Legions of social media users are holding virtual vigil for Harry Leslie Smith, a veteran who channels his experiences with poverty and persecution into a call for justice echoing across generations, as the 95−year−old battles critical illness in an eastern Ontario hospital. Online tributes have been pouring in for Smith, a survivor of the Great…
New Beetle Named After Jose Bautista
OTTAWA — Former Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista has a new namesake buzzing around, thanks to a scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Entomologist Bob Anderson has dubbed a newly discovered species of beetle Sicoderus bautistai after the MLB all−star. Anderson says he decided to name the insect — known as a weevil for…
How Friendly is Your Tax Man?
OTTAWA — The auditor general says the treatment you get from the Canada Revenue Agency depends on where in Canada you live and how friendly your tax man is. This violates the agency’s “taxpayer bill of rights,” which says every taxpayer deserves the same service as every other taxpayer in the same situation. Auditor Michael…
Canada Needs Special Charges to Cover Abuse That Amounts to Torture
OTTAWA — Canada needs a special criminal charge to cover extended campaigns of physical and emotional abuse that amount to torture, say two Nova Scotia nurses who are in Geneva to try to shame the country before a United Nations body. Linda MacDonald and Jeanne Sarson, nurses and human rights advocates from Nova Scotia, are…
Canada Post Calls For ‘Cooling Off’ Period Over Holidays
OTTAWA — Canada Post is agreeing with a proposal from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to bring another mediator into the ongoing contract dispute — but there’s a catch. The Crown corporation says it wants what it calls a “cooling off” period until the end of January to allow for the negotiations. That would…
Illegal Pot Stores Still Open One Month Later
TORONTO — The three surveillance cameras and the steady flow of people in and out of the small, nondescript grey building are the only hint of the brisk business this downtown Toronto cannabis dispensary does behind closed doors. Once inside, two men behind a white desk under a vintage chandelier ask patrons to provide government…
Growing Number of Americans Seeking Refugee Protection in Canada
OTTAWA — As Canada grapples with an influx of irregular asylum seekers, statistics show a growing number of people seeking refugee protection in Canada are Americans. In 2017, people whose country of origin was identified as the United States made up the third largest cohort of asylum seekers. A total of 2,550 asylum claims were…
No Spike in Cannabis-Impaired Driving So Far
VANCOUVER — Canadian police have not seen a spike in cannabis−impaired driving one month since legalization, but there needs to be more awareness of laws around storing marijuana in vehicles and passengers smoking weed, law enforcement officials say. The Canadian Press canvassed police forces and provincial and territorial Crowns across the country and while some…
Canada Post Strike Having Huge Impact on Retailers
OTTAWA — Online sales and auctioning giant eBay called on the federal government Wednesday to legislate an end to the Canada Post contract dispute, warning that quick action is needed to ensure retailers don’t lose out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. The plea, contained in a letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau…
‘Bambi’ Helps Homeless Man Reunite With Family
EDMONTON — A homeless man who found an authentic animation cel from the classic Disney movie “Bambi” in a tattered, dirty frame will use his earnings to reunite with his family in Ontario. Adam Gillian, who is 38, brought the item into Curiosity Inc., an antique shop in Edmonton, and the owner bought it for…