WE ALLEGATIONS AFFECTS ALL CHARITIES

 “Horrifying” stories of WE Charity’s alleged plaque-swapping and other dubious practices has prompted calls for investigations by the RCMP, the Canada Revenue Agency and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Charity experts fear that the allegations will make Canadians less likely to open their wallets to other charities, already dealing with a downturn due to the pandemic.

But experts like Rosenfield and lawyer Alexandra Tzannidakis, partner at tax and charity law firm Drache Aptowitzer, think alleged stories like Cowan’s seriously undermine Canadians’ trust in Canadian charities.

“Regardless of if it’s legal or not, engaging in questionable practices especially with regards to the public and donors, risks putting the entire sector in some level of disrepute,” Tzannidakis said.

SARKOZY JAILED ON CORRUPTION CHARGE

PARIS (AP) – A Paris court on Monday found French former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling and sentenced him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence.

The 66-year-old politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate in 2014 about a legal action in which he was involved.

The court found that Sarkozy and his co-defendants sealed a “pact of corruption,” based on “consistent and serious evidence”.

TALKS OF VACCINE PASSPORT FOR THE EU

   The European Union will introduce legislation to introduce a vaccine passport this month, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday.
   In a statement released on social media, von der Leyen said that the vaccine passport will provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, results of tests for those who couldn’t get a vaccine yet, and information related to a successful recovery from the Chinese virus.
   The vaccine passport has been dubbed the “Digital Green Pass”, presumably after the Israeli scheme of the same name. Greece, which has been one of the main proponents of the scheme, already signed a ‘trial run‘ of a Green Pass system with Israel last month.
   The EU Commission president claimed that the vaccine passport “will respect data protection, security [and] privacy,” adding: “the Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans‘ lives.”

Over 220,000 Britons have signed a petition against the introduction of coronavirus vaccine passports, potentially forcing Parliament to publicly debate the merits of such a scheme.

CHAOS AT GOV'T MANDATED QUARANTINE HOTELS

 Canada’s system of mandatory quarantine hotels for those entering the country from abroad are now in question, after a series of endless, chaotic setbacks including food shortages and even alleged sexual assaults.

Some of those experiencing the quarantines, which are mandatory for all incoming travelers for a minimum of three days and at a cost of up to Can$2,000, have documented the problems on social media.

One video, posted to Twitter by Raymond Truesdale, showed frustrated Canadians at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto arguing with hotel staff after they allegedly ran out of food and bottled water.

Mr. Truesdale's page here.

AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT TARGETS RAIL SAFETY

   The AG report found that while there have been modest improvements, Transport Canada’s audits of Safety Management Systems [SMS]—the centrepiece of its safety oversight regime since it was introduced 20 years ago— focused on whether a company’s SMS complied with regulatory requirements, checking off the regulatory boxes: not whether these systems were effective— namely whether they improve safety i.e. reduces the risk of accidents. In the press conference, Auditor General Karen Hogan called the Department’s failure to assess the effectiveness of SMS “a big loophole.”
   AG Hogan’s press statement accompanying the release read in part: “Transport Canada has taken some actions to address our recommendations; 8 years after our last audit, there is still much left to do to improve the oversight of rail safety in Canada…[This along with the other audits released] need to be resolved permanently, and soon.”
  This echoed the conclusion of the previous AG rail safety report in 2013: “Transport Canada does not have the assurance it needs that federal railways have implemented adequate and effective safety management systems.”
   The primordial responsibility to protect the public rests with government. The Corporation’s overarching mandate is to maximize shareholder value; when they conflict, safety becomes compromised. The railways have had the upper hand for far too long. The power relationship must be rebalanced. The regulator’s deferential relationship toward the industry that currently exists must shift to one of necessary tension.

CANADA's SECRET SQUIRRELS WANT MORE POWER

The agency he runs fell afoul of the Federal Court — and now the country's chief spy is intensifying his campaign for new powers and sounding the alarm about the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's ability to keep tabs on hostile foreign states.

 In a rare public speech earlier this month, CSIS director David Vigneault took aim at the spy agency's legislation.

"We need to ensure that CSIS authorities continue to evolve so that they are able to address the challenges of the significantly more complex environment around us," he said.  "Our act sets technological limitations on intelligence collection that were not foreseen by the drafters of the legislation in 1984 and unduly limit our investigations in a modern era."

DONORS CALL FOR INVESTIGATION OF WE CHARITY

 A former WE Charity donor is calling for the RCMP and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to investigate the charity's finances after learning a Kenyan school he was told he funded bore a plaque with the name of another donor.  Reed Cowan, an American television journalist, said he believes two groups were told that they had funded the same school.

WE Charity said on Friday that Cowan's fundraising paid for four schools. Cowan said he was told each school cost between $10,000 and $12,000 and that his fundraising ought to have paid for 24 schools. Cowan said he has repeatedly asked for an accounting of where his money went and has never received that information.

One donor, James Cohen, said WE Charity originally told him his organization's donation would pay for the entire cost of a borehole in Kipsongol, Kenya. Another donor shared an email sent by WE Charity saying her group's donation "is actually enough money to implement a clean water system" in that same village.