- NewsCBC
Oilers players not buying in 'should get out of the room,' McDavid says
As far as emotional NHL captains go, Connor McDavid isn't one to put out in front of the TV cameras. He usually does his talking on the ice with the puck.
- NewsCBC
140 international scholars, former diplomats urge China to release 2 Canadians
A group of 140 academics, former diplomats and other officials from around the world are urging China to immediately release two detained Canadians, warning the situation is causing a chill on China's relations around the world. In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the distinguished collective describes Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor as men who are devoted to building relations between China and other countries. Both have worked to gain a better understanding of China's positions on international issues through meetings with officials, researchers and scholars, it says. "These meetings and exchanges are the foundation of serious research and diplomacy around the world, including for Chinese scholars and diplomats. However, Kovrig and Spavor's detentions send a message that this kind of constructive work is unwelcome and even risky in China," the letter reads. Kovrig and Spavor were detained last month on alleged national security offences, not long after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the U.S. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the detentions are in retaliation for Meng's arrest, calling them "arbitrary." The signatories are from Canada and around the globe, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Japan and Italy. In their letter, the academics and former envoys say they are "deeply concerned" about the detentions. "We who share Kovrig and Spavor's enthusiasm for building genuine, productive, and lasting relationships must now be more cautious about travelling and working in China and engaging our Chinese counterparts," the letter reads. "That will lead to less dialogue and greater distrust, and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground. Both China and the rest of the world will be worse off as a result." The two men face up to four hours of questioning each day and have no access to a lawyer, according to Canada's top diplomat in Beijing. Kovrig and Spavor were both detained in China late last year. The men, who were arrested not long after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the U.S., stand accused of national security offences. Conservative MP Michael Cooper, who just returned from a trip to China with a parliamentary delegation — which was arranged prior to the arrests, to deal with various diplomatic issues — said Canadian officials conveyed the message that until the two men are released, "it's not business as usual" between the two countries. There was some pushback from some Chinese officials who focused on Meng's arrest, said Cooper. He said the Canadians tried to explain that that arrest was not a political decision, but was a within the purview of Canada's independent courts. "That was something that was perhaps difficult for them to fully understand, given the fact the Chinese court system is by no means independent," he said. Cooper repeated the Conservative position that it is time for Trudeau to intervene to try and de-escalate bilateral tensions. "It's clear that this situation isn't getting any better, and in light of that, what is required is intervention by Canadian officials at the highest levels, chief among them the prime minister," he said. Last week, Canada's Ambassador to China John McCallum said the detained men are questioned for up to four hours a day, do not have access to a lawyer, and have consular assistance restricted to one visit per month. Those conditions could continue for up to six months under China's extra-judicial system, he said. McCallum has visited both men in prison and met with their families. He has also met with Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian convicted of drug smuggling in China who recently had his 15-year prison sentence changed to a death sentence after a retrial. Canada has issued an updated travel advisory for China, warning its citizens about the risk of arbitrary enforcement of laws in the country. Just hours later, China issued its own travel warning, citing the "arbitrary detention" of a Chinese national in Canada at the request of a "third-party country."
- NewsCBC
Pipeline explosions to protests: Companies need to communicate with public during crisis, urges consultant
Some natural resource companies in Northern B.C. are pre-emptively preparing in case disaster hits by coming up with a communication strategy for incidents from pipeline explosions to protests. Silence is the worst path a company can take during a crisis, according to communications consultant Martin Livingstone. "In this era of instant notifications and social sharing, companies in the crosshairs really need to act swiftly and decisively in responding to a crisis," said Livingstone, who works with the Vancouver-based Living Communications Inc.
- Rumble
Firefighters rescue deer that fell through Lake Olathe ice
Watch as members of the Olathe Fire Department rescue a deer that had fallen through the ice at Lake Olathe in Kansas.
- Yahoo Canada News
PHOTOS: Super blood wolf moon eclipse around the world
Photos were published worldwide of the super blood moon eclipse that occurred on the night of Sunday, Jan 21. Sky gazers witnessed the only lunar eclipse for 2019, which involved a supermoon happening at the same time. A supermoon is when the moon appears larger in size due to a close proximity with the Earth. A cold but clear winter night across Canada gave witnesses an ideal view of the blood-coloured moon. The next full lunar eclipse won’t be seen again until May 2021.
- NewsCBC
Alberta senior scammed $250K over 10 months after U.S. sweepstakes letter
Acting Sgt. Paolo Magliocco said the woman initially got a letter indicating she'd won a U.S. sweepstakes prize from the Bank of America, but that in order to claim her prize she needed to send money to pay taxes. Magliocco said one of the scams was the Canadian Revenue Agency phone scam.
- NewsCBC
Faulty lamp likely sparked fire that killed 92-year-old in Coaldale, Alta.
Coaldale RCMP say a faulty electrical lamp likely caused the accidental fire that claimed the life of a 92-year-old woman earlier this year. Coaldale and District Emergency Services have concluded their investigation into the fatal Jan. 4 incident at a three-storey apartment building, where an elderly woman was rescued from the burning building but later died. The fire department is also reminding people to test their smoke alarms weekly and change their batteries at least once a year.
- NewsCBC
Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe dead at 40
Brandon Truaxe, the controversial and enigmatic founder of Deciem, the upstart Canadian company behind the hugely popular The Ordinary skin care line, has died. A company memo informed employees of the news Monday morning. It quickly became one of the most disruptive in the cosmetic industry, mainly because of its low prices, skyrocketing sales, and customer loyalty.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Acclaimed poet Ian Williams says first novel 'Reproduction' is like a child
Ian Williams says "Reproduction" is the closest thing he has to a child. With "Reproduction" (Random House Canada) set to hit bookstores Tuesday, Williams said he feels like a parent watching his toddler waddle off into kindergarten – torn between the impulse to protect his creation from the outside world, and the pride of knowing his novelistic offspring can survive on its own. "Already, I feel him spinning away into other social circles, and not just in the little warm embrace of my love," said Williams.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Six eagles killed, six injured after eating tainted carcass on Vancouver Island
DUNCAN, B.C. — Animal experts say no more bald eagles have been found since 12 sick or dying birds were taken in for care on southern Vancouver Island. Robyn Radcliffe, the executive director of the Raptor Rescue Society, says it is suspected all the birds fed on a carcass that had been improperly disposed of after being euthanized on a farm near Duncan, B.C. Six eagles died and the other six were disoriented and unable to fly when they were found, but Radcliffe says all the survivors are recovering and will likely be released in the next few weeks. Euthanized farm animals must be buried to ensure the remains don't contaminate the environment or poison other animals, and Radcliffe says the case is being investigated by the Conservation Officer Service. The suspected source of the carcass has been identified, so Radcliffe says she can't comment further, but adds that she's pleased it means there likely won't be any further problems for the area's eagle population. She says the poisoning was likely due to ignorance and was not intentional. "It's a learning opportunity for everybody involved to remember that it's so important for us to be considering what we are putting in the environment for all our wildlife," Radcliffe says in an interview. The sick eagles included juveniles and adults, and Radcliffe says help came just in time for some of them. "Three of the four that we picked up on Saturday ... I didn't think they would make it to the clinic." She said they found a female bird on her back and thought it was dead, but she opened her eyes and is now recovering. "We're so thrilled that they are doing well," says Radcliffe. The Canadian Press
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Coroner probes exposure death of Gilles Duceppe's mother outside seniors' home
MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Gilles Duceppe's mother after the 93-year-old woman was found Sunday in the snow outside an upscale Montreal seniors' residence where she lived. The coroner's office said Monday it will try to determine how Helene Rowley Hotte, mother of the former Bloc Quebecois leader, perished after leaving her building when a fire alarm sounded in the early hours of Sunday. Police said she ended up locked out in the middle of a frigid snowstorm, and her body was discovered more than seven hours later. Montreal police said the victim had hearing problems and likely didn't understand the announcement that her part of the building — one of three wings in the complex — was not part of the 4:15 a.m. evacuation order. The door locked behind her as she went into a backyard. Montreal's fire department responded to a call at the complex that night, but the all-clear was given around 6:20 a.m. Const. Caroline Chevrefils said police received a call shortly before noon about a woman found dead in the snow, likely from hypothermia. They transferred the investigation to the coroner's office after determining there was no criminal element to the death. Quebec Premier Francois Legault extended condolences to Duceppe and his family Monday. "Isabelle and I are shattered by the death of Mrs. Rowley, Gilles Duceppe's mother," Legault wrote on Twitter from France, where he is on an official visit. "I offer all my sympathy to Gilles, his brothers and sisters, and to the whole family in this moment of great sadness." Marguerite Blais, the minister responsible for seniors, said she has asked health officials for a full briefing. "My sincerest condolences to the family of Mr. Gilles Duceppe on the death of his mother during this tragic event," Blais wrote. "We will shed light on this very sad story." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet also offered condolences to Duceppe. Rowley Hotte, a mother of seven, was married to well-known Quebec actor Jean Duceppe, who died in 1990. Her father — John James Rowley — was British by birth, leading Duceppe to frequently quip that he was a "bloke who turned Bloc." A longtime friend of Duceppe, who asked not to be identified, said Rowley Hotte was in excellent physical and mental health and had dined with family members the previous evening. Family checked in with her every morning, and they became worried when there was no answer to their calls Sunday. They arrived to find her unit empty, the friend said. Duceppe declined to comment when reached by The Canadian Press. At a news conference in Quebec City, Blais said she has asked her deputy minister to see if provincial standards for seniors' residences need to be reviewed. "Never, never, never will I give up when it comes to the security of the elderly," she said. Blais said the Lux seniors' residence where Rowley Hotte lived had its certification renewed last April and met all the required standards, including the number of staff at night. According to the province's registry of seniors' homes, the Lux, located near the Olympic Stadium, has 440 units and opened in 2009. Of the 660 residents, 493 are 75 and older. Six employees, including two nurses, would have been working on a weekend evening, according to the registry. In a statement late Monday, the residence said Rowley Hotte was wearing winter clothing when she went outside. Its security cameras show she fainted a while after having exited. "We are sincerely sorry for Mrs. Rowley Hotte's family and loved ones," the statement said. "The safety and well-being of our residents has always been and remains a priority for Lux Residences." Joannie Lambert-Roy, a spokeswoman for Quebec's coroner's office, said coroner Gehane Kamel has been assigned to investigate Rowley Hotte's death. According to statistics compiled by the coroner's office, there was 121 accidental deaths in Quebec from exposure to excessive cold between 2000 and 2016 — 31 of which involved victims aged 75 or older. Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
- NewsCBC
Jagmeet Singh calls for immediate action on housing crisis
NDP Leader and Burnaby South byelection candidate Jagmeet Singh is calling on Justin Trudeau to remove federal taxes from affordable housing construction projects. Singh said the idea to remove federal taxes from the cost of affordable housing construction appeared in the Liberal's 2015 platform but has not been acted upon.
- NewsCBC
'I don't know how I did it': Mom saves daughter, 4, from sinking car after crash
As her car skidded across black ice and began rolling down an embankment toward an icy pond, Ashley Holland thought she was going to die. But moments later, the Hantsport, N.S., woman found the strength to not only save herself, but also her four-year-old daughter who was strapped in the backseat as freezing water rushed in. "When something like that happens, it's like your parental instincts just kick in, right? And you do what you need to do to get your child to safety," Holland, 24, told CBC Radio's Mainstreet on Monday, a day after the terrifying ordeal. The mother of two managed to haul her daughter free from the sinking car and swim to a nearby embankment. 'A miracle' "How they were even able to get out of that car was a miracle," said Capt. Ryan Richard of the Brooklyn volunteer fire department, who arrived at the scene shortly after the pair made it out of the water. "To be able to swim to shore and get up over that embankment is totally unheard of," he told CBC Radio's Maritime Noon. "I'll be honest with you, in my last 26 years I've been to many similar incidents and unfortunately they're usually very fatal." Holland had been taking her daughter to a birthday party around noon Sunday when she struck black ice just a few minutes away from her home. She lost control of the vehicle and it ended up rolling down an embankment. "Terrifying, completely terrifying. My daughter just started screaming and I was just thinking in my head, 'The water, please just don't go in the water, like please,'" said Holland. "Then we hit the water." As the car rolled, her daughter Macy kept screaming, "Mom, I'm going to die!" The car initially landed on its roof and both passenger side windows smashed to pieces on impact. Water started gushing in, filling up the Toyota Corolla. Struggling to open door Holland unbuckled herself, falling onto the roof of the car, and crawled out a window into the water. She tried to open her daughter's door from the outside. "I finally did get it open, but I had slush and ice all over my hands and everywhere and my hand slipped and the door slammed shut. So I'm freaking out trying to think, what do I do?" For the briefest moment, Holland thought she wouldn't be able to save Macy. The car was sinking too fast. Her numb hands and legs were working too slowly. But she didn't give up. Holland climbed over the car and went back in through a window and worked with her daughter to free her from the car seat. Macy undid the top straps while Holland unbuckled the bottom ones. "I just grabbed her and pulled her out and I tried to keep her above the water. I didn't want her to be hypothermic. So from the waist down she was soaked, but I mean her hair didn't even get wet and I don't know how I did it." She managed to carry Macy to shore and push her up onto the embankment, but Holland's body had reached its limit. "It was really icy and slushy and I was having a really hard time because I thought I was going to pass out. I was freezing so I was having a hard time getting up the hill, and I just said to her, 'Run, you need to run, go,' because I saw there was a car coming our way and I didn't want them to miss us." As Macy flagged down the passing car for help, Holland managed to haul herself to the top of the embankment. The woman in the car wrapped Macy and her mother in a jacket and called 911 while the pair warmed up in the vehicle. At about the same time, a fire truck from Brooklyn drove by on its way to assist another fire department. Richard spotted something sticking out of the pond and had the truck turn around. They gave Holland and her daughter warm clothes and blankets while they waited for the paramedics. Richard said Holland and her daughter were hypothermic, in shock and disoriented. As a precaution, two firefighters put on diving suits and went into the water to make sure no one else was on board, but the car was empty. Holland said she was lucky she didn't take her 14-month-old with her or things could have been much worse. "You see stories like this on the news all the time, you know through winter and even in the summer, and it's like a lot of them don't make it," she said. "So I'm just thankful that, you know, we did."
- NewsCBC
DME receiver negotiating with potential buyer, new documents reveal
The receiver for Diversified Metal Engineering (DME) released its first report on the company's future, which indicates the receiver is negotiating with a potential buyer. DME is a P.E.I.-based company that builds brewing systems for the craft beer industry. The receiver, Alvarez & Marsal, was called in by the Royal Bank of Canada and appointed by the Supreme Court of P.E.I. on Nov. 26 after the bank reported the company had defaulted on payment.
- NewsCBC
Northwestern villages seek public input on amalgamation
Two northwestern New Brunswick villages and surrounding local service districts are taking the first steps toward a possible amalgamation. Normand Thériault, president of the regroupment committee, said there will be two public information sessions about the possible merger of Rivière-Verte, Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska and two local service districts. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday evening in Rivière-Verte, and the second is set for next Monday in Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Scotland to return remains of now-extinct Newfoundland First Nation
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — An Aboriginal leader was "delighted" Monday after a Scottish museum agreed to return the remains of two people from a disappeared Newfoundland First Nation. "It's almost 200 years later, we're finally going to get them back to where they belong," said Chief Mi'sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation, who led an effort for the return of Beothuk people Nonosabasut and Demasduit. National Museums Scotland announced Monday that their remains will be transferred to the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, following a legal request last year from the Canadian government.
- NewsCBC
Dog Squad helping students take paws at Algonquin College
Algonquin College has recruited a team of experts to help stressed-out students hit the "paws" button, and all they ask for in return is a scratch behind the ears. The Dog Squad, a pack of canines that are owned by college employees and have been trained as therapy dogs, hit the campus Monday. Not every dog can be a therapy dog, according to Jane Madigan, a dog behavioral consultant who's been working with the pets and their owners.
- NewsCBC
Decorated soldier takes helm of Royal Newfoundland Regiment and reconnects with his roots
Now, Kyle Strong has received an honour so meaningful to his military career, words almost fail him. The decorated soldier from Manuels was named to the upper echelon of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment on Saturday, becoming the lieutenant colonel of its first battalion on Saturday, as the title passed from Paul Furlong to Strong in a parade ceremony.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
At Sundance, powerhouse documentaries will be everywhere
The mountainside festival which kicks off Thursday in Park City, Utah, has become known for launching nonfiction films to box office successes and awards, and this year is shaping up to be no different. The slate boasts a wide array of films about fallen titans, from Harvey Weinstein to Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes, music legends Miles Davis and David Crosby, two of Michael Jackson's sexual abuse accusers, the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal, Apollo 11, Mike Wallace, Toni Morrison and Dr. Ruth.
- NewsCBC
Robert Major admits responsibility for speeding and not buckling in his kids before deadly crash
The accused in a Saskatoon trial has admitted during cross-examination that he, and not a missing stop sign, was responsible for his speeding and failing to buckle in his children before a deadly highway crash that killed three people. "I guess you're right," replied Major, who is charged with a dangerous driving and criminal negligence causing death and bodily injury. "And you'll agree with me that the stop sign didn't force you to put your two youngest, smallest kids on the front seat, even though motor vehicle restrictions say don't do that because airbags are a risk to children?
- NewsCBC
'CPR all the way down the mountain': Sun Peaks has new way to save lives
Providing CPR to a patient while sliding down a ski hill in an emergency toboggan is no easy task — but, thanks to community donations, the ski community at Sun Peaks, B.C., now has a new way of saving lives. The Sun Peaks Mountain Rescue Society has purchased an automated CPR machine, an expensive device that straps onto the chest of the patient in cardiac arrest and gives automated compressions. "We've always struggled with the idea of how to get a patient down the mountain while ongoing CPR is in progress," said Sue Elder, a paramedic and volunteer ski patroller.
- NewsCBC
Dawsonites build their own ice bridge with only a chainsaw
West Dawson, Yukon, resident Kyler Mather and some friends went to the river this weekend with a chainsaw and cut off a massive slab of ice near the lead of open water. The current then moved the slab into place, bridging the open water. Mather tried it out soon after by walking across.
- Global News
Transport Minister says they're looking into seat belts on new buses, outfitting old vehicles fall under provinces
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Monday that they were starting a task force to look into seatbelts on school buses and are looking to move fast on possible implementation, but said the federal government only has jurisdiction over new vehicles and outfitting old buses is the responsibility of the provinces.
- NewsCBC
Alliance aims to break 'perception that e-cigarettes are harmless'
People, particularly young people, don't understand the risks of vaping, says the P.E.I. Tobacco Reduction Alliance, and it has launched an education campaign to change that. Julia Hartley, co-ordinator of the P.E.I. Lung Association, a member of the alliance, said vaping dangers include toxic chemicals such as metals and flavourings, as well as ultra-fine particles. "Ultra-fine particles can really harm your lungs over time," said Hartley.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
There were 29 homicides in long-term care homes in the past six years: report
TORONTO — There have been at least 29 homicides in long-term care homes in Ontario in the past six years, a health-care advocacy group said Monday. The Ontario Health Coalition released a report on violence in the homes, and the homicide numbers come from the coroner's office, which doesn't assign blame in a finding of homicide, but defines it as one person causing the death of another. Natalie Mehra, the coalition's executive director, said a resident with dementia may be aggressive toward another resident, resulting in their death, and while there is no criminal intent, it's a tragedy for all involved. "The level of homicide in Ontario's long-term care facilities is higher than virtually anywhere else in our society," she said. The actual total of long-term care homicides is higher than the 29 found in the coroner's data, Mehra said, because they don't include the victims of nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer, who confessed to murdering eight patients, some of whom were killed in the report's time span. When considering those statistics in the context of Ontario having about 80,000 people living in long-term care homes, that's a homicide rate four times the city of Toronto, Mehra said. "When we dug a little more deeply we looked at other types of violence in long-term care, we found that the violence rates all around, not just homicides, were escalating, and that homicides are the extreme end of a continuum of violence that is escalating in the homes," she said. Staff in the homes are also experiencing violence, Mehra said, pointing to government figures showing that lost time due to injury in long-term care is nearly double that of the health sector in general. The coalition released a report Monday, calling on the government to institute a minimum standard of care, guaranteeing at least four hours of hands-on nursing and personal support for each resident. The coalition calculates, using government data, that current levels of staffing are at 2.71 hours per resident per day. They are also calling for increased use of behavioural supports teams, which help long-term care homes manage individuals with aggressive behaviour due to dementia or other conditions. Half of Ontario's long-term care homes have no in-house behavioural supports resources, the coalition said. The coalition said part of what has led to the current situation is Ontario cutting chronic care and psychogeriatric care beds in hospitals and offloading the patients to long-term care homes. "Ontario's long-term care homes have not been resourced to increase care levels commensurate with the offloading of significantly more complex patients," the report said. "Our research shows that long-term care beds are funded at approximately one-third the rate of chronic/complex care hospital beds." Candace Chartier, the CEO of the Ontario Long-Term Care Association, said a minimum standard of care is a "cookie cutter" approach that may not make sense. "Not every resident in the province needs the same level of care," she said. "We are optimistic with this new government, they are putting more beds in the system." A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott said the government was focused on building a strong and sustainable health-care system. "Ontarians in long-term care homes deserve to live in a safe and secure environment," said Hayley Chazan. "We will continue to listen to patients, families and frontline providers as we develop our long-term transformational health strategy." Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
