!?
via GIPHY
Source.
2. Les utilisateurs de Facebook qui s'initient à Twitter
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3. La réaction du monde quand Facebook a planté:
Facebook vient de planter! Je répète, Facebook vient de planter!!
... Puis, se grouiller à aller voir sur Twitter si t'es pas la seule personne à qui ça arrive...
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Source.
4. Quand les Twitter's fans sont contre les Facebook's fans.
Maintenant que Facebook est planté, on va commencé à se faire taguer par tout l'monde sans raisons...
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Source.
5. Quand tu te fais remplacer trop facilement...
6. La panique générale.
Facebook et Instagram ont crashé et la réaction des gens c'est :
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Source.
7. Les grandes questions existentielles.
Facebook et Instagram ont crashé... Est-ce que ça veut dire que les gens vont devoir se parler?
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Source.
8. T'as plus d'options alors...
Quand Facebook et Instagram plantent, mais que Twitter fonctionne toujours:
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Source.
9. Les gens qui s'en foutent...
Les abonnés Twitter sont genre:
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10. La fin.
Le retour à la réalité forcé:
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11. Quand le pire se produit au mauvais moment
Fallait que Facebook plante au moment où je répondais à un Quiz sur ma sorte de chips préférée...
via GIPHY