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Government proclaims May as Sexual Violence Awareness Month

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The government is proclaiming May as Sexual Violence Awareness Month and is taking action to challenge attitudes, promote a culture of consent and raise awareness about sexual violence in Alberta.

Premier Notley and Minister Sabir proclaim Sexual Violence Awareness Month and announce the government-wide Commitment to End Sexual Violence with dozens of community organizations, advocates and survivors.

To start the month, the province is launching a new Commitment to End Sexual Violence. Developed through extensive consultation with dozens of front line providers, advocates and survivors, the commitment brings ten government ministries and community organizations together to deliver a coordinated, province wide response to address sexual violence in Alberta.

“Every Albertan deserves to live free from sexual harassment and assault. Sexualized violence is a crime of power and control, and governments have a duty to lead, to offer hope and healing to survivors, to make workplaces and campuses safe and to tackle the inequality at the root of this violence that most impacts women and girls.”

Rachel Notley, Premier

The commitment has three pillars:

  • Shift the culture towards believing survivors, challenging harmful myths and building a culture of consent
  • Improve the way Alberta’s social, health, justice and education systems respond to sexual violence
  • Support individuals by funding frontline services for survivors and delivering education and prevention programs

“I never thought I would see this day. Raising awareness about sexual violence not only helps bring these crimes out of the shadows, it’s clear with this commitment today that, for the first time, the priorities of government reflect me and the needs of survivors across this province.”

Carlynn McAneeley, survivor of sexual violence 

During May, the province will announce initiatives to support the commitment and build on actions taken to address and prevent sexual harassment and assault.

Since 2015 government has invested close to $52 million to support a range of programs and services to prevent sexual violence and support survivors in communities across Alberta, including:

  • Provided more supports for survivors of sexual violence with a historic $8.1 million investment to increase access to counselling and cut wait times, add police and court support and provide crisis help in more communities.
  • A $1.2 million grant over three years at the Zebra Child Protection Centre for mental health support and counselling services for survivors of sexual and physical child abuse.
  • Increased funding by $25 million to help Family and Community Support Services address sexual violence, family violence, gender inequality and to promote healthy relationships. 
  • Funded the successful #IBelieveYou campaign to promote a cultural shift toward supporting survivors and breaking the silence around sexual violence.
  • Boosted funding for women’s shelters by $15 million to help ensure no woman fleeing violence is turned away.
  • Increased access to the legal system for survivors by removing the time limit for to bring forward civil claims.
  • Made it easier for survivors to get out of dangerous situations by allowing them to break residential leases without financial penalty.
  • Provided $80,000 grant from Status of Women to stage a play about consent in high schools to educate teens about gender equality and healthy relationships.

“We are pleased to be a partner in the government’s commitment to prevent sexual violence and provide better support to those who are affected. Sexual violence is a problem that affects all communities in our province and will require a united effort by government, community organizations and individuals to eliminate.”

Debra Tomlinson, chief executive director, Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

Commitment to End Sexual Violence:

“Every Albertan has the right to live free from violence. Perpetrators of sexual violence violate that right.

“The Government of Alberta does not tolerate these abuses of power and control. Though anyone can experience sexual violence, we recognize it impacts women and girls most. We stand firmly with survivors, advocates and community agencies to stop sexual violence in all its forms.

“We commit to supporting survivors, improving our response, and shifting to a culture of consent by advancing gender equality. We will work until all survivors are believed and supported, and this violence is eradicated from our communities.”

Quick facts:

  • Sexual violence is the most under-reported crime in Canada. Ninety-five per cent of survivors do not report their assaults to police.
  • Sexual violence most often affects women and girls. Eighty-seven per cent of survivors are women and 94 per cent of perpetrators are men.
  • In 2014, 83,000 Albertans reported sexual assaults.
  • Sexual violence is defined as a sexual act committed against someone without that person’s freely given consent. It can involve physical or non-physical contact, affect all ages and genders, and the person committing the act might be known or be a stranger.

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Environment

New must-see documentary exposes climate alarm as an “invented scare”

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From the Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL).  

Founded in 2019 by emeritus professor of geophysics Guus Berkhout and science journalist  Marcel Crok, CLINTEL‘s main objective is to generate knowledge and insight into the extent, nature, causes and consequences of climate change and the climate policy related to it.

From CLINTEL on YouTube

This film exposes the climate alarm as an invented scare without any basis in science. It shows that mainstream studies and official data do not support the claim that we are witnessing an increase in extreme weather events – hurricanes, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and all the rest. It emphatically counters the claim that current temperatures and levels of atmospheric CO2 are unusually and worryingly high. 

The film includes interviews with a number of very prominent scientists, including Professor Steven Koonin (author of ‘Unsettled’, a former provost and vice-president of Caltech), Professor Richard (Dick) Lindzen (formerly professor of meteorology at Harvard and MIT), Professor Will Happer (professor of physics at Princeton), Dr John Clauser (winner of the Nobel prize in Physics in 2022), Professor Nir Shaviv (Racah Institute of Physics), professor Ross McKitrick (University of Guelph), Willie Soon and several others.

The film was written and directed by the British filmmaker Martin Durkin and is the sequel of his excellent 2007 documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle. Tom Nelson, a podcaster who has been deeply examining climate debate issues for the better part of two decades, was the producer of the film.

Follow @ClimateTheMovie and @ClintelOrg for updates.

Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL) is an independent foundation that reports objectively on climate change and climate policy and aims to be a voice of reason in the often overheated climate debate. CLINTEL was founded in 2019 by emeritus professor of geophysics Guus Berkhout  and science journalist  Marcel Crok . CLINTEL’s main objective is to generate knowledge and insight into the extent, nature, causes and consequences of climate change and the climate policy related to it. CLINTEL also wants to participate in debates on climate science and policy, as well as in decision-making processes in this regard.

To this end:

  • The foundation tries to communicate clearly and transparently to the general public what facts are available about climate change and climate policy and also where facts turn into assumptions and predictions.
  • The foundation conducts and encourages a public debate on this matter and carries out investigative journalism work in this area.
  • The foundation aims to function as an international meeting place for scientists with different views on climate change and climate policy.
  • Will the foundation also conduct or finance scientific research in the field of climate change and climate policy?
  • The foundation participates in decision-making procedures regarding the climate, climate communication and climate policy, in particular legislative and regulatory processes, but possibly also legal procedures regarding climate policy of governments, companies or other parties.

CLINTEL wants to take on the role of ‘climate watchdog’, both in the field of climate science and climate policy.

CLINTEL was made possible in part by a start-up donation from real estate entrepreneur Niek Sandmann. The foundation is very grateful to him for this. Several people have already indicated that they would also like to contribute financially to the foundation. This can also be done anonymously if desired. You can support us by becoming a Friend of CLINTEL or making a one-time donation .

The foundation strives for as few overhead costs as possible, so that almost all resources can be spent on investigative journalism, scientific research and public information. CLINTEL will work on an extensive national network of “friends” and “ambassadors”. To this end, meetings ( CLINTEL Chambers ) will be organized throughout the country . CLINTEL also has a youth organization, Young CLINTEL .

CLINTEL is located in Amsterdam and can be reached via [email protected].

Channel details

www.youtube.com/@clintel628

 

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Media

Canadians distrust federal ‘fact checkers,’ say they can identify truth without government help

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

The in-house research by the Communications Security Establishment found that Canadians distrusted federal ‘fact checkers’ and that they feel they can spot fake news online without being told what it true by the government.

Canadians believe they can identify “fake news” online without help from federally employed “fact checkers.” 

According to in-house research by the Communications Security Establishment obtained March 19 by Blacklock’s Reporter, most Canadians distrust federal “fact checkers,” explaining that they can spot fake news online without being told what it true by the government.

“Everyone said they regularly see examples of disinformation online and felt it has escalated considerably in the last few years,” the report found. “Some spoke of social media as a place where they most often find disinformation.”  

The participants in federal focus groups also revealed that they feel apprehensive with the government “declaring what is true or not.” 

“Most participants said they feel confident they can tell the difference between real and false information you see on the internet, at least most of the time,” the report said.  

“A number of participants expressed reservations about the government presenting itself as an ‘authority’ on disinformation,” it continued. “These participants perceived the Government of Canada would be declaring what is true or not.”  

Recently, Canadians have increasingly expressed distrust in both the federal government and mainstream media. 

Distrust in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government comes as the scandal-plagued  government has sent the Liberals into a nosedive in popularity with no end in sight.  

Per a recent LifeSiteNews report, according to polls, were a Canadian federal election held today, Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre would win a majority in the House of Commons over Trudeau’s Liberals. 

Recent polling found that only one-third of Canadians consider mainstream media trustworthy and balanced.   

Similarly, a recent study by Canada’s Public Health Agency revealed that less than a third of Canadians displayed “high trust” in the federal government, with “large media organizations” as well as celebrities getting even lower scores.   

Large mainstream media outlets and “journalists” working for them scored a “high trust” rating of only 18 percent. That was followed by only 12 percent of people saying they trusted “ordinary people,” with celebrities receiving only an 8 percent “trust” rating.  

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