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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.Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 seasonNo. 5 UCLA snaps No. 1 South Carolina's 43-game win streak
Wheel of Fortune contestants whiffing their bonus puzzles is nothing new, but on December 4’s episode, a player came up short on a $40,000 puzzle that left fans joking that she may never want to visit a Disney theme park again. The game show’s latest big miss involved Vandana Patel, an Indian fusion food expert from Chicago. She won the episode and proceeded to the coveted bonus round with $20,600, a trip to Florida, and the selection of “What Are You Wearing?” as her category. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Man City stumble again while Arsenal and Bayern Munich earn dominant winsAAMI has launched a humorous new campaign capturing the quirks of an Australian Christmas and its day-after chaos via Ogilvy . The When the Festivities are over campaign, is AAMI’s first Christmas campaign and portrays what happens when that Boxing Day food coma feeling clashes with unexpected events. “The exact time when, if something should go wrong, you’d just want your insurance company to sort it out,” Ogilvy Melbourne ECD Hilary Badger said. “It’s of course important for Australia’s leading national insurer to be present at Christmas, which is such a big time of year for our country’s leading brands. But being AAMI, we need a unique point of view during what can be a very crowded season for brands. So, we’ve opted to stand out with a much less saccharine spin on Christmas. “It’s an unexpected time to think about insurance, which makes it disruptive,” Badger added. The campaign is live now nationally across TV, BVOD, SVOD, cinema, OOH (including large format, small format and special build), social and audio and will run until January 20. It builds on the AAMI brand platform developed by Ogilvy and launched at the start of the year, embracing the quirks and challenges of Australia and reinvigorating AAMI’s long-standing tagline ‘Lucky you’re with AAMI’. Starting with the cinematic My Country execution using Dorothea Mackellar’s iconic poem, the platform continued with the much-celebrated Athletes in the Making launched in the lead up to the Olympics. In August, When our game has its moments campaign went live celebrating AAMI’s association with Australia’s national sport, AFL, plus a raft of other activity in other channels. Mim Haysom , Suncorp EGM brand and customer experience, said: “We can all relate to the action unfolding in When the festivities are over, it’s a fitting finish to the year and a timely reminder that no matter the situation, it’s lucky you’re with AAMI.”
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As winter closes in and, in some locales, crime rates increase in relation to areas like burglaries, theft, business robberies, the firm Adobe Express has investigated which cities in the UK are safest for employees. The exercise was part of a wider national study to find the most employee friendly cities. The collected crime data takes into account safety perception, property crimes, specified crimes and violent crimes to reveal the 30 safest cities to work in. Determining the safety rankings of cities requires a comprehensive analysis of various factors. The analysis reveals that Norwich, Newcastle and Brighton top the list; whilst Bradford, Coventry and Birmingham are deemed the least safe places to work. The top ten safest cities were identified as: The Crime Index takes into account survey responses about: • General perception of crime levels • Perceived safety: Survey responses from residents and visitors regarding their feelings of safety while walking during daylight and at night. • Concerns about specific crimes: Survey questions about worries regarding mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks by strangers, harassment in public places, and discrimination based on factors like skin colour, ethnicity, gender, or religion. • Property crimes: Assessment of the extent of property-related crimes, such as burglary, theft, vandalism, etc. • Violent crimes: Evaluation of the perception of violent crimes, including assault, homicide, sexual offenses, etc. Under these measures, Norwich comes out on top . Norwich offers a safe and welcoming environment. The city’s low crime rates and effective community policing contribute to its safety. Norwich also boasts well-preserved heritage buildings and beautifully landscaped parks, creating a safe and pleasant atmosphere. In contrast, the least safe top ten is : While the data is broadly indicative of ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ on the measures applied, there can be variables impacting on the data. For example, people in some countries are more likely to report a crime than in other countries. In addition, the data from governmental institutions can be prone to collection error. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.
Evolv Technology notified of Nasdaq compliance plan deadlineStockhead Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Yep, you guessed right. Pilbara Minerals is still the most-shorted ASX stock, despite lithium prices trending back up just recently Uranium plays Boss Energy, Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow also remain a target of short sellers Short positions in consumer discretionary stocks suggest investor caution around consumer spending Before we delve into the ASX's most shorted, just a quick reminder right off the bat here about what short selling actually is. Short sellers effectively borrow a stock from a broker, and go wager it (sell it) on the open market. The plan is to then buy the same stock back later after it’s made a hefty drop in price. That done, the short seller buys it back at the lower price and returns it to the lender. The difference between the sell price and the buy price is the short seller’s profit. Investors are in effect betting they will fall. Because shorting is restricted under Australian law (and because it’s an all or nothing bloodsport) any substantial shorting of stocks is worth knowing about, even if you only trade long. And perhaps there’s method in the madness. Stockhead has utilised the number of short positions as a percentage (5% or more) of total shares on issue according to ASIC's Short Position Report . The most-shorted stocks on the ASX Swipe or scroll to reveal full table. Click headings to sort: Code Company Short positions Shares on issue % short positions PLS PILBARA MINERALS 523,390,114 3,011,484,916 17% BOE BOSS ENERGY 61,348,586 409,688,058 15% IEL IDP EDUCATION 40,145,281 278,336,211 14% PDN PALADIN ENERGY 43,099,890 299,113,022 14% SYR SYRAH RESOURCES 137,320,763 1,034,891,766 13% MIN MINERAL RESOURCES. 20,756,242 196,518,604 11% DMP DOMINO PIZZA ENTERPRISES 9,042,677 92,459,635 10% DYL DEEP YELLOW 94,420,603 969,741,926 10% LYC LYNAS RARE EARTHS 87,225,487 934,718,185 9% ADT ADRIATIC METALS CDI 1:1 25,894,400 278,062,106 9% LTR LIONTOWN RESOURCES 224,187,943 2,425,108,140 9% KAR KAROON ENERGY LTD 65,626,146 779,344,840 8% LIC LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES 9,839,705 121,740,054 8% CTD CORPORATE TRAVEL 11,265,544 146,325,746 8% GMD GENESIS MINERALS 85,171,861 1,128,548,275 8% JLG JOHNS LYNG GROUP 20,965,374 281,293,351 7% SYA SAYONA MINING LTD 750,703,519 10,293,296,014 7% CTT CETTIRE LTD 27,473,775 381,238,220 7% SEK SEEK LTD 25,228,594 356,820,190 7% RIO RIO TINTO LTD 25,446,378 371,216,214 7% FLT FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL 14,575,028 221,911,982 7% STX STRIKE ENERGY LTD 182,479,121 2,865,373,749 6% AD8 AUDINATE GROUPLTD 5,164,503 83,342,014 6% CUV CLINUVEL PHARMACEUTICALS 3,088,238 50,060,680 6% SLX SILEX SYSTEMS 14,604,969 237,241,524 6% NUF NUFARM LIMITED 23,514,043 382,889,516 6% IMU IMUGENE LIMITED 451,197,831 7,438,310,643 6% WBT WEEBIT NANO LTD 11,190,914 189,902,055 6% DXS DEXUS UNITS STAPLED 62,108,358 1,075,565,246 6% BGL BELLEVUE GOLD LTD 71,824,663 1,279,998,987 6% APE EAGERS AUTOMOTIVE 14,146,372 258,074,137 5% NVX NOVONIX LTD 27,048,398 493,764,317 5% ALD AMPOL LTD 12,612,023 238,302,099 5% CHN CHALICE MINING LTD 20,351,636 389,026,788 5% LOT LOTUS RESOURCES LTD 109,164,815 2,101,222,748 5% SFR SANDFIRE RESOURCES 23,607,808 458,400,401 5% NCK NICK SCALI LTD 4,395,547 85,530,699 5% IDX INTEGRAL DIAGNOSTICS 11,696,442 233,961,997 5% CIA CHAMPION IRON LTD 24,774,607 518,251,001 5% EDV ENDEAVOUR 83,602,932 1,790,980,017 5% NAN NANOSONICS LTD 13,830,581 303,454,080 5% Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) remains the most shorted stock on the ASX with a short position of 17%. But in some sort of silver lining for the lithium producer, its short position has at least dropped slightly from 20% in September and 19% in October. Atchison investment analyst Mishan Dahia told Stockhead the materials sector dominated the list of ASX most-shorted stocks at 39%, followed by energy and consumer discretionary, both on 18%, information technology at 7%, and healthcare at 7%. "Lithium companies dominate short interest in the materials sector," Dahia said. Other lithium plays shorted include Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA) , Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) and Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) . Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) – which recently announced a $10bn deal to acquire Arcadium Lithium (ASX:LTM) – in a bullish support for lithium’s long term prospects is also among the ASX's most shorted stocks. "While lithium prices have faced headwinds (down 41% in the past year), the supply/demand imbalance, China's self-reliance, and a strong US dollar have likely contributed to the downward pressure on these companies," Dahia said. While lithium prices are down from their 2022 peaks they have been trending up of late, benefiting from an uptick in demand and various Chinese stimulus packages, including doubling government subsidies for consumers who trade in conventional cars for electric vehicles. Source: Trading Economics Morningstar reckons lithium prices may have hit bottom and remains bullish on the future facing commodity. "As demand growth overtakes supply, we predict the market will return to balance in 2025 from a current supply deficit," Morningstar associate investment specialist Simonelle Mody said . "This should lead to higher prices, which are the strongest catalyst for lithium stocks." The Pilbara share price is down ~35% YTD. Uranium stocks remain target of short sellers, despite lift in prices Uranium plays Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) , Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) and Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) also remain the target of short sellers despite the price of the commodity edging higher. Uranium prices have climbed over 10% in the past two weeks, driven by the re-election of Donald Trump as US president and Russia's export ban on enriched uranium to the US. However, Dahia said many major ASX and global uranium stocks have struggled through the second half of 2024, weighed down by a weaker uranium price and, for some, ongoing operational challenges. Boss Energy and Deep Yellow have dropped close to 50% in six months, following strong rallies earlier in the year. Paladin is down around 19% YTD. Short positions in consumer discretionary Dahia said short positions in consumer discretionary stocks including Domino's Pizza Enterprises (ASX:DMP) , Cettire (ASX:CTT) and Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) suggested investor caution around consumer spending, labour costs and supply chain constrains. He said Domino’s Pizza had been hindered by margin pressure, rising ingredients and labour costs, while Cettire had been impacted by falls in luxury spending and elevated interest rates. "Nick Scali with a short position of 5% has been affected by recent supply chain challenges/UK expansion," he said. Originally published as Short and Caught: Which lithium play remains the ASX’s most-shorted stock? More related stories Stockhead Neurotech receives vital ethics approval Stockhead TV’s Sarah Hughan brings you today’s Break it Down, detailing the new human pharmacokinetic study from Neurotech. 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