Tag: politics

Health Kids News

Gloomy Underpass Transformed Into Awesome Kids’ Park

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An “underpass” is a road or a tunnel that goes beneath another road. Toronto has some dark and gloomy underpasses.

Dark and gloomy, that is, until this summer.

That’s when an organization called Waterfront Toronto built something incredible.

Where there used to be garbage and weeds, there is now a fun playground with a safe, rubbery floor, a skateboard and scooter park and a basketball court.

There are also swings, climbers, a teeter-totter and benches for people to relax on.

Underpass Park covers 2.5 acres underneath three on- and off-ramps that lead to the DVP in East Toronto.

Before the park was built, Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford said he wasn’t sure the space could be transformed.

But when he came to open the park on Aug. 2, he loved it.

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News Politics

PQ Forms New Government In Quebec

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There has been a significant change in government in the province of Quebec.

On Sept. 4, the PQ party won the provincial election.

They will take over from the Liberals, who have been in power there for nine years.

The PQ leader is Pauline Marois. She will become Quebec’s first female premier.

The PQ or Parti Quebecois advocates “sovereignty” for Quebec. That means they believe Quebec should be a separate country from the rest of Canada because it is unique in terms of culture and language. Most people in Quebec speak French.

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News

Economists Applaud Conservative Win In Greece

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The conservative party won the election in Greece last Sunday and around the world, economists and other people involved with the world’s money heaved a collective sigh of relief.

If another party had won the election, many people were predicting that Greece might stop using Euros as its currency.

That move would likely have affected many countries around the world including those in Europe and North America.

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Breaking News News Politics

Giant Slumber Party In The House Of Commons

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The government of Canada had a sleepover, and all of the MPs were invited.

In fact, attendance was mandatory.

What’s really happened is that the Members of Parliament stayed up all night working.

They were voting on a bill, but the way they did it was very unusual—and very interesting.

It all started when Stephen Harper’s Conservative government introduced Bill C-38.

Bill C-38 is an enormous 425-page bill covering all kinds of things including budget items.

The opposition party (the NDP) wanted to protest the fact that the government bundled all of those extra items into the bill.

They say that when too many items are bundled that way, none of the items can be looked over and properly discussed.

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News Politics

Toronto Bans Plastic Shopping Bags

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Toronto is banning plastic shopping bags in stores.

Starting in January 2013, you’ll have to bring your own reusable bag to the store to cart your goods away.

More than 250 million bags end up in landfill every year, never breaking down into compost, according to a report by CBC News.

Plastic bags can also clog drainage systems and, when they are washed out to sea, can hurt fish and other marine animals.

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News Politics

Mubarak Sent To Prison For Life

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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been sent to prison for life.

Last year, as part of the Arab Spring protests* Mubarak was forced from government. He had been in power for nearly 30 years.

During the anti-Mubarak protests, Mubarak’s security forces fired on the protesters, killing more than 850 people.

Recently, a judge found Mubarak guilty of participating in those killings and sentenced him to life in prison.

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Lighter News Politics

A Penny Saved Is A Penny Spurned

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The Canadian penny will soon be a thing of the past—like the Canadian one-dollar and two-dollar bills. The loonie and the toonie replaced those bills in 1987.

In its last budget, the government said the Royal Canadian Mint will stop making pennies starting this Fall, and that stores will stop using them.

Everyone is asked to return their pennies to a bank; they will be melted down and recycled.

Pennies will always be worth one cent. However, there will be fewer and fewer of them out there as the years go on.

Any prices that don’t end in a zero or a five (in other words, purchase we can use nickles, dimes or quarters for) will be rounded up or down to the nearest zero or five.

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News Politics

Malawi Elects A New President

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Although there are about as many women in the world as men, there is a much larger number of men who are heads-of-state.

The only female head-of-state Canada has had, out of 22 in Canadian history, was Kim Campbell. She was prime minister for less than a year, in 1993.

In Africa last month, Joyce Banda became just the third female head-of-state in modern African history.

Banda took over for President Bingu Wa Mutharika in Malawi, who died of a heart attack in early April.

Until then, Banda had been Malawi’s vice-president, elected in 2005.

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News

Updates On Two Of Our Breaking Stories: Montreal And Royals

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University students continue to protest in Montreal.

The students had started out protesting a tuition hike.

However, the protests have grown and broadened to be about more than tuition.

The Royal Visit — Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are touring Canada.

They are taking a four-day tour of the country to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

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Breaking News News Politics

University Students Protest Tuition Hikes in Quebec

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University students in Quebec have been protesting.

They have been told that the government is going to raise their tuition fees. In this case, “tuition fees” are the fees people pay to attend university.

Traditionally, Quebec has some of the lowest tuition fees in Canada. Only students in two provinces: Newfound and Labrador and Manitoba, pay less to attend university.

However, the increase will be the largest in the province’s history. The government intends to raise tuition by $1,625 by 2017. Students will pay $325 more each year for the next five years.

Student groups say the increase doesn’t go towards improving the quality of the teaching, and the hikes will force some students who can’t pay the extra money to drop out of school or take a second job. They worry that students who come from low-income families won’t be able to afford higher education.

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