Canada

Canada and India plan to share intelligence in an effort to combat the rising threat of international crime and extremism, according to a new report from Bloomberg, days before a meeting between the two countries’ leaders.

Canadian officials declined to comment on the report, which, if confirmed, would represent a dramatic shift in relations between the two countries which for nearly two years have been locked in a bitter diplomatic spat after Canada’s federal police agency concluded that India planned and ordered the murder a prominent Sikh activist on Canadian soil.

Under the intelligence-sharing deal, which is expected to be announced during the G7 summit in Canada later this week, police from both countries will increase cooperation on transnational crime, terrorism and extremist activities. Canada has reportedly pushed for more work on investigations into extrajudicial killings.

« C'est le mieux » sauf le kill switch 😆🤦

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/23290969

archived (Wayback Machine)

Healthy food is hard to come by in northern Manitoba. Food shipped from the south is prohibitively expensive and is often stale, and the climate and soil in the region don’t support much traditional outdoor farming.

This issue disproportionately impacts northern Indigenous communities, many of which have moved away from traditional food practices, creating a supply problem with far-reaching health consequences.

The Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN), located south of Flin Flon near the Saskatchewan border, has taken bold steps to address diabetes and other health challenges facing its residents.

According to the OCN Health Authority, more than 40 per cent of adults in the community live with hypertension and diabetes. The implications of this epidemic are profound: not only are health-care costs soaring, but resources that could be allocated to other critical areas, such as infrastructure and education, are being diverted to manage the growing health crisis. In response, OCN has made improved access to nutritious foods a priority.

In 2016, the community launched a smart vertical farm (SVF), a cutting-edge indoor facility designed to grow fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs year-round. The SVF employs computer-controlled smart technology that optimizes growing conditions by adjusting factors such as light, humidity and CO2 levels, and nutrient delivery. This advanced system ensures that the farm produces high-quality produce, despite the harsh northern climate.

Additional links:

• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/smart-farm-veggies-diabetes-research-1.7299870
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157520314824?via=ihub

CBC - Ticks are showing up in places where they didn’t use to

Manitoba's police watchdog is not pressing charges against a Brandon police officer who was accused of throwing a person onto the ground, punching her face and referring to her with derogatory language during an arrest.

In October 2023, the chair of Community Mobilization Westman, a Brandon-based initiative for community safety, met with Brandon police after a Child and Family Services case worker told her a police officer called a person a "rez dog" and a "neechie" several times during an arrest.

The officer was also accused of slamming the person against a wall of the house, throwing her to the ground and hitting her face several times during the interaction.