Another beluga whale has died at Canada’s Marineland, raising concerns about the future of the controversial amusement park and one of the world’s largest captive whale populations. The most recent fatality is the 17th beluga to die at Niagara Falls Aquarium since 2019.

Neither the Ontario government nor the park have revealed the whale’s cause of death.

However, the province’s top animal welfare inspector stated that the quality of Marineland’s water was “within acceptable limits” and that a specialist unit of inspectors examined the water weekly.

Melanie Milczynski stated that enforcement officers have visited the park 205 times since the province took over animal welfare enforcement from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2020.

In late October, the whistleblower account UrgentSeas, co-founded by Phil Demers, a former walrus trainer at Marineland, posted drone footage of veterinarians and trainers attempting to administer medication and fluids to the ailing beluga.

“I don’t know how many days it has left,” Demers told the Guardian back then. “But, at this point, merely attempting to keep the whale alive isn’t good. Seeing this is heartbreaking. “It just kills you inside.”

Marineland, Canada, is the country’s sole captive whale aquarium. It made news last year when Kiska, the “world’s loneliest orca,” died of a bacterial infection after spending four decades in the park.

Marineland defends its policies.

Before her death, the 47-year-old whale was seen wandering in her tank, having not seen another orca in almost a decade.

The park, which has the world’s largest beluga population, has defended the quality of its care, saying that deaths were normal. Marineland’s professionals “care for the animals when they are sick and make every effort to save them,” according to an email from the park.

According to The Guardian, in August, Marineland was compelled to pay roughly C$85,000 (US$61,000) after being found guilty of three infractions of the province’s animal cruelty rules involving its captive American black bears.

The news of the latest beluga death has sparked an outrage among provincial officials. Marit Stiles, the New Democrat leader, described the outcome as “disgraceful” and promised to shut down the park if elected premier.

Bonnie Crombie, the Liberal leader, cautioned that there was “no accountability” for Marineland and the protection of “beautiful mammals”.

For Demers, whose public confrontations with the park have resulted in several lawsuits from his former employer, the tragedy exemplifies the province’s long-standing reluctance to intervene aggressively in the park.

“We’ve been forewarning the public for over a decade that Marineland’s whales would be dying en masse unless someone intervened to fix the conditions,” he told reporters.

“Now it appears that the government itself is preserving Marineland. It’s tough to trust your institutions when they consistently fail.”

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered an immediate end to the highly controversial fast-track study visa program after major blowback over unvetted criminals entering Canada through the student visa program. This major policy decision will impact many overseas students, especially those from India.

International students are not required to get police certificates from law enforcement in their home countries for a student visa before coming to Canada, something critics say needs to change.

According to IRCC data, the number of international students with active student visas in Canada will rise to 1,040,985 in 2023, a 195% increase from 352,305 in 2015, when the Liberal government first took office.

The processing time for students applying through the Student Direct Stream (SDS) was much shorter, and acceptance rates were higher. This will change if Canada ends the scheme on Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on X, “Canada would be granting 35% fewer international student permits this year.” And next year, that figure will drop by another 10%.”

“Immigration benefits our economy, but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down,” he wrote in the post as the Canadian government announced plans to decrease the number of temporary residents.

The move comes during an ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada.

According to the Indian High Commission, India is the top source country for foreign students, with an estimated 4,27,000 Indian students studying in Canada.

“Canada is committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the application process for study permits,” Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a statement on Friday.

According to the announcement, the program aims to “strengthen programme integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process, as well as a positive academic experience. ”

Students cue to fast-track student visas at the Canadian Embassy in India.

According to the statement, the SDS was launched in 2018 to expedite the processing of eligible post-secondary students. It was later expanded to include legal residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.

According to the announcement, a comparable Nigeria Student Express (NSE) for potential Nigerian university students has also stopped, along with the SDS. Both the SDS and the NSE projects ended on Friday.

The IRCC set a cut-off deadline of 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday (00:30 IST Saturday) and stated that all valid SDS and NSE applications submitted before that time will be processed under these streams.

However, the IRCC stated that prospective students can still apply via the standard study permit stream, which accepts Guaranteed Investment Certificates as proof of financial assistance.

Immigrationnewscanada.ca created the Student Direct Stream visa to streamline and expedite the study permit application procedure for students from specific nations.

It noted that the expedited method enabled eligible applicants from countries such as India, China, and the Philippines to enter Canada more quickly, usually within a few weeks, rather than waiting for the ordinary processing time, which may take several months.

According to another portal, moving2canada.com, “2024 has been a challenging year for prospective students wishing to study in Canada, with major decreases to the number of international students Canada will allow each year. Many argue that fast-tracking SDS and NSE applications is a way to accept as many students as possible.

Under SDS, Indian students’ applications were processed within 20 business days, but the portal now says it might take up to eight weeks.
Not only is Trudeau changing its immigration policy for international students, but also for low-skilled workers, many of whom come from India.

On October 24, Immigration Minister Marc Miller revealed the current immigration policy, stating that Canada will admit around 3,95,000 permanent residents in 2025, a decrease of nearly 20% from the 4,85,000 expected this year.

The plan also includes a target for temporary immigrants, such as international students and foreign workers. Their numbers are predicted to fall to around 4,46,000 in 2025 and 2026 from approximately 8,00,000 this year.

The new policy suggests that Canada will only accept 17,400 additional non-permanent residents by 2027.

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Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Leader, has accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of sowing “divisions” that culminated in the violent altercation between Sikh separatists and Hindu devotees outside a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ontario.

Justin Trudeau initiated the question period by condemning Poilievre’s reticence regarding the violence in South Asian communities as “deafening.”

Poilievre refuted the assertion by accusing Trudeau of exploiting the matter to divert attention from domestic economic concerns.

“Consequently, he implements divisions in his residence.” Poilievre stated, “These divisions are the consequence of his actions.”

“Currently, sectarian riots are occurring on the streets of Brampton.” This has never occurred before the tenure of this prime minister. Is he accountable for the divisions he has incited and the ensuing violence?

Trudeau Must Assume Responsibility

Mr. Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Leader, requested that the Prime Minister assume responsibility for the divisions and violence in Canada. In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed Poilievre’s refusal to obtain security clearance to review foreign interference documents.

Trudeau, who has frequently employed a phrase in the question period recently, urged Poilievre to undergo the security clearance procedure to receive a briefing from Canada’s intelligence and security agencies regarding potential threats to the country.

Trudeau’s remarks exacerbate an already precarious police situation, which has the potential to further deteriorate the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India.

Police dispersed a second day of demonstrations outside a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ontario, on Monday. The temple has been the site of violent clashes that have resulted in arrests and a public safety alert.

During the Indian consular officials’ visit to the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple in Brampton on Sunday at midday, violence erupted.

Peel Regional Police issued a public safety alert on Monday evening regarding the presence of weapons at a demonstration near a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont. The demonstration had been the site of violent clashes between demonstrators the previous day.

Canada India Tensions

Social media videos depict demonstrators holding banners in support of Pro-Khalistan separatism, a proposed independent Sikh homeland in northern India, and engaging in physical altercations with other individuals, some of whom are holding India’s national flag.

Later, an off-duty Sergeant of the Peel police in Brampton, Ontario, was identified as one of the pro-Khalistan protesters.

In the interim, the violence prompted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a rare comment during a period of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

“I unequivocally condemn the intentional destruction of a Hindu temple in Canada.” “The cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats are equally appalling,” he shared on social media.

No amount of violence will ever undermine India’s resolve. We anticipate that the Canadian government will maintain the rule of law and ensure justice.

Last September, Trudeau expressed that there were credible allegations that the Indian government was involved in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, which marked the beginning of the deterioration of relations between the two countries. India has vigorously denied the charge.

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