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Judge to decide if Ottawa locals can testify in ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers’ trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The criminal trial of two prominent “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected to resume today with a ruling on whether the court will hear testimony from local Ottawa residents. Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are facing charges related to their role in organizing the protest that brought thousands of big-rig trucks to Ottawa, where demonstrators remained for three weeks.Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon asked the judge not to let the locals testify, arguing their testimony would be irrelevant.Lich and Barber have already signed admissions that the actions of certain individuals who participated in the protest interfered with public transit and the lawful use and enjoyment of property and businesses.The Crown has maintained that it prefers to call its case as it sees fit, and wants local witnesses to tell the court how disruption, intimidation and obstructions caused by the protest manifested on the streets.The first 13 days of the trial took place in September ...

Health ministers converge in P.E.I. as governments negotiate final deals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Mark Holland is set to sit down with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Charlottetown on Wednesday to discuss how they’re going to grow the health workforce. Holland, who was shuffled into the health portfolio this summer during what many advocates have called a crisis in health care, as health workers struggle to keep the provincial and territorial systems afloat. Bringing new workers into the industry and retaining those who are already there is the priority, Holland said.“We have to look at our foreign credentials, we have to look at pan-Canadian licensure,” he said at a press conference in British Columbia on Tuesday.The ministers will also talk about improving the integration of health data from one province to the next, which is a condition of the health accord the prime minister offered premiers in February.  The meeting in Prince Edward Island comes a day after British Columbia signed the first bilateral funding ...

War crimes inquiry research sheds fresh light on Canadian screening, policies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

OTTAWA — When an individual suspected of taking part in the Second World War murder of Jews in western Ukraine applied for admission to Canada in 1951, immigration officials did not follow up with potential witnesses who might have provided crucial details.In another case, a Slovak leader hoping to unite émigrés under his leadership was allowed to visit Canada repeatedly in the 1950s and ’60s, despite a record of war crimes.In 1962, the RCMP learned that a Soviet trial of concentration camp guards in what is now called Belarus had named two people living in Canada as active participants in the execution of civilians during the war.These are among several unsettling vignettes in the latest, more revealing version of a September 1986 study prepared for a landmark federal commission of inquiry on war crimes.Even though the cases are labelled with letters of the alphabet, not names of suspects, they were excised from the original version of researcher Alti Rodal’s study, ini...

Conservationists raise concerns over B.C.’s proposed grizzly bear stewardship plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Grizzly bears seen starving in the rainforests of British Columbia’s south coast because there isn’t enough salmon to sustain them raises alarm bells for wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory, who’s known as a leading bear expert in Canada.The science is “crying out” for greater habitat protections for the iconic species as industrial activities eat away at the landscapes the bears depend on, he said.“There’s a huge amount of protection work that needs to be done that isn’t happening, so you can say it’s in a crisis mode,” he said in an interview.McCrory said the province’s draftplan to adjust grizzly management doesn’t meaningfully address habitat loss and could prove “disastrous” for the bears.He is among the signatories of an open letter sent to provincial officials last week as public engagement closed for the draft grizzly stewardship framework.The letter published by Pacific Wild and signed by more ...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit fire-ravaged Northwest Territories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to visit areas ravaged during a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories today.Trudeau is scheduled to meet with local leaders in Hay River and visit sites affected by recent wildfires.A fast-moving wildfire in August tore through the hamlet of Enterprise, about 40 kilometres south of Hay River, destroying nearly all of the community’s homes and structures.Burnt trees, scorched homes and melted vehicles remain throughout the community of about 100 located along a highway north of the Alberta boundary.Around 20 people have returned, but many remain elsewhere in the territory and other parts of Canada after their homes were destroyed.The territory saw nearly 70 per cent of its population displaced during the fire season, including a three-week evacuation order that forced around 20,000 people to flee Yellowknife.Wildfires have burned a record area across the territory since flaring up in the spring. Ninety-five were s...

Daily horoscope for October 11, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Virgo.Happy Birthday for Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023:You like to socialize. You’re easygoing, friendly and well-liked. You are also ambitious. This is a year full of opportunities for you because it’s the beginning of a new nine-year cycle, which means you can explore new avenues and open any door. Be courageous!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★This is a productive day. Others will be helpful, especially co-workers and colleagues. Work-related travel is likely for many of you. Nevertheless, no matter what you do, this is a happy day, because people will be generous and warm to each other. (It makes a huge difference!) Tonight: Check your finances.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★This is the perfect day to meet friends for a long, enjoyable lunch or hang out with the gang at happy hour. Sports events and fun activities with kids will appeal to you. This is also a warm, fun-loving, romantic d...

Commission receives second payment request from Bulgaria for €724 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Bulgaria's second payment request for €724 million in grants relates to 61 milestones and 5 targets.They cover investments in areas such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) centres and innovation in education, research and innovation, smart industry, renovation of buildings, digitalisation of the electricity transmission grid, energy-efficient street lighting, renewable sources, and electricity storage, as well as digitalization of railway transport.The payment request also includes a series of reforms aiming to enhance preschool, school, and higher education as well as lifelong learning, promote e-health, support the decarbonisation of the energy sector by boosting the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements, and support sustainable urban transport. Further reforms relate to ensuring an accessible, effective, and predictable justice system and fighting corruption. Other reforms cover areas such as judicial mediation, insolvency procedur...

Harriette Cole: Should I tell my friend I’m worried about her boy?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend’s child seems to have some developmental issues. I wonder if he has a condition that is making him look a little different.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My husband berates me because he forgets what I tell him Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m tired of hearing about her kids’ private school Advice | Harriette Cole: I outed a cheating husband, and I didn’t expect the repercussions Advice | Harriette Cole: It’s hard to resist getting even with my no-show friend Advice | Harriette Cole: It seems like my co-workers are avoiding me. Is it because of how I got hired? He also seems slow to mature. He is nearly 2 years old and is not talking yet. He has a good disposition, but he is developing slowly.I wonder if my friend notices these things. I don’t want to get into her business, and I am not a doctor or anything, but I do think that by this a...

Miss Manners: What’s a polite way of saying ‘you weren’t our first pick’?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I love to cook. We often host small dinner parties for up to eight people, which is the max that our small dining room can comfortably hold.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: A virtual stranger hijacked our lunch date. What could we have done? Advice | Miss Manners: I wasn’t going to let a runty lobster ruin my carefully planned dinner Advice | Miss Manners: What could I have said to this blithe line-jumper? Advice | Miss Manners: My wife insists this is a rule about children’s birthday parties Advice | Miss Manners: I’m stunned by my father’s request for the wedding dinner Now, it has happened in the past that one or two guests have had to cancel on the day of, when we have already prepared most of the food and set the table. Would it be appropriate at that point to reach out to family or friends and extend a last-minute dinner invitation? An...

Afghanistan wins the toss and bats first against India at the Cricket World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Afghanistan won the toss Wednesday and opted to bat against an India lineup high on confidence after opening its Cricket World Cup campaign with a victory over five-time champion Australia.The tournament hosts beat Australia by six wickets in a low-scoring thriller at Chennai. Afghanistan lost its opening game to Bangladesh by six wickets in Dharamsala.Shubman Gill is sidelined again for India because of a virus, allowing left-handed Ishan Kishan continue to open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma.India made one change to its lineup, with bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur replacing off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.Afghanistan retained the same lineup from Dharamsala and is determined put up a better total but will be wary of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who is coming off a haul of 3-28 against Australia.Jadeja has taken seven wickets at average 10.85 against Afghanistan and his ODI record at Delhi nine wickets at 20.77. The Arun Jaitley Stadium has proven to ...