McGill University's campus is seen Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, in Montreal. Canada's leading research universities warn that a proposed foreign influence transparency registry could have an unintended "chilling effect" on international partnerships. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…
Universities warn of registry’s ‘chilling effect’
Canada’s leading research universities warn that a proposed foreign influence transparency registry could have an unintended “chilling effect” on international partnerships.
This could mean Canada misses out on cutting-edge opportunities.
The U15 Canada universities are among several concerned voices urging MPs to adopt changes to the planned registry, a centrepiece of legislation being whisked through a House of Commons committee.
Members of the committee are slated to begin a clause-by-clause review of the sweeping anti-foreign interference bill today – including any amendments – after only a week of hearings.
The bill recognizes that states and other foreign entities might engage in interference to advance political goals, and can employ people to act on their behalf without disclosing those ties.
Here’s what else we’re watching…
Western premiers conclude meetings in Whitehorse
Premiers from across Western Canada are wrapping up meetings in Whitehorse today aimed at discussing common concerns in their region.
The premiers of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and Yukon meet annually for the Western Premiers’ Conference.
Prior to the conference, B.C. Premier David Eby said one of the top items on the agenda is infrastructure related to trade.
Eby said Friday that the length of time it takes to move goods between provinces and territories contributes to how much those items cost Canadians.
He said the leaders will also be talking about health care, housing issues and the infrastructure required to build new homes.
Mississauga residents to elect new mayor today
Residents of Mississauga, Ont., will be going to the polls today to elect the city’s next mayor.
Sixteen candidates are vying to fill the office last held by Bonnie Crombie, who stepped down in January shortly after becoming leader of the provincial Liberals.
Former federal Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish, who spent roughly 12 years in the House of Commons as both a Liberal and independent representative, was initially considered the front-runner in the race.
But polls suggest her decision not to take part in candidate debates allowed other contenders to gain ground, including former Ontario Liberal M-P-P Dipika Damerla, who recently served on Mississauga City Council alongside fellow mayoral hopefuls Alvin Tedjo and Stephen Dasko.
Closing arguments in Winnipeg serial killer trial
Lawyers are expected to give closing arguments today in the trial of a Winnipeg man who has admitted to killing four women.
Jeremy Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings.
His lawyers admit he killed the women but say Skibicki should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Crown prosecutors say the killings were racially motivated and Skibicki preyed on the Indigenous women at homeless shelters.
The month-long trial has heard graphic details of how Skibicki assaulted the women, strangled or drowned them and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins in his neighbourhood.
Woman killed at for-profit shelter lived in fear
Rayna Dove kept careful notes about her attempts to move out of the shelter in downtown St. John’s, N.L., where her mother says she was “living in fear.”
On Dec. 27, 2021, Dove’s fears came true. She died there in the early morning hours, stabbed in the abdomen by another resident, David Quirke.
Joan Dunphy, Dove’s mother, told a courtroom last month that her daughter’s journals contained detailed entries about how afraid she was at the shelter, which is owned by a private landlord who is paid by the province to provide rooms to vulnerable people with nowhere else to live.
Dove wrote in her journal that the door to her floor didn’t have a lock. She wrote about feeling scared and unsafe, and that she was desperate to be given a better place to stay, her mother said.
Since her death, media coverage has raised concerns about these shelters, and the Newfoundland and Labrador government has promised change.
Retail cases show pitfalls in corporate dynamics
Recent turmoil at several beloved retailers is highlighting how the dynamics between foreign parent companies and subsidiaries can sometimes spell trouble for businesses in Canada.
Daniel Waeger says in many instances when a parent company is not doing well, their subsidiaries will feel the effects.
The Canada Research Chair in corporate governance says sometimes this leads a parent company to distribute less money or take more cash from areas of the business that are performing well to aid parts that are in trouble.
The Body Shop Canada says it had to seek creditor protection earlier this year because its parent company, a European private equity firm, stripped it of cash and pushed it into debt, forcing it to close some stores.
Assets from Red Lobster Canada, which a court was told two weeks ago is cash-flow positive, are similarly on the chopping block after the chain’s U-S-based parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2024.
