| United Church of Canada wants corporations to be held accountable
The United Church of Canada is petitioning the Canadian government to introduce legislation that will allow it to prosecute Canadian corporations for violating human rights, labour and environmental laws in foreign countries.
"We live in a global world, and therefore, accountability of Canadian corporations should not be shielded by international borders," says Bern Jagunos, the church’s area secretary, East Asia Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit.
The demand from the United Church is in advance of a decision expected later this month from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. That committee has been reviewing recommendations contained in a report that was released in July of this year. It outlines how Canadian corporations, such as mining companies, are not required to conform to international human rights standards. The report also calls on the government to require Canadian companies operating overseas to meet environmental standards.
The United Church says the current approach – to have companies voluntarily comply with human rights and environmental standards – has failed.
"We are deeply concerned about questions that have been raised about Canadian mining operations abroad, including TVI Pacific Inc. in the Philippines, and in the past, similar concerns that we have had with Talisman Energy Inc.," says Jagunos. "Canadians expect that companies operating on Canadian soil will do so in a manner that respects both the environment and the rights of workers and their communities. We can expect no less of Canadian companies that operate overseas."
City approves curbside Recycling for 2009
Calgary’s city council has approved a city-wide recycling program, but it won’t be implemented until 2009.
Under the program, trucks with crews will pick up newspapers, magazines, mixed paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass containers, plastic milk jugs, milk cartons and plastic bags in addition to kitchen waste. The details have not yet been worked out, but the city estimates the cost to taxpayers will be $9 to $15 per month – a cost that three aldermen, Ray Jones, Ric McIver and Andre Chabot, believe is too much and acts as a disincentive to households that already take their recyclables to depots located throughout the city.
The City of Calgary estimates that currently 20 per cent of waste is recycled with 80 per cent going to landfills.
Calgary’s unemployment drops, but poverty rises
A report recently released by the City of Calgary says prosperous times are expected to continue for at least the next five years, but the document also indicates that not all Calgarians are benefiting.
The report, Calgary and Region Socio-Economic Outlook 2005 — 2010, states that the unemployment rate averaged five per cent in 2004 and is expected to fall to 3.7 per cent by 2010, and the gross domestic product in the Calgary region is expected to grow by 3.5 per cent in 2005 and 3.7 per cent in 2006. However, poverty rates increased in Calgary in 2003 for the second consecutive year, and the child poverty rate rose to 20 per cent, almost double the rate of 11 per cent in 2000.
The report also showed that average income of individuals in Calgary declined for the third year in a row.
To view the full report, go to the City of Calgary website at www.calgary.ca. |
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