Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast from Friday, March 16, 2018 to Sunday, March 18, 2018

Today – Mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries this morning and early this afternoon. Clearing late this afternoon. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. High zero. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight – Clear. Low minus 5.

Saturday, March 17 – Mainly sunny. Wind becoming north 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon. High plus 3.

Saturday night – Clear. Low minus 5.

Sunday, March 18 – Sunny. High 12.

Sunday night – Clear. Low minus 4.

New $10 bank note unveiled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=i-P2IpoOprI

Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen S. Poloz unveiled the new $10 bank note featuring Viola Desmond during a ceremony at the Halifax Central Library on International Women’s Day.

Once issued into circulation in late 2018, it will mark the first time that an iconic Canadian woman is portrayed on a regularly circulating Bank of Canada note.

Viola Desmond was selected for the new $10 bank note by Minister Morneau following an open call to Canadians to nominate an iconic Canadian woman for the next redesigned bank note.

A successful Black Nova Scotian businesswoman, Viola Desmond defiantly refused to leave a whites-only area of a movie theatre in 1946 and was subsequently jailed, convicted and fined.

Her court case is one of the first known legal challenges against racial segregation brought forth by a Black woman in Canada.

This new $10 note is the first vertically oriented bank note issued in Canada.

This will allow for a more prominent image of Viola Desmond and differentiates this new $10 note from the current polymer notes.

“Two years ago today—on International Women’s Day—Prime Minister Trudeau and I announced that the time had come for a Canadian woman to be represented on Canada’s bank notes. Since then, thanks in large part through her sister Wanda, more and more Canadians have come to know Viola Desmond’s remarkable personal story of courage and dignity. Her story serves as inspiration to all Canadians and acts as a powerful reminder of how one person’s actions can help trigger change across generations,” said Minister Morneau.

“As we strive for equality across our economy and in every facet of our country, we hope this constant reminder of Viola’s story will help inspire a new generation of women, men, girls and boys to fight for what they believe, take their place and create a better future for themselves and all Canadians.”

The back of the $10 bank note features images and symbols that represent Canada’s ongoing pursuit of rights and freedoms. It features the Canadian Museum for Human Rights—the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. Also depicted on the note are an eagle feather—representing the ongoing journey toward recognizing rights and freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Canada—and an excerpt from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This new $10 note continues a strong tradition of innovation by the Bank of Canada to ensure that Canadians maintain trust and confidence in their money. In addition to the innovative public consultation process used to design the note, enhanced security features have been added to help keep these bank notes safe from counterfeiting, yet easy to use. The new $10 will be printed on polymer, which was introduced to Canadian bank notes in 2011. Polymer bank notes last longer than paper bank notes. This vertical bank note is the same size, has the same functionality as existing Canadian bank notes and should not change how people handle cash.

“Our bank notes are designed not only to be a secure and durable means of payment, but also to be works of art that tell the stories of Canada. This new $10 fits that bill,” said Governor Poloz.

“I’m immensely proud of all the innovation that went into this note—from the public consultation process that encouraged a national conversation on the important contributions of women in Canadian history, to the note’s beautiful vertical design, to its cutting-edge security features. Canadians can use this note with both confidence and pride.”

More details:

– With the issuance of this new $10 note, the Bank of Canada’s approach to issuing bank notes is changing. Rather than issuing all five denominations within a short time frame, a new note will be issued every few years. This will allow the Bank to integrate the latest security features each time a new bank note is issued, ensuring that Canadians can continue to use their bank notes with confidence.

– To continue to celebrate more iconic Canadians, the next $5 note will also feature a new portrait subject and supporting imagery. In due course, the Bank will launch another consultation process to seek input from Canadians on the design of the next $5 note.

– As a result of the consultation processes to select new portrait subjects for the $10 note and the next $5 note, Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and first francophone Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, will be honoured on higher value bank notes when they are redesigned.

– These changes mean that former prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Sir Robert Borden will no longer be portrayed on bank notes. The $20 denomination will continue to feature the reigning monarch.

Yvonne Boyer becomes Ontario’s first Indigenous senator

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that the Governor General has appointed Yvonne Boyer as an independent Senator to fill a vacancy for Ontario.

A member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Dr. Boyer has enjoyed a distinguished career as a lawyer, professor, and researcher. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to examine and address the inequalities that exist between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous people in health care services and delivery.

Dr. Boyer was recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and chosen using the merit-based process open to all Canadians. This process ensures Senators are independent, reflect Canada’s diversity, and are able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country.

“I am delighted to welcome Parliament’s newest independent Senator, Yvonne Boyer,” Trudeau said in a statement.

“I am confident that Parliament will benefit from Dr. Boyer’s knowledge and experience, and that she will be a great ambassador for Ontario, the Métis Nation, and all of Canada.”

More details:

– Dr. Boyer will be the first Senator from Ontario to identify as Indigenous.

– She is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario with ancestral roots in the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and the Red River.

– There have been 33 appointments to the Senate made on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

– Under the Canadian Constitution, the Governor General appoints individuals to the Senate. By convention, Senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister.

– Since 2016, the selection process for Senators has been opened to allow all Canadians to apply. Candidate submissions are reviewed by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, which provides the Prime Minister with recommendations. From the recommended pool of candidates, the Prime Minister selects the individuals he then recommends to the Governor General for appointment to the Senate.

– Canadians may now apply for a Senate seat at anytime. For the next applications review cycle, the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments will consider applications received by April 3, 2018, to fill vacancies in 10 provinces and territories.

– The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments is guided by public, transparent, non-partisan and merit-based criteria to identify highly qualified candidates.

– Once appointed by the Governor General and summoned to the Senate, the new Senators join their peers to examine and revise legislation, investigate national issues, and represent regional, provincial and minority interests – important functions in a modern democracy.