Latest news with #Alberta-based
Global News
19 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
WestJet says cyberattack remains unresolved 1 week in, but operations not impacted
WestJet says a cyberattack that began last week remains unresolved, as questions linger about the nature and fallout of the breach. The country's second-largest airline says it is working to assess whether sensitive data or customers' personal information was compromised after hackers accessed its internal systems. An online advisory says the attack, which was detected late last week, has not affected operations but that some customers may run into 'intermittent interruptions or errors' on WestJet's website and app. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Spokesman Josh Yeats says investigations in collaboration with law enforcement are ongoing, but the company has not specified the type of the incident, such as a malware or ransomware attack. The breach at the Alberta-based airline arrived just ahead of foreign leaders, who gathered last weekend for the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., though no direct link to the event has been identified. Story continues below advertisement Airlines and airports have become increasingly popular prey for hackers, as their troves of personal and financial data and global reach make for tempting targets.
Winnipeg Free Press
20 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
WestJet cyberattack remains unresolved one week in, but operations unaffected
WestJet says a cyberattack that began last week remains unresolved, as questions linger about the nature and fallout of the breach. The country's second-largest airline says it is working to assess whether sensitive data or customers' personal information was compromised after hackers accessed its internal systems. An online advisory says the attack, which was detected late last week, has not affected operations but that some customers may run into 'intermittent interruptions or errors' on WestJet's website and app. Spokesman Josh Yeats says investigations in collaboration with law enforcement are ongoing, but the company has not specified the type of the incident, such as a malware or ransomware attack. The breach at the Alberta-based airline arrived just ahead of foreign leaders, who gathered last weekend for the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., though no direct link to the event has been identified. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Airlines and airports have become increasingly popular prey for hackers, as their troves of personal and financial data and global reach make for tempting targets. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WestJet cyberattack remains unresolved one week in, but operations unaffected
WestJet says a cyberattack that began last week remains unresolved, as questions linger about the nature and fallout of the breach. The country's second-largest airline says it is working to assess whether sensitive data or customers' personal information was compromised after hackers accessed its internal systems. An online advisory says the attack, which was detected late last week, has not affected operations but that some customers may run into "intermittent interruptions or errors" on WestJet's website and app. Spokesman Josh Yeats says investigations in collaboration with law enforcement are ongoing, but the company has not specified the type of the incident, such as a malware or ransomware attack. The breach at the Alberta-based airline arrived just ahead of foreign leaders, who gathered last weekend for the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., though no direct link to the event has been identified. Airlines and airports have become increasingly popular prey for hackers, as their troves of personal and financial data and global reach make for tempting targets. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Monument to Afghanistan mission design is approved by NCC board
A national monument to Canada's mission in Afghanistan has been approved by the National Capital Commission, setting the stage for construction on Booth Street at LeBreton Flats. Article content The monument, to be located across from the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, was approved by the NCC's board of director at its meeting on June 19. Article content Article content There have been two changes made: Stairs that were initially part of the design have been replaced by a slight ramp to improve accessibility, and the orientation of the monument has been shifted to ensure a straight-line view of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in the distance. Article content Article content 'Obviously, we've got veterans in wheelchairs or with mobility devices, and earlier iterations of the monument had stairs right in front, and those are gone, so now it's a gentle rise that's fully accessible,' Alain Miguelez, vice-president of capital planning and chief planner of the NCC, said to reporters at a media conference. Article content Other design elements include 13 maple leaves to represent the 10 provinces and three territories, four helmets and flak jackets and a circular design after Indigenous concepts of the medicine wheel. Article content 'The design of the monument takes the form of a circular sacred space of safety: a homebase of reflection, memory and contemplation,' Jason Hutchinson, chief of federal design approvals, said at the public NCC board meeting. Article content Article content Two years ago, Pablo Rodriguez, then the minister of Canadian Heritage, and Lawrence MacAulay, then minister of Veterans Affairs, pulled the project from the Quebec-based design team Daoust, which had been selected by a government-appointed jury, and awarded the commission to Alberta-based designers Team Stimson. Article content The federal government said the decision was based on an online survey of veterans and other members of the public who preferred the Stimson design. Article content
2 days ago
- Business
Alberta companies ordered to repay almost $165K to temporary foreign workers
Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Two Alberta-based companies are appealing Ontario labour ministry decisions that say they charged temporary foreign workers tens of thousands of dollars to be placed in retail jobs at a Canadian Tire. The companies were ordered to repay almost $165,000. Some of the workers were originally from the Philippines but ended up at a Canadian Tire in Etobicoke, Ont. Though they said they each paid up to $7,900 US to an Alberta company to get the position, once they got the jobs, they say they were underpaid and poorly treated. Many of the workers quit and found jobs in Atlantic Canada and other provinces around the country. An employment standards officer from the Ontario Ministry of Labour conducted an investigation following a series of complaints from workers in October 2023. The ministry issued repayment orders on May 14 against Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration Group in eight cases. Both companies share an owner, Allison Jones, and a common address in St. Albert, Alta. Allison Jones declined an interview and told CBC News via email that the companies are appealing the decisions. We trust the appeal process and are committed to a fair and accurate resolution based on a complete review of the facts, she wrote. One of the workers who received the recent decision was Rowell Pailan, who previously shared his story with CBC News from his home in Wolfville, N.S. Pailan says he came to Canada in 2023 after being offered a position as a stock clerk supervisor at an Ontario Canadian Tire. However, paystubs he showed CBC News indicated that while he started being paid at the wage in his contract, his wages were later reduced, making it challenging for him to pay his bills and provide for his family in the Philippines. He says he got the position after he paid the fee to Jones' company using money borrowed from family members. The Ontario Labour Ministry's employment standards officer said Jones should repay Pailan $10,655.52 in Canadian dollars, the calculated equivalent of the $7,900 US he paid in 2022, plus a ten per cent administration fee. I [was] so happy and teary-eyed, because finally I got justice, he said in a phone interview. Maybe they [were] thinking that they can do whatever they want, because we are eager to come into Canada, Pailan said, adding that he wants to send a message that people should not take advantage of temporary foreign workers. We didn't have any idea about the amount in regards to the immigration fee, or whatever it is to come into Canada. Companies acted together, decision says It's illegal under federal and Ontario law for a recruiter to charge a foreign worker for a job placement; the recruiter is supposed to be paid by the employer. However, it is legal to charge a fee for immigration advice or assistance with immigration paperwork. In the written decision issued to Pailan and reviewed by CBC News, a lawyer for the two companies told the employment standards officer that Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration are separate and independent companies, each with their own branding and invoicing. The lawyer told the officer that Allison Jones Consulting charged Canadian Tire for recruiting services, while AJ Immigration Group was a separate entity that provided immigration services to the foreign workers and charged them fees for these services. This did not convince employment standards officer Charles Beauparlant, who concluded the fees were not legal because both companies were related. He found they shared common management in the owner, Allison Jones. It does not change the fact that both businesses functioned as one comprehensive and unified business, Beauparlant wrote in his decision in Pailan's case. Jones' position, according to the lawyer, was that she is the directing mind behind the recruitment company, but not the other company as she does not participate in the day-to-day operation of AJ Immigration. In her email to CBC News, Jones re-stated her position. We respectfully disagree with the findings and with the characterization of these two companies — Allison Jones Consulting Services Inc. and AJ Immigration Group Inc. — as a 'unified business,' she wrote. Each is a distinct legal entity, and both maintain that their respective practices fully comply with applicable legislation. Beauparlant found that evidence like employee emails and information on Jones' two business websites showed both companies were sharing employees and that Jones was the controlling mind behind both. He also noted that Jones was described as the leader of both companies in a sentence on the website for Allison Jones Consulting that read: She has successfully led the companies since inception creating one of Canada's leading recruitment agencies and immigration consultancies. As well, Beauparlant wrote, having AJ Immigration Group Inc. collect fees through a retainer agreement after each phase of recruitment demonstrates not only their involvement but further confirms that AJ Immigration was assisting in the process of finding the claimant employment. Pailan previously told CBC News that he had to pay in three stages. The officer issued identical orders to both of Jones' companies, but the Ontario Labour Ministry told CBC News the intent was that the companies should repay Pailan jointly, not twice over. The ministry also fined Allison Jones Consulting $250 for each of the eight cases, totalling $2,000. 'An affront to our entire system' Chris Ramsaroop is an instructor at the University of Toronto and an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers, which supported Pailan's case. He says it concerns him that workers must be the ones to ensure the process is followed. There's an expectation that [the workers] need to come forward, rather than the province or the federal government taking steps to protect the interests of workers, he said. This is an affront to our entire system — this is disgusting. Ramsaroop feels temporary foreign workers like Pailan are in extremely vulnerable positions, and placing the onus on them to pursue the case to the next level when there is an appeal is a high burden. Pailan says he worries that he won't get the money back after an appeal. That amount is not a joke, it's totally big, he said, adding that he's trying to repay his relatives who lent him the money. Ramsaroop noted that temporary foreign workers are often tied to a single job by virtue of the closed-permit system, which makes their position in Canada vulnerable. These injustices will continue as a result of a system where we have workers tied to a particular employer, he said. WATCH | Why this professor believes closed permit system should end: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? HR professor on why closed work permit system should end Catherine Connelly, a professor of human resources and management at McMaster University, explains why she believes the closed permit system that ties temporary foreign workers to workplaces should be scrapped. Canadian Tire store still under investigation The Ontario Ministry of Labour confirmed it's also investigating complaints against the Canadian Tire store where the workers were employed, but the case is still open. There is a separate federal investigation underway by Employment and Social Development Canada into that Canadian Tire, but as of early June, it wasn't complete either. The store owner, Ezhil Natarajan, previously told CBC News he vehemently denies all the allegations against him. Canadian Tire Corporation made a policy change in the fall of 2024 to prohibit its stores from using recruiters that charge fees to temporary foreign workers. The corporation said it made the decision together with its dealers, who own franchised stores and make their own hiring decisions. Shaina Luck (new window) · CBC News
