- To: undisclosed-recipients:;
- Subject: Sunday's Canada News Briefs
- From: AOLNews@aol.com
- Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 21:41:44 EDT
- Full-name: AOL News
Sunday's Canada News Briefs
.c The Associated Press
Note: All dollars are Canadian unless otherwise noted
Forces Warned in 1970s To Replace Outdated Detectors: Report
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) - The Canadian Forces went into battle in the Persian Gulf and took on peacekeeping in the war-torn Balkans with obsolete radiation-detection equipment that was deemed barely functional as far back as the 1970s.
Only now is Ottawa beginning to replace the detectors, designed to protect the health and safety of troops.
``A reasonable estimate of a remaining practical service life is five years,'' says a declassified 1975 technical report on detectors used in base shelters. A modified version of the device was also used by troops in the field.
Many of Canada's outdated detectors were still in service in November 1990 when the head of the Forces' nuclear safety program recommended they be scrapped, saying the instruments were of ``marginal value.''
It wasn't until 1992 that discussions began on what do about the archaic gear.
NATO Meeting Could Prove Rocky for Canada
TORONTO (AP) - The twin prospects of raucous anti-NATO demonstrations and an announcement from Germany that it's leaving CFB Shilo, Manitoba, could make this week's informal gathering of alliance defense ministers a rocky one for Canada.
During NATO's bombing raids on Yugoslavia earlier this year, Toronto saw almost daily protests, some of which turned violent and led to several arrests.
Although Defense Minister Art Eggleton said in an interview Sunday he's not concerned by the prospect of demonstrations, anger at both Canada and its NATO allies over Kosovo is still apparent.
All-day vigils are planned during the two-day summit that starts Tuesday, along with a noisy demonstration through the night outside the Royal York Hotel, where the 19 ministers and 500 delegates will be staying.
Canadian Air Force Readies for East Timor
CFB TRENTON, Ontario (AP) - Canadian air crews were to head to Australia on Monday as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission to East Timor and they say they're prepared for any violence that may await them.
``We will look at all those threat situations as we arrive in Darwin and the UN commander will do the same,'' Lt.-Col. Chris Colton, commanding officer of the airlift task force, said at a briefing Sunday.
About 100 Canadian air personnel were scheduled to leave from this base today, followed by two C-130 Hercules transport planes - one later today and another Tuesday.
Colton, of St. Catharines, Ontario, said the air crew will be ready to move into East Timor by the end of the week.
The crew, which include pilots, mechanics, flight engineers and as a medical evacuation team, will be part of an air-lift task force that will take its day-to-day orders from the Australians.
Illegal Immigration a Dangerous Choice
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Chinese migrants coming to Canada illegally face a perilous journey from beginning to end and pay a hefty price for the privilege - sometimes their very lives.
The arrival of almost 600 Fujianese off the British Columbia coast this summer focused attention on a problem plaguing Canada and most of its western counterparts.
The four boatloads of migrants intercepted off the coast are dwarfed by the number of migrants who arrive each year at Canadian airports with false documents or none at all.
``We're still getting people arriving every day across Canada on planes,'' said Immigration Department spokesman George Varnai.
It is estimated that more than 25,000 refugee claimants arrive in Canada each year, most by plane.
Human smuggling by boat is ``very, very dramatic but it's not the only game in town,'' Varnai said.
Many hope to enter the United States undetected over the world's longest unfortified border.
Reform Blasts Liberals for Late Start to Parliament
TORONTO (AP) - Reform Leader Preston Manning wrapped up his party's national caucus meeting in Toronto on Sunday by condemning the Liberals for delaying the fall parliamentary session.
Manning said Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his party are avoiding several contentious issues, including the conflict in East Timor, the possible airline merger, illegal Chinese immigration and taxes.
Parliament was scheduled to begin sitting today, but was postponed until Oct. 12 by the Liberals last week.
Beginning today, Manning said he will stand in the House of Commons during what would have been question period and ask the Liberals to respond to Reform's questions.
Progress Reported in Effort To Avert Shutdown at Ford
TORONTO (AP) - Ford of Canada presented an offer to the Canadian Auto Workers on Sunday that reduces the chance of a strike by ``50 percent,'' says union president Buzz Hargrove.
The CAW boss said the offer rekindled negotiations between the company and the union, which represents almost 13,000 workers in Canada - less than two days before the strike deadline.
``Fifty percent is a long way away from where we were on Monday this past week,'' Hargrove told reporters during a news conference at a downtown hotel Sunday.
On Friday, Ford offered the union a one percent pay increase each year for three years, a $500 signing bonus and minor improvements to the cost-of-living allowance for CAW's 12,900 workers.
Hargrove said Friday the deal had a one-in-1,000 chance of settlement before the Tuesday 11:59 p.m. EDT deadline, calling the deal a ``recipe for a strike.''
Hargrove said the union will not release wage increase amounts or any other numbers offered by the company until they reach a deal.
AP-NY-09-19-99 2141EDT
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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