News Talk 650 CKOM

EDGEWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Katie Pasitney, whose mother co-owns the British Columbia ostrich farm where hundreds of the birds were shot dead in a cull ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, says she is focused on creating change for other farmers. Standing on the highway overlooking the field where the cull took place Thursday night, Pasitney says the CFIA's so-called stamping-out policy is "broken" as it fails to prevent mounting outbreaks of avian influenza in B.C. and other parts of Canada. She says the farm near Edgewood in southeastern B.C. is "ground zero for change" in outbreak response, but adds her family will "never recover from this." The owners of Universal Ostrich Farms had been fighting the cull order issued during an avian flu outbreak last New Year's Eve, but their hopes were dashed Thursday as the Supreme Court of Canada said it would not hear their case. The cull went ahead that night, with sounds of gunfire starting at about 6 p.m. from within a hay-bale pen built by the CFIA, a method Pasitney describes as inhumane. A statement from the CFIA says using "professional marksmen" was the "most appropriate and human option" to kill the flock of about 300 to 330 birds. Pasitney's voice filled with emotion as she described her father, who uses a wheelchair, crying because he felt he couldn't protect his family and their ostriches. "In a way I feel like I failed 'cause I couldn't protect my mum," she said through tears during an interview Friday as dead ostriches were loaded into containers in the field behind her, though the view was largely obstructed by the hay-bale enclosure. "Our land that had so much life 24 hours ago is a cold, empty shell," Pasitney said. "We're going to use that as motivation and we're going to change Canada." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025. Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

BRANDON — The costs of child care, food and other items are among the topics on the agenda at this weekend's Manitoba NDP convention. The annual gathering is a chance for party delegates to debate policies, and one resolution calls for increased funding for child-care centres. Other resolutions call for a higher minimum wage, more financial aid for post-secondary students, and new measures to increase food security and affordability in northern communities. Delegates are also set to hear from Premier Wab Kinew. The governing New Democrats are halfway through their mandate after winning the 2023 election. Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba, says the NDP is in a fairly good position — running high in opinion polls and raising a lot of money. "I would say that the party is in fairly good shape and there don't seem to be any major conflicts within the party," Adams said in an interview. The NDP have continued to show signs of electoral strength since winning 34 of the 57 legislature seats in 2023. The party won a byelection last year in the Tuxedo constituency in Winnipeg, which had previously always voted Progressive Conservative. The NDP came close to an upset in August in the Spruce Woods constituency, a largely rural Tory stronghold, but fell 70 votes short. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025. Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

SASKATOON — Premier Scott Moe is to face a leadership vote today at his Saskatchewan Party's convention. Moe received an approval rating of 97 per cent at the last gathering two years ago. The convention follows last year's election that saw Moe's government win a fifth-straight majority but lose significant ground in the province's two major cities. The party lost all its Regina seats and held on to only one riding in Saskatoon. Party members have said they were disappointed in the results and have urged Moe to do better on addressing urban issues. Members are also set to decide on a motion that would strip voting powers from permanent residents and youth, and instead allow only Canadian adult citizens to vote on party matters. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Many Canadian travellers to Europe are being asked to reveal more about themselves as officials begin to usher in new security measures. European countries are rolling out a border management system to register people for short stays and, starting late next year, many visitors will need to obtain electronic travel authorizations in advance. The first initiative, the Entry/Exit System, is intended to modernize border management across the 29 European countries using the system by electronically registering non-European nationals' entries, exits and entry refusals. The system, which is set to be fully in place by April 10, applies to visitors with short-stay visas as well as travellers — including many from Canada — who do not need a visa to stay for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The system uses various means, including electronic kiosks, to collect facial images and fingerprints to verify identities. Officials say the biometric data will help determine whether people are exceeding their permitted stay and contribute to the fight against organized crime and terrorism. The Entry/Exit System was set up because European countries have for too long lacked a centralized overview of people entering, leaving and staying, said Uku Sarekanno, deputy executive director of Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency. "In Europe, if you look at the figures, irregular migration is down," Sarekanno said during a recent visit to Ottawa to meet counterparts. "At the same time, the topic as such is very high on the political agenda." The new measures address these voter concerns and help build "trust in the system," he added. Beginning some time late next year, the second measure — the European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS — will come into effect. The travel authorization will be an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to any of 30 European countries. In 2016, Ottawa began requiring most visa-exempt visitors flying to Canada to have such a document, known as the Electronic Travel Authorization. Beginning late next year, the ETIAS travel authorization will be available for purchase through an online portal for 20 euros. Applicants under age 18 or older than 70 are among those exempt from payment. Officials say most applications will be processed within minutes, although some might take longer. The travel authorization requirement will give European border officials advance warning of who is coming before they get on a flight, Sarekanno said. "The risks need to be better managed." The ETIAS travel authorization, linked to a visitor's passport, will be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. The document allows the holder to enter participating countries as often as they wish for short-term stays. Officials caution, however, that the travel authorization does not guarantee entry and a border guard will still ask to see a passport and other documents. Travellers will be advised to apply for a travel authorization before purchasing an airline ticket or booking accommodation. Officials warn that online scammers are already trying to profit off the ETIAS — even though it doesn't exist yet. Sarekanno said officials hope the new measures will lead eventually to a faster and more seamless experience for travellers at European borders, and free up border officers for other tasks. "But it all takes time," he said. In the next few years, he added, "we will be busy with all the implementation of it, and then we can build on top of that." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — John Moses says that when his father Russell Moses returned on leave from the Korean War, his battles weren't over. When the Indigenous residential school survivor came back to Canada in 1952, he was turned away from a bar in Hagersville, Ont., because of his race, his son said. "That was not unique," said John Moses, a member of the Delaware and Upper Mohawk bands from Six Nations of the Grand River, and himself a third-generation member of the Canadian Armed Forces. His father, who served in the navy during the Korean War and later joined the air force, died in 2013, while his grandfather Ted Moses was a mechanic with the air force in Ontario during the Second World War. "The irony of the situation was never lost on newly returned veterans," said Moses, a communicator research operator with the Armed Forces in the 1980s before working at the Canadian Museum of History as director for repatriation and Indigenous relations. "After having fought abroad for the sovereignty of small nations overseas, they come back to a country within which we still, at that point, did not enjoy the same range of civil and political rights as other Canadians." Canada marks Indigenous Veteran's Day on Saturday, shining a spotlight on wartime experiences that historian Scott Sheffield says was a place where some would find a sense of belonging, away from racism at home. Indigenous Veterans Day began as a grassroots movement in Winnipeg in 1993, but has since grown to be nationally recognized, with Sheffield calling it a "logical precursor to Remembrance Day" on Nov. 11. Sheffield, an associate professor in history at the University of the Fraser Valley in B.C., said many ask why Indigenous people would choose to fight for a country that marginalized them. He said the reasons varied according to the individual and the war, and in many cases, Indigenous fighters volunteered for the same reasons as others, such as adventure or economic reasons. But, for some, he said it was a political statement. "By enlisting, they were sort of declaring their right to belong, to be part of Canadian society," he said. One example was Tommy Prince, one of Canada's the most decorated World War Two veterans, who "famously went to war to prove that an Indian was as good as any white man." "He served his whole career with that kind of chip on his shoulder to prove himself a superb soldier, which he did in spades, but it was partly to make that statement," Sheffield said. He said the "most consistent thread" to emerge from the Indigenous wartime experience was that serving "stripped away a lot of the prejudice" Indigenous soldiers faced in Canadian daily life. "If you were sharing a foxhole with the guy, you only cared about his character, if you had confidence that he'd have your back, and that was something I think, that Indigenous men really came to prize — that they garnered respect for their character and their ability as soldiers, and that was really the main thing they took away from that experience," he said. But stories also echoed Russell Moses' experience — the camaraderie seemed to vanish back home. 2. Note that while The Canadian Press has adopted Black as a proper name for a person's race, white is a generic term and is lowercase. "They expected that acceptance to continue after the war, to be honest, and that was more disillusioning, because they returned home to a Canada where, in many ways, with their uniform off, they were still — in their words — 'just an Indian again,'" said Sheffield. He said many Indigenous veterans of the Second World War signed up to again serve the Korean War, "maybe to recapture some of that sense of acceptance and purpose again." The federal government says on its veterans website that more than 4,000 Indigenous people served in uniform during the First World War, in a "remarkable response," that saw one in three able-bodied men volunteer. Communities including the Head of the Lake Band in B.C. saw every man aged between 20 and 35 enlist. The veterans site says more than 3,000 First Nations people served in the Second World War. But Sheffield said that may be understated. "There was nowhere in the records where they recorded a person's ethnicity or race," said Sheffield, who believes as many as 4,300 Indigenous soldiers served in the Second World War. The government acknowledges unfair treatment of Indigenous soldiers, noting many thought their sacrifice would "improve rights and standing in Canada." That, it concedes, did not happen and "has had lasting physical and social effects for Indigenous veterans and their communities." As reconciliation efforts have gained momentum in recent years, so has a push to recognize Indigenous veterans, both on Nov. 8 but also through an initiative called the Last Post Fund Indigenous Initiative. The fund has been in existence since 1909 with the mission of ensuring no veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, and a military gravestone. The Indigenous Veterans Initiative began in March 2019, and to date, it says more than 265 grave markers have been ordered and placed, while 24 Indigenous community researchers across the country search for more unrecognized veterans' graves. Among the researchers is Floyd Powder, who spent 32 years in the Canadian Armed Forces before retiring in 2013. He identifies graves of Indigenous veterans who lack a headstone. He said each marker should include an Indigenous symbol or language. "It shows the family that Veterans Affairs Canada and the Last Post Fund recognizes their service and honours them by having those considerations of symbol and language on their headstone," he said in an interview. Veterans Affairs Canada, which helps to fund the project, said in a statement that celebrating Indigenous Veterans Day took nothing away from Remembrance Day. "It does not replace or supersede Remembrance Day in any way — it instead enhances Veterans’ Week commemorations by shining a spotlight on the tremendous history of Indigenous service," it said in a statement. Sheffield said Nov. 8 serves as a reminder of the mutual respect and camaraderie felt by soldiers, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as they served alongside one another long before reconciliation efforts began. "I think those are things maybe we should also take to heart, and that might help us as we're walking a path of reconciliation and trying to find a way to successfully and respectfully coexist in our country going forward." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025. Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press