Defence closes case after final witnesses testify at Doug McCallum’s public mischief trial The shock of an unexpected attack may have confused Doug McCallum about some of the details, but a lawyer for the former Surrey mayor says the 78-year-old was correct in the essence of his accusations against the political opponent he accused of running over his foot. Wrapping the case in defence of his client Tuesday, Richard Peck told the judge overseeing McCallum’s public mischief trial the situation has to be viewed in the context of the politics that preceded it — and the “toxic fanaticism” his detractorsRead more

Event is about honoring Indigenous veterans who stood up for the right to be free, says MN-S president Members from Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and First Nations in the province convened Tuesday morning in Batoche, some 89 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, to honour Indigenous veterans. Wreaths woven with poppies were laid at the Batoche National Métis Veterans Memorial Monument in honour of all Métis veterans. Métis Nation-Saskatchewan president Glen McCallum’s uncle’s name is one of more than 5,000 engraved on the monument. “It gives me great pleasure to see the interest we still have inRead more

Humanist Association, religious leaders say it’s a trend that’s been growing for years Every 10 years, Statistics Canada asks Canadians whether they belong to a religious organization or group. And every 10 years, more and more people in British Columbia say no. According to the 2021 population census, 34.6 per cent of people in Canada claimed no religious affiliation, while in B.C. that number jumped to 52.4 per cent — the highest it’s ever been. Ian Bushfield, executive director of the British Columbia Humanist Association, says his organization is “thrilled.” “It’s monumental to see this threshold crossedRead more

Dozens of new mayors have former provincial or federal political experience Poke your head into any city hall across the country, and there’s a chance you’ll find a former MP or member of the provincial legislature sitting in the mayor’s chair. Recent municipal elections in B.C., Ontario and Manitoba saw scores of seasoned politicians making the jump — or the return — to the local level. Andrea Horwath is among them. The former Ontario NDP leader is the newly elected mayor of Hamilton, Ont. ­”Certainly I had accomplishments that reallyRead more

Strong-starting Shapovalov denied 1st title of 2022 by top seed Medvedev in Vienna Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal defeated Denmark’s Holger Rune 6-3, 7-5 in the Swiss Indoors final on Sunday for his third consecutive ATP Tour title. Auger-Aliassime, the third seed in the Basel, Switzerland, tournament and ninth in the world, fired 11 aces and won 78 per cent of his first-serve points. He also saved all three of Rune’s break point chances while converting on two out of his own five opportunities. The Montreal native went all five matches inRead more

Disorder can permanently disfigure waterfowl and lead to horrific deaths: wildlife rehabilitation manager Manitoba bird experts are warning the public to think twice about feeding bread to wild birds after two mallards were seen at Winnipeg’s St. Vital Park with signs of a condition known as angel wing — a syndrome that affects aquatic birds like ducks and geese and can permanently deform their wings. Angel wing is caused by a nutritional deficiency that comes from humans feeding wild birds foods high in carbohydrates and sugar, such as bread. “As a result,Read more

CUPE gave 5-day notice of potential provincewide strike Sunday The Ontario government will table legislation Monday to prevent a strike by education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Earlier on Sunday CUPE gave the required five days’ notice for job action, positioning 55,000 workers — including educational assistants, custodians and early childhood educators — to go on full strike as soon as Friday. The government and education workers returned to the bargaining table Sunday afternoon but Education Minister Stephen Lecce issued a statement Sunday night saying the unionRead more

Evacuees of apartment building damaged during storm still trying to find long-term housing A month after post-tropical storm Fiona hit Nova Scotia, 96 people in Cape Breton are still being housed by the Red Cross because they don’t have a home to return to. Many of those being housed in residences at Cape Breton University or hotels are from an apartment building on Rotary Drive in Sydney. The building’s roof was badly damaged during the storm and residents had to be evacuated. Vishal Singh was among them. He lives and works inRead more

Company removes worker after remote tracking software helped determine they were sleeping on the job The electronic employee surveillance system installed at Lori McEniry’s company helped determine that an employee was sleeping on the job, while working from home. That person ended up being let go. McEniry is the principal owner of Faxinating Solutions Inc. in Quebec, which employs roughly 40 people, and services the supply chain by processing invoices and purchase orders. She says the tracking began once employees were forced to work from home in March 2020 because ofRead more

U.S. officials kept Washington side of the park open throughout the pandemic One of British Columbia’s last remaining COVID-19 closures has finally been lifted. Peace Arch Provincial Park, the nine-hectare park that straddles the B.C.-Washington state border south of Vancouver, reopened Monday after being closed more than two years ago amid pandemic-related border closures. A statement posted by B.C. Parks says it has been working with the local First Nation, Canadian Border Services Agency, RCMP and other agencies “to ensure the reopening of the park occurs in a safe and respectful manner.”Read more