Sears Canada warns of potential car seat safety problem

Published Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 12:29AM ESTLast updated Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 12:42AM EST0 comments

Sears Canada Inc. says it has been advised by Dorel Distribution Canada of a potential safety matter relating to certain Cosco, Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer, and Maxi-Cosi branded child restraints.

Sears says in a statement released late Monday that there is a potential for the harness adjustment strap to loosen during use, meaning a child may not be fully protected in a motor vehicle collision.

So far, there have been no reported injuries associated with this in Canada.

Sears says customers should not return their travel system, but should visit the Dorel Juvenile group website to get a free repair kit.

Some of the affected restraints were sold at Sears Canada retail stores, online and through the Sears Canada catalogue.

The car seats and travel systems were manufactured between May 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009.

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Air Canada directs staff to step up screening on Yemeni passengers: lobby group

Published Saturday, Nov. 06, 2010 12:32AM EDTLast updated Saturday, Nov. 06, 2010 12:36AM EDT63 comments

Air Canada is directing staff to subject passengers with any connection to Yemen to additional security screening, the head of an Islamic group says – a move he equates with racial profiling.

In an internal memo, the national carrier wrote that anyone who is born in the Arab nation, has citizenship there or is travelling to the country, should be pulled aside, taken to a separate area and subjected to extra security checks on top of regular search procedures, said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Mr. Gardee, who has seen the memo, said the document had been issued to staff at Vancouver International Airport, but implied that the new checks apply to passengers at other major airports as well.

The missive follows the discovery of two bombs, which had apparently originated from Yemen, and were discovered aboard cargo jets bound for the United States. The reported targets were Jewish centres in Chicago. An al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Yemen has since claimed responsibility.

Earlier this week, Canada and some other nations banned direct cargo flights from the country, in order to head off potential security concerns.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest memo was taken at the initiative of Air Canada alone, or if it followed some direction from the government. Officials at the airline and at Transport Canada could not be reached for comment late Friday evening.

Mr. Gardee said that he understands the concerns about airline security, especially in the wake of last week’s bomb scare, but cautioned that the new policy contains elements of racial profiling.

“What if you were born in Yemen, you left when you were six months old, you’ve never been back, you don’t care about Yemen, but what this memo says is you would still be taken for additional screening,” he said. “There is no qualitative or quantitative evidence that [racial profiling] works as public policy.”

What’s more, he said, staff are being directed not to hold flights while these additional checks are performed, and instead to book the Yemeni passenger on the next plane.

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Air Canada directs staff to step up screening on Yemeni passengers: lobby group

Published Saturday, Nov. 06, 2010 12:32AM EDTLast updated Saturday, Nov. 06, 2010 12:36AM EDT63 comments

Air Canada is directing staff to subject passengers with any connection to Yemen to additional security screening, the head of an Islamic group says – a move he equates with racial profiling.

In an internal memo, the national carrier wrote that anyone who is born in the Arab nation, has citizenship there or is travelling to the country, should be pulled aside, taken to a separate area and subjected to extra security checks on top of regular search procedures, said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Mr. Gardee, who has seen the memo, said the document had been issued to staff at Vancouver International Airport, but implied that the new checks apply to passengers at other major airports as well.

The missive follows the discovery of two bombs, which had apparently originated from Yemen, and were discovered aboard cargo jets bound for the United States. The reported targets were Jewish centres in Chicago. An al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Yemen has since claimed responsibility.

Earlier this week, Canada and some other nations banned direct cargo flights from the country, in order to head off potential security concerns.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest memo was taken at the initiative of Air Canada alone, or if it followed some direction from the government. Officials at the airline and at Transport Canada could not be reached for comment late Friday evening.

Mr. Gardee said that he understands the concerns about airline security, especially in the wake of last week’s bomb scare, but cautioned that the new policy contains elements of racial profiling.

“What if you were born in Yemen, you left when you were six months old, you’ve never been back, you don’t care about Yemen, but what this memo says is you would still be taken for additional screening,” he said. “There is no qualitative or quantitative evidence that [racial profiling] works as public policy.”

What’s more, he said, staff are being directed not to hold flights while these additional checks are performed, and instead to book the Yemeni passenger on the next plane.

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enRoute Magazine has just announced its 10 Best New Restaurants across Canada

Last year, Cindy Lazarenko of Culina Highlands scooped one of the top 10 positions awarded by enRoute, but this year, no Edmonton restaurants made the grade. Still, Calgary is but a short jaunt, and our sister city to the south is the home of one of the winners, Charcut Roast House, the new restaurant in the Hotel Germain.

I visited Charcut in June while on a Travel Alberta tour of the south part of the province, and it is a truly innovative concept - hopelessly devoted to meat. The restaurateur and chef duo, Connie DeSousa and John Jackson, make all their own charcuterie in house. They actually brought a pig's head (face missing, don't worry, it  looked like a meat-stuffed football) to the table to show us one of their house-made creations. Charcut was also the first time I'd ever tasted a dish made of bone marrow, and it was so buttery rich (and plated in serving dishes made from hollowed-out bones) I have since searched for it on many a menu. This search is usually in vain...although last night at Gold Medal Plates, Bronze Medal Winner Shane Chartrand used bone marrow in a sweet pea puree that accompanied his monkfish-stuffed steak tartare. Go Shane!

Here's what enRoute judge and food writer Sarah Musgrave had to say about Charcut Roast House: “In a city of steakhouses, Charcut is a meathouse. Their version of the Cowtown standby, the prime rib special, sees locally sourced, range-fed beef strung up, smoked, spit-roasted and dripping with jus.”

Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment.You must have a javascript enabled browser to submit a comment.

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Canada toughens sanctions on North Korea

Posted on Thursday, October 28, 2010 1:22PM EDT7 comments

Canada is drafting “tough” new sanctions against North Korea in direct retaliation for its sinking of a South Korean warship earlier this year, the Harper government said Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Ottawa is also downgrading its already-limited diplomatic relations with the rogue nuclear state.

Mr. Cannon said the sanctions will prohibit imports and exports to North Korea, with certain humanitarian exceptions.

Earlier this year, Canada announced stiffer restrictions on trade, investment and other bilateral relations with the communist dictatorship – as well as suspending high-level visits by its officials.

Those measures followed the sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean navy ship, which killed 46 sailors.

Three experts from the Canadian navy joined the multinational team that investigated the incident, and concluded the warship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo.

“They went out deliberately and they sank a South Korean ship with a torpedo,” Mr. Cannon said Thursday. “We had three Canadian investigators part of that. They determined beyond any reasonable doubt that this was an act of aggression and therefore Canada is taking retaliatory measures.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister conceded that Canada's level of interaction with North Korea is already quite low.

But he said Canada's actions are important because they are based on a “position of principle” – a common refrain from the Harper government after its historic failure to win a temporary United Nations Security Council earlier this month.

“The impact is, of course, an impact we will see down the line. But it's extremely important that as a member of the world community we all act together.”

Mr. Cannon said Canada does not want its action in any way to be seen as targeting the North Korean people, some of the poorest and most downtrodden in the world.

He said Canada already delivers about $6-million worth of food aid to North Korea through the UN World Food Program.

As part of its new diplomatic crackdown, Canada is implementing a “controlled engagement policy” that will limit bilateral contact on four issues: regional security, human rights, North-South Korean issues and consular cases.

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Part 1: Has Canada failed in Afghanistan?

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Published Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010 10:30AM EDTLast updated Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010 1:07PM EDTThe mission was futile defence analyst Peter Langille suggests, while Ret. Lt-Gen. Michael Jeffery argues it's difficult to measure success when the objectives keep changing.37 comments

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