National News
‘Clear violation’: Experts say Alberta premier must explain call with accused
By Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
EDMONTON – Premier Danielle Smith must explain to Albertans why she discussed a criminal case with the accused before his trial, whether she still believes such calls are OK and whether she will continue to have these conversations, legal experts and political scientists say. They say the premier’s actions a violation of the democratic firewall ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Hangover from discriminatory policies may still be felt by Roma refugees: advocates
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
OTTAWA – Roma advocates say discriminatory policies meant to keep people from making what a former immigration minister called “bogus” refugee claims have a lingering effect on families fleeing persecution. A Romani family of four recently drowned in the St. Lawrence River during an attempt to make it to the United States, after their lawyer ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!B.C. to boost minimum wage to $16.75 an hour, matching inflation with 6.9% hike
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s minimum wage will increase to $16.75 an hour, a boost that the government says fulfils a promise to tie the benchmark pay level to inflation. The new minimum wage kicks in on June 1 and represents a 6.9 per cent increase from the current $15.65 an hour. Labour Minister Harry Bains ... Read More »
1 responseOnly ‘silent’ praying allowed in Quebec schools as province moves to ban prayer rooms
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
Quebec’s education minister says it will soon be forbidden to have prayer rooms in the province’s public schools. Bernard Drainville told reporters today he has learned of at least two Montreal-area schools that have permitted students to gather for prayer. Drainville says he will issue the directive to all school services centres, adding that prayer ... Read More »
1 responseMan pleads not guilty to murdering 13-year-old Marrisa Shen, of Burnaby, B.C.
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
VANCOUVER – A man accused of the first-degree murder of a Burnaby, B.C., teenager six years ago repeatedly denied killing the girl as his trial started. Ibrahim Ali pleaded not guilty and told the jury through an interpreter that he “did not kill Marrisa Shen.” The body of the 13-year-old girl was found in Burnaby’s ... Read More »
1 responseProspect of tax fraud could be key to Bragg’s strategy in Trump indictment: experts
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
WASHINGTON – Legal experts are still puzzling over Alvin Bragg’s pursuit of Donald Trump – and some are focusing on one mostly overlooked aspect of the indictment. The Manhattan district attorney’s statement of facts alleges that Trump and his operatives “mischaracterized for tax purposes” payments that were made to his lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Prime minister calls discovery of Indigenous woman in Winnipeg landfill heartbreaking
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government needs to do more to end the epidemic of violence that Indigenous women and girls face after police found the body of another Indigenous woman in a landfill this week. Trudeau says it’s heartbreaking that discoveries like these continue to happen. The Winnipeg homicide unit ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Lawyer blasts Ottawa for ‘preposterous’ delay in assessing Canadian woman in Syria
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
OTTAWA – A lawyer working to bring a Quebec woman home from a Syrian prison camp along with her six children says it is “preposterous” that her departure is being held up by the government’s failure to complete her security assessment. Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon says he has asked Global Affairs Canada to take the necessary, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Vancouver police deployed to end tent encampment in city’s Downtown Eastside
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
Vancouver police have dispatched officers to a tent encampment on the city’s Downtown Eastside with the aim of shutting down the site to campers. The City of Vancouver says it has asked police to help bring a close to the encampment, removing all remaining tents and structures. It says in a statement that it decided ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Alberta regulator confirms Kearl oilsands toxins in small fish-bearing waterbody
By The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
Alberta’s energy regulator is confirming that hazardous chemicals are present in a small waterbody after two releases of tailings-contaminated wastewater from Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine. In an update released Tuesday, the agency says hydrocarbons and naphthenic acids have been found in an unnamed fish-bearing lake located almost entirely within Imperial’s lease about 70 kilometres ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Scientists confirm first Canadian fossil of Ice Age predator the dire wolf
By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press on April 5th, 2023
Canada now has its first dire wolf. For the first time, a Canadian fossil has been confirmed as coming from the Ice Age predator featured in the TV series “Game of Thrones.” The specimen, from near Medicine Hat in southern Alberta, was tentatively identified decades ago but a team from the Royal Ontario Museum used ... Read More »
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