>Morning, frenz
>Mornin' Ralph… Please pass the Dark Roast Covfefe.
>Josh Alexander, 16, was suspended in November fromSt. Joseph's Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario - a small town 80 miles west of Ottawa.
RCCDSB Retweeted
RCCDSB Safe and Accepting Schools
@RCCSafeSchools
·
Jan 24
$1500 in funding. To get started, consider reading a story together with your class or kids about Reconciliation.Check out the teacher’s guide or the official program page for more about the Imagine a Canada program. https://nctr.ca/education/educational-programs/imagine-a-canada/?mc_cid=a8e9d1eece&mc_eid=730701b55f
@NCTR_UM
@IE_RCCDSB
RCCDSB Safe and Accepting Schools
@RCCSafeSchools
·
Jan 24
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation invites teachers, parents and guardians ofyouth from K-12 to submit their visionof Canada through the lens of Reconciliation. Twelve pieces of artwork will be featured in a special art book and fifteen projects will receive up to
Imagine a canada
https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2018-IMAGINE19-EDUCATION-FINAL-WEB.pdf?mc_cid=a8e9d1eece&mc_eid=730701b55f
WHAT DOES THE WORD RECONCILIATION MEAN?The TRC defined Reconciliation as the establishment and maintenance of mutually beneficial, mutually respectful relationships. This definition reminds us that Reconciliation is not just for Indigenous people, but everyone’s responsibility, with room for everyone in the discussion.
RELATIONSHIPS – Reconciliation is a process of building relationships between people. These relationships are meant to be equitable and based on a respectful understanding of each other’s history, culture, and needs within this country. It is important to remember that the relationship as it stands today is fundamentally unequal. As Canadians we have all inherited the wreckage of a broken, unjust relationship
>St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario
https://rccdsb.ca/our-board/
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board announces changes and appointments to leadership at inaugural meeting
Author of the article:
Pembroke Observer and News
Published Dec 09, 2020 • Last updated Dec 09, 2020 • 2 minute read
After a busy fall successfully initiating its virtual learning school and implementing in-school pandemic protocols, the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board is managing a number of changes to its board and senior administration team.
Article content
Following a mass celebrated byBishop Guy Desrochers,the board held its inaugural meeting and is pleased to announce the election of Bob Schreader as the incoming chairman of the board. Schreader has served more than 30 years on the board, including previous terms as chairman and vice-chairman.
>Bishop Guy Desrochers,
https://pembrokediocese.com/article/guy-desrochers-becomes-bishop-of-pembroke/
Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R. becomes Bishop of Pembroke
On July 3, 2020, Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), became the ninth Bishop of Pembroke.
Bishop Desrochers was appointed on May 6, 2020, following the vacancy left by the appointment of Most Rev. Michael Mulhall as Archbishop of Kingston.
The installation took place after the new Bishop made his Profession of Faith and took the Oath of Fidelity. The Installation Mass took place in St. Columbkille Cathedral, Pembroke. Once the letter of appointment from Pope Francis was read to the assembly and shown to the College of Consultors, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., of Ottawa-Cornwall led Bishop Desrochers to the cathedra, or bishop’s chair. Bishop Desrochers then presided over the rest of the Mass.
Also present were Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, and Archbishop Michael Mulhall of Kingston.
On account of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the priests, the deacons, and the deacons’ wives could be present. They took their places throughout the Cathedral in order to respect physical distancing.
Click an image to view. First image: Left to right: Archbishop Michael Mulhall, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Deacon Adrien Chaput, Bishop Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Deacon Michael Coyne, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi after the celebration. Second image: Bishop Desrochers holds the letter of appointment from Pope Francis. With him is Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J. Third image: Bishop Desrochers holds the letter of appointment from Pope Francis. With him is Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi (left), Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, and Fr. Michael Smith, Chancellor (centre). Fourth image: Priests, deacons, and deacons’ wives at prayer during the liturgy. The organist is Leo Rochon and the cantor Bentley Horne. Fifth image: Bishop Desrochers preaches the homily at the Installation Mass. Sixth image: Bishop Desrochers greets people after the celebration.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2023/02/canada-catholic-student-who-was-suspended-for-opposing-gender-ideology-is-now-arrested-by-police
Canada: Catholic student who was suspended for ‘opposing gender ideology’ is now arrested by police
Feb 7, 2023 1:00 pm By Christine Douglass-Williams
In a sickening update that should shake the conscience of every defender of human rights and Constitutional rights in Canada, Ontario police arrest Josh Alexander, who protested boys in girls’ bathrooms, for attending class.
I have been following this story from the beginning. See HERE and HERE for background. To sum it up: 16-year-old Ontario resident Josh Alexander was penalized with a 20-day suspension last year by his Catholic school “after he organized a walkout in protest of male students being permitted into the girls’ washroom.” In an interview around the time of Alexander’s initial suspension, the teen told LifeSiteNews that he believes, in accordance with Catholic teaching and the Bible, that there are only two sexes. Under the freedom of religion, Alexander has the guaranteed right to affirm this. Or so we thought.
Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC) took up Josh’s case and sent a “Notice of Intention to Appeal Suspension” to Mary-Lise Rowat, Superintendent of Educational Services at Renfrew County Catholic District School Board. But Josh’s situation deteriorated, and fast. LifeSite news wrote in an update February 1:
Alexander’s lawyer, James Kitchen, the chief litigator for Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), told LifeSiteNews today that Renfrew County Catholic District School Board won’t “permit him (Alexander) to attend school for the rest of the year because, according to them, Josh’s beliefs constitute ‘bullying of trans students.’”
What nonsense. Mind you, the school is bullying Josh over his religious rights and freedoms, while doing severe damage to what the school proclaims about honoring Catholic teachings.
I previously wrote to the Diocese of Pembroke, of which Josh’s school, St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, and the Renfrew County Catholic District are a part. See the full correspondence HERE. Below is an excerpt from that correspondence, where you’ll notice immediately how institutions are able to hide (unintentionally or not) behind red tape, even when in violation of their own stated values.
On Jan 16, 2023, at 8:13 PM,
Vicar General / Vicaire général <vg@pembrokediocese.comwrote:
Dear Ms. Williams,
Thank you very much for your email, to which Bishop Desrochers has asked me to reply on his behalf.
The Renfrew County District Catholic School Board is a separate corporation from the Diocese of Pembroke, and it is under the direction of a Board of Trustees. The diocese does not have jurisdiction over the internal life of the Board, nor does the Bishop have the authority to intervene in internal matters. He can, however, exercise moral suasion, and he is in regular contact with the Board’s leadership.
I thank you again for writing.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Michael Smith
Vicar General
and more….
On Jan 17, 2023, at 6:31 PM,
Vicar General / Vicaire général <vg@pembrokediocese.comwrote:
Thank you for your reply, Ms. Williams.
I am not party to Bishop Desrochers’ conversations with the Board’s leadership, but it can safely be said that the Bishop can be trusted to uphold Catholic teaching in a manner that is both clear and sensitive to others, especially the vulnerable.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael Smith
From all appearances, the influence of Bishop Desrochers is questionable in a hierarchy that also appears to be corrupted at the highest levels and will only change with public opposition. Without any pushback, Canadians will lose more of their rights. So far, the Catholic faith, to all appearances, is of no importance at Josh’s school or within the diocese. Ethically, therefore, why is it even being funded by taxpayers as a Separate School system, categorized as religious? The news broke this month that the Ontario government faces a legal challenge for funding Catholic schools; St. Joseph’s Catholic High School and the Renfrew District School Board makes the challenge easy.
Far too many people’s rights are being trampled unconstitutionally in the rush to adhere to the woke ideology. In Josh’s case, he is a whipping boy for the intolerant in a country that boasts of its “tolerance” and “diversity.” His persecution is in a Catholic school which is apparently operating without any concern for the Catholic faith that the school professes to uphold.
St. Joseph’s Catholic School boasts about its faith and its “atmosphere of trust” on its website:
After the appalling suspension of Josh until the end of the year, Josh showed up to class, in accordance with his rights and in defiance of the woke gods of his Catholic school. The result: the school called in police to arrest him, fascist style. Josh tweeted:
The cowards tried to hide the impact of the school’s actions:
“The entire class was dismissed while the staff handled my situation,” the boy continued. “Shortly after, Ontario Provincial Police arrived and asked me to leave. Once again, I respectfully declined and they arrested me.”
Josh is a youngster who is bearing the burden for the rights of all believers, a burden that adults should be carrying. His attorney, James Kitchen, chief litigator for Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), “told LifeSiteNews that Alexander’s decision to go back to school today was ‘an intelligent choice of a young man who knows what he is doing.’”
In a society that claims to abhor bullying, it is criminal that institutional bullying is now at play in the case of Josh and in full violation of Canada’s constitution.
Chinese Catholic bishop ordained with Pope's approval
Published
28 August 2019
Chinese worshippers attend a mass during the Christmas Eve at a Catholic church in Beijing on December 24, 2018.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Christmas in Beijing: Catholics attend mass on 24 December 2018
A bishop has been ordained with the blessing of both the Popeand the Chinese state for the first time under a new deal.
Religious organisations in China must be approved by the state, leading to a decades-long row with the Vatican.
But a deal was agreed last September, giving the Vatican a say in the bishops appointed by the state church.
Yao Shun received the papal mandate for his ordination as bishop in China's Inner Mongolia region.
The country is home to about 12 million Catholics - split between the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and an underground church loyal to the Vatican.
For decades, members of the underground church have only recognised the authority of the pope, while members of the state church have refused it. The relationship between the Holy See and Beijing has been strained by the disagreement since the 1950s.
>National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation -University of Manitoba
Manitoba
Chinese researcher escorted from infectious disease lab amid RCMP investigation
Social Sharing
Public Health Agency of Canada describes it as a possible 'policy breach,' no risk to Canadian public
Karen Pauls · CBC News · Posted: Jul 14, 2019 4:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 14, 2019
Dr. Xiangguo Qiu accepting a Governor General's Innovation Award at Rideau Hall in 2018. She, her husband, Keding Cheng, and an unknown number of her students from China were removed from Canada's only level-4 lab on July 5 amidst an RCMP investigation into what's being described as a possible 'policy breach.' (CBC)
This story was published on July 14, 2019.
Aresearcher with ties to China was recently escorted out of the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg amid an RCMP investigation into what's being described as a possible "policy breach."
Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, her husband Keding Cheng and an unknown number of her students from China were removed from Canada's only level-4 lab on July 5, CBC News has learned.
A Level 4 virology facility is a lab equipped to work with the most serious and deadly human and animal diseases. That makes the Arlington Street lab one of only a handful in North America capable of handling pathogens requiring the highest level of containment, such as Ebola.
Security access for the couple and the Chinese students was revoked, according to sources who work at the lab and do not want to be identified because they fear consequences for speaking out.
Sources say this comes several months after IT specialists for the NML entered Qiu's office after-hours and replaced her computer. Her regular trips to China also started being denied.
At meetings on July 8, NML staff were told the researchers are on leave for an unknown period of time. They were told not to communicate with them.
Qiu is a prominent virologist who helped develop ZMapp, a treatment for the deadly Ebola virus which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014-2016.
She worked with Gary Kobinger, who is now a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and director of the Research Centre on Infectious Diseases at Laval University in Quebec.
Affiliated with Chinese university
Qiu is a medical doctor from Tianjin, China, who came to Canada for graduate studies in 1996. She is still affiliated with the university there and has brought in many students over the years to help with her work.
Currently head of the Vaccine Development and Antiviral Therapies section in the Special Pathogens Program at the lab, Qiu's primary field is immunology. Her research focuses on vaccine development, post-exposure therapeutics and rapid diagnostics of viruses like Ebola.
She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Manitoba.
Cheng also works at the lab as a biologist. He has published research papers on HIV infections, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), E. coli infections and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome.
The RCMP received a referral from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on May 24.
"Based on information received to date, the RCMP has assessed that there is no threat to public safety at this time," Robert Cyrenne said in an email to CBC News on Thursday.
PHAC is describing it as a policy breach and "administrative matter" and says the department is taking steps to "resolve it expeditiously," Eric Morrissette, the health agency's chief of media relations, said from Ottawa.
No one is under arrest or confined to their home, he added.
When asked for a response to the latest details, Morrissette said there would be no further comment "for privacy reasons."
A spokesperson for Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said she is aware of an "administrative investigation" at the lab but has no comment.
A Coordinated attack
>Chinese Catholic bishop ordained with Pope's approval
>Manitoba
>Chinese researcher escorted from infectious disease lab amid RCMP investigation
"We can assure Canadians that there is absolutely no risk to the Canadian public and that the work of the NML continues in support of the health and safety of all Canadians," communications director Mathieu Filion said in an email Saturday.
RCMP investigate possible policy breach at National Microbiology Lab
Second Opinion
How the new Ebola vaccine was made in Canada
Matthew Gilmour, scientific director general of the NML, did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the department will not confirm or deny whether anyone has been arrested or is under investigation. That information would only be public if charges are laid, Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr said in an email Thursday.
No one from the Chinese Embassy could be reached for comment.
'Microbiology can … involve national security'
While there are few details available, experts say this could be a case of intellectual property theft or technology leakage to China.
"The National Microbiology Laboratory would have some pretty sensitive biological research material that … could be shared either with or without authorization with foreign countries," said Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta's China Institute.
"All of this is unproven, but even microbiology, sometimes especially microbiology, can have issues that involve national security."
It's something the Canadian Security Intelligence Service has already warned about, said Leah West, who teaches national security law at Carleton's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
"Canada is facing threats from foreign governments seeking to steal intellectual property and that could include state-funded research," she said.
"The two big things I want to see is whether or not these individuals are charged with crimes by the RCMP …that will give us a lot of information about what is really at stake here."
West is also interested in seeing how this plays out politically between Canada and the Chinese government.
The National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg is one of only a handful in North America capable of handling dangerous pathogens such as Ebola. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
Relations between the two countries have been strained since the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. arrest warrant.
"China and Canada's relationship right now stems from China using espionage to advance its strategic interests, be that its security interests or its economic interests," West said. "How Canada deals with that going forward, especially given that we have two Canadians who remain in Chinese custody, will be very interesting to watch."
This isn't the first time police have investigated an incident at the lab.
In 2009, a former researcher at the lab was convicted of trying to smuggle genetic material from the Ebola virus across the Manitoba-North Dakota border.
The FBI is also investigating cases involving Chinese researchers in the United States.
>A Coordinated attack
>In 2009, a former researcher at the lab was convicted of trying to smuggle genetic material from the Ebola virus across the Manitoba-North Dakota border.
Northern Border Wall, now
<on his way to a new job with the National Institutes of Health
Charged with smuggling in U.S., ex-Winnipeg researcher cops a plea
Social Sharing
CBC News · Posted: May 22, 2009 7:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 24, 2009
A former researcher at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg accused of trying to smuggle genetic material from the Ebola virusacross the Manitoba-North Dakota border pleaded guiltyto a lesser charge on Friday.
Konan Michel Yao, 42, pleaded guilty in a Grand Forks, N.D. courtroom to a charge of "failure to present merchandise for inspection."
He was sentenced to 17 days in jail but received credit for time already served. He was also fined $500 US.
Yao is currently in the custody of U.S. customs officials. It's unclear whether he will be coming back to Canada.
Yao was caught at the Manitoba-North Dakota border on May 5on his way to a new job with the National Institutes of Health at the Biodefense Research Laboratory in Bethesda, Md. He had 22 vials in the trunk of his car that were allegedly taken from the lab.
Yao had initially been hired by the Public Health Agency of Canada to work as a PhD fellow at the Winnipeg facility.
The agency said there was never a public health risk, insisting Yao did not have access to the highest-level pathogens and only worked with non-infectious material.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/charged-with-smuggling-in-u-s-ex-winnipeg-researcher-cops-a-plea-1.820854
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/chinese-researcher-escorted-from-infectious-disease-lab-amid-rcmp-investigation-1.5211567