Author: Nancy Miller

News

New Rules Will Protect Clothing Makers

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From now on, many companies that want to sell clothing to the Ontario government will have to provide the names of the people who made the clothing.

The names and addresses will be put onto a website so if anyone wants to check them, they can.

The new rules apply to companies selling more than $5,000 of clothing to the government.

If they do not give the information, they may not be allowed to sell the clothing.

Last year, unsafe workplaces in Asia made the news. In one incident, there was a fire in a clothing factory in Bangladesh.

It turned out that some Canadian companies were buying products from the Bangladesh factory even though it wasn’t a safe place. In other workplaces, reports came out about children in factories doing the work, which is against the law.

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Health News

Mexico Puts A Tax On Sugary Soft Drinks

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The people of Mexico drink more soft drinks than people in any other country in the world.

Last fall, the government of Mexico made a decision to increase the taxes on soft drinks with sugar.

They said that soft drinks help to create health problems like obesity and diabetes. That tax is starting now.

In the past, Mexico has done other things to reduce sugar and fat in schools, like removing unhealthy foods from vending machines.

But some people say this kind of tax to make people healthier doesn’t work.

In 2011 another country, Denmark, put a tax on fatty foods for the same reason: to improve people’s health. But they removed it a year later because it caused more problems than it solved.

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Animals News

US Group Says Canadian Lobster Traps Are Endangering Whales

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Canada has failed to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale by allowing the use of old-fashioned methods to catch lobsters and crabs, according to an environmental group in the United States.

Many Canadians who fish for lobsters and crabs use nets, traps and ropes that can tangle up whales and accidentally capture other sea creatures, they say.

The magazine on earth is published by The Natural Resources Defense Council in the US.

In a recent article they said Canada has no regulations to protect the endangered right whale from the old-fashioned fishing methods.

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News Technology

$40 Tablet Comes To Canada And The U.S.

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Many people use tablet computers, like the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy.

The small, flat computers, which you operate by swiping their surface with your fingers, are very expensive. They can cost as much as $800.

But one company, Datawind, says they have a tablet that sells for just $40.

Datawind’s tablet is called Ubislate, and it is already widely used in India.

Datawind has just launched Ubislate (pronounced oo-bee-slate) in Canada and the U.S. There is a lot of interest as well as debate over whether it offers enough speed, screen clarity and features.

Ubislate can’t do everything the expensive tablets do, but Toronto Star technology reporter Raju Mudhar used the tablet for a few days and said that what it does, it does well.

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News

Bravery Awards Given By Canada’s Governor General

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Since 1972, the Governor-General of Canada has given out special awards to people for risking their lives to help someone else.

One of them is the Medal of Bravery, which is awarded to someone who has done something very brave in a dangerous situation.

In December, Governor-General David Johnston handed out 39 Medals of Bravery.

One bravery medal was awarded to a woman who helped rescue nine people from an Orillia, Ontario retirement home that was on fire.

Another medal was given to a teenager in British Columbia who saved his friend’s life by tackling a dangerous person.

Three people received a Star of Courage during the ceremony.

The Star of Courage is given to people who have been extremely brave even when it meant possibly putting themselves in danger.

The act of bravery doesn’t have to happen in Canada and the brave person doesn’t have to be Canadian, for them to be eligible for a medal.

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Lighter News

Thousands Dress Up As Santa, Elves For Fun Run In Spain

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More than 6,000 adults dressed up as Santa Claus ran through the streets of Madrid, in Spain, just before Christmas.

Children dressed up as elves and ran the mini-marathon through the streets of Spain’s capital city–about 5.5 kilometres.

The run was organized by one of Europe’s biggest department store chains, El Corte Inglés.

The store’s managers felt that the colourful run would bring people together in a positive way.

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News Politics

Top Secret Document Released By CBC News

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There has been a lot of interest lately into the way countries obtain information about each other.

CBC News recently reported that it has a document showing that Canada has spied on its trading partners.

“Spied” (spying) in this case means obtained information about another country which that country may not otherwise have been willing to openly share.

The CBC said Canada was conducting “espionage” (spying) because it was asked to by a department of the United States.

The document the CBC is referring to is a four-page document that outlines the spying activities.

The CBC said someone “leaked” it to them, meaning that someone sent it out when it was supposed to be secret.

The document was marked “Top Secret.”

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News

Toronto Landmark, Honest Ed’s, Has Been Sold

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A Toronto landmark has been sold to a builder in Vancouver.

Honest Ed’s discount store, at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst, will close down in two to three years.

Since 1948, the store has grown to take up almost a whole block.

Over the years, the decorations all over the building have become more and more extravagant.

The public can see the store’s neon signs and colourful lights from two blocks away.

The founder of Honest Ed’s was Ed Mirvish.

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Animals News

Toronto Zoo Elephants Prepare For Trip To California

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For two years, the Toronto Zoo and Toronto City Council have been trying to agree on the best way to move three senior elephants to California.

The elephants are quite old and must be treated very carefully.

Now, if all goes well, Toka, Thika and Iringa will begin their trip next month.

At first, they were to make the move by plane, but that idea was turned down in favour of driving.

Now they will go in containers on a 50-hour journey with several stops along the way for feeding and cleaning of the crates.

Veterinarians and handlers will go with them on the trip to make sure the animals are safe and not stressed.

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Environment News

Human Activity Responsible For Global Warming: UN Report

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A group of scientists associated with the United Nations has just issued a report on “climate change.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has confirmed that human habits and activity is responsible for global warming and for higher sea levels.

If this continues, according to the report, there will be more dramatic changes in plant and animal life.

Some critics believe that the current situation is more likely due to short-term factors or weather cycles. They believe that the climate situation will change on its own eventually.

But the UN report says the reality is clear and the facts are there.

Luckily, because humans cause the problem, humans can help solve the problem.

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