Alberta auditor general urges province to improve tracking to prevent bail, hearing delays
The auditor general is calling on Alberta’s Crown prosecution service to improve bail and trial tracking to prevent delays. A new report released Thursday identifies problems with processes for managing timelines on bail hearings and adult criminal cases. It warns that delays caused by the department could erode confidence in the justice system and even […]
B.C.’s capital cancels scheduled Canada Day programming in wake of Kamloops Residential School discovery
WARNING: This story contains distressing details. Victoria city council has decided to cancel its scheduled Canada Day programming this year following the discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked burial sites of children’s remains near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Originally, the city had planned virtual programming to mark the day due to […]
Auditor scolds Alberta over mine cleanup fund, how province handles polluted sites
Alberta’s auditor general is criticizing the government for failing to fix problems pointed out six years ago in a program that’s supposed to guarantee coal and oilsands mining companies clean up after themselves. Doug Wylie says there’s so much confusion over who’s responsible for the government’s own contaminated sites that there’s no stable funding to ensure that […]
Canadian-based karate athlete Derafshipour named to Refugee Team for Tokyo Games
Hamoon Derafshipour’s Olympic dreams began in Iran, then blossomed in Canada. Now, the karate star will compete as a member of the Olympic Refugee Team at the Tokyo Games. And if he climbs the medal podium, Derafshipour says it will be bittersweet to see the Olympic flag go up for him. “Of course, I’m so […]
Housing conditions for migrant workers in Canada ‘worse than if we were in prison,’ new report says
From insufficient access to toilets to cramped living conditions, a new report that includes testimonies from migrant farm workers in Canada paints a bleak picture of their housing conditions. “We are living in conditions of modern-day slavery,” said one migrant worker, in one of the anonymous testimonies included in the report released by the Migrant […]
Oilsands alliance to cut emissions based on old business plans, critics say
Canada’s major oil producers are now united in trying to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, calling their plan good for the economy. But one group says it’s a public relations push to get federal money. Under an alliance announced Wednesday, the country’s five biggest oilsands producers will combine forces, money and technology to reduce […]
Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday
The latest: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the nations of the world must set aside the “beggar my neighbour” attitude that led to squabbling over medicine, protective gear and badly needed COVID-19 vaccines. Johnson said Thursday that Group of Seven leaders meeting this weekend in Carbis Bay, southwest England, will commit to vaccinating the world by the […]
Court hearing today for accused in fatal truck attack on Muslim family in London, Ont.
The 20-year-old charged in the fatal truck attack of a Muslim family in London, Ont., is set for his next court hearing today. Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London was charged earlier this week with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. His hearing Thursday will be accessible virtually because of COVID-19 restrictions. On Sunday, a family […]
Residential school survivor sues federal government, accuses minister of traumatizing him
A residential school survivor is suing the federal government over trauma he claims was caused by the actions of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and her department’s officials. The statement of claim was filed in Federal Court on May 18 on behalf of Percy Wallace, a residential school survivor from British Columbia who was the victim of […]
Keystone XL is dead, and Albertans are on the hook for $1.3B
The final cost to Albertans for the Keystone XL pipeline will be about $1.3 billion as the provincial government and TC Energy announced the official termination of the project Wednesday. “We invested in Keystone XL because of the long-term economic benefits it would have provided Albertans and Canadians,” said Energy Minister Sonya Savage in a news release. […]
B.C. court certifies class-action lawsuit against makers of Alesse birth control pills
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has given the green light for a class-action lawsuit to proceed against the makers of Alesse birth control pills. In a decision released Tuesday, Justice Karen Horsman found that two women who claim they got pregnant in 2017 while taking Alesse have met the bar needed to pursue a negligence claim against pharmaceutical […]
Canada, Alberta sign deal for $1.3B hydrogen plant in Edmonton
The federal and Alberta governments have signed an agreement with a private company that could lead to a $1.3 billion hydrogen plant being built near Edmonton. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Edmonton mayor Don Iveson and two federal ministers announced Wednesday a memorandum of understanding with Air Products Canada to build the plant, which would produce the clean-burning […]