December, 2023
BlendJet recall of millions of blenders over fire hazard, breaking blades includes 117,000 in Canada
There have been 329 reports of blades breaking during use BlendJet is recalling millions of portable blenders over laceration and fire hazards after receiving dozens of reports of injuries, U.S. regulators said Thursday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the recall covers about 4.8 million blenders in the U.S. and about 117,000 were sold in Canada. BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders can overheat or catch fire, according to the CPSC, and their blender blades can break off while in use. There have been 329 reports of blades breaking during use, theRead more
Teen’s body found in Ottawa river after reports of group falling through ice
Search continues for another missing boy in south Ottawa’s Rideau River Family and friends are grieving the death of one teenager, while another is still missing, after four youth reportedly fell through the ice on Ottawa’s Rideau River on Wednesday night. Ottawa police said they’ve found the body of one boy, but rescue efforts are ongoing for another boy after the search “in very difficult conditions” stopped overnight and resumed Thursday. A police underwater search and recovery crew was seen sending an unmanned search vehicle into the river Thursday afternoon. A policeRead more
Ottawa looking at including used cars in federal electric vehicle incentive, report says
Federal program currently offers incentives for only new vehicles A government report suggests federal incentives for used electric vehicles could be in the works as Ottawa pushes to phase out gas-powered cars. Canada’s latest emissions reduction progress report says the federal government will “explore the potential to expand the Incentives for Zero Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program to include used vehicles.” But the three lines in the report don’t offer much detail. Neither Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office nor the office of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault would say whether discussions are underway to expandRead more
Energy regulator rejects FortisBC’s $327M application for natural gas pipeline
FortisBC had argued that 30 km of new pipeline was needed to meet Okanagan area’s energy demands The B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) has rejected an application from FortisBC to build a natural gas pipeline worth $327 million in the Okanagan region. The Okanagan Capacity Upgrade (OCU) project would have seen the installation of 30 kilometres of new pipeline, running north from Penticton to Chute Lake, along with two new power stations to help regulate the pipeline’s flow. FortisBC, the main natural gas utility in the province, said the OCU project wasRead more
Dutch man who sexually extorted B.C. teen Amanda Todd given 6-year sentence in Netherlands
Aydin Coban was sentenced to 13 years in prison in B.C., a punishment longer than Dutch laws A judge in the Netherlands has ruled that the Dutch man convicted for sexually extorting B.C. teen Amanda Todd should serve six years in prison. Aydin Coban wasn’t present in Amsterdam District Court for a brief hearing to announce the sentence. His lawyer, Robert Malewicz, said he would appeal the decision to the Dutch Supreme Court. Coban was convicted last year in B.C. of extortion, two counts of possession of child pornography, child luringRead more
Air Canada fined $97.5K for failing to assist passenger in wheelchair
Canadian Transportation Agency found airline violated disability regulations The Canadian Transportation Agency has handed Air Canada a fine of $97,500 after a passenger who uses a wheelchair was made to drag himself off a plane in Las Vegas. In a statement, the CTA said the airline must pay for “several violations of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.” On Aug. 30, Prince George, B.C., resident Rodney Hodgins, who has spastic cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair, was told by Air Canada crew in Las Vegas that no assistanceRead more
Prepare for prolonged outages, says N.B. Power, as storm cleanup begins
Still 58K customers without power, utility can’t provide restoration targets until damage assessed N.B. Power crews continue to work through the evening and have restored power to roughly half of those who lost power in the storm. About 58,000 customers were still in the dark as of Tuesday night, down from a high of more than 100,000 customers Monday morning. Downed trees and debris continue to be an issue for crews, and additional workers will be joining the restoration efforts on Wednesday, N.B. Power spokesperson Dominique Couture said, in an emailed statement. TheRead more
Statistics Canada reports record population growth, more than 430,000 in Q3
Country sees fastest-paced population growth in any quarter since 1957 Canada’s population grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter, marking the fastest pace of population growth in any quarter since 1957. Statistics Canada released its Oct. 1 population estimates on Tuesday, putting the number at more than 40.5 million. The agency says the population growth over the first nine months of 2023 has already surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022. That has been fuelled by international migration, including aboutRead more
UN Security Council delays vote on resolution urging cessation of hostilities in Gaza to deliver aid
UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the United States. Complete coverage of the Israel-Hamas war(opens in a new tab) The council said Monday’s 5 p.m. EST vote would not take place, and diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the United States, Israel’s closest ally, toRead more
U.S., Canada to join multinational operation to safeguard Red Sea commerce
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea following a series of missile and drone attacks(opens in a new tab) by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s headquarters in the Middle East, said participating countries include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain. He said they would conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. “This is an internationalRead more