Scientific research and security risks, BC wildfires still burning

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Feds worried about ‘chill’ over research security

Internal documents show federal officials were wary of creating a chill within ethnic communities and rattling Canada’s bilateral relations as they fleshed out the next steps to secure vital scientific research.

The federal government has been working for months to prepare a list of sensitive research areas and the names of labs and institutions considered a risk to national security. 

Officials are scheduled to provide a detailed update on the delicate process in a briefing today.

The announcement builds on a federal policy that says research in sensitive areas will not be funded if personnel are affiliated with institutions linked to military, defence or state security organizations of foreign countries deemed to be a risk to Canada. 

Ottawa is concerned that countries such as China and Russia are determined to acquire sensitive Canadian research and intellectual property by partnering on projects with academics in Canada. 

100 wildfires still not considered out in B.C.

More than 100 wildfires are still listed as burning in British Columbia thanks to a combination of a busy wildfire season, extreme drought and generally warmer and drier conditions through December.

Forrest Tower of the BC Wildfire Service said that while it’s not uncommon for some fires to burn through the winter, that number usually hovers around a couple of dozen, not the 106 that were listed as active on New Year’s Day.

Tower said some of the fires that are listed as active are small “spot” fires that may have gone out on their own, but the service has not been able to confirm that.

The 2023 fire season burned more than 28,000 square kilometres of B.C., breaking records and forcing thousands to escape. Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions.

StatCan to release December inflation figures

Statistics Canada is set to release its December consumer price index report today.

Economists expect the report to show Canada’s annual inflation rate ticked up last month.

In November, the inflation rate was 3.1 per cent.

Economists say the temporary spike was caused by a smaller drop in gasoline prices in December compared with a year ago.

But inflation is still expected to trend lower in the coming months as higher interest rates slow the Canadian economy down.

Inquest into death of Sammy Yatim resumes today

A coroner’s inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, a Toronto teen who was shot by a police officer on an empty streetcar, resumes today.

The inquest began Friday and heard from Yatim’s parents and sister, who urged jurors to recommend more support for families in their situation.

The inquest also heard testimony from the man who drove the streetcar Yatim was on, and jurorsviewed video of the teen’s confrontation with police on July 27, 2013.

Yatim, who was 18 at the time, was alone on a streetcar and holding a small knife when he was shot by then-Const. James Forcillo shortly after midnight.

Jurors have been instructed that the inquest is meant to explore issues related to police decision-making and best practices in dealing with people in crisis, but not to review the events of that night or Forcillo’s potential culpability.

Saskatchewan teachers to hold one-day strike

Saskatchewan teachers were expected to go on a one-day strike in a bid to get the government to bargain on the union’s key demands. 

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation says it wants the province to address critical issues, such as classroom sizes and complexity. 

The province and teachers have been at an impasse for months after educators voted in October to support job sanctions if negotiations stalled. 

The union says teachers don’t want to affect the school year, but is exhausting every possible option to get the province back to the table.

Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill says issues of classroom size and complexity should be addressed outside of the bargaining process.

Inquest to hear details of mass stabbing

RCMP are expected to explain how a mass stabbing unfolded on a First Nation on the second day of a coroner’s inquest in Saskatchewan.

Staff Sgt. Robin Zentner with the Mounties’ major crimes unit testified Monday that Myles Sanderson and his brother, Damien Sanderson, were causing chaos on the James Smith Cree Nation in the days and hours before the rampage. 

The inquest saw text messages Damien Sanderson sent his wife saying he was ready to die. 

Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 17 others on James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, 2022. 

Sanderson, who was 32, died in police custody a few days later.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2023

The Canadian Press