Report found while club acted ‘expeditiously,’ there were issues with the investigation itself An independent investigation has concluded that the Vancouver Whitecaps’ response to allegations of misconduct by former women’s coaches Bob Birarda and Hubert Busby Jr. was serious and “appropriate.” But the report, prepared for Major League Soccer by lawyers Janice Rubin and Melody Jahanzadeh of Rubin Thomlinson LLP, says while the club acted “expeditiously” in hiring an experienced workplace investigator, there were issues with the investigation itself. MLS hired the law firm in November to review how theRead more

New regulation ‘big step’ for protecting animals in Quebec, ministry says A new regulation prohibiting “cosmetic surgeries” on cats and dogs has just been adopted in Quebec. The regulation, which will come into effect in 18 months, prohibits declawing, devocalization, tail docking and ear cropping of cats and dogs. These procedures will no longer be legal in Quebec unless done for medical reasons. The regulation respecting the welfare and safety of domestic animals and equines comes from the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It also defines the minimum standardsRead more

Conservation specialists say Poweshiek skipperling, Dakota skipper play critical role in biodiversity The numbers of endangered butterflies in the Prairies are slowly creeping up thanks to a team of dedicated specialists in Manitoba, but more work needs to be done to protect their habitats to ensure the pollinators’ populations can continue to increase. Over three weeks in July, Assiniboine Park Conservancy staff released 191 critically endangered Poweshiek skipperling butterflies onto Nature Conservancy of Canada properties in the rural municipality of Stuartburn, southeast of Winnipeg. The butterflies are raised at the Assiniboine Park Zoo until they are oldRead more

Aydin Coban was convicted of harassment, extortion, child pornography and child luring A sentencing hearing for a Dutch national convicted of harassing and extorting British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd before she died by suicide has been scheduled for next month. Justice Martha Devlin set the hearing for Aydin Coban to begin on Sept. 20 in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. A jury delivered a unanimous verdict on Saturday, convicting Coban of extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence, and possession and distribution of childRead more

Public safety minister s On the night before Justin Trudeau took the historic step of invoking the Emergencies Act during last February’s Freedom Convoy occupation of Ottawa, the prime minister’s national security and intelligence adviser told cabinet there was “potential for a breakthrough,” court documents reveal. The office of Canada’s public safety minister says the adviser was referring to negotiations led “principally” by the City of Ottawa that were “ultimately unsuccessful” after being “disavowed” by many associated with the convoy. The disclosure about the potential breakthrough, contained in the summary of a cabinet meetingRead more