Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

A memorial on the roadside where the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash took place is shown on Highway 35 near Armley, Sask., on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The city of Humboldt, Sask., along with members of the Broncos families, have organized a tribute service for people who wish to pay their respects for those who died in the crash five years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Humboldt marks five years since deadly bus crash

The Canadian Press 4 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

HUMBOLDT, SASKATCHEWAN - Church bells are to ring today in Humboldt at the same time as the deadly bus crash brought unimaginable tragedy to the small Saskatchewan city five years ago.

The bells at St. Augustine Church are to toll 29 times — one for each person who was on the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos on April 6, 2018. Sixteen people died and 13 were injured after a transport truck went through a stop sign and into the path of a bus carrying the Saskatchewan junior hockey team.

Celeste Leray-Leicht, who is part of the planning committee, said she feels better any time she can honour her son. Jacob Leicht was 19 years old when he was killed in the crash.

“He's part of everything we say and do and guiding us along the way," Leray-Leicht said.

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A look at what's In The News for April 6

The Canadian Press 10 minute read Preview

A look at what's In The News for April 6

The Canadian Press 10 minute read 3:15 AM CDT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of April 6 ...

What we are watching in Canada ...

Statistics Canada is set to release March employment data this morning.

The labour force survey will provide an update on how the labour market is faring amid high interest rates.

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3:15 AM CDT

A sign outside a building at Statistics Canada in seen in Ottawa on Friday, March 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Quebec ordered to pay ex-premier Charest $385K

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Quebec ordered to pay ex-premier Charest $385K

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:14 PM CDT

MONTREAL - A court has ordered the Quebec government to pay ex-Liberal premier Jean Charest $385,000 because information about a corruption investigation targeting his former party was leaked to journalists.

Charest in 2020 filed a lawsuit against Quebec's anti-corruption police and the province's attorney general after details were made public in 2017 regarding an investigation into alleged illegal Liberal party financing during his tenure as premier.

The former premier and recent candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada was never charged in the investigation and has said the leaks tarnished his reputation and affected him personally.

Charest, who became Quebec Liberal leader in 1998 and served as premier between 2003 and 2012, said in a statement on Wednesday the damage to himself and his family in this case has been "irreparable." He said that before he launched a lawsuit he had only been seeking an apology from the government for its failure to protect the privacy of its citizens.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:14 PM CDT

Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest answers questions from reporters after the third debate of the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. A Quebec Superior Court justice has ordered the Quebec government to pay former premier Jean Charest $385,000 over the release of his personal information during an investigation by the province's anti-corruption unit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

More than a million without power in Que., Ont.

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

More than a million without power in Que., Ont.

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: 4:30 AM CDT

A fierce storm system that brought thunder, lightning and freezing rain to parts of Quebec and Ontario has more than a million hydro customers still in the dark.

Much of Quebec remains under a freezing rain warning, and Hydro-Québec said as of 5:30 a.m. EST, power outages affected nearly 1.1 million customers.

Montreal authorities reported numerous calls for downed trees, while Transport Quebec said weather conditions forced it to close the Victoria Bridge, which connects Montreal with its southern suburbs.

Via Rail issued a travel advisory, saying power outages and track obstructions caused service delays and cancellations in the Montreal-Toronto Corridor.

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Updated: 4:30 AM CDT

Fallen tree branches are shown on a street following an accumulation of freezing rain in Montreal, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Man denies killing 13-year-old Burnaby, B.C., girl

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Man denies killing 13-year-old Burnaby, B.C., girl

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - A man accused of the first-degree murder of a Burnaby, B.C., teenager six years ago repeatedly denied killing the girl as his trial started Wednesday.

When asked for his plea in front of a B.C. Supreme Court jury, Ibrahim Ali said three times through a Kurdish-speaking interpreter that he "did not" kill the 13-year-old girl.

The B.C. Crown Prosecution Service informed The Canadian Press on Wednesday a publication ban had been placed on the girl's name.

Justice Lance Bernard clarified with Ali that his statements were a not guilty plea.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 PM CDT

RCMP Cpl. Daniela Panesar places a photo of Marrisa Shen, 13, next to a map indicating where her body was found in Central Park, during a news conference in Burnaby, B.C., on Wednesday July 19, 2017. A man accused of the first-degree murder of the Burnaby, B.C., teenager six years ago repeatedly denied killing the girl as his trial started on April 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Salad kit recalled over undeclared ingredients

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Salad kit recalled over undeclared ingredients

The Canadian Press 1 minute read 3:09 AM CDT

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for President's Choice brand Chopped Sesame Wonton Salad Kit because the product contains multiple ingredients not declared on the label.

The agency says the kit contains mustard, egg and milk that are not listed in the product's ingredient list.

The salad kits were sold in 347 gram packages, with a best before date of April 9, 2023.

The kits were distributed throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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3:09 AM CDT

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for President's Choice brand Chopped Sesame Wonton Salad Kit because the product contains multiple ingredients not declared on the label.

The agency says the kit contains mustard, egg and milk that are not listed in the product's ingredient list.

The salad kits were sold in 347 gram packages, with a best before date of April 9, 2023.

The kits were distributed throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Quebec's Roxham Road quiets down after agreement

Marisela Amador, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Quebec's Roxham Road quiets down after agreement

Marisela Amador, The Canadian Press 5 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

MONTREAL - About 12 hours after the closure of a rural southern Quebec road used by thousands of asylum seekers to enter Canada from the United States, Evelyne Bouchard witnessed RCMP agents escort a family of four people off her property.

Bouchard, whose farm is located about two kilometres from the forested pathway known as Roxham Road, says she is used to seeing police around her home; at times, she has found clothing and unknown footprints in the snow on her Hemmingford, Que., property.

In a recent interview, she said it was upsetting to see people being taken away so soon after the Canada-United States immigration deal closed Roxham Road to most would-be refugees.

"It's that contrast," she said. "This is like my happy place — my home. I love this place, and to think that someone in that same kind of physical space is feeling afraid and vulnerable and is possibly in danger is just completely heartbreaking."

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3:00 AM CDT

A sign advising people that entrance to Canada via Roxham road is illegal is shown on the Canada/US border in Hemmingford, Que., Saturday, March 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Former PM Brian Mulroney has prostate cancer

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Former PM Brian Mulroney has prostate cancer

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:46 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Former prime minister Brian Mulroney is recovering after undergoing treatment in Montreal for prostate cancer.

His daughter Caroline Mulroney said Wednesday in a written statement that the family expects him to be "back to normal in the coming weeks."

Her office confirmed that he underwent treatment for prostate cancer.

The Toronto Star, citing an interview with one of his sons, Mark, said that the treatment began last fall.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:46 PM CDT

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney speaks during an interview in Montreal, Tuesday, October 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Experts say premier must explain call with accused

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Experts say premier must explain call with accused

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:02 PM CDT

EDMONTON - Premier Danielle Smith must explain to Albertans why she discussed a criminal case with the accused before his trial, whether she still believes such calls are OK and whether she will continue to have these conversations, legal experts and political scientists say.

They say the premier's actions are a violation of the democratic firewall separating politicians from court cases and that Smith's strategy to stay silent and threaten to sue media ensures the controversy will be alive for the upcoming election campaign.

Smith has declined to answer questions from reporters surrounding a leaked phone conversation in which she offered to help Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski in his criminal case related to the COVID-19 protest at the Canada-United States border crossing at Coutts, Alta., in early 2022.

In the call, Smith discussed the disposition of other cases with Pawlowski. She revealed to him internal government disagreements over case strategy, commiserated with him that he was being treated unfairly by the prosecutor through a late-day “document dump" and told him the charges against him were politically motivated.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:02 PM CDT

Legal experts and political scientists say Premier Danielle Smith must explain to Albertans why she discussed a criminal case with the accused before his trial, whether she still believes the call was OK, and whether she will continue making such calls. Smith speaks at the Canada Strong and Free Network in Ottawa on Thursday, March 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

History of refusing Roma refugees still felt today

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

History of refusing Roma refugees still felt today

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Micheal T. Butch remembers meeting the couple at a Tim Hortons in 2021, with a mission to suss out whether they were truly Roma.

Florin Iordache and his wife, Cristina Monalisa Zenaida Iordache, passed the test. So Butch, the president of Toronto's Roma Community Centre, wrote a letter asserting their familiarity with Romani customs to support their asylum claim.

It was a step in proving they faced discrimination in their democratic home country of Romania, which is a member of the European Union.

Butch said he remembers breaking out in song to lighten a heavy moment during that meeting, crooning the Nat King Cole song "Mona Lisa." Cristina started "cracking up laughing," he recalled.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney responds to a question from the media on the final day of the summer meeting of Canada's Premiers at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria on July 12, 2022. Roma advocates say discriminatory policies meant to keep families from making what then-immigration minister Jason Kenney called

B.C. to boost minimum wage to $16.75 an hour

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

B.C. to boost minimum wage to $16.75 an hour

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:17 PM CDT

VICTORIA - British Columbia's minimum wage will increase to $16.75 an hour, a boost that the government says would fulfil a promise to tie the benchmark pay level to inflation.

The new minimum wage is to kick in on June 1, representing a 6.9 per cent increase from the current $15.65 an hour.

Labour Minister Harry Bains said Wednesday it is a key step to preventing the province's lowest-paid workers from falling behind.

"These workers and their families feel the impacts of high costs much more than anyone else," he said in a news release.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:17 PM CDT

B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains listens to a question, in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, March 14, 2022. British Columbia's minimum wage is set to increase to $16.75 an hour, a boost that the government says fulfils a promise to tie the benchmark pay level to inflation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

One largely overlooked word in Trump case: 'tax'

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

One largely overlooked word in Trump case: 'tax'

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:24 PM CDT

WASHINGTON - Court documents in the case against Donald Trump, unveiled Tuesday after the former president's historic court appearance, have so far provided little clear insight into the prosecution's underlying legal strategy.

A single phrase in the statement of facts — "for tax purposes" — may offer an important clue.

Trump and his operatives designed a hush-money scheme to protect his 2016 campaign against claims of extramarital sexual encounters, the documents allege — a plan that was carried out by former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

Trump now faces 34 counts of falsifying business records "to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," reads the statement of facts.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:24 PM CDT

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment in New York, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andrew Kelly, POOL

'Preposterous' delay for Canadian in Syria: lawyer

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

'Preposterous' delay for Canadian in Syria: lawyer

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:54 PM CDT

OTTAWA - A lawyer working to bring a Quebec woman home from a Syrian prison camp along with her six children says it is "preposterous" that her departure is being held up by the government's failure to complete her security assessment.

Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon says he has asked Global Affairs Canada to take the necessary, urgent steps to allow the mother to come home with her young children.

He is hoping for the green light soon, as at least 19 other Canadians detained in Syria — six women and 13 children — are expected to board a flight to Canada imminently.

"My information is they're on the move," said Greenspon, who represents the families. "I'm waiting to hear from (Global Affairs) that they are in the air."

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:54 PM CDT

Women walk in Roj detention camp in northeast Syria Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. A lawyer working to bring a Quebec woman home from a Syrian prison camp along with her six children says it is

Vancouver pulls down tent encampment amid protests

Nono Shen and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Vancouver pulls down tent encampment amid protests

Nono Shen and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - The garbage trucks moved slowly down Hastings Street, to the shouts and protests of residents of a homeless encampment on the sidewalks of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Into the compactors went tents, suitcases, mattresses and furniture, crushed with bags of garbage and other detritus.

The implementation of a city decree to clear the encampment on Wednesday, backed by dozens of a police, was met with frustration from residents and their advocates who wonder where they'll sleep next, even as the city says it's too unsafe to stay.

Police and city staff rolling rubber tubs labelled "personal belongings" arrived on Hastings Street on Wednesday to dismantle about 80 tents and other structures that lined the sidewalks.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

Tents are seen on the sidewalk in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, B.C., Monday, April 3, 2023.The City of Vancouver says it has asked police to help bring a tent encampment in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood to a close.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lametti says draft plan on UNDRIP 'not perfect'

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Lametti says draft plan on UNDRIP 'not perfect'

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:08 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Justice Minister David Lametti said Wednesday he knows the government's draft action plan for implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is not perfect.

"It is not perfect. It is not final. It is not complete," he told a special gathering of Assembly of First Nations chiefs.

"There's a lot missing in there that needs to be improved."

The national advocacy voice for more than 600 First Nations across Canada staged the meeting so chiefs could vote on a batch of draft policy resolutions and debate the proposed action plan that Lametti's department released last month.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:08 PM CDT

Minister of Justice David Lametti leaves after appearing before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in Ottawa, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023Justice Minister David Lametti says he knows the government's draft action plan for implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is not perfect. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Man extradited to U.S. on human smuggling charges

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Man extradited to U.S. on human smuggling charges

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:09 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Federal prosecutors in the United States say an Indian man living in Canada was paid thousands of dollars to smuggle other Indian nationals into the U.S. through the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve.

Simranjit (Shally) Singh, 40, appeared in an Albany, N.Y., court Friday to face six counts of alien smuggling for profit and three counts of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for profit, a day after he was extradited from Canada.

The case is not connected to the deaths last week of eight people — including four Indian nationals — who were attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Canada through Akwesasne, about 130 kilometres southwest of Montreal. But it sheds light on alleged human smuggling through the Mohawk territory straddling the Canada-U.S. border, where police say they have intercepted 80 people — mostly of Indian and Romanian descent — trying to enter the United States illegally since January.

A statement from the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of New York says the charges stem from Singh's "involvement and facilitation of the smuggling of Indian nationals from Canada into the United States, via Cornwall Island and the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reservation in the St. Lawrence River region, from at least March 2020 through March 2021."

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:09 PM CDT

A police helicopter searches the area in Akwesasne, Que., Friday, March 31, 2023. Federal prosecutors in the United States say an Indian man living in Canada was paid thousands of dollars to smuggle other Indian nationals into the U.S. through Akwesasne Mohawk reserve. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Landfill staff praised after woman's body found

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Landfill staff praised after woman's body found

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:15 AM CDT

OTTAWA - The federal minister responsible for Crown-Indigenous relations is praising workers at a Winnipeg landfill for their "heightened vigilance" after the remains of an Indigenous woman were discovered there on Monday.

Marc Miller also says a study into the feasibility of searching a different Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two other Indigenous women will be completed in the coming weeks.

The Winnipeg homicide unit says it has launched an investigation after staff at the Brady landfill south of Winnipeg found 33-year-old Linda Mary Beardy's body on Monday afternoon.

Winnipeg police do not believe the case is linked to the death of Rebecca Contois, whose remains were found in the same landfill last year, or the killings of three other women.

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Updated: Yesterday at 11:15 AM CDT

Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, is during an announcement in Ottawa, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. The federal minister responsible for Crown-Indigenous relations is praising workers at a Winnipeg landfill for their

First Nations leader calls for landfill to close

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

First Nations leader calls for landfill to close

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:12 PM CDT

WINNIPEG - The leader of a First Nations advocacy group wants to see the Winnipeg landfill where the remains of two Indigenous women were found permanently shut down.

"I think given the circumstance, that it should be. It's not an isolated issue," Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said in a phone interview Wednesday.

"I know there are lots of (Indigenous women) that have been missing throughout time, and I'm pretty sure that some of those women are in the Brady landfill."

The Winnipeg homicide unit started an investigation after staff at the Brady Road landfill south of the city found the body of 33-year-old Linda Mary Beardy on Monday.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:12 PM CDT

Liberal MP slams own government's Israel response

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Liberal MP slams own government's Israel response

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:33 PM CDT

OTTAWA - A Liberal MP criticized her own government's response to Israel's right-wing administration amid police violence in Jerusalem on Wednesday, but her party shows no sign of going beyond expressions of concern.

Early Wednesday local time, Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, as police fired stun grenades at Palestinians who hurled stones and firecrackers.

Toronto MP Salma Zahid posted on Twitter a video of Israeli police hitting Muslims with batons, saying there is a "direct line" between the violence and "provocations" by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is propped up by right-wing parties.

"Canada cannot stand by and issue bland statements anymore," Zahid wrote.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:33 PM CDT

Liberal member of Parliament Salma Zahid arrives at a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Child-welfare settlement heading back to tribunal

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Child-welfare settlement heading back to tribunal

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:57 PM CDT

OTTAWA - A multibillion-dollar settlement for children and families harmed by Ottawa's underfunding of on-reserve services is heading back to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for approval, as both sides seek to turn the page on a dark chapter in Canada's history.

Federal ministers and First Nations representatives presented the revised $23-billion compensation package to Canadians on Wednesday after it was endorsed the day before by delegates from the Assembly of First Nations.

"Once the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has endorsed this agreement, it will then be taken to the Federal Court of Canada for approval in late spring or early summer of 2023," said Manitoba regional chief Cindy Woodhouse, who has led the file for the assembly.

"Once all these approvals have been granted, the claims process will begin in late 2023 or early 2024. And funds will start to flow thereafter."

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:57 PM CDT

Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Patty Hajdu speaks speaks during a press conference on a revised final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families in Ottawa, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

More than 1 million lose power in Quebec, Ontario

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

More than 1 million lose power in Quebec, Ontario

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 1:07 AM CDT

More than one million customers in Quebec and Ontario were without power Wednesday after a messy mix of freezing rain and thunderstorms pummeled parts of both provinces.

Quebec's power utility said shortly after 2 a.m. that more than one million of its 4.5 million customers had no power, with much of the province under a freezing rain warning.

“What’s causing the outages is the mixture of precipitation and wind," Hydro-Québec spokeswoman Gabrielle Leblanc said. "It weighs down the vegetation; there can be branches and trees that fall on the lines."

In western Quebec's Outaouais region, near Ottawa, about 131,000 of the utility’s nearly 227,000 customers were without power. Environment Canada forecasted between 30 millimetres and 50 millimetres of rain in Gatineau, Que., the largest city in the region.

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Updated: 1:07 AM CDT

Thousands of people in Ontario are without power as a messy mix of freezing rain and thunderstorms pummeled parts of the province, with downpours and possible ice storms in the forecast. Ice covers a tree in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nam Y. Huh

Quebec to ban prayer rooms in public schools

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Quebec to ban prayer rooms in public schools

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:37 PM CDT

Quebec's education minister said Wednesday it will soon be forbidden to have prayer rooms in the province's public schools.

Bernard Drainville told reporters in Quebec City he has learned of at least two Montreal-area schools that have permitted students to gather for prayer.

Drainville said he would issue the directive to all school service centres, adding that prayer rooms in schools are not compatible with Quebec's policy of official secularism.

The minister, however, isn't prohibiting prayer altogether, saying that students who want to pray should do so "discreetly" and "silently."

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:37 PM CDT

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville responds to the Opposition during question period at the legislature in Quebec City, Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Drainville says it will soon be forbidden to have prayer rooms in the province's public schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

First Canadian dire wolf fossil confirmed

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

First Canadian dire wolf fossil confirmed

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:01 PM CDT

Canada now has its first dire wolf.

For the first time, a Canadian fossil has been confirmed as coming from the Ice Age predator featured in the TV series "Game of Thrones." The specimen, from near Medicine Hat in southern Alberta, was tentatively identified decades ago but a team from the Royal Ontario Museum used new technology to finally lock it down.

"It had never been fully described," said evolutionary biologist Ashley Reynolds, lead author of the paper published in the Journal of Quaternary Science. "This had never been done for this specimen."

It wasn't easy. The entire specimen, between 25,000 and 50,000 years old, consists of one jaw, badly crushed, with some remaining teeth.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:01 PM CDT

An artist's impression of a dire wolf (Canis dirus) is seen in an undated handout photo. A team from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has used new technology to positively identify a fossil of a dire wolf which was found in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-ROM, Danielle Dufault, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Carbon price aid for small business lagging

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Carbon price aid for small business lagging

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:54 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Small businesses in Canada have received less than 10 per cent of the financial aid they were promised to help them offset the costs of the national price on carbon emissions.

When the federal Liberals laid out their carbon price plan in 2018, they promised it would be revenue neutral, with 90 per cent of the proceeds from the consumer fuel levy returned to households through cash rebates.

Small and medium-sized businesses were to get seven per cent of the revenues to help fund projects to lower their use of fossil fuels, both curbing their greenhouse-gas emissions and their carbon-price costs.

The government's annual reports on carbon pricing revenues show that during the first three years of federal carbon pricing, between April 2019 and March 2022, Ottawa collected more than $12.8 billion from the carbon levy.

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:54 PM CDT

People shop in the Glebe community of Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Small businesses in Canada have received less than 10 per cent of the financial aid they were promised to help them offset the costs of the national price on carbon emissions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Ottawa signs cement carbon capture deal in Alberta

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ottawa signs cement carbon capture deal in Alberta

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

EDMONTON - The federal government has signed a deal to work with an Edmonton cement manufacturer to keep carbon dioxide generated at the plant from entering the atmosphere.

Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with Heidelberg Materials to help with the construction of a carbon capture and storage facility.

Champagne said negotiations on a federal role in the $1.4-billion project, expected to be operational by 2026, are well advanced.

"The government of Canada will be a significant partner," he promised.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

April 6, 2023