German leader wraps up visit, no Indigenous language bonus: In The News for Aug. 23

Hydrogen is seen as a critical component of Europe’s plan to reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine and the recent reductions in the supply of Russian natural gas to Germany and other countries.

Cabinet ministers and German business leaders will join Trudeau and Olaf Scholz at a hydrogen trade show in Stephenville this evening.

The town’s mayor, Tom Rose, said in an interview he believes the location and existing infrastructure make it an ideal location for such a venture, and the area is poised to be “the green energy hub of North America.”

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Also this …

The federal Treasury Board says it has no plans to expand a bonus — now paid to employees who speak English and French — to those who know an Indigenous language.

The bilingualism bonus is an extra $800 employees receive a year if they work in a position designated as requiring language skills in English and French, Canada’s two official languages.

Expanding it to compensate employees who speak an Indigenous language was among the suggestions senior civil servants proposed late last year as they discussed ways to address language concerns held by some Indigenous public servants.

Some details of those considerations were contained in a briefing note released to The Canadian Press under the federal Access to Information law.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada, a union representing more than 120,000 federal employees covered by the Treasury Board, has proposed creating an Indigenous language allowance to introduce compensation for those who use one in the course of their work.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

Lawyers for former U-S President Donald Trump have asked a federal judge to prevent the FBI from continuing to review documents recovered from his Florida estate until a neutral special master can be appointed.

The attorneys asserted Monday in a court filing, their first since the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago two weeks ago, that the sets of documents taken from the residence were “presumptively” covered by executive privilege.

They say the matter has captured the attention of the American public and safeguards are needed to protect Trump’s constitutional rights.

The filing casts the August 8 search as a “shockingly aggressive move.”

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

Six months after Russia sent troops into Ukraine, there’s little sign of the conflict on Moscow’s streets and the capital’s residents seem unconcerned about the economic and political sanctions imposed by Western countries.

Although many foreign businesses have closed, Muscovites who missed their American-style treats such as Big Macs are taking heart from entrepreneurs who are trying to fill the gap.

Still, the country’s long-term economic prospects remain uncertain and no one knows when or how the fighting in Ukraine will end.

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On this day in 1882 …

Regina was established as the seat of government for the Northwest Territories.

The territorial capital of what was then the Northwest Territories was renamed Regina when the first Canadian Pacific Railway train arrived in the town.

The new Latin name honoured Queen Victoria.

The town was earlier known as Wascana, or Pile of Bones, because of the buffalo bones left there by Indian and Metis hunters.

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In entertainment …

The British company Cineworld Group, which owns Regal Cinemas in the U-S, says theatres will be “open for business as usual,” even as it considers filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Cineworld says it expects to continue operations even after any potential filing.

Cineworld has built up billions of dollars in debt as the entire movie industry seeks to recover after the pandemic shut down theatres worldwide.

While movie lovers are returning to theatres, ticket sales are lagging about 20 percent behind the summer of 2019 and no big films are anticipated before October.

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Did you see this?

It sounds like a caper from a movie: a thief seems to have swapped out the famous portrait of a scowling Sir Winston Churchill, hanging at the Chateau Laurier, with a signed copy.

A staff member at the Ottawa hotel noticed on Friday that the frame in the Reading Lounge wasn’t hanging properly and didn’t look the same as the others in the collection of Yousuf Karsh’s portraits.

The hotel’s general manager, Genevieve Dumas, says staff are “deeply saddened by this brazen act,” and the hotel is seeking information from the public about the theft.

Karsh and his wife lived at the Chateau Laurier for 18 years and Karsh’s studio was in the hotel for 20 years, from 1972 on.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2022

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

German leader wraps up visit, no Indigenous language bonus: In The News for Aug. 23

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