 Here’s what you need to know to get the day started: | | | Investigation reveals ride-share rejections and transit system dangers for people with disabilities | | |  | Michelle Weger and her service dog, Quinn, were denied service for two cab rides, one Lyft ride, and three Uber rides during a hidden-camera investigation looking into transportation accessibility. (Nabil Ould-Brahim) | | | Michelle Weger relies on her service dog, Quinn, to get her through the day.
The Ottawa resident has narcolepsy, and the Great Dane can sense when Weger is tired, bracing against her or warning her when she's about to experience cataplexy, a temporary muscle paralysis that can cause her to fall. That early warning gives Weger the time to get to a safe space.
For Weger, Quinn is an absolute necessity, but can become an issue when she tries to get an Uber, Lyft or taxi. She says there's been "friction" with drivers and cancelled rides with rideshares.
With hidden cameras rolling, CBC's Marketplace followed Weger as she attempted to hire Uber and Lyft rides in Toronto, as well as local taxis.
Half of the Uber and Lyft drivers were informed in advance that there was a service dog. The rest found out when they arrived.
Three out of six Uber drivers denied service to Weger and Quinn. One driver acknowledged receipt of the message saying Weger was travelling with a service dog, then cancelled about two minutes later. Another arrived for the pick-up and said Weger must request a ride through Uber Pet, a service that costs more than a standard ride.
Uber told Marketplace it believes in equal transportation for all Canadians, and that it reminds drivers of their legal obligations and policy "at several points throughout the year." It also says its pet service is not required for service dogs.
When one Lyft driver was warned about Weger's service dog through the app, the driver cancelled shortly after the message was sent.
Lyft told Marketplace they have a strict policy that drivers must accept service dogs, and say they take the issue "very seriously."
Marketplace's test results are indicative of the wider problem of transportation accessibility in Canada for people with disabilities, says Jeff Preston, a professor of disability studies at King's University College in London, Ont.
While the federal government has set a goal of being "barrier-free" by 2040, Preston says Canadian jurisdictions need to do more to reduce barriers for people with disabilities. | | | | | Gaza officials say hospitals under fire from Israeli airstrikes as Iran warns of wider war | | |  | (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) | | | | Smoke rises over Gaza as seen from southern Israel on Friday. Gaza officials said an Israeli strike hit a courtyard in the Al-Shifa hospital, the biggest in Gaza City, causing casualties. On Thursday night, Iran's foreign minister warned the scale of civilian suffering caused by Israel's war on Hamas would inevitably lead to an expansion of the conflict. Read the full story here. | | | | | | | | | In brief | | | A food bank in Brampton, Ont., has decided to close its doors to international students, amid an overwhelming demand it says it can't meet. Board president Catherine Rivera says Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel can't provide enough food and other supplies to its customers because of the influx of international students showing up at the food bank since September. But others in the same line of work are calling out the food bank for using anecdotes rather than data to support its decision. They should have to provide services if they're using anecdotes to shut their doors on people who only have $668 a month, said Jindi Singh, national director of Khalsa Aid. "I wonder if they realize how difficult it is for international students, some of them who are heavily in debt," Singh said. "It's quite disturbing." Read the full story here.
The first comprehensive, in-depth history of Canada's war in Afghanistan, written largely in real time over several years by a military historian, was quietly published last summer by a federal government printer. Average Canadians, the soldiers who fought there and the families of those killed in action will have a hard time getting their hands on a copy, however. The history was commissioned by the Canadian Army and the Department of National Defence, and written while the war was still raging by Royal Military College historian Sean Maloney. Only 1,600 copies of the history (800 English and 800 French) have been produced — much to the dismay of veterans and the retired general who initiated the project. Read the full story here.
The closure of Omegle, a video chat service that randomly connected strangers, came soon after the settlement of a U.S. civil suit accusing the platform of pairing an underage girl with a Manitoba man now convicted of sexually abusing her and other children. Leif K-Brooks, who founded Omegle in 2009 at age 18, announced the shutdown this week, saying its operation had become unsustainable both financially and psychologically. A dark side of the U.S.-based platform had emerged, said Brooks, adding "there can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes." Omegle faced significant scrutiny for becoming what critics called a breeding ground for child pornography and other abuse. The site's shutdown arrived about a week after Omegle settled a 2021 civil lawsuit filed by an American woman, known as A.M., who said she was 11 years old in 2014 when Omegle connected her with a man in his late 30s from Brandon, Man., according to court records. The $22-million suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., alleged the man forced her to send naked photos and videos of herself engaging in sexual acts over a three-year period. CBC News is not naming the man in order to protect the identity of his victims. Read the full story here.
With hopes of a significant breakthrough by Ukrainian forces during their much-touted summer counter-offensive long dashed, the social media chatter this week out the southern Kherson region came as something of a surprise. Slowly but surely, war-watchers from both sides confirmed that determined elements of Ukraine's 35th Marine Infantry brigade had managed to establish a modest but significant bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River near the village of Krynky. Not only was Ukraine able to reinforce the landing with fresh soldiers, unverified images posted on social media this week showed Ukrainian ferries loaded with heavy vehicles along with other amphibious vehicles coming ashore in the muddy area and taking up new positions. To be sure, the territorial gains appear modest — a few square kilometres at best and the Ukrainian forces have yet to breakout beyond the vicinity of the river — but the strategic significance may nonetheless be important. Read the full story from CBC’s Chris Brown.
Now here's some good news to start your Friday: Standing at almost seven metres tall, the Remembrance Day poppy display in Mitchell, Ont., is made up of more than 3,000 knitted poppies. The large display was the idea of a Kitchener, Ont., couple, Ron and Sandra Ward, who wanted to do something special for Remembrance Day this year. "Both my parents are veterans," Ron Ward told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. "My father is a veteran of the RAF from the beginning of World War 2 to the end …and my mother joined in 1941 and she was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Remembrance Day was something that was very important to them because of their service. They felt it was a part of their duty to continue to honour those that had fought and died and those that continue to live as well," he added. Sandra Ward said each poppy was lovingly knitted by friends and family from all over the country and England. Read more here. | | | Your weekly look at what’s happening in the worlds of economics, business and finance. Senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong untangles what it means for you, in your inbox Monday mornings. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter. | | |  | Why did WeWork fail? | Charting WeWork’s astronomical rise and fall, the personality at the centre of it all, and whether venture capitalists have learned anything from the debacle.
Listen to today's episode | | | This week we want to know why you decided to take on a second job? Are you happy with your side hustle or is it stressing you out?
Fill out the details on this form and send us your stories. | | | Today in history: November 10 | | | 1969: The children's educational program Sesame Street makes its debut.
1975: The iron-ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in a storm on Lake Superior with the loss of 29 crewmen. The tragedy was commemorated in a song, The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot.
1979: A Canadian Pacific freight train carrying deadly combustible chemicals derails in the heart of Mississauga, Ont. Deadly chlorine gas leaked from a punctured tanker and within 24 hours, 220,000 people, most of the city's population, had been evacuated from the area.
1989: Workers begin punching a hole in the Berlin Wall, one day after East Germany abolished its border restrictions.
Correction: Yesterday's newsletter had incorrect information in the cutline of the image taken by the Euclid space telescope. In actual fact, the photo showed the Horsehead Nebula. Here's the link to the photos. | | | (With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters) | | | | |  | CBC NEWS APP | The most convenient way to get your news
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