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A former Penticton support worker who claimed discrimination for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine has had her complaint against the B.C. General Employees' Union dismissed by the Labour Relations Board. According to the Nov. 22 decision, Amie Harbor claimed that her employer had constructively dismissed her for failing to disclose her vaccination status, and alleged that the union had provided bad faith and discriminatory representation when she filed a grievance with them. Harbor started work for Thomspon Community Services (TCS) in 2018 and stopped in 2021 after the public health order requiring vaccinations against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic went into effect. Ahead of the order coming into effect, Harbor declined to share her vaccination status with her employer and had informed them that she was seeking an accommodation due to her "strongly and conscientiously held political beliefs" that align with those of the BC Libertarian Party. To support her request, she attached a letter of support from Keith MacIntyre, the party's leader. According to the Labour Relations Board's decision, Harbor's employer then informed her that before it could make an accommodation assessment, needed her to disclose her vaccination status. TCS also requested evidence of more long-term involvement with the BC Libertarians, asking for any membership receipts or documentation. "In terms of the letter of this date from Mr. MacIntyre, we have received several very similar letters and will require more substantive evidence of your long-term political belief and participation with the British Columbia Libertarian Party," TCS was quoted as saying. TCS also noted in its reply to Harbor's accommodation request that she should notify the union of her request and also asked how her case was different from a BC Human Rights Tribunal case heard already that year. Harbor did not provide any of that information, and once the deadline arrived, was placed on an unpaid leave due to failing to meet the requirements of the provincial health order. A year later, Harbor went to the union to ask about filing a grievance over the issue. The union then contacted TCS, which informed both them and Harbor that it remained willing to end the leave should the public health order be lifted or if Harbor discloses her vaccination status for TCS to do an assessment. A month after that, Harbor officially filed a grievance claiming that TCS had constructively dismissed her from employment, discriminated against her, psychologically harassed and terminated without cause. All of the claims were denied by TCS, and the union initially forwarded the case to arbitration, before deciding otherwise. A staff representative then informed Harbor that the union had decided against going to arbitration after further review and multiple other arbitrations that had found ineligibility to work under a public health order offering just cause for termination. Harbor then appealed the decision not to go to arbitration to the Union's Area Grievance Appeal Committee, which finally dismissed the appeal in February of 2024. The provincial appeal committee declined to hear a further appeal of the area committee's decision. As a result, Harbor brought forward a complaint against the union, claiming that they had made representations and responded to her grievance based on "a pre-determined, discriminatory position regarding employees and vaccine choice." To back up her argument, she pointed to publications made by the union in advance of the public health order taking effect which had sections pointing out accommodations could be applied for on a medical basis, which Harbor argued disregarded political beliefs. The Labour Relations Board rejected Harbors arguments, stating that the staff representative had explicitly considered her accommodation request for her political beliefs, and came to the decision not to advance the grievance to arbitration due to a lack of compelling evidence of success. "Similarly, the GAC considered the issue of the applicant’s request for an exemption due to her political belief in its decision dated February 1, 2024," reads the Board's decision. "Again, there is no indication in the GAC’s response to the Applicant that it relied on a view that there could be, or should be, no exemptions for pollical beliefs." The board also noted that Harbor had waited a year before filing the grievance, that Harbor had not disclosed her status to even begin the accommodation assessment, and that she had not provided any additional material as requested by TCS.China combines 3D printing and drones to support troops in combat zones
The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Related video above: Matt Gaetz withdraws attorney general nomination The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers only have a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.On Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, Amari Odom and the Wofford Terriers (5-6) will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3). Below we dive into all of the details you need to know about this contest, including how to watch on SEC Network+. Watch college football live without cable. Stream ACC, SEC, ESPN and more with Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Start your risk free trial today and start watching college football games now. Stop missing games and start streaming college football right now on Fubo. Stop missing games and start streaming college football right now on ESPN+. Get tickets for any college football game this season at Ticketmaster. Rep your favorite players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more.
The Holiday season has already arrived and finding the best tech gifts for someone who is fascinated by gadgets and devices is difficult and can take hours to choose the best one. As finding the latest and the best tech gift is a serious challenge, let's look at some of the best gifts for tech lovers. The Apple Air Tag is a Bluetooth tracker and is perfect for iPhone users who are frequently losing their wallets, or purses, or are afraid of their luggage getting lost when travelling. It works great with Apple’s Find My Network feature for real-time tracking of bags and luggage. Also, users can purchase the Android-friendly Tile for tracking their wallet, luggage, and other items. The new Fujifilm Instax Link 3 is the perfect gift for photo lovers as it makes printing photos from any mobile phone very easy via Bluetooth. This small and compact printer prints out credit card-sized pictures in good quality. Thus this is the perfect timeless gift as the photo is ready within a few seconds after clicking. Amazon Echo Hub is the best device that can turn a normal house into a smart home. It is a smart home controller with Alexa as its core to manage lights, security cameras, doors, music, etc. This is also one of the cool smart tech gifts that can be the perfect choice for any tech-savvy person. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand is one of the best picks for iPhone lovers as they can charge their iPhone , apple watch, and AirPods wirelessly at the same time. The device comes in black and white colours with a 5-foot cord plus a warranty of two years. The Ember Smart Mug 2 is a phone-controlled mug that keeps any type of drink warm for up to 90 minutes on one charge. Users can also choose their preferred temperature by using a dedicated app for the smart mug. Staying away from germs after the pandemic has been of the utmost importance in daily life. The Larq PureVis Self-Cleaning Bottle is one of the best thoughtful and practical gifts that features a UV-C light in its cap that cleans and sanitizes the interior of the bottle and keeps bad odour out just by pressing a button. This bottle is perfect for keeping any drink fresh and germ-free Tech gadgets are one of the best categories for gifting as it is useful in anyone’s daily life. With technology upgrading every day, the need for gadgets to simplify human lives is becoming necessary and these gifts are the perfect choice for them. Best of all, these devices are exclusively available at Amazon and their respective websites with great discounts for the holiday season.
Women more likely to need walking aids but less likely to use them – studyBy Lawrence Delevingne and Carolina Mandl BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -As a money manager, Scott Bessent's years of inconsistent performance have contributed to a nearly 90% decline in his hedge fund's assets. Now, with other business lines expanding, he has scored on perhaps his biggest bet yet: President-elect Donald Trump. Bessent spotted what he called an anomaly in the market: that political and market analysts were too negative on what a Trump victory would mean, according to a letter to clients in January seen by Reuters. His Key Square Capital Management put on bets that U.S. stocks and the dollar would gain, helping earn a double-digit percentage profit so far in 2024, with November as its best month, according to a person familiar with the situation. Bessent's even bigger wager and apparently win is on Trump, the future president. He's been a donor, economic adviser and booster on TV to Trump. On Friday night, news broke that Bessent was Trump's pick to be Treasury Secretary. "Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists," Trump wrote on Truth Social. A representative for Bessent did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the nomination. Trump has talked Bessent up as “one of the most brilliant men on Wall Street." While parts of Bessent's business have expanded, such as advising other family offices and money managers, details of his fund's performance, reported here for the first time, show a mixed track record in the decade since he launched his own hedge fund firm. Ted Seides, the former president of Protege Partners, an investment firm where Bessent earned strong returns in the late 2000s, told Reuters that Bessent's track record should be taken in the context of macro investing, where big profits can be followed by less attractive returns. So-called macro hedge funds bet on global macroeconomic trends and are not open to retail investors. "If you only look at the part of a track record with lean years, it’s like saying Aaron Judge struck out a lot last year," Seides said, referring the baseball star known for hitting home runs. "But he was just named MVP." Bessent has long been considered a top contender to run Treasury and his candidacy in the hotly-contested role has heightened interest in the fund manager. If he were to take a job in the new administration, Key Square could be wound down, sold, or put in "sleep mode," according to the same person. BIG START Bessent, who grew up in a small town in South Carolina and went to Yale College before landing on Wall Street, started Key Square in late 2015. The firm quickly raised $4.5 billion - then one of the largest hedge fund launches in history. That included $2 billion from famed macroeconomic investor George Soros, for whom Bessent had helped earn billions of dollars over two stints at Soros Fund Management. Key Square's main fund returns surged 13% in its first year, 2016, according to a second person familiar with the firm. That year, it gained on correctly predicting the British pound's decline around "Brexit," a vote for Britain to leave the European Union, according to the first person familiar with the situation. Later, Key Square made money when Bessent correctly anticipated a U.S. stock and dollar rally when Donald Trump was elected that November, according to the first person. But Key Square lost 7% in 2017, and then lost money or just broke even from 2018 to 2021, according to the second person and performance disclosures from one of its investors, New York City Police Pension Fund. The hedge fund gained double digits in both 2023 and 2024 and is up "double digits" over its history, according to the second person. That uneven performance appears to have scared away some clients. Assets under management shrank from a peak of around $5.1 billion at the end of 2017 to $577 million as of December 2023, while the number of institutional investors fell from 180 in December 2017 to 20 by the end of 2023, according to regulatory disclosures tracked by Convergence Inc. While Key Square's hedge fund assets have declined, it has other business lines that have expanded, including providing investment ideas to other money managers, with up to $1 billion to draw from and invest for a large macro investment firm; an advisory business for family offices, foundations and endowments, including one client with $11 billion in assets; and fees from a spin-out firm, $3.4 billion Ghisallo Capital, part of Key Square's incubation business, according to the two people familiar with the firm and regulatory filings. It also has plans to launch an ETF, according to a recent securities filing. Soros took back most of his capital in 2018, per a previous agreement with Bessent to return the money, according to a third source familiar with the matter. Soros no longer has any money managed by Bessent, according to the third person. The two men have not spoken since 2016, Bessent said in a recent interview with Trump ally Roger Stone. Other large clients who no longer have money with Key Square include Australia's Future Fund, Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, and the New York City Police and Fire pension funds, according to public records and regulatory disclosures. One large hedge fund allocator told Reuters that they pulled their money several years ago from Key Square because the returns had been “too inconsistent.” Another large Key Square investor withdrew from the hedge fund last year because of Bessent’s support of Trump, according to the second person familiar with the firm. The University of California redeemed its assets from Key Square amid a broader pull back from using hedge funds, but Bessent has remained "deep source of knowledge for us," chief investment officer, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, told Reuters via email. Another longtime client to stick with Key Square is Brevan Howard Asset Management, the $34 billion macro hedge fund manager co-founded by British billionaire Alan Howard. "Scott is one of the best macro investors in the world," a spokesperson for Brevan Howard said via email. "His understanding of markets, public policy, and the global economy is largely unmatched." Semafor previously reported that selective Key Square performance numbers were being shared around Wall Street chats as Bessent competed for the coveted post of U.S. Treasury Secretary. The report did not reveal the numbers shared. POLITICAL BET Bessent contributed to Trump’s inauguration following his 2016 election win. He was more involved during the 2024 election cycle, serving as an economic adviser to the campaign in addition to being a top fundraiser. Since the election, he has made TV appearances and written opinion pieces in support of Trump's proposed economic agenda. “I was all in for President Trump. I was one of the few Wall Street people backing him,” Bessent recent said in the interview with Stone. In January this year, Bessent predicted a “Trump Rally” in stocks as long as the Republican remained ahead in the election polls. “We are expecting an upward trajectory in the U.S. equity markets,” he wrote in the letter to Key Square clients. “Barring (President Joe) Biden pulling ahead in substantial fashion, all pullbacks should be bought.” (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne in Boston and Carolina Mandl in New York; editing by Paritosh Bansal, Megan Davies, Deepa Babington and Diane Craft)Patrick Mahomes' family faces heartbreaking struggles amid Chiefs' stellar season
10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025
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