Canada
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Ottawa approves British Columbia's request to make public drug use illegal again
OTTAWA — Public drug use became illegal in British Columbia once again on Tuesday, after the federal government granted the province's request to scale back its drug decriminalization pilot. The change represents a major policy climbdown for the provincial NDP government more than a year into the three-year pilot program with Ottawa that is aimed at tackling the deadly overdose crisis. But Ya'ara Saks, Canada's mental health and addictions minister, dismissed any notion the shift is an admission
4 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
Separate controversial Criminal Code changes from Online Harms Act, advocates urge
OTTAWA — More than 15 civil society groups are urging the justice minister to hive off proposed changes to the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act from a bill aimed at tackling online harms. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council were among the signatories to an open letter released Tuesday. "If this separation is not made, the clear and present risks posed by these problematic portions will continue to overshadow (the bill's) main goal," it r
3 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
Alberta announces committee to help speed up oilsands tailings reclamation
EDMONTON — The Alberta government has appointed a new committee to look into ways to speed up the reclamation of the large and growing tailings ponds in the province's oilsands. The oilsands mine water steering committee will examine potential policies and options that would allow reclamation to occur as quickly and safely as possible. "Managing oilsands mine water and reclaiming tailings ponds is a complex issue that requires collaboration," Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said Tuesday in a
2 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
Haitian says Canada used property for helicopter airlift, but wouldn't lift sanctions
The Canadian government used a Haitian executive's property for helicopter evacuations of its citizens as violence escalated there last month, even while refusing to remove him from a sanctions list, a Federal Court application says. The Canadian government sanctioned Reynold Deeb in December 2022, along with two other "high-profile members of the economic elite in Haiti," Global Affairs Canada said at the time. In his latest Federal Court application as he seeks removal from the sanctions list,
5 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
Montreal police, prosecutors launch project to better address strangulation cases
Montreal police and the Quebec prosecutor's office are launching a pilot project to help authorities better address domestic violence-related strangulations, which they say are among the strongest indicators a victim may eventually be killed by their abuser. Montreal police Cmdr. Anouk St-Onge said she got the idea for the project while attending a conference in the United States in 2021 on violence against women. There, she realized that what she thought she knew about strangulations — includin
4 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
IQALUIT, Nunavut — A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight. Air France said in an emailed statement that the Boeing 787 was diverted to Nunavut’s capital and landed just before noon local time Tuesday. The plane had 260 passenger, three pilots and nine cabin crew on board. The airline said technical checks were being done on the plane. It did not provide information on what caused the
1 min read - NewsThe Canadian Press
UBC president says endowment fund doesn't directly own stocks targeted by protesters
VANCOUVER — The president of the University of British Columbia says its endowment fund doesn't directly own any stocks that are the target of divestment demands by pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up an encampment on the Vancouver campus. Benoit-Antoine Bacon says the targeted companies are instead part of "pooled funds and managed by external investment managers," making up 0.28 per cent of the endowment fund UBC says is worth about $2.8 billion. He says in a message posted online that
2 min read
