| More police documents about Rob Ford to be released next week Posted: 27 Nov 2013 11:53 AM PST  It's a been a quiet week with regard to the Rob Ford saga. There really haven't been any new revelations. That, however, could soon change. On Wednesday afternoon, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that all blacked- out information, contained … Continue reading →
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| Aboriginal seniors face more challenges staying healthy, accessing care: report Posted: 27 Nov 2013 09:40 PM PST TORONTO - First Nations, Metis and Inuit of advancing years often have poorer health than their non-aboriginal counterparts but don't receive the same level of health-care services as other Canadian seniors, a report says. The Health Council of Canada report, released Thursday, says the health of aboriginal seniors can be compromised by poverty, inadequate housing and poor diet, especially for those living in remote areas where nutritious foods may be prohibitively expensive. Chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease are more prevalent among aboriginal Canadians, compared with the general population, and those disorders can worsen with age. "The challenge with First Nations, Metis or Inuit is that many of those seniors have lived in poverty throughout their lifespan," said Dr. Catherine Cook, vice-president of population and aboriginal health for the Winnipeg Health Region and a councillor with the Health Council.  |
| Child athlete injured in Whistler luging accident Posted: 27 Nov 2013 09:10 PM PST  A young athlete was taken to hospital Wednesday night following an accident on the luge track at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
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| TransCanada shuts Alberta gas pipeline after rupture Posted: 27 Nov 2013 03:56 PM PST  Canada's National Energy Board said on Wednesday it is investigating a pipeline rupture and natural gas leak on TransCanada Corp's Nova system near Boyle, Alberta. In October TransCanada cut gas deliveries to oil sands projects after a line break reduced gas supplies. Boyle is nearly 300 kms (190 miles) south of the oil sands production hub of Fort McMurray and TransCanada spokesman Davis Sheremata said no industrial customers had been affected. TransCanada said the cause of the line break was not yet known, adding that one customer may be affected while repairs take place.
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| Video: Justin Trudeau won't apologize for Layton reference Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST  Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is standing by his use of Jack Layton's dying words at a byelection victory party Monday. Trudeau says he, along with many other Canadians, draws inspiration from the late NDP leader.
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| Promise to eliminate child poverty in Canada ringing increasingly hollow Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:27 PM PST  One in seven Canadian children live in relative poverty, giving a hollow ring to lofty promises Ottawa made almost 25 years ago to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. This week saw the release of national and provincial report … Continue reading →
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| Protesters demand continued federally subsidized housing Posted: 27 Nov 2013 02:45 PM PST  Hundreds braved the cold in front of the prime minister's offices in Ottawa demanding continued support for social housing subsidies. Protesters say they wanted to illustrate the urgency of the country's affordable housing shortage.
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| Royal Cdn Mint chair should be fired over tax avoidance scheme: Mulcair Posted: 27 Nov 2013 02:46 PM PST  OTTAWA - Tom Mulcair is calling on the Harper government to fire the chairman of the Royal Canadian Mint over his role in a tax avoidance scheme. The NDP leader's call follows the disclosure of court documents which suggest Jim Love counselled a wealthy family on the use of offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes in Canada. Love, a Toronto tax lawyer, is a personal friend of and tax adviser to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. CBC reports that Love was sued by the family of Arthur Meighen for orchestrating a scheme in which more than $8 million from the former prime minister's trust fund was transferred through Bermuda, Barbados and Antigua before ending up back in Canada, tax-free.
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| Health Canada OKs addictive oxycodone formulations as U.S. pleads for crackdown Posted: 27 Nov 2013 03:28 PM PST  OTTAWA - Health Canada recently approved a generic, addictive form of oxycodone just as U.S. officials were urging their Canadian counterparts to ban such formulations of the powerful painkiller. The green light to Ranbaxy, India's biggest drug maker, came soon after Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, reminded Health Minister Rona Ambrose of the dangers posed by generic forms of the opioid. The U.S. has banned generic oxycodone because it's too easy for addicts to snort or inject, and only tamper-resistant forms of the drug can be sold stateside. The U.S. has been pressing Canada to outlaw generic oxycodone, citing studies that show the more addictive formulations are migrating south of the border.
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| Why are people leaving Prince Edward Island? Posted: 27 Nov 2013 04:09 PM PST  New data released by Statistics Canada, this week, suggests that Prince Edward Island is losing people to other provinces at a rate not seen in 30 years. The numbers suggest that Canada's smallest province had a net loss of 1,074 … Continue reading →
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| Air India bomb maker appeals nine-year perjury sentence at B.C. court Posted: 27 Nov 2013 03:08 PM PST  VANCOUVER - Air India bomb maker Inderjit Singh Reyat is remorseful about the bombing deaths and gained nothing by lying during testimony against his co-accused, his lawyer told the B.C. Appeal Court. Ian Donaldson said Wednesday those are good reasons to cut short Reyat's nine-year prison sentence for lying 19 times during the bombing trial. Unlike other serious perjury convictions, Reyat did not concoct a false tale to exonerate anyone, Donaldson told the three-member panel. Reyat — who has spent most of his adult life behind bars — was convicted of perjury in 2010 for his testimony as a Crown witness at the 2003 trial of Ripudamen Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri.
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| Arrests in post 9/11 'hate' attack on Hamilton Hindu temple Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:05 PM PST  Hamilton police have arrested three men in the attack on a Hamilton Hindu temple that took place just days after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Centre terror attacks. The case will be prosecuted as a hate crime.
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| Feds ask panel to study green technologies for oil sands Posted: 27 Nov 2013 03:41 PM PST  OTTAWA - The Conservative government is spending $40 million this year to advertise Canada's natural resource sector — principally oil and gas — at home and abroad. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver revealed the figure Wednesday as his department seeks another $12.9 million to augment an international campaign designed to portray Canada as a stable and environmentally responsible source of energy. "This engagement and outreach campaign will raise awareness in key international markets that Canada is an environmentally responsible and reliable supplier of natural resources." The entire federal government advertising budget last year was about $65 million, according to preliminary estimates, with $9 million allotted for Natural Resources.
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| Major snowstorm creates travel woes for eastern Ontario and Quebec Posted: 27 Nov 2013 08:09 AM PST  A major snowstorm sweeping through eastern Ontario and Quebec is leaving travel woes in its wake, for commuters as well as anyone flying to and from the U.S. for the Thanksgiving holiday. Up to 25 centimetres of snow covered roads … Continue reading →
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| Questioning foster care 'should not be allowed,' says association head Posted: 27 Nov 2013 10:04 AM PST  An official with the Alberta Foster Parent Association says media questioning of foster care should not be allowed, following a damning media investigation that found the number of children who have died in government care is nearly triple the official numbers.
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| Melissa Todorovic appeals sentence for masterminding murder of teen rival Posted: 27 Nov 2013 11:35 AM PST  Teenage murder mastermind Melissa Todorovic is appealing her 2009 conviction just 13 months before she could be freed on parole anyway. Todorovic's lawyer was in the Ontario Court of Appeal to argue the young Toronto woman deserves a new trial … Continue reading →
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| Canada should consider end to mortgage insurance: IMF Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:51 PM PST  Ottawa should consider phasing out insuring home mortgage through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The advice is contained in the IMF's latest economic report card on Canada, which projects modest economic growth of 2.25 per cent for the country next year. Such a recommendation appears to side with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who has recently questioned whether the federal government should be in the business of insuring higher-risk mortgages at all. Some analysts have credited the system for providing much needed confidence in Canada's housing sector during the 2008-09 crisis, which many believe was sparked by a crisis in the U.S. mortgage market.
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| Former NDP insider to Justin Trudeau: 'You sir, are no Jack Layton' Posted: 27 Nov 2013 10:13 AM PST  Justin Trudeau continues to be slammed by New Democrats for invoking the memory of the late Jack Layton. On Monday, following four federal byelections, Trudeau took a shot at the current NDP leader for running a negative campaign. "The … Continue reading →
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| Hadfield says no need to panic after flash of light and explosion near Montreal Posted: 27 Nov 2013 02:45 PM PST  MONTREAL - Don't panic, says Chris Hadfield. That was the Canadian astronaut's down-to-earth advice after many people tweeted they saw a blue flash and heard a thundering boom in the Montreal and Ottawa areas Tuesday night. Two Ontario-based professors said Wednesday the phenomenon was likely a fireball, with one suggesting it was probably between the size of a baseball and a basketball when it passed through the atmosphere. "Earth gets hit by 100 tons of meteorites every day," he told The Canadian Press on Wednesday while in Montreal to promote his new book.
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| Case of judge whose nude photos ended up on the web is in Federal Court Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:49 PM PST  OTTAWA - Lawyers argued Wednesday over whether the Federal Court has the authority to review a panel looking into the case of a Manitoba judge whose nude photos ended up on the Internet. Manitoba Queen's Bench Justice Lori Douglas' lawyers have sought a judicial review, alleging a panel investigating her is biased. Last week, the entire committee of the Canadian Judicial Council looking at the Douglas case resigned, saying that was the only way to move ahead what is already one of the longest-running inquiries in council history. The committee has been examining Douglas over a 2010 complaint that she sexually harassed a man named Alex Chapman.
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| Alberta's 40-vehicle pileup closes roads Posted: 27 Nov 2013 01:50 PM PST  Highway 21 is open again after a 40-vehicle pileup in Strathcona County.
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| U.S. spied at G20 summit in Toronto in 2010, and Canada knew: CBC report Posted: 27 Nov 2013 09:05 PM PST TORONTO - The United States reportedly conducted widespread surveillance while world leaders were gathered in Toronto for the G20 summit in 2010 and that Canada knew about it. CBC's The National reported Wednesday on documents it said were leaked by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden. The national broadcaster said the briefing notes show Canada allowed the National Security Agency to conduct the operation out of its Ottawa embassy during the the 2010 G8 and G20 summits. The report said one briefing note describes the NSA plans and said they were "closely co-ordinated with the Canadian partner." Canada's counterpart is Communications Security Establishment Canada.  |
| Canada allowed widespread NSA surveillance at 2010 G20 summit: report Posted: 27 Nov 2013 09:56 PM PST  Canada allowed the U.S. National Security Agency to conduct widespread surveillance during the 2010 Group of 20 summit in Toronto, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corp report that cited documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The report by CBC News late on Wednesday cited briefing notes it said showed the United States turned its Ottawa embassy into a security command post during a six-day spying operation by the top-secret U.S. agency as President Barack Obama and other world leaders met that June. The report said the operation was no secret to Canadian authorities, with an NSA briefing note describing the operation as "closely coordinated with the Canadian partner." The Canadian equivalent of the NSA is the Communications Security Establishment Canada, or CSEC. The CBC report said the documents did not reveal the precise targets of the NSA operation, but described part of the U.S. eavesdropping agency's mandate at the Toronto summit as "providing support to policymakers".
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