CanadaJan 16, 2020
Stephen Harper steps down from Conservative Fund
Former prime minister Stephen Harper has left his role with the chief fundraising arm of the federal Conservative party, but says he still intends to play a role with the party itself. Harper posted a rare comment on party politics to his Twitter account, thanking the Conservative Fund for its hard work and saying its efforts have been "unparalleled" over the years. He says he looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the Conservatives through his work as chair of the International Democratic Union, an alliance of centre-right political parties around the world. The Conservative Fund was se
BCJan 16, 2020
Supreme Court to hear B.C. case attempting to halt Trans Mountain expansion
Canada's high court will hear arguments Thursday on whether British Columbia can stop Alberta from shipping heavy oil through the Trans Mountain pipeline without a permit.B.C.'s NDP government brought the case in 2018 as it worked to fulfil an election promise to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.The province argues it should be able to limit the contents of the pipeline, because it would bear the brunt of environmental harm from any spill.The federal government will argue that B.C.'s move would give the province a veto over interprovincial projects it doesn't like, counter to
CanadaJan 16, 2020
Foreign affairs minister in London to chair a meeting on plane crash
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is chairing today a meeting at Canada House in London that the federal government hopes will lead to justice and financial compensation for the families of the victims of a Ukrainian jet shot down by Iran.
All 176 people aboard were killed last week, including at least 89 with ties to Canada.
Champagne is meeting with representatives of four other countries that lost citizens in the crash — Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain.
The meeting will open with a moment of reflection to remember the victims.
Transport Minister Marc Garne
CanadaJan 15, 2020
Manitoba teenager receives hefty fine and driving prohibition
A Manitoba teenager who was driving high when he hit a moose, injuring a passenger in his car, has received a hefty fine and a driving prohibition. The boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was 17 years old when the collision happened a year ago. He pleaded guilty this week in Brandon provincial court to operating a motor vehicle while being impaired by a drug. The now 18-year-old was fined 15-hundred-and-60 dollars and is banned from driving for one year.
CanadaJan 14, 2020
Skier dies after being caught in avalanche
Avalanche Canada says a skier who was caught in a snowslide on Friday in Banff National Park has died from her injuries. STARS Air Ambulance had said the 32-year old woman was flown to a Calgary hospital in life-threatening condition. She has been identified by her partner, Adam Campbell, as Canmore doctor Laura Kosakoski. In an online report, Avalanche Canada said three skiers were on a south-facing slope of Mount Hector, north of Lake Louise, when the slide occurred. They said a slab avalanche was triggered and ran for about 550 metres. Campbell said Kosakoski was buried by the debris befor
CanadaJan 13, 2020
Nuclear alert investigation won't be long and drawn out, minister says
Ontario's solicitor general says she wants the investigation into a mistaken alert about an incident at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station to be completed fairly quickly.Sylvia Jones says it's very important that the people of Ontario know exactly what happened, and she doesn't expect there to be a long, drawn-out investigation.The province announced the investigation on Sunday, hours after an alert was pushed to cellphones, radios and TVs across the province at about 7:30 a.m.Jones says initial observations suggest it was human error during a routine test of the emergency alert system t
CanadaJan 13, 2020
Haitian-Canadians commemorate 10 year anniversary of deadly earthquake
Haitian Canadians are marking the 10-year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Haiti on this day in 2010. A ceremony will be held in Montreal this afternoon to commemorate the more than 200,000 people who died and 300,000 who were injured in the magnitude 7.0 quake. The Maison d’Haiti community organization, which is leading the ceremony, has been holding a weekend of discussions, presentations and artistic performances to mark the anniversary of the tragedy. Director Marjorie Villefranche says its important to remember the dead but also the living, who continue to live
CanadaJan 11, 2020
Under pressure, Iran admits it shot down jetliner by mistake
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it accidentally shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard.
The government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible for the crash.
The plane was hit hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq, in retaliation for the killing of its top general.
The acknowledgement is an embarrassment for Iran's armed forces and is likely to anger the Iranian public.
It also raises new questions about who ordered the strike and why Iran had not shut dow
CanadaJan 11, 2020
Ex-SNC-Lavalin exec Sami Bebawi gets 8.5 years for fraud, curruption
Former SNC-Lavalin executive Sami Bebawi has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison on fraud and corruption charges stemming from construction deals in Libya. Bebawi was impassive as he was sentenced today by Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer. A jury last month found the former head of SNC-Lavalin's construction division guilty of paying off foreign officials and pocketing millions as he worked to secure contracts for the company in Libya. The case centred on several major infrastructure projects and dealings with Saadi Gadhafi, a son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi