National News
‘Leave this with me’: Alberta premier heard on call with COVID-19 protester
By Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a leaked cellphone call, commiserated with a COVID-19 protester about his trial while divulging to him there was an internal dispute over how Crown prosecutors were handling COVID-19 cases. Smith also promised on the call to intervene as best she could on Artur Pawlowski’s behalf and said she ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Fatal stabbing casts a pall over downtown Vancouver neighbourhood as court date set
By The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
VANCOUVER – The fatal stabbing of a 37-year-old father outside a downtown Vancouver Starbucks is casting a pall over the normally bustling block. Passersby have been pausing to pay their respects to Paul Stanley Schmidt at a makeshift memorial of flowers, pictures and notes outside the café. Police say Schmidt was stabbed after a brief ... Read More »
1 responseN.W.T. releases strategy to reduce alcohol-related harms
By Emily Blake, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
YELLOWKNIFE – The Northwest Territories government has released its first strategy aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms. It details 15 actions the territory plans to take by the end of March 2028 to improve communications, policy, prevention, public safety and treatment. That includes adjusting prices to incentivize the purchase of lower-alcohol products, introducing substance use education ... Read More »
1 responseVeterans’ groups call for answers as budget stokes memories of past cuts
By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
OTTAWA – The trauma of past cost-cutting exercises is looming large as national veterans’ organizations anxiously await word on how the federal budget will affect ill and injured ex-soldiers. The budget plan released Tuesday contains only one substantive mention of veterans, with a vague commitment of $156 million over five years to address long-standing delays ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Frustration, anticipation mark industry response to budget’s flight delay fixes
By Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
MONTREAL – The federal government has air travel on its radar after laying out plans in its budget to speed up airport security screening and reduce flight delays, but industry and advocates remain skeptical. Tabled Tuesday by the Liberals following a year of travel turmoil, the budget promises $1.8 billion over five years for the ... Read More »
1 responseCanadian supporters of missing Chinese human-rights defender want more information
By The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
OTTAWA – Canadian supporters of Dong Guangping, a missing Chinese human-rights defender, are disappointed with what they call a disingenuous response from Vietnamese officials to the United Nations. There has been no word of Dong’s fate since he was arrested Aug. 24 by Vietnamese police. In mid-December, UN human-rights experts wrote to the Vietnamese government ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Clock ticks on Liberal-NDP deal as budget omits pharmacare bill promised in 2023
By The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
OTTAWA – One of the Liberals’ outstanding promises for 2023 in their deal with the NDP was conspicuously absent from the federal budget. The confidence-and-supply agreement requires the government to table legislation on pharmacare by the end of the calendar year in exchange for the NDP’s support on key votes in the House of Commons. ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!‘A crisis’: Calgary charity seeks one-month homes for Ukrainian refugees after influx
By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
CALGARY – After six months under Russian occupation, Dmytro Syrman and his family decided to flee Ukraine for a safer life abroad and are now in Calgary. The family lived in Dniprorudne, a mining city of 17,000 in southern Ukraine. Syrman worked as a human resources manager at an iron factory. In August, Syrman, his ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Move toward ‘economic reconciliation’ must also come with healing: AFN national chief
By Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
OTTAWA – Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald says advancing “economic reconciliation” must go hand in hand with helping communities heal from intergenerational trauma. She says the federal government needs to strike a balance between the two issues – and sees both the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives as missing a piece in ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Alleged Quebec cop killer was on probation, had history of mental health problems
By The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
MONTREAL – A Quebec man accused of killing a provincial police officer had a history of mental health issues and had been found not criminally responsible at least five times for past offences. Isaac Brouillard Lessard, 35, was shot dead by police after he allegedly fatally attacked Sgt. Maureen Breau on Monday evening and left ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Fight against toxic mining runoff from Canada persists, say U.S. Indigenous leaders
By The Canadian Press on March 29th, 2023
WASHINGTON – U.S. Indigenous leaders say they aren’t about to stop pushing Canada to agree to a bilateral investigation into toxic mining runoff from British Columbia. Representatives from several Indigenous groups from the U.S. Pacific Northwest were in D.C. this week for meetings with White House officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. President Joe Biden ... Read More »
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