- NewsThe Canadian Press
Liberals unhurt, Tories not helped by scathing SNC-Lavalin report: Poll
OTTAWA — A new poll suggests a scathing ethics report on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair hasn't so far hurt the Liberals' chances of re-election this fall — and it hasn't helped the Conservatives.Indeed, the Leger poll suggests the two parties were locked in a dead heat, with the support of 33 per cent of voters, as they jockey for position at the starting gate for the Oct. 21 vote.Liberal support was unchanged from last month, despite last week's damning report from federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion, who concluded that Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by pressuring his former attorney general to halt a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.Conservative support was down three percentage points from last month, despite the party's best efforts to re-ignite public outrage over the SNC affair, which propelled the Tories into a commanding 13-point lead over the Grits at the height of the controversy last April.The poll put support for the Green party at 13 per cent, up one point and ahead of the NDP at 11 per cent. Maxime Bernier's fledgling People's Party of Canada stood at four per cent.The online survey of 1,535 eligible voters was conducted Aug. 16-19 for The Canadian Press and weighted to reflect the makeup of Canada's population. It cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque said the latest results suggest voters have largely put the SNC-Lavalin affair behind them and moved on to issues that affect them more directly — at least for now. The two main parties are back in a "neck-and-neck race," which is where things stood in February before the SNC controversy rocked the Liberal government, costing Trudeau two cabinet ministers, his most trusted aide and the country's top public servant."I think that those who changed their mind on the PM and turned their backs on him did that in the spring already," Bourque said in an interview.But he said other Canadians appear to be fatigued with the issue and may be thinking "regardless of what I think of the behaviour of the PM, at the end of the day how does this change my life and that of my children, which is nil."Still, Bourque warned that "doesn't mean that it won't come back to haunt the prime minister" during the campaign, particularly should the RCMP decide to investigate, as Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has repeatedly pressed the Mounties to do.The Conservatives and New Democrats tried to revive the controversy at a meeting Wednesday of the House of Commons ethics committee, where they moved to invite Dion, Trudeau and others to testify about the ethics report.However, the Liberals used their majority on the committee to block the bid to magnify the report just a couple of weeks before Trudeau officially fires the starting gun for the election.The poll put the Liberals back into a solid lead in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. The Conservatives enjoyed a commanding lead in Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan, with 55 per cent support in both regions.The Liberals had the advantage in the two most populous provinces, where more than half of the country's 338 seats will be up for grabs.In Ontario, home to more than one-third of the seats, the Conservatives appear to be suffering a "spillover effect" from the unpopularity of Doug Ford's provincial Progressive Conservative government, Bourque said. The Liberals enjoyed the support of 38 per cent of Ontarians, compared to the Conservatives' 30 per cent, the Green's 14 per cent, the NDP's 13 per cent and the People's party's three per cent.In Quebec, home to SNC-Lavalin, the Liberals stood at 34 per cent, compared to the Tories' 27, the Bloc Quebecois' 18, the Greens' nine, the NDP's eight and the People's party's four per cent.Dion concluded that Trudeau broke ethics law by improperly pressuring former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on corruption charges related to contracts in Libya.Trudeau has acknowledged that he wanted Wilson-Raybould to reconsider her refusal to overturn a decision by the director of public prosecutions, who decided last fall not to invite the Montreal-based engineering and construction giant to negotiate a remediation agreement. Such an agreement would have allowed the company to avoid the risk of a criminal conviction, which would result in it being barred from federal contracts for 10 years.While he has taken full responsibility for the mistakes that were made, Trudeau has refused to apologize. He has insisted that he was only standing up for the interests of SNC-Lavalin's 9,000 employees, pensioners and suppliers, who stood to be negatively affected by the potentially crippling cost of a conviction.Scheer maintains Dion's report suggests the prime minister's conduct went beyond a violation of ethics law and warrants a criminal investigation into possible obstruction of justice.Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet over the affair in late February, followed shortly by cabinet ally Jane Philpott. Both women were subsequently booted out of the Liberal caucus and are running for re-election as Independent candidates.Joan Bryden , The Canadian Press
- NewsReuters
Iran says top waterways won't be as safe if its oil exports cut to zero
If Iran's oil exports are cut to zero, international waterways will not have the same security as before, its president said on Wednesday, cautioning Washington against raising pressure on Tehran in an angry confrontation between the longtime foes. The comment by President Hassan Rouhani coincided with a remark by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Tehran might act "unpredictably" in response to "unpredictable" U.S. policies under President Donald Trump. "World powers know that in the case that oil is completely sanctioned and Iran's oil exports are brought down to zero, international waterways can't have the same security as before," Rouhani said while meeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Khamenei's official website.
- NewsReuters
Canada's Trans Mountain restarts work on contentious pipeline expansion
Trans Mountain Corp said on Wednesday it is restarting construction on parts of its pipeline to nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta's oil sands to the British Columbia coast, a year after the project's latest regulatory setback. The Trans Mountain pipeline, which the Canadian government bought last year to help ensure the completion of the expansion to 890,000 barrels of oil per day after years of delay, is fiercely opposed by environmental and some indigenous groups. Last year a Canadian court overturned the federal government's 2016 approval of the project on the grounds it had failed to adequately consult indigenous groups.
- NewsReuters
Tens of thousands flee Russia-led attack on Syrian opposition enclave
Ten of thousands of people have fled to Syria's border with Turkey in the last few days as a Syrian army advance pushed further into the opposition's last major stronghold, residents, rights groups and opposition sources said on Wednesday. "The flow of cars and vehicles leaving is not stopping," said Abdullah Younis from the city. Rebels concede most of their fighters have fled Khan Sheikhoun but are providing fierce resistance to the Syrian army, which has secured a foothold in the rebel-held town that was bombed with sarin gas in 2017.
- NewsCBC
Tax-evading 'natural person' claims B.C. courts don't have jurisdiction over him
A North Vancouver man who describes himself as a "natural person" not subject to tax law has taken his fight against prison time to the province's highest court — and he has lost, resoundingly.Michael Spencer Millar was once an instructor with the Lower Mainland organization Paradigm Education Group, which charged students for bogus advice on how to arrange their affairs so they wouldn't have to pay taxes.He was one of dozens of people charged with tax evasion after the Canada Revenue Agency opened an investigation into Paradigm. Two years ago, Millar was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and fined $24,000 for tax evasion, failing to remit GST and counselling others to commit fraud.But he maintains his trial in B.C. Supreme Court was meaningless, arguing the court had no jurisdiction over him, the CRA had no authority to investigate him, the Crown had no authority to prosecute him and the Income Tax Act did not apply to him.Millar appealed his convictions to the B.C. Court of Appeal, also claiming he had been unfairly handcuffed during an outburst in court and there was an unreasonable delay in his trial.A panel of three justices rejected every one of Millar's arguments in unanimous reasons issued Monday.Of the suggestion that Millar was not subject to investigation or prosecution by Canadian authorities, Justice Gregory Fitch wrote: "There is no merit in any of the appellant's jurisdictional arguments and we did not call on the Crown to respond to any of these issues."'Unable to plead into a fiction'Before his arrest in 2013, Millar and his colleagues at Paradigm taught their students the bizarre theory that only "artificial persons" need to pay taxes or obtain a licence to drive. The idea is people who can declare themselves to be "natural persons" are exempt from many laws.The natural person argument has been rejected over and over again in Canadian tax evasion trials, even as defendants argue that sources like the Bible, the Magna Carta and even the Queen's coronation oath line up with their interpretation of the law.Millar was first charged in February 2012, but it took police 14 months to locate and arrest him.During a court appearance in October 2013, he refused to enter any pleas, saying, "I am unable to plead into a fiction," according to court documents. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.Millar represented himself in court, and at one point, the judge ordered the sheriff to restrain him with handcuffs. According to the Court of Appeal reasons, Millar had repeatedly interrupted the proceedings and ignored warnings to stop.In his appeal, Millar argued the judge's actions showed she was biased against him, but that was soundly rejected."The appellant holds strong beliefs, and it is clear from the record of proceedings that he is capable, intentionally or otherwise, of acting in an overbearing and obstructive fashion," Fitch wrote. "While the appellant is entitled to adhere to his mistaken beliefs, he was not entitled to ignore the judge's directions."In the end, prosecutors proved Millar had personally evaded about $24,000 in taxes, but records show Paradigm's overall impact was much larger.As of February 2017, 32 people connected to the company had been convicted for evading more than $4.2 million in taxes, according to the sentencing decision in Millar's case. The husband-wife team behind Paradigm evaded more than $200,000 together.Millar could not be reached to ask if he will be seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
- NewsCBC
Fire breaks out on rooftop patio in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
More than 100 firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve on de Rouville Street early Tuesday morning.One firefighter was slightly injured and taken to hospital as a precaution.The fire broke out on a rooftop patio at around 3 a.m. The three-storey building's 16 units were evacuated and it's unclear when the 20 or so tenants will be able to return home. Two units were more heavily damaged than the others. Red Cross workers are on site to help tenants who may need help finding a place to stay. Fire Chief Louise Desrosiers says firefighters haven't yet determined the cause of the fire, but it could be related to a barbecue or cigarette on the deck.Valérie Labrecque-Piché waited outside, clutching her grey cat, Misty. She says she woke to a knock on her door. "We came out of the apartment and it smelled like fire. Someone said they heard an explosion and after the flames started," Labrecque-Piché said.There was no damage to her unit, so she was told she should be able to go back home, but her neighbour may not be so lucky, she said.
- NewsCBC
P.E.I. Children's Wish working on record number of wishes
The P.E.I. chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation is working on a record number of wishes this year.Typically the organization grants about 12 to 13 wishes a year for children from the ages of three to 17 with life threatening illnesses and each granted wish costs about $10,000 each, said development co-ordinator Jennifer Gillis.She said wishes can take up to five years to grant in some cases and when she started working with the organization it was actively working on about 22 wishes a year."We've reached a huge milestone this summer here at our chapter. We are currently working on 30 wishes. That's the highest number of wishes we've worked on at one time in our 32 year history here on the Island. And that is all Island children."She says the foundation has a number of fundraisers in the works and will be using social media campaigns to let the public know about the increased need."We have right now the HMCS Run for Wishes which is in its 17th year," Gillis said.Fundraising is importantThis year's Run for Wishes began Tuesday in the western end of the Island. This is the week the sailors on the HMCS Charlottetown take to the roadways to raise money for Children's Wish."Every year when we come up we usually get to meet with a couple of kids themselves and just kind of see the way that the program has affected and changed their lives," said Leading Seaman Jonathan Chartrand.He said the goal is to help the P.E.I. chapter of Children's Wish grant at least three wishes.All wishes will be grantedGranting all 30 wishes could cost $300,000, but Gillis said despite the increased demand every wish will be granted."We've never turned a child away," Gillis said.Recent wishes granted include a trip for a young girl to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs and she appeared on Hockey Night in Canada, Gillis said.Traveling is a popular wish, Gillis said."A lot of these families it is not an option to travel unless they are being granted a wish because they have travel insurance through us and kind of that peace of mind," she saidGillis said donations to the Children's Wish Foundation can be made online or at the organization's office.More P.E.I. news
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Kid-owned café in Newtown spreads message of kindness and environmental stewardship
A cup of coffee at one local coffee shop in Bonavista Bay is not just about brightening a customer's day, it's also about helping change a community. The Karma Kafé and Find Junque, nestled along the ocean in an old church hall in Newtown, N.L., is filled with mismatched kitchen tables, overstuffed bookshelves, and antiques in every nook and cranny. Most thing are donated, from the dishes to the food.But there are no plastic forks or spoons to be found, due to the café's determination to reduce waste, says Flo Cross, a retired schoolteacher who opened the café in 2017. The café composts everything it can, she says."Last year for six weeks we had one bag of garbage. One. Six weeks in the café, everything else was either reused or composted napkins, placemats, forks, knives, spoons, cups all donated."There was no business plan for the café; it just sprouted out of the desire to spread good energy and give back.Cross grew up in the area, and moved back with her partner Irene Woodworth in 2014, after teaching for 29 years.She had dreams of writing a book in her newfound spare time. But a suggestion from her brother to write something for the new youth theatre group, Building Bridges, created something bigger. She wrote a play called My Mind's a Time."I got 13 kids involved, made a little money and wanted to give it to them. They wouldn't take it. Thirteen kids from Grade 4 to Grade 12 left their money on the table. I didn't want it, so this was born."With the seed money, the donation of an old building and the generosity of people in town, it didn't take long before the café, owned by the theatre group, came to life in the summer two years ago. It reopens every year using the group's profits to give back to the environment.The café also launched the Kindness Campaign to share a message of love, friendship and anti-bullying. A local hockey team jumped on board, wearing pink jerseys at their final home game last of winter.The karma keeps flowing through the textile exchange, which was spawned from the piles of clothing donations to the café . Another big donation was an old furniture store, to keep all the donations they can't at the cafe. By the fall, work will begin on renovating that building into a year-round textile and furniture exchange with a mini-café. Woodworth says all the community support is overwhelming. "We have a lot of people that volunteer and there they'll always say, 'Now, if you need anything, let me know.' It's incredible!"And it's the kids who are taking the lead, like Jyda Goodyear, 10, one of the students who own a share of the café.She's a part of the theatre group and one of the first to volunteer for cleanups with her friends. She even wants to volunteer at the café waiting tables. "Since I got a part of this, I've been loving the environment even more and loving kindness more than other things. That's like my No. 1 thing that I always love doing."Jyda said she's seen the change in her friends and in her hometown. "Before this got started, there was a lot of garbage," she said. "The ditches were full and the roads were full and now it's getting all cleaned up and there is not much left." I found a big difference in the community in general. People just want to be caring. \- Brenda Lee GoodyearHer mom, Brenda Lee Goodyear, says the spark from Cross and Woodworth can be seen everywhere she goes. "Of course who doesn't want to be better, you know?" she said. "It's definitely been a huge impact, they have made a huge impact on my family's life. But I found a big difference in the community in general. People just want to be caring. And that's really all that I wanted my children to learn."If you ask Cross how this all happened, she won't take the credit; she says it's the kids who help inspired her to keep giving."One person called me a conduit. That's all I am, is a little place that things move through. The goodness was here long before I came. It just became a means for everyone to express what they wanted to do anyway."The Karma Kafé will be open until late October, with the second location coming next year. And there's no telling how far the karma will go.Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
- NewsCBC
Cambridge Bay celebrates Canadian High Arctic Research Station opening
The people of Cambridge Bay are celebrating the grand opening of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station located just outside its community. "We look forward to the festivities and people just celebrating this big event because we've been waiting for a while and we're all excited and anxious for the official opening," Cambridge Bay Mayor Pamela Gross told CBC Wednesday morning before celebrations got underway. The Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) is a cutting-edge research station with a focus on better understanding the impacts of climate change. Researchers from Polar Knowledge Canada, the federal agency that operates the research station, started working at the facility as early as November 2015 as construction continued on the campus. Construction began in 2014, with the grand opening originally expected in 2017. Although the public opening has been delayed multiple times, officials working on the project have previously pointed out it would be incorrect to say the facility itself has been delayed because researchers have been using the facility since as early as 2015. Since then, public access has been limited to tours booked by appointment only. Once the CHARS campus is officially open, roughly one third of the main research building will be open to the public — including a multi-purpose room, teaching lab and café.Where scientific and traditional knowledge meetCollaboration between Inuit knowledge and western science is one of the objectives of the facility. That collaboration includes facilitating relationships between visiting scientists and local Inuit.Gross says she is particularly proud of how Inuinnaq and Inuit cultures from across the Arctic are represented at the CHARS campus. "I think that [CHARS] is what it is because of a vision from a collective amount of people coming together and talking about, 'What we want to have in the community' and 'what science should look like,'" she said. The official opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday, with entertainment, refreshments and campus tours following.A free shuttle service will be running from Kiilinik High School to the CHARS campus, located just outside the hamlet, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Thursday, CHARS staff have planned several activities for community members to participate in, including creating a mural at the entrance of the campus to celebrate its opening, and a teaching lab where members of the public can conduct science experiments.Yvonne Jones, parliamentary secretary to the minister of northern affairs, is scheduled to participate in the opening ceremonies on behalf of the government of Canada, along with Cambridge Bay Mayor Pamela Gross and Polar Knowledge Canada president and CEO David J. Scott.
- NewsCBC
Yellowknife's Northern Frontier Visitors Centre to be demolished
The problem-plagued Northern Frontier Visitors Centre in Yellowknife is going to be demolished. In a document tabled in the N.W.T. legislature on Monday, Infrastructure Minister Wally Schumann says that tearing down the building is the "best value option" given the "deteriorating condition" of the downtown building.The document states there is "significant damage" to the structure, including the exterior and interior walls and windows. It concludes only one-third of the building is potentially salvageable. The Department of Infrastructure says it could save that one-third of the building at a cost of $2.7 million, but says "this would have very little utility." It says it could build a space the same size for $2.1 million.The Northern Frontier Visitors Centre has stood abandoned since May of 2017, when it was shuttered over safety concerns arising from structural issues attributed to shifting permafrost.Since then, the Department of Infrastructure has spent $344,000 on repairs, inspections and redevelopment design, says Schumann in the document.He says further repairs to the building, monitoring, inspections and other expenses are estimated to cost another $298,000 this fiscal year.There is no expectation that pumping more money into the building would stem its continued deterioration, says Schumann.Greg Hanna, a spokesperson for the territorial Department of Infrastructure, said in an email that the decision to raze the building came after "thorough consideration that included external engineering advice." "The GNWT (government of Northwest Territories) recognizes that the building is valued by the community," he said.Hanna said salvaging the whole building and renovating it would cost about $8.2 million, and there would still be a significant risk of movement at the foundation. The Northern Frontier Visitors Association ran the visitors centre until it was condemned. The organization disbanded shortly thereafter.The City of Yellowknife took over visitor services in the fall of 2017, and has been operating a visitors centre out of the ground floor of city hall ever since.This arrangement is set to continue for the foreseeable future, said Kerry Penney, the city's director of policy, communications and economic development.'The role of visitor centres is changing'Kyle Thomas runs Yellowknife Online, an independent tourism information website, and is a former president of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association. Thomas said the increasing ubiquity of online travel information and bookings is lessening the need for bricks-and-mortar tourist information centres."From my digital experience, people aren't necessarily coming to Yellowknife anymore without any planned tours or without knowing what there is to do," he said. "So, I think the role of the visitor centres is changing slightly." The Northern Frontiers Visitors Centre offered more than rudimentary tourist information, like nearby hikes, hotels and restaurants.With an exhibit on Yellowknife heritage, a diamond display and a souvenir shop, it was something of a destination unto itself."Do we need exactly what the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre once was? I don't know," said Thomas. "But I know that what it was, was bigger than just visitor information services."Demolition to cost more than half a million dollarsDemolition of the building is planned for this fall or winter, and is expected to cost $597,000.As a life-long Yellowknifer, said Thomas, he has "mixed feelings" about the building. "I understand the determination and the hard work that went into developing that building 30 years ago ... and it is a beautiful building, without a doubt," he said.But, he continued, it's time to "look forward and come up with some new concepts."
- CBC
Transplant cost almost ended her life, now she's home with new lungs
Natalie Jarvis is celebrating her second chance at life after nearly choosing to die because of how much it would cost to keep her alive.
- NewsCBC
Commercial building gutted after early morning fire in Campbellton
An early morning fire gutted a building on Water Street in downtown Campbellton on Wednesday.Firefighters were dispatched to the former Pik-Quick convenience store at 46 Water St. after the building's alarm went off.Stacy Kozak of the Campbellton Fire Department told Radio-Canada that when firefighters arrived, the building was in flames.The department focused on saving nearby structures.Kozak said one firefighter had to be treated for heat-stroke-like symptoms.Ian Comeau was driving across the J.C. Van Horne Bridge, when he spotted black smoke coming from the downtown before 6 a.m. "I knew that it wasn't fog, so I decided to go right to the scene … there it was, at the old Pik-Quick building. … It was completely engulfed with flames."The Pik-Quick was no longer operating, but the building was being used as a lounge and tanning salon.Comeau, who was a volunteer firefighter for 26 years in the northern New Brunswick city, said a number of firefighters were on scene during the early morning blaze."It's a quiet morning here," he said. "There's no wind, so I'm sure that the fire department is happy about that."Kozak said the department was short on firefighters and sought help from the neighbouring Atholville Fire Department.The cause of the fire is unknown, but an investigation has been opened.
- NewsCBC
Gander airport art significant piece of provincial, national history, says curator
Mireille Eagan doesn't hold back when talking about the importance of the international lounge at Gander's airport. The curator of contemporary art at The Rooms says the space has a significance that spans well beyond the central Newfoundland community."That mural is a significant part of the history of this province and a significant part of the history of Canada," she said.Opened in 1959, the international lounge at Gander airport is an avant-garde room featuring a large wall mural and sculpture, as well as furniture considered to be glamorous for its mid-20th century installation.The mural was designed by Kenneth Lochhead, who the National Gallery of Canada says was at the forefront of Canada's modern art movement.Because traffic through the lounge has been sporadic since international flights began bypassing Gander, there's been a question of what value the art within it has, and if its value has been diminished. During the recent Summer in Winterset Literary Festival, at the Flight and its Allegories event, the question about public art and its value surfaced. According to Eagan, the sense of ownership around the airport mural was impassioned."The value of this artwork is that it acted as a greeting to everyone from celebrities to the average person to people fleeing from the Eastern Bloc to people during 9-11," she said."I loved seeing people who saw [the] genuine importance of the lounge.… It speaks to the importance of artwork in our daily lives,"Whether people see it or not, Eagan says, the intention of public art is to be seen, but that doesn't mean art loses value if it's archived. Art still accessibleEagan said most galleries have only one to five per cent of their art for display to the public, with the remainder stored safely in archives. She said that's acceptable, especially if the art was created to mark the history of a place or its culture. Putting art away in a vault won't change the fact that it still exists, and can be seen, she said."It's still accessible to researchers. It's still being taken of, cared for and still a record of a place."The art at Gander's international lounge is expected to be seen by many more as a plan for the room is expected to be announced this month that will open it up to the public.Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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Five-year string of repeated break-ins has Windsor bakery owner 'discouraged'
When Saskia Scott became the owner of the Sweet Revenge Bake Shop in Riverside, she knew her budget would account for purchasing ingredients, upgrading baking equipment and paying employees — but not for beefing up security."People work really hard to own businesses and it's really difficult to continuously be broken into," said Scott.On Tuesday, Scott alleged that someone had broken into the bakery for the seventh time since she took up ownership five years ago. The Facebook page for Sweet Revenge Bakery Shop appears to show security footage from two of the alleged break-and-enters.Scott said she wasn't too concerned after the first break-in, assuming that whoever was responsible was just "down on their luck." But when it happened for a second time, Scott said the bakery invested in upgraded security cameras and motion sensors."The next time, they still got in. They keep throwing rocks through the window and entering through — rummaging around to see what they can get. They never get away with much," she said, adding she's only noticed "plastic forks and packs of change" go missing."They're not stealing anything of worth. They're just making it very inconvenient. We have to continuously replace the door."Another break-in resulted in the bakery's $2,000 glass display case needing to be replaced."We had to replace the glass, so we could still have dessert and serve things here," said Scott.On Facebook, some have pointed fingers of blame at Windsor police for not doing enough to stop these alleged break-ins from happening. But according to Scott, that criticism is unwarranted."Every time they come, they make suggestions on what we can do better. Every time they've suggested something, we've implemented it — changing the position of our cameras, leaving lights on at night, putting an [empty register] drawer on the table so it shows there's no cash on hand," she said.The bakery has also put up security bars across its door and windows — a measure which Scott describes as "a last resort.""We are a higher-end bakery. We'd like to keep higher-end clientele which can be difficult to do if it looks like a convenience store outside," she said.Extra security measures have also come at a significant cost to the bakery — which Scott estimates at about $5,000. The 22-year-old adds she might include those costs in her next annual budget because a break-in "happens that often.""We have high-quality footage from security cameras. We have night vision. We have motion sensors. I don't know what else you want us to do at this point."If repeated instances of breaking-and-entering continue to take place, it may become discouraging to report them to police. But according to Const. Talya Natyshak, frequent reporting is vital to their investigation."That could lead us to allocate those resources and lead us to know what times these occurrences are happening and we can keep an eye out in those specific areas," said Natyshak."If a business is being specifically targeted, we want to know that. We want to work with those business owners and try to help them in any way that we can to prevent further incidents."Scott said the bakery has reported all seven break-ins to Windsor police.Windsor police wouldn't confirm if break-ins at Sweet Revenge Bake Shop have been on their radar, since Windsor police do not comment on matters involving specific businesses.The shop has elected not to file an insurance claim since the deductible would be too costly. Sweet Revenge has also decided not to put its logo on the bakery's front door since it needs to be replaced on a regular basis.Instead, Scott is doing the only thing she knows how. She's conducting business as usual, hoping the seventh break-in will be the last."We work our hearts out. We're very passionate at what we do. It's really discouraging to try and stay positive."
- NewsCBC
P.E.I. company testing new bait for lobster and crab fishery
A P.E.I. company has created a new bait that it hopes will someday replace traditional bait such as herring and mackerel.Bait Masters Inc. is testing the new product in the fall crab and lobster fishery on P.E.I."The new bait is a mix of fish and other organic matters in a biodegradable casing," said Wally MacPhee, co-owner of the company."It reduces the amount of pelagic fish used in the bait process. We're hoping to reduce it by 50 percent per piece so it would be a help with sustainability."Mackerel and herring, the traditional bait used by the lobster fishery on P.E.I., has become increasingly more expensive and difficult for Island fishermen to find."The numbers are dropping, they're having a hard time catching them, catching what they used to catch," MacPhee said."We recognized the need for something better than the current way they were doing it."'Lots of attempts'Co-owner Mark Prevost worked for almost a decade in the fishery."It was the cost and the waste for me," Prevost said."The short amount of time I spent fishing mackerel, it was how much was wasted and how hard it was to catch and with the new quotas coming out, how much more expensive it's going to be."The two started looking at alternative baits a couple of years ago.They ordered what was available in North America, with the idea of possibly becoming a distributor."But there wasn't any available that actually worked or fished well so we made our own," Prevost said."It took a lot of attempts but now I think we're pretty close to having a finalized recipe." The expansion is going to be pretty quick. Long term...we'd like to see it in as many traps as possible. —Mark Prevost, Bait Masters Inc. They turned to the BioFoodTech Centre to help them scale up to produce 10,000 units, after starting in their own kitchens and barns."It's kind of a secret formula. We'll just keep it at that for now," MacPhee said.Testing phaseBait Masters had the bait in traps on nine boats in the spring lobster fishery, along with an employee who tracked the catches, comparing the alternative bait to the traditional fish."We found out that it fishes well, fishermen seem to like it," MacPhee said."It is still going through its testing phases so we're going to keep tweaking as we go, but it seems to be working well and it's fishing right along with the other bait."Prevost and MacPhee said they haven't set a price for the new bait but say it will be comparable per pound to traditional bait."It was a good feeling to see some positive results finally," Prevost said."We've definitely made many attempts at it and it took quite some time, so now to get feedback from the fishermen especially, it's been great."Bait shortageDonald Macdonald fishes out of Nine Mile Creek, P.E.I., and has been using the bait in both the spring and fall fishery. "I think the bait's really good, it's clean, efficient and it lasts," Macdonald said."The issue is getting it to fish as good as the other bait and once they do, it'll really sell."Macdonald said he will use more of it next season — if the bait continues to fish well."Bait's more expensive, harder to get and you always want to try something," Macdonald said."I wouldn't want to go and set all my gear right away, but keep trying it slowly and if the numbers keep working out then, yeah."Prevost and MacPhee will send the data they've collected on the new bait to a researcher at UPEI.Next year, their goal is to make 300,000 units to start selling commercially in the spring of 2020."The expansion is going to be pretty quick," Prevost said."Long term I guess we'd like to see it in as many traps as possible."More P.E.I. news
- NewsCBC
Where are you, Buckaroo? Owners in desperate search for stolen dog
The owners of a yellow Labrador that was taken from a cottage west of Ottawa are asking for the dog to be returned after the apparent thief left a note accusing them of mistreating the dog.Buckaroo disappeared Wednesday from a family cottage on Higgins Lane in Cloyne, Ont., near Shabomeeka Lake. He had been tied up outside.At first, his owner Peter Phillips thought the 16-month-old dog might have run off, but after a few days of searching Phillips found a note telling him to stop looking for the dog."It's just a rollercoaster of emotions for us," he said. "All the time that we've spent, like days and days looking for him in the woods thinking he's missing. And then to get that note saying stop looking for him, I have him. It's just, who would do something like that?"The note described the dog as underweight and neglected, reading at one point: "He deserves a better life than you gave him."Phillips said whoever wrote the note was making assumptions. 'He's my best friend'Buckaroo is a member of the family, according to Phillips, who works in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, as an RCMP officer. He said the dog is his companion when he's up north."Everybody loves Buckaroo. I love Buckaroo. He's my best friend," Phillips said.His sister-in-law, Jordin Legate, also describes Buckaroo as a member of the family that's treated well. She said the dog did have some health conditions — including a recently-discovered allergy to beef that made the dog look skinny and led to patches on his ears."Everything that was in the note was completely out of context and so wrong," said Legate, who works in a veterinarian clinic. "It was just basically horrifying and devastating to know that somebody in the community didn't think to either come and knock on the door and ask us about him or call the OSPCA. They just decided to just take him and kidnap him on us."Legate said the family just wants the dog back."We just want him home. We want the person who took him to bring him back to us," she said.OPP in Lennox and Addington confirm they are investigating the dog's disappearance as a theft. They say there is no evidence the dog was mistreated.
- NewsCBC
Old proposal to expand New Brunswick Museum in Saint John's Market Square revived
The company that runs Market Square in Saint John is reviving an old proposal to expand the New Brunswick Museum.Colin Whitcomb, executive vice-president of the Hardman group, says it would cost about $22 million to double the museum's space in Market Square, compared to the $100-million project that was cancelled by the Progressive Conservative government in March.The museum is facing a shortage of space and its collections and research centre on Douglas Avenue is leaking and mouldy."From the museum standpoint, they have a challenge they need to address, and this is one solution, and we think a very cost-effective solution and one that could be implemented quite quickly," Whitcomb said.The museum said Wednesday that it is working on options to solve its building problems but hasn't yet reviewed the Hardman proposal.Right now, the public exhibit part of the museum occupies about 63,000 square feet over three levels at Market Square. Whitcomb said the footprint of the building could be expanded to 130,000 square feet."We've hired the architects and engineers to analyze how that could be done and put forward a design proposal to the museum," he said.Whitcomb said the north side of the building facing Union Street and the upper end of St. Patrick Street was left undeveloped when Market Square was built in the 1980s. His plan would push that wall out farther, giving the museum more space and a "very high-profile presence" along the street corner.Whether the extra space becomes a new exhibit space or an area for research and collections storage would be up to the museum.The idea isn't new. Whitcomb said it was developed around 2012, but the proposal slipped through the cracks during a change in government when new priorities were established. He said given the challenges the museum is facing and the cancelled plans for the new build, it felt like the right time to renew the proposal.The plans have been sent to the museum as well as the Departments of Transportation and Infrastructure and Tourism, Heritage and Culture, and Whitcomb said the reaction so far has been positive.The Hardman Group is prepared to make the majority of the investment in the building expansion. It has a lease on the site from the government-owned Development Saint John group that lasts until 2049 — with an option to extend for 10 or 20 years.The final cost of the project could vary depending on what the museum decides to use the new space for. Whitcomb said the estimate for the proposal is based on building it as a gallery.In an emailed statement to CBC News, Bill Hicks, CEO of the New Brunswick Museum, said the museum's board and management "were not engaged or consulted on the high level proposal by the Hardman Group and as such has not had the opportunity to review.""If their proposal has some merit, it may be considered along with a number of different options and approaches."He said the New Brunswick Museum is working with the provincial government to determine the option that's in the best interest of the museum."It is important to emphasize the facility needs and requirements for museums, on the nature and scale of the New Brunswick Museum, are extensive and complex," Hicks said."There needs to be a full understanding of what New Brunswick Museum does, how it operates and its facility needs going forward."
- NewsCBC
Volunteer trail builders in Fraser Valley describe provincial crackdown
Sam Waddington and Graham Houlker smooth out a section of lumpy trail in the forest at the Lexw Qwo:m Park in Chilliwack, B.C., about an hour's drive east of Vancouver.Houlker swings a polaski into the soil, while Waddington uses a purpose-made trail building tool to scrape and pound the moist dirt near the edge of provincial Crown land.The hiking and mountain biking trail snakes up a steep slope through rich, green forest. Ferns, devil's club and salal fill the space between enormous cedar and hemlock trunks.People volunteer to build and maintain trails the local community wants to use, but they can't continue their work into the Crown land — the province has ordered the Chilliwack Parks Society, of which Houlker is a member, to cease and desist."I was quite shocked," said Houlker. "I haven't done any [trail building] for a few weeks now, which I'm kind of upset about."'Massive delays'According to Waddington, the owner of a local outdoor equipment store, the cease and desist order at Lexw Qwo:m Park is part of a larger trend of increased enforcement on unauthorized trails in the area — but in many cases, authorization is a glacially slow process."There is a permitting process in place, but there have been massive delays," said Waddington, who claimed some of the trails where new warning signs from the province have appeared have been waiting for approval for several years.Waddington said he recently got a visit at his store from an enforcement officer with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources. He was told to quit work on a trail near Cultus Lake on Crown land."Trail cameras were set up in the forest to catch some of us that were out there," he said, though he never saw the cameras and wasn't shown the photographic evidence.Applications stretching resourcesStaff at the ministry declined a CBC News interview request and instead sent a written statement."At this time, the Chilliwack recreation district receives more trail applications than can be reviewed by staff," it read."Applicants can expect the process to take about one year to determine if a new trail is authorized; more complex applications with multiple stakeholders may take longer," said the statement.There was no explanation for the perceived crackdown taking place in recent weeks in the Fraser Valley, except that it may be "related to the increase in recreational interest in the area."Waddington said the fines for violating the Forest and Range Practices Act could be up to $10,000. The maximum prison sentence is six months."I think that one of the big tragedies happening here is that you're making volunteers feel like criminals," he said. "If that's the stage we're at with our government, I think that needs to shift."Houlker is 68 and began trail building after retiring four years ago."Just leave us alone to do what we want to do," he said. "We do it within boundaries. We don't do anything willy-nilly — we don't just rush at things — we think it through."Do you have more to add to this story? Email rafferty.baker@cbc.caFollow Rafferty Baker on Twitter: @raffertybaker
- NewsCBC
New website gives Island tenants legal information in 'plain language'
A new website created by Community Legal Information aims to ensure tenants on the Island know their rights.The website, rentingpei.ca, provides legal information for people at all stages of renting."We believe that people knowing both their rights and responsibilities will just ensure that they are able to actualize them," said Eliza MacLauchlan, tenant support worker with Community Legal Information. It has information on what to look for in a rental agreement, what your rights are when tenancy comes to an end and what your rights are as a tenant. It also includes a section on conflict resolution. "So, knowing what their rights are. So you know, you have the right to a certain temperature, or having the right to certain conditions of the home, or quiet enjoyment, those type of things, that's really important," she said. But, the website also provides information on what obligations tenants have to fulfil, like paying rent on time and following a rental agreement. Failing to do either of those things could lead to eviction, MacLauchlan said.All of the information has been compiled from various legislation and put into a digestible format for renters, said MacLauchlan. She said their work is largely turning acts or regulations that are "written in legalese" into "plain language" for tenants.Increase in tenancy concernsMacLauchlan said there has been an increase in the number of calls to her office about rental issues on P.E.I., and some topics are more frequent than others. "Rent increases [are] definitely something we hear often — about whether [it is] a lawful rent increase or unlawful," she said. "Other things might be around repairs and ensuring those are done. Also evictions, what is allowed and what isn't and what might be the process for folks if they have been evicted and they don't believe that it was in good faith." Information on the website is available in different languages. Community Legal Information will be creating a physical version of the information for those who may not have access to the site, or prefer a paper copy, in the coming months. More P.E.I. news
- NewsCBC
Time to envision a provincial economy beyond oil and gas, say critics
It may be a little late to put the genie back in the bottle — or the oil back in the ground — but Newfoundland and Labrador needs to start taking a serious look at renewable energy resources to broaden its economic horizons, says one of the co-chairs of the advocacy group Decarbonize NL.If the province developed all its known oil resources right now, Delia Warren said, there would be no way to meet its targets for limiting the impacts of climate change.And in an economy built on as instable a structure as the oil resource, the province needs to rethink its development projects, Warren said."It's a fact that Newfoundland and Labrador relies very heavily on oil and gas to run our social services, health care, education, all of that, so it's basically a necessity for us and we don't really have any other option at the moment," Warren said."But we need to be smart about the future and decreasing our reliance on oil and gas, especially given the challenges we've had in the industry recently." The province's economic development strategy … just simply isn't compatible with climate science. \- Nick MercerWarren, a former oil and gas engineer, points to the latest spills at Hibernia - two back to back this summer — and the province's largest-ever oil spill at the SeaRose platform late last year as examples of the environmental risks associated with oil and gas development.Those concerns, paired with a market that doesn't guarantee the price of oil, as well as an overall market shift toward renewable energy resources, should push the province to make changes, she said."I really like the term 'managed decline', and I absolutely believe that is a necessity, not just for environmental reasons and because of climate change and the impacts that will have globally and locally, but because it's just the smart thing to do," Warren told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.Diversifying the economy is on the government's agenda, she acknowledges, "but I haven't seen enough of a focus on how to use the resources we do have, specifically wind energy resources, to drive that change and drive that transition."It's a concern echoed by Warren's fellow Decarbonize NL chair, Nick Mercer."The province's economic development strategy, The Way Forward, just simply isn't compatible with climate science," Mercer said.Volatile resource, essential revenueMercer also acknowledged the revenue from oil sales are essential to the N.L. economy at the moment."I'm not anti-offshore development. Offshore development of course provides a tremendous degree of benefit for the province. In recent years, offshore oil has supplied us with as much as 30 per cent of royalties for provincial coffers," he said."That's really important revenue that's used to support social programs and spending. However, what I see as a problem is such a major degree of dependence on a single volatile commodity."The question Mercer raised is whether the good outweighs the bad."Oil creates a great deal of revenue for the province, but it also causes a lot of environmental damage," he told CBC's Here & Now.Mercer said the oil spills in the last year have heightened his frustrations, adding the oil going into the Atlantic Ocean has a devastating impact on the environment, avian and marine wildlife, the fishery, not to mention seismic testing and its possible impact on phytoplankton."Nothing seems to be changing and where my frustration comes from is that the province has incredible alternatives that simply aren't being pursued," Mercer said, adding that there are federal targets met for reducing carbon emissions that Newfoundland and Labrador, at this rate, can't meet. "Meanwhile, the province's policy goal is to double our oil production and not give any serious attention to serious sustainable energy alternatives, while incidents like this [oil spill] continue to increase in frequency."'Tremendous resource' for renewablesBoth Warren and Mercer point to the potential for wind energy development in Newfoundland and Labrador, adding it was a topic of heated discussion at this year's inaugural Decarbonize NL conference, which visited the Fermeuse wind energy project."A wind turbine built in Newfoundland and Labrador would generate more energy than the exact same wind turbine built anywhere else in North America because our wind resource is so strong," Warren said.Mercer added Newfoundland and Labrador has some of "the strongest potential" for renewable energy development of any North American jurisdiction.While Muskrat Falls has tied the province's hands largely to hydroelectric power when it comes to energy production, one of the bright spots of the project is the construction of the Maritime Link, which provides the province with a connection to the rest of North America's power grid.The Maritime Link could finally provide Newfoundland and Labrador with the capacity to sell its excess supply of power, if Muskrat Falls and wind energy produce more than the province requires, to other jurisdictions that need it."Despite this enormous potential, the province currently ranks dead last among Canada's provinces in installed wind energy capacity," Mercer said."Considering this tremendous potential for small scale renewable energy development in Newfoundland and Labrador, why does the province remain so dependent on both the production and consumption of fossil fuels?"Current federal regulations limit the scope and capacity for offshore wind energy development, Warren said, not to mention at the moment, those kinds of projects come with a higher price tag.But oil companies themselves are looking at developing renewable resources, she added, and Ottawa is moving toward changes to allow development."These companies know what's happening, they do see the shift in the dynamics in the industry, and I think that it is possible to have both right now in Newfoundland and Labrador," she said.Whether it's because of climate change policy or supply issues, oil and gas is "not going to be around forever and we need to start planning for that," she said.Proactive, not reactiveWhile oil and gas development continues to be an essential pillar, however unsteady, in the province's revenue, opposition politicians said the latest Hibernia oil spill points to a gap in the systems in place.NDP Leader Alison Coffin said she was shocked and disappointed to hear about the most recent oil spill, adding that the province continues to push forward with plans to double oil production in the next decade.Coffin said her party will continue to push for an independent safety regulator to monitor the offshore."We're hearing again and again that we don't need an independent safety and environment officer and we don't need an independent agency, but again and again we're hearing these spills are happening, and nothing is being done about it.," Coffin said."I don't think we can continue to develop our offshore without having that safety and environment agency in place."David Brazil, the Tory's natural resources critic, said while the Progressive Conservatives aren't totally in line with the NDP on the issue, adding they "have faith in the C-NLOPB," he feels there still needs to be a "more rigid approach.""You need to do very rigorous investigations to find out why these things happen, and then put in protocols to ensure they don't happen," Brazil said."Start being more proactive than reactive here."Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
- NewsReuters
South African court rules display of apartheid flag constitutes hate speech
A South African court on Wednesday ruled that displaying the country's apartheid-era flag in public constituted hate speech that discriminated against black people and violated equality laws. The case relates to a 2017 demonstration against attacks and killings of farmers where the so-called 'Apartheid Flag" was displayed. "It is determined that the display of the old national flag of South Africa ... constitutes hate speech in terms of 10.1 of the equality act... (and also) unfair discrimination on the basis of race .. and harassment," said Judge Phineas Mojapelo.
- NewsCBC
Country music star George Canyon to run for Conservatives in Nova Scotia
One of Nova Scotia's best-known country music stars is walking on to the political stage.George Canyon has announced he's running as a Conservative candidate in the riding of Central Nova in the upcoming federal election."I've always wanted to serve, I've had a very serving instinct in my life since I was a kid," Canyon told CBC News on Wednesday.Canyon's name was added to the Conservative roster after the previous candidate, Roger MacKay, dropped out this week, citing "personal reasons."Canyon, who is originally from Nova Scotia's Pictou County, said he had just landed in Calgary after performing a show in South Mountain, Ont., on Sunday when he received a phone call from the Conservative Party asking if he wanted to be its nominee."They said it's so tight into the election, we know how much of a heart you have to serve and this is your home," he said.This is not the first time Canyon has shown an interest in federal politics. In 2014, he threw his hat into the ring to run for the Conservatives in Alberta's Bow River riding but withdrew due to a "health scare." Canyon has won several Juno and Canadian Country Music Association awards for his work, and currently sings the national anthem at Calgary Flames games.Canyon said he expects to be busy because, in addition to campaigning, he will be honouring his tour commitments."I've talked about it with the leader's office as well and they feel the same as I do, they feel it's important. A man gives his word, he gives his word," he said."So I'm going to fulfil those concerts and at the same time, I'll be jumping on flights and catching red eyes, driving, doing everything I can to make sure I'm meeting with the people in the riding."He said he's looking around for a home to buy in Central Nova.Political starsWhile his star is sure to add to the Conservative shine for this election, the riding is well acquainted with being a home for political stars.Brian Mulroney ran from there to get a seat in the House of Commons after becoming leader of the Progressive Conservatives in the 1980s, and for over a decade it was home to Peter MacKay, who served as a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper's Conservative government.Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also attempted a run for the seat in 2008, but lost to MacKay.MacKay held the riding until stepping down ahead of the 2015 election, and the seat fell into the hands of Liberals as part of a red sweep of the Atlantic provinces.But the Tories count Central Nova among the seats they intend to recapture this fall. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has made multiple stops in the Atlantic provinces already this summer.Canyon said MacKay is his mentor and is "like a brother to me.""He and I have had so many long conversations about the political world and Canada and the government and representing people and how important it is, how that's really one of the biggest things you can do to serve," he said.The federal election takes place on Oct. 21.MORE TOP STORIES
- BBC News
HS2: The work so far
The government is launching a review into the HS2 high speed rail link but billions have already been spent on the project. Phase 1 of the development between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with the second phase to Leeds and Manchester scheduled for completion by 2032-33. It is designed to carry trains capable of travelling at 250mph. BBC transport correspondent Tom Burridge takes a look at the work so far. Reporter: Tom Burridge, Edited by Tracey Langford
- NewsCBC
Moncton fire forces 18 people from their homes, injures 1 firefighter
At least 18 people have been forced from their homes after a fire broke out at a rooming house in Moncton on Tuesday night.The fire started at around 8:30 p.m. at 44 to 50 St. George St., a large, three-storey building in downtown Moncton.During the blaze, Paul MacFadyen, acting platoon chief with the Moncton Fire Department, said one firefighter was taken to hospital with an arm injury. The fire started out in a nearby garage and quickly spread to the attic of the 150-year-old home, which has also been renovated several times in years prior.The house saw extensive water and fire damage. A few vehicles parked nearby also saw significant damage from the fire. "It [the house] is not liveable," he said. "There is significant damage done to it."MacFadyen said it took firefighters about two hours to get the fire under control, but they remained on scene until around 1 a.m. The street was also blocked off for several hours. Dan Bedell, the Atlantic communications director for the Red Cross, said volunteers have assisted eight tenants with emergency lodging.Ten of the other tenants either found a temporary place to stay with relatives or friends, or were away at the time. Bedell said the Red Cross will provide additional support for some of the tenants Wednesday, as other needs are identified.
- NewsReuters
Apple plans to tap China's BOE Technology for advanced iPhone screens: Nikkei
Apple will decide by the end of this year whether to take BOE on as a supplier of organic light-emitting displays (OLED), the Japanese business daily reported, citing sources. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The iPhone maker is "aggressively testing" BOE's flexible OLED, raising the possibility that Apple could for the first time source this advanced display technology from China, according to the report.
