The Canada Revenue Agency says 120 people have been fired for claiming a federal COVID-19 benefit while employed there. The CRA is reviewing approximately 600 cases in which current employees received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit — or CERB — during the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefit was worth $2,000 a month to Canadians whose jobs were lost or downgraded as a result of public-health restrictions. The CRA said in July that it had let 20 employees go as a result of its CERB investigation, but it now says that number is up to 120. Claims for CERB were found to be legitimate in 30 cas

Edmonton Police issued a warning to Lexus owners after six RX350 SUVs were stolen in Edmonton between Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the Edmonton Police Service, nearly 50 Lexus RX350s have been stolen in Alberta in 2023, with 19 of them being in Edmonton. Most of the SUVs are 2019 to 2022 models, but a few 2016 and 2017 models have also been targeted. The thieves are disabling the GPS tracking systems, police say. "We want to make owners of these vehicles aware of these thefts, so that they can protect themselves from becoming victims," Acting Sgt.Don Lawrence of the Targeted Response to

The EPS Financial Crimes Section has charged a man and a woman in a $7.8 million alleged Ponzi scheme targeting investors in Alberta and British Columbia. In early 2020, police became aware of a Ponzi scheme reportedly being run by a man and a woman operating primarily out of Kelowna, BC and Edmonton, AB, although some victims were located as far away as Nevada, USA and Australia. The two suspects were allegedly offering securities in the form of promissory notes to guarantee investors a set return on their investment. The scheme was run under the company name Group Venture Inc., and is believ

A fire broke out in a 5-storey building in Johannesburg, South Africa, due to which 73 people have died.According to local media reports, 52 people have been injured and admitted to the hospital.The death toll is suspected to increase.The fire broke out in a five-storey building at night.According to emergency service personnel, seven of the victims were children, including a one-year-old baby.Witnesses present at the scene said that around 200 people lived in the building.Security personnel are engaged in the rescue operation.Officials have advised people to stay away from the building.Firefi

The Montreal Public Health Authority says there were 175 deaths related to suspected drug overdoses in the city last year.Most of these deaths occurred at home.Releasing this new data, the department said that it has been collected from August 2022 to July 2023.According to new data released by DRSP, Montreal's public health department, 77 percent of overdose deaths occur in homes.Of the 175 people who died, 9 per cent were homeless.According to the Public Health Authority, the age of the deceased is between 40 and 59 years.Among the dead were 138 men, and 38 women.Public health authorities sa

British Columbia's state of emergency over wildfires has been extended for another two weeks.This information has been given by Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma.The minister says rains in the southern part of the province have helped control the wildfires, but the heat wave in the north has worsened the situation, extending the state of emergency for another two weeks.Ma said that 4,200 people are under evacuation orders due to wildfires, and 65,000 people are on evacuation alert.She said that the danger of forest fires still remains.It may be mentioned that the state of emergency was d

British Columbia Premier David Eby is calling on the Bank of Canada to halt further interest rate hikes.In a letter today to Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, Eby urges him to consider the full human impact of rate hikes and not increase them at this time.The Bank of Canada is set to make an interest rate decision early next month.Eby has also written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attaching his letter to Macklem and calling for a targeted approach to fighting inflation, focusing on housing and infrastructure improvements.Eby's letter to Trudeau says a targeted approach to key sectors w

A man who stabbed a woman to death and injured six others outside a library in North Vancouver two years ago was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.Yannick Bandaogo has been charged with second degree murder, attempted murder.Yannick Bandaogo has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 15 years.It is worth noting that during the court proceedings in July, Bandaogo apologized to the victims and told the court about a troubled childhood, due to which he took to drugs.On March 27, 2021, Bandaogo went on a stabbing rampage in and around the Lynn Valley Public Library,

The opposition has been constantly demanding the resignation of Ontario's Housing Minister Steve Clarke.In the meantime, Minister Clark has refused to resign while issuing the latest statement in Toronto.In fact, on August 9, a new report by the Auditor General of Ontario revealed how thousands of hectares of greenbelt land was opened for housing development.A 95-page report released by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk reviewed how the state government chose to exclude 810,000 hectares of farmland, forest and wetlands from Niagara Falls to Peterborough from the Greenbelt.Ontario's Integrity Commis