Hockey Canada’s new third-party complaint process hired the investigator Hockey Canada is covering the cost of a third-party investigator hired to look into allegations that a group of men on the 2003 World Junior hockey team sexually assaulted a woman in Halifax during a tournament nearly two decades ago. As part of Hockey Canada’s stated plan to address “toxic” behaviour on and off the ice, it created a new “independent third-party” system to respond to complaints of sexual violence. That new system hired Ottawa-based lawyer and sport investigator Jennifer White to findRead more

‘If farmers are under threat, then so are the rest of us,’ researcher Janos Botschner says Cathy Lennon can’t recall the last time she met a farmer who didn’t have a cellphone. “Whether that is sort of your modern-day farmer or your traditional even Mennonite farmer, they have cellphones and smartphones in their pocket,” Lennon, the general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), said in a phone interview from her office in Guelph, Ont. She said there’s an increasing amount of technology and data on farms and in theRead more

‘We want the community to be made whole,’ says longtime resident Tammy Murray Tammy Murray is relieved the Ambassador Bridge no longer has Canadian approval to twin the international crossing after the permit expired this week, but the west-end WIndsor, Ont., resident is also among those worrying about what may come next. The more than 90-year-old bridge is owned by Michigan businessman Matthew Moroun, chair of the Detroit International Bridge Company. Boarded-up homes owned by the bridge company and green space where they once stood make the neighbourhood unrecognizable, said Murray. The federalRead more

Spiders were discovered in Nova Scotia on a new bus imported from California The discovery of western black widow spiders in a new bus delivered from California to Sydney, N.S., has led to the closure of Transit Cape Breton’s main Welton Street garage as the facility undergoes fumigation. Cape Breton Regional Municipality spokesperson Christina Lamey said the bus arrived last week after passing through Ontario. The spiders were discovered Monday while the new vehicle was being prepared for use. “It’s definitely been a first in the municipality,” said Lamey. “Our peopleRead more

WARNING: This story contains distressing details New documents related to the former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ont., have revealed 43 more deaths, according to the survivor-led group overseeing the search for potential unmarked graves at the site. The total number of student deaths, according to documents obtained so far, is 97. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation only lists 48 deaths, while previous updates from the secretariat have said there were 54 deaths. “The impact and the legacy [of residential schools] is felt far beyond the boundaries of communities,” Laura Arndt, the newRead more

Ministry says purpose of enforcement office has been mischaracterized Environment and Climate Change Canada is responding to online reports it says are falsely accusing the ministry of recruiting officers to police climate change. “We are aware of some misleading reports on social media suggesting that we are creating a new enforcement function,” the ministry wrote in a series of tweets on Thursday. “This is false and the record needs to be set straight.” The tweets also addressed claims about a replacement facility for environmental enforcement officers in Winnipeg. According to an article published more than a weekRead more

Player’s dad told teammates his son’s happiest day was when he became captain, Ayr Centennials exec says Eli Palfreyman was the kind of hockey player you wanted on your team and you didn’t want to have to play against, says the Ayr Centennials’ vice-president, among those paying tribute to the popular captain who died this week during a junior tournament. “Eli was the wonderful captain that we were looking forward to have,” Shantz said Thursday outside the North Dumfries Community Complex in the southern Ontario community. “As a captain on the ice, nobody took liberties withRead more

988 will be adopted as the official three digits for the hotline A long-anticipated three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline will come online in 2023, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said Wednesday. The CRTC said it will use 988 as the hotline’s number — the same three digits adopted for a similar hotline in the United States that launched in July. Mental health experts say Canada needs a 3-digit suicide crisis hotline Minister admits it’s taking Ottawa ‘a long time’ to set up suicide hotline MPs voted unanimouslyRead more

Resources to earn $28.4 billion in 2022-23 fiscal year Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is making the highest ever repayment of debt in the province’s history — $13.4 billion — thanks to a record-breaking surge in resource revenues. Finance Minister Jason Nixon says the repayment, as forecasted in Alberta’s first-quarter update on Wednesday, shows his government’s commitment to fiscal discipline even when the treasury is overflowing with oil and gas money. That discipline includes not restoring the benefits cut via a suspension of indexation three years ago. “We remain focused on using the surplus wisely,Read more