Atlantic Roman Catholic bishops criticize changes to EI in letter to parishes

HALIFAX - The Roman Catholic bishops in Atlantic Canada have sent a letter to parishioners saying Ottawa's changes to employment insurance are harming some of the most vulnerable residents of the region.

The letter signed by Rev. Claude Champagne, the president of the Atlantic Episcopal Assembly, says the policy changes are creating hardships, particularly for seasonal workers.

The letter says the bishops want to "express our solidarity," with people who are suffering from losing their benefits during difficult economic times.

The letter acknowledges that some EI reform is needed to curb abuse of the system.

However, the bishops also say the unemployed shouldn't be subjected to "unrealistic regulations to qualify for assistance when it is needed."

Under some of the new rules, those who frequently claim EI need to prove they're actively seeking work.

Workers must also accept a job within 100 kilometres of their home as long as they are qualified and the pay is at least 70 per cent of their previous salary.

The bishops also said in the letter that a call by the Atlantic premiers for a halt to the changes should be considered by Ottawa.

"Some have even asked for a halt to the changes. These warnings need to be taken seriously by all concerned," says the letter.

"May the Holy Spirit of Wisdom prevail in these difficult times."

Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has said that the changes to EI will better connect Canadians with available jobs in their area.

She also has said that her department will take individual circumstances into account.

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FBI says letter sent to Obama tested positive for poison ricin

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A letter addressed to President Barack Obama contained a substance that preliminarily tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, authorities said on Wednesday.

News that the letter to Obama was being investigated came as a flurry of other reports of suspicious letters and a package caused the evacuation of parts of two Senate buildings and set nerves in Washington on edge.

The letter contained "a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin," an FBI statement said. But the statement added: "There is no indication of a connection to the attack in Boston," where three people were killed in bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

The U.S. Secret Service said the letter to Obama was received at a mail screening facility on Tuesday.

The mail facility that received the letter was not located near the White House itself, Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said in a statement.

"The Secret Service is working closely with the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI in this investigation," Donovan said.

Parts of the Russell and Hart Senate office buildings were cleared while officials investigated suspicious letters and a package, a Capitol Police spokesman said.

CNN read a statement from a spokesman to Senator Richard Shelby, saying that Capitol Police were investigating a suspicious package that had been delivered to their office.

Senator Carl Levin said one of his Michigan regional offices had received a suspicious-looking letter, but it was not opened. Authorities are investigating, Levin said in a statement.

On Tuesday U.S. authorities intercepted a letter sent to Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker that preliminary tests showed contained the deadly poison ricin.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Vicki Allen and Jim Loney)

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Letter sent to senator tested positive for poison ricin

By Patricia Zengerle and Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Officials said they intercepted a letter sent to Republican Senator Roger Wicker on Tuesday that tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, and that the Capitol police, FBI and other agencies had launched an investigation.

The letter was postmarked from Memphis, Tennessee, and had no return address, Terrance Gaines, the Senate sergeant at arms, said in a warning to members of the Senate.

"Senate employees should be vigilant in their mail handling processes for ALL mailings," Gaines said in a written statement.

Members of the Senate were briefed on the ricin incident by Gaines during a meeting with FBI Director Robert Mueller and Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security, on Tuesday on the bombings in Boston.

Several senators told reporters after the briefing that incident reminded them of the anthrax attacks in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

"I don't know if it's a coincidence. It's too early to tell. We don't know enough about Boston," said Senator Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.

Several senators said that all mail to the Senate had been stopped and post offices at the Capitol had been closed as a precaution. They said they were getting in touch with their state offices, where mail is not routinely screened, to ensure that precautions were being put in place.

They said they were aware of only one letter that had been intercepted that tested positive for ricin.

It was not immediately clear whether Wicker had attended the briefing by Mueller and Napolitano, which was open to all senators from both parties.

A spokeswoman for the Mississippi senator referred inquiries to Capitol Police. A spokesman for the Capitol Police could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ricin is a lethal poison found naturally in castor beans.

(Additional reporting by Rachelle Younglai and David Lawder; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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Letter containing ricin sent to Mississippi senator

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

A letter was mailed to Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker's office containing the toxic substance ricin, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed to reporters on Tuesday.

The letter was intercepted at an off-site location Tuesday morning and was later tested positive for ricin, a highly poisonous chemical that can be fatal to humans if inhaled. While the letter did not reach Wicker's office, the discovery prompted the Senate post office to be shut down. There is no evidence of contamination in the on-site post office.

Senators learned of the discovery at a private security briefing about the Boston Marathon bombings, but there is no indication, senators said, that the poisonous letter was connected to Monday's attacks.

"We don't know enough about Boston to even speculate," said Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin after the briefing.

Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said the sender was a person who mailed frequent letters to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers' state offices around the country currently being notified about the incident.

All mail to the capitol building is processed and tested in a facility off-site before reaching the destination as a precaution against incidents like this. Several senators interviewed said they were not concerned about a broader attempt to target them.

"It was caught in a way that did no damage, so I'm not excessive concerned about it," said Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin. "They've taken strong steps to avoid any problem."

Wicker's office has decline to comment and directed inquiries to the United States Capitol Police, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

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