A18
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY April 16 - 30, 2016
ALBERTA News
NDP: ALBERTA NEEDS MORE THAN A LIBERAL CABINET MEETING
While the Liberal cabinet
holds private meetings with
high-paid consultants at in
the comfort of Kananaskis,
many Albertans are being left
behind by the decisions of the
Liberal government.
“What Albertans want
the Liberals to be discussing
while in Alberta is the actions
the
federal
government
could be taking to support
the thousands of laid off
workers “ said Linda Duncan,
NDP MP for Edmonton
Strathcona. “Many Albertans
are also wondering why this
government continues to
deny them equal access to
the employment insurance
they paid into.”
Alberta Premier Rachel
Notley has said the exclusion
of Edmonton and surrounding
area workers from expanded
EI benefits is both “unfair”
and “makes no sense.”
“I think it’s great that
the Liberal cabinet has come
to visit Alberta but instead
of holding communications
sessions behind closed doors
why not meet in Calgary or
Edmonton or Fort McMurray
and hear from those being
directly affected by the current
hardships?” asked Duncan.
Alberta Couple Sentenced for Child’s Death
by Rosette Correa
Alberta couple David and
Collet Stephan were charged
for failing to provide their son
19-month old Ezekiel, “the
necessaries of Life” when he
died from meningitis. Under
Section 215 of the Criminal
Code, parents failing to provide the necessaries of life
found guilty may serve up to
five years in prison.
The Lethbridge, Alberta
courtroom was filled with tension and emotion when the
Stephans were accused of
letting their son die from bacterial meningitis.
The Alberta toddler’s
final days before meningitis
death detailed in physician’s
report was full of evidence
of Ezekiel’s parents failure to
provide him with the necessary medical attention necessary for him to survive his
illness. Collet was sobbing
uncontrollably as David and
other relatives soothed her.
The Stephans will not be held
in custody at this time, but
will have to return to court
on June 13 when the date for
sentencing will be set.
Shannon Prithipaul, the
past president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association,
thinks it would be unlikely for
the couple to receive anything close to the maximum.
She said that the couple was
not deliberately withholding
medication nor were they neglecting to feed their child.
Prosecutor Lisa Weich
said that all parents are held
to a minimum standard of
care that all children should
expect at all times. She hopes
that the public and the community learn a particular les-
son from this trial so that no
more children will see the
same fate as Ezekiel.
Weich pointed out the
case did not focus on the
connection between the parents and Ezekiel. She said
that it was evident that the
Stephans loved their son, but
that “sometimes love just isn’t
enough.” She added that parents should follow the standard or care that is set by the
criminal law.
The couple, who live
in Cardston County, in the
southwestern corner of Alberta at the time, testified they
believed Ezekiel had croup
or flu. They said they treated
him for more than two weeks
with remedies that included
hot peppers, garlic, onions
and horseradish and a product from a naturopathic
doctor, who said the product
would boost Ezekiel’s immune system.
Ezekiel was rushed to
the hospital in Cardston before being taken to the emergency room in Lethbridge
and later flown to Alberta
Children’s Hospital in Calgary.
Pulse Asia Reveals Election
Survey for April
President Ronald Holmes of Pulse Asia issued a
media release of the current
standings of the presidential
candidates in the May 2016
Presidential Elections. The
Pulso ng Bayan pre-electoral
national survey which was
conducted from April 16-20,
2016 using face-to-face interviews.
According to the survey, Davao City Mayor Rod
Duterte leads in Metro Manila
by 40%, in Davao by 58% and
every socio-economic class
by 32% to 43 %. He shares the
lead with former Department
of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Mar Roxas in the
Visayas, garnering a 32% and
27% respectively. In the rest
of Luzon, the three candidates, Senator Grace Poe at
28%, Vice President Jejomar
Binay at 23% and Duterte at
22%, place across the island.
Non-support ranges from 3%
in Mindanao to 9% in Luzon.
As for the classes, Class E
voters is at 4% and Classes
ABC show their non-support
of any candidate or the election itself.
If their choice of candidate decides to discontinue
their run for office, Poe will
have 32% of the voters choose
her as President. Binay,
Duterte and Roxas come in
second at 16%, 14% and 13%
respectively. This means that
Poe is leading in the survey if
the entire country’s numbers
are put together, while the rest
are simply alternatives. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago
is the second alternative for
president for 6% of the voters.
Almost teo out of ten voters
will not vote if their candidate
decides to forfeit the race.
Except in Metro Manila,
Poe leads the presidential
race in Luzon at 32%, Visayas
at 36% and Mindanao at 34%.
Metro Manilans, however,
name Poe as their alternative
presidential candidate, despite the popularity of Duterte
for the country’s top post.
This alternate consideration
may sway the vote towards
Poe on election day itself.
Non-support is more pronounced in Metro Manila
than other geographic areas at 29% of the voting
population deciding not
to vote at all.
In the Vice Presidential race, Senator Bongbong Marcos continues
to lead the race at 29%,
with Camarines Sur Leni
Robredo coming in close
second at 24%. Senator
Francis Escudero at follows at 18%, Senator Alan
Peter Cayetano at 16%,
Senator Gregorio Honasan II at 4% and Senator
Antonio Trillanes IV at
3%.
Among the senatorial candidates, Saraggani
Representative
Manny
Pacquiao is leading the
race, followed by Senator
Sergio Osmena II, Akbayan Party List Risa Hontiveros, Senator Ralph Rector,
Senator Richard Gordon
to name a few.
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
He was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and neurological dysfu nction, according to
the official death report by Dr.
Jonathan Gamble.
Ezekiel was taken off lifesupport and declared dead on
March 18.