Former RCMP intelligence official found guilty of violating secrets act
A jury has found Cameron Ortis, the former RCMP intelligence official accused of leaking secret information to police targets, guilty of all charges against him. The former civilian RCMP member faced six charges in total, including multiple counts under the Security of Information Act, the law meant to protect Canada’s secrets. The Crown suggested they’ll be seeking a sentence in the range of 20 years. “For someone in Mr. Ortis’ position, nothing less of a very severe sentence would be appropriate,” Crown prosecutor Judy Kliewer told reporters outside the courthouse. Justice Robert Maranger revokedRead more
2 dead after blast at Rainbow Bridge linking Ontario-N.Y., governor says ‘no sign’ of terrorism
There’s no indication that a vehicle crash and explosion Wednesday that killed two people on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge — which connects Ontario and New York — is linked to terrorism, says New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Based on what we know at this moment, there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash,” Hochul said at a news conference. She said an individual from Western New York was “involved” in a “crash,” but she did not clarify if the person was the driver. She said events began at 11:27 a.m. ET. “We’reRead more
Misunderstanding from social media spurs rise in international student food bank visits
YouTube video suggested food banks could provide a regular supply of free food instead of for emergencies A misconception about how Canadian food banks operate — combined with some misleading information on social media — has led to a sudden increase in usage among international students at London, Ont.’s food bank along with others in Canada. London Food Bank co-executive director Glen Pearson said his staff were already dealing with a 43 per cent increase in visits at the start of this school year when they began to notice a spike in food requests from post-secondaryRead more
Non-existent trail removed from Google Maps after another rescue in Vancouver’s North Shore mountains
2 hikers recently saved from steep, dangerous terrain north of Mount Fromme, North Shore Rescue says A search-and-rescue organization says it has finally been successful in getting Google to remove a non-existent trail from its Maps app, after crew members were again called to pull a stranded hiker out of dangerous terrain in the North Shore mountains near Vancouver. Both helicopter and rope teams with North Shore Rescue (NSR) were needed to save the male hiker who became stranded on the non-existent trail on the north side of Mount Fromme on Nov. 4.Read more
Lower Sackville neighbours band together to help residents of homeless encampment
Newly formed Gated Community Association started as a Facebook group and is now a registered non-profit For the people living in tents on a baseball field in Lower Sackville, N.S., a group of strangers has become a lifeline. Close to 40 tents are clustered around the field on Cobequid Road, providing shelter for people who have nowhere else to go. Some were recently evicted, some have been living in their vehicles for months and some have been on the streets for years. And as Halifax’s homeless population climbs beyond 1,000, members of the newlyRead more
Inquest jury makes recommendations after teen denied help at Fredericton hospital
Lexi Daken died by suicide within days of turning to Chalmers Hospital emergency room for help A coroner’s jury has made 10 recommendations to try to prevent deaths similar to Lexi Daken’s. The 16-year-old Fredericton-area girl died by suicide within days of days of being turned away from the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in February 2021. Testimony at the inquest into Daken’s death wrapped up Wednesday morning, and the jury of three women and two men began deliberations before noon. By 3 p.m., they returned with their recommendations. They began by endorsing 12Read more
Liberals, Bloc Québécois strike down Poilievre’s pitch to exempt all home heating from carbon tax
New Democrats vote with Conservatives to support motion The Liberals and the Bloc Québécois voted Monday to strike down a motion calling on the federal government to extend a carbon tax exemption to all forms of home heating, not just heating oil. The non-binding motion was sponsored by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who said the exemption is divisive and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is engaging in regional favouritism. Speaking outside the House of Commons after the vote, Poilievre said Trudeau has a “carbon tax coalition” with the Bloc Québécois,Read more
Grieving daughter says father might still be alive if Air Canada had diverted long-haul flight
Air Canada says crew properly followed medical emergency procedures Shanu Pande says she had been looking forward to the trip for years — a flight that would bring her father to Canada from India after he finally obtained permanent residency status. But the September trip took a sharp turn when Harish Pant, 83, developed severe medical symptoms: chest pain, back pain, vomiting, loss of bowel control and the inability to stand up. “He was deteriorating in front of my eyes,” said Pande, who was accompanying her father. Flight AC051 hadRead more
Neck guards in high demand as more hockey leagues make them mandatory
Maritime Hockey League will now require players to wear neck gear following death of former NHL player In a normal year, Maggie MacTavish says she would sell about 200 neck guards out of her sports equipment store in Fredericton. She’d only sell a handful to a few new skaters this time of year. But MacTavish estimates she has sold about 50 over the last week. “With the uptick, certainly I think most stores are going to find they didn’t have enough,” said MacTavish, co-owner of MacTavish’s Source For Sports. The demandRead more
Victims’ families anxious ahead of pretrial for alleged Winnipeg serial killer
Pretrial motions for Jeremy Skibicki, accused of murdering 4 women, scheduled to begin Monday morning Donna Bartlett has been trying to put it out of her mind, but the thought of hearing details in a courtroom next week about her granddaughter’s death has been hard to shake. “The closer it gets, the more anxious I get, the more easy to set off,” she said. “Sometimes I just want to break down and cry, and I can’t do that. I got my kids and everybody else — so I try andRead more