CanadaMay 13, 2021
Ethics watchdog: PM didn't violate conflict rules over WE Charity, but Morneau did
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not breach the Conflict of Interest Act over failing to recuse himself from cabinet discussions to have WE Charity operate a federal student-volunteer program, Canada's ethics watchdog say in a report released Thursday. In a separate report, federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion found that former finance minister Bill Morneau did violate the rules and should have recused himself. He says Morneau ``gave WE preferential treatment by permitting his ministerial staff to disproportionately assist it when it sought federal funding.'' Dion says he was asked to inve
CanadaMay 13, 2021
Greyhound Canada to cut all routes, end operations
Greyhound Canada is permanently cutting all bus routes across the country, shutting down the intercity bus carrier's operations in Canada after nearly a century of service. The motor coach company says its remaining routes in Ontario and Quebec will cease permanently on Thursday. Its American affiliate, Greyhound Lines, Inc., will continue to operate cross-border routes to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver once the border reopens. The decision comes a year after Greyhound Canada temporarily suspended all service due to a sharp decline in passengers and mounting travel restrictions amid the firs
BCMay 13, 2021
Expert says COVID-19 could be a cause in public nature of gang violence
An expert on gangs says the very public nature of a recent series of shootings in Metro Vancouver may be attributed to COVID-19 restrictions, with rivals striking at the first chance they get.Martin Bouchard, a professor in Simon Fraser University's school of criminology, says the pandemic has changed people's routines and they aren't getting out of their homes often, which could play a role in the brazen nature of shootings.He says gang violence follows its own course regardless of what the initial motive was for the conflict.The comments come as police leaders meet today with Solicitor Gene
IndiaMay 13, 2021
Major General SK Singh to head Indian Army's Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment
Senior plastic surgery specialist Major General SK Singh was appointed as the new head of the Indian Army's Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Thursday.Till now, Major General SK Singh was posted at Military Hospital in Lucknow where he was looking after COVID-19 treatment of military personnel and ex-servicemen along with the running of medical facilities for civilians created by DRDO.
BCMay 13, 2021
British Columbia to use remaining AstraZeneca vaccine for second doses
British Columbia will be holding its remaining stock of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to use as second doses for residents. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say the change is due to the limited availability of the vaccine. The pair say in a joint statement all currently scheduled vaccination appointments through pharmacies will proceed, but no additional appointments will be booked. British Columbia reported 600 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 5,887 active infections, for a total of 137,223 since the pandemic began. It also reported one n
BCMay 12, 2021
Partial brick of suspected cocaine seized by SGET
The Surrey Gang Enforcement Team has seized a partial brick of suspected cocaine as part of on-going targeted gang enforcement in Surrey.On May 9, 2021 at 11:27 p.m., Surrey Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) attempted to stop a speeding vehicle in the area of 108 Avenue and 152 Street. The vehicle failed to stop and fled from police at high rate of speed. Other SGET units in the area were able to get ahead of the fleeing vehicle and blocked the lanes of travel. With no route of escape, the suspect vehicle stopped and the driver was arrested.Further investigation led to seizure of a partial brick of
BCMay 12, 2021
Second-degree murder charge laid after body of a 35 year old woman found
RCMP say a second-degree murder charge has been laid after the body of a woman was found last week in Kootenay National Park in southeastern BC. Days after the body of Brenda Ware was found, police issued a notice they were looking for 41 year old Philip Toner as a person of interest. Toner was found by Lake Country RCMP yesterday and has now been charged with the Alberta woman's death. Mounties say BC's Prosecution Service and the Alberta Crown worked together to lay the charge in the Alberta courts, where police allege the murder was carried out.
BCMay 12, 2021
Penticton council writes letter to premier seeking intervention in shelter dispute
Officials in Penticton, B.C., are appealing to Premier John Horgan in the latest twist in a bitter dispute over a temporary shelter in the Okanagan city. Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki has written an open letter to Horgan urging him to intervene on the city's behalf as it tries to close the 42-bed shelter in defiance of BC Housing's application to extend the temporary-use permit for another year. Vassilaki hopes Horgan will help resolve the disagreement with Attorney General David Eby, who's also the minister responsible for housing. Eby has said the province needs more time to find long-term
WorldMay 12, 2021
Police: California Tesla driver riding in backseat arrested
The California Highway Patrol says a Tesla driver was arrested after an officer saw him in the backseat as the car drove on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway. Authorities say 25-year-old Param Sharma was arrested for alleged reckless driving and disobeying an officer. The arrest followed 911 calls Monday reporting a person seated in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 without no one in the driver's seat while the vehicle traveled Interstate 80 across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Sharma was released from jail Tuesday and told the KTVU television station that what he did was not dangerous a