Parents plead guilty in 2021 death of burned, emaciated toddler in Calgary
CALGARY ALBERTA-(CP)-The parents of a badly burned and emaciated Calgary toddler have pleaded guilty in his death. Court heard on Monday horrific details about the 2021 death of Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua. The 18-month-old boy suffered major burns to a third of his body. An agreed statement of facts says his parents didn’t seek medical treatment and tried to treat the burns with honey. He died from the infected burn and head trauma, said the document. Sonya Pasqua, 34, and Michael Sinclair, 32, pleaded guilty to manslaughter a month before their scheduled trial. They are to be sentenced at a later date. Crown prosecutor Carolina Valenzuela read the agreed facts in court detailing the child’s final days. She said Gabriel was taken by Child and Family Services as a newborn, after his...
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‘Are they going to walk away?’: Charges 10 years after B.C.’s Mount Polley disaster
Doug Watt won’t forget the sound of a tailings pond collapsing at the Mount Polley Mine more than 10 years ago, sending millions of cubic metres of waste into waterways in the British Columbia Interior. “I went outside, and you could hear the roar. It was like standing close to Niagara Falls,” the 74-year-old said in an interview Tuesday. Fifteen federal Fisheries Act charges have been laid against Imperial Metals Corp. and two other firms after the dam collapse at the gold and copper mine in what would become one of the largest environmental disasters in provincial history. Watt said he and other residents in Likely, B.C., the closest community to the dam, are pleased charges have been laid and now “only time will tell whether they actually get found...
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MPs approve $21.6B in supplementary spending; Conservatives vote against
OTTAWA-(CP)-Parliament has approved $21.6 billion in government spending, in a late Tuesday vote in the House of Commons. On the final day the money could be voted on, MPs rushed through the supplementary funding to the 2024 budget, including money for various programs such as First Nations child services, dental care and compensation to Quebec for services to asylum seekers. The Conservative party opposed the additional spending in its entirety, while the Bloc Québécois only opposed one aspect of it — $1.1 million in spending for Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters last week his party would vote the supplementary estimates through, given the $317 million additional money for the government’s new dental care program. “I’m pleased the majority of members in the House...
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Freeland doesn’t commit to meeting her own deficit target in fall economic statement
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has not committed to meeting the $40.1-billion deficit target she set for the government last year, as the Liberal government appears to unshackle itself from constraints on spending ahead of a federal election. Freeland said Tuesday she expects the fall economic statement, which she will present on Dec. 16, will show a declining debt-to-GDP ratio. “In next week’s fall economic statement, you will see that the government is maintaining its fiscal anchor. Specifically, reducing the federal debt as a share of the economy over the medium term,” Freeland told reporters in a news conference. The finance minister said she expects to meet the 42.1 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio projected in the spring for the 2023-24 fiscal year. When asked if she would also meet her deficit...
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AFN says it’s not prepared to implement chiefs’ child welfare direction
The Assembly of First Nations is warning it’s not equipped to implement the direction it received from chiefs at two recent assemblies on child welfare reforms. Chiefs passed resolutions in October and December saying the AFN should no longer represent the interests of First Nations when it comes to issues relating to reforming the child welfare system as an ongoing human rights case argues Canada is failing to implement a legal rule. They called for the creation of a new Children’s Chiefs Commission to do that instead, after voting down a landmark child-welfare deal negotiated with Ottawa. Now in a letter to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the AFN says there is a “lack of clear source funding” to implement some of the chiefs’ directions. The tribunal is set to...
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Postal strike delaying delivery of medicine, necessities to remote areas: AFN chief
The Assembly of First Nations says the ongoing postal strike is delaying supplies of medicine and other necessities to rural and remote communities. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is calling on Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to reach a resolution to the strike, which is nearing four weeks. Negotiations with a federal mediator were suspended nearly two weeks ago. The union is seeking wage increases, a cost of living allowance and more job protections. Canada Post says the latest proposals from the union widen the gap between the two parties. Woodhouse Nepinak says many First Nations people rely on Canada Post for prescription medications and other items. “The strike has delayed the delivery of financial supports, basic goods and other necessities, which is particularly challenging as...
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Northern stores ‘absolutely not’ hiking food costs when federal funding arrives: CEO
Canadian Press-The chief executive of the North West Co. Inc. says its stores in remote Indigenous communities are “absolutely not” hiking food prices when funding flows in from federal programs such as Jordan’s Principle. Dan McConnell made the comments today during a call for shareholders discussing the company’s third-quarter financial results, in which it reported consolidated sales of $637.5 million. The figure marks a 3.3-per cent increase over the same quarter last year, but McConnell said that didn’t translate to the bottom line, as the company’s net earnings were $36.4 million, down from $38 million in the third quarter of 2023. The North West Co. operates 118 Northern grocery stores in remote communities across Northern Canada, as well as a host of other businesses, including Quickstop convenience stores in Northern...
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Parliament set to hold an 11th hour vote on $21B spending bill
Members of Parliament are set to vote on a government bill asking for billions in funding as the clock ticks down on a deadline. Last month, the Liberals made a request for Parliament to approve $21.6 billion in spending. The money will go to fund the First Nations child and family services program, and to compensate the Quebec government for services for asylum seekers, among other programs. But there had been uncertainty over whether the vote would even happen before today’s deadline. Parliament has been paralyzed for months as the Conservatives press the Liberals to hand over documents relating to hundreds of millions of dollars of misspending on a green-tech fund. The issue is the focus of an ongoing privilege debate, which the Conservatives have pledged to keep going until...
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AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton to receive Nobel Prize in physics today
British Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are set to receive their Nobel Prize for physics at a ceremony in Stockholm today. Hinton and Hopfield are being given the prize because their use of physics developed some of the underpinnings of machine learning, a computer science that helps artificial intelligence mimic how humans learn. The accolade handed out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is valued at 11 million Swedish kronor, which is about C$1.45 million. Hopfield and Hinton will split the money with half of Hinton’s share going to Water First, a Creemore, Ont., organization training Indigenous communities to develop and provide access to safe water systems. Hinton is a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Toronto but is often referred to...
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Métis National Council elects new president after months of internal turmoil
Canadian Press-The Métis National Council says it has elected a new president after months of turmoil that saw the once-united organization splinter and have its legitimacy questioned. In a news release, the council announced Victoria Pruden will be its new president, replacing Cassidy Caron, whose term expired in September. The Métis National Council has been in a state of flux after the Manitoba Métis Federation pulled out of the organization in 2021, followed by the recent departures of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan and the Métis Nation of British Columbia. It’s unclear who was heading the council before the election, and the only two remaining members are the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Métis Nation of Ontario. The Métis National Council says Pruden will work toward advancing the rights...
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B.C. selects nine wind power projects to boost energy supply by eight per cent a year
Canadian Press-British Columbia has given the green light to nine wind energy projects that will boost the province’s hydro-electric grid by eight per cent a year, enough to power 500,000 homes. Premier David Eby says BC Hydro, a Crown utility, has selected the projects following a strong response to its call for new renewable power-generation operations. He says the development and construction will generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private spending on the projects, four of which will be located in the B.C. Interior, four in the North and one on Vancouver Island. The power supply announcement comes as the Business Council of B.C. issues a report outlining concerns about the province’s economic future due to a potential decline in private sector investment and the completion of mega-projects...
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Numerous drone sightings in New Jersey frustrating but don’t pose safety concern, governor says
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Dozens of drones have been spotted across New Jersey in recent weeks, including near sensitive sites such as a military research facility, which can be frustrating but don’t appear to pose a public safety concern, Gov. Phil Murphy stressed Monday. The FBI has been investigating reports about several mysterious nighttime drone flights that started occurring last month across central New Jersey and has asked the public for help. Since then, residents have reported seeing drones in other areas. While speaking at an unrelated bill signing event in Princeton, Murphy noted there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday, mostly in Hunterdon County. The Democratic governor said those numbers included possible sightings and potentially the same drone being reported more than once. “This is something we’re taking...
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Liberal government survives third Conservative non-confidence vote
OTTAWA-CP-Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s latest attempt to topple the minority Liberal government in a non-confidence vote has failed, with the New Democrats and Liberals voting against the motion. The Conservative motion quoted NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s own criticism of the Liberals, and called on the House to agree with Singh and vote non-confidence in the government. The New Democrat leader said he would not be supporting the motion last week. Singh was not present in the House of Commons for most of the voting period, and there were jeers from the Conservative benches as NDP MPs cast their votes against the motion. MPs also voted on an NDP motion, calling on the government to permanently remove GST from what they call essentials. The NDP and Green members were the only...
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‘My name is Taqqiq, I can read text’: Microsoft Translator adds Inuktitut text-to-speech
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journasm Initiative Reporter IQALUIT-Users of Microsoft Translator’s Inuktitut translation tool can now listen to the text they’re translating. Microsoft Canada and the Government of Nunavut announced Dec. 5 that Inuktitut text-to-speech is available now on Microsoft Translator. “With just a phone or a computer, text can come to life in Inuktitut,” said Chris Barry, president of Microsoft Canada, in a presentation at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit hotel. The feature comes out of a partnership between Microsoft and the GN. It builds on the rollout of Inuktitut translations in 2021, followed by the additions of Inuinnaqtun and romanized Inuktitut in 2022. “My name is Taqqiq, I can read text,” said one of the voices users can choose in Inuktitut, during a demonstration. Taqqiq is the artificial intelligence-generated male voice...
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Ottawa is set to spend more than $1 billion on growing N.B.’s clean electricity grid
Canadian Press-Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says Ottawa will spend more than $1 billion on growing New Brunswick’s clean electricity grid. The federal minister told a media event in Dieppe, N.B., that Ottawa will support up to 670 megawatts of Indigenous-led wind projects with almost $1 billion in spending. It will also spend $25 million on the 25-megawatt Neweg Energy wind project in Kings County through a partnership with New Brunswick Mi’kmaq First Nations. The federal government will put another $25 million toward NB Power’s early development work to create up to 600 megawatts in energy capacity at the existing Point Lepreau Nuclear Generation Station. Guilbeault also said Ottawa has committed to supporting the conversion of the Belledune Generating Station from coal-fired power to biomass. The minister said Sunday that...
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Inuit call on federal government to end to postal strike
By Evan Careen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Inuit governments and the national advocacy group for Inuit rights are calling for an end to the Canada Post strike. They say the stoppage of mail services is disproportionately impacting Inuit communities across the north. Both Nunatsiavut Government in Labrador and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national organization representing Inuit across Inuit Nunangat, say the strike is having far-reaching impacts on Inuit since Canada Post is the only mail carrier service in much of the north. “Canada Post is a lifeline to each of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat,” ITK said in a Dec. 3 statement shared on social media. “No other carrier serves our communities, so Canada Post is the only provider of all mail and parcel delivery to tens of...
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In once tranquil N.S. town, intimidation in the lobster industry now all too common
Canadian Press-Standing by a bullet hole in his dining room wall, lobster buyer Geoffrey Jobert says such attacks have become an all-too-familiar reality in Nova Scotia’s largest fishery. Overnight on Nov. 23, someone fired a single shot that passed through three rooms in his Mavillette, N.S., home, with the shell ending its journey in a rocking chair where Jobert occasionally sits during the daylight hours. “It was pretty intense in the morning when I noticed the shot. My heart was beating … but at the same time it’s commonplace around the community for this to happen,” he said at his residence, as two security guards from his company Lobster Hub Inc. kept watch outside. The 30-year-old and his younger brother came to the area from Halifax to take over his...
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Two North Shore, Indigenous artists donate bentwood box for charity auction
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Two North Shore artists thought outside the box when crafting pieces to donate for a charity auction in Vancouver Saturday evening. The Bentwood Box Charity Auction features 20 unique bentwood boxes created by Indigenous artists across B.C., with all proceeds collected supporting the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA). Sammy Dawson is one of the artists who donated a box for the auction. Dawson is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist known for carving miniature and ceremonial masks, drums and bentwood boxes. “Crane,” the name of his piece of art, came from the inspiration of a mask carved by Mungo Martin at the Denver Art Museum. He always wanted to recreate the design and saw this as the opportunity. “It’s always a good feeling to help and...
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Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats
Canada has unveiled an Arctic foreign policy that commits to increasing domestic and international collaboration to combat emerging foreign threats in the North. The policy, released by Global Affairs Canada on Friday in Ottawa, says the North American Arctic is “no longer free from tension” because of increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has “shaken the foundations of international co-operation in the Arctic.” While the policy doesn’t commit to any new defence spending, it is aimed at helping Canada work more closely with its allies. “Canada is an Arctic nation, and we are at a critical moment. We live in a tough world, and we need to be tougher in our response,” Foreign Affairs Minister Joly said at a press conference on Friday. “I don’t think the...
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Federal fisheries proposal would slash commercial elver quota in 2025
Commercial elver fishers in the Maritimes are dismissing new quotas for the 2025 season, saying they would significantly cut their share of the lucrative baby eel fishery. In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, the federal Fisheries Department said Thursday it wants to hand 50 per cent of the total allowable catch — 4,980 kilograms — to First Nations fishers. However, in a potentially contentious move, the department is proposing that another 28 per cent of the allowable catch — 2,812 kilograms — should go to a new pilot project. The department’s plan calls for distributing that 28 per cent among people who are already involved in the fishery, including those who are working for commercial elver fishing enterprises. That means the nine existing commercial licence holders will be...
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