Sentencing hearing for killer of Stanley Park photographer abruptly adjourned
A man who stabbed a unsuspecting stranger to death on the Stanley Park seawall in 2017 told undercover officers he did it to silence voices he'd been hearing in his head for years, B.C. Lagimodiere, now 31, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Lubomir Kunik. His sentencing hearing began with submissions from Crown counsel in the morning, but came to halt after Lagimodiere began shouting loudly in court that he wanted to fire his lawyer. Lagimodiere pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December. As second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, the sentencing hearing was held to determine when Lagimodiere might be eligible for parole.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 22:46 UTC
Iran won't say what caused mysterious fire at nuclear site
They also focused almost entirely on Iran's nuclear program, viewed by Israel as a danger to its very existence. "The Homeland Cheetahs" is the opposition group taking responsibility of the explosion in Netanz. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and Iranian technicians at the Natanz site on Jan. 20, 2014. (Kazem Ghane/AFP/Getty Images)The video did, however, call it the Kashan nuclear site, rather than Natanz. Iranians uniformly call the nuclear site Natanz.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 21:33 UTC
Mounties investigate fatal stabbing outside courthouse in Prince George
The RCMP is investigating the fatal stabbing of a 26-year-old woman Thursday night outside the courthouse in Prince George. The Mounties say they received a report of the stabbing around 10 p.m. and found the woman suffering from at least one stab wound. Officers administered first aid and the woman was taken to hospital, where she died of her injuries Friday morning, RCMP said. The Prince George RCMP serious crime unit is leading the investigation and police say they're looking to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident. The woman's identity has not been released.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 20:48 UTC
Racial slur used against South Asians hurled at Halifax cabbie
After picking up a man from a downtown Halifax hotel, Kuldip Dhunna said the passenger began coughing. Dhunna said the man, who was white, then began telling him to go back to his country and started calling him a racial slur typically used against people of South Asian descent. This embedded video contains racist languageIn the video, the passenger tells Dhunna he's "sick and tired of immigrants." The taxi driver then told the passenger the encounter was being recorded and that he intended to report the passenger to police. Shivani Dhunna said when her father told her what happened, her heart broke.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 20:03 UTC
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/initiatives/fresh_air_fund/2020/07/03/camp-means-joy-and-adventure-for-our-kids-and-theyve-never-needed-it-more/dreamstime_l_30628963.jpg)
Camp means joy and adventure for our kids — and they’ve never needed it more
Summer camp? The Fresh Air Fund was established in 1901, when Wilfrid Laurier was prime minister and Ed Sullivan was a newborn in cloth diapers. I get that summer camp sounds ridiculous at this time. The fundraising goal for the Fresh Air Fund this strange year is $650,000. How to donateWith your gift, the Fresh Air Fund can help send disadvantaged and special needs children to camp.
Source:thestar
July 03, 2020 19:07 UTC
Canadian researchers help find evidence of ancient ochre mine in Mexican caves
New research reveals why ancient inhabitants of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula may have ventured deep into the underground labyrinths despite the danger: to mine red ochre. (CINDAQ.ORG)"This activity of mining, finding the ochre, extracting the ochre would have been a pretty big endeavour." A diver explores the ochre mine, which holds some of the best-preserved evidence of ancient peoples in the western hemisphere. MacDonald said ochre — a mix of iron oxide, clay and other minerals — is most often associated with ancient cave and rock paintings. The researchers don't know how early Yucatan residents used the material, but elsewhere in the world there is evidence of it being used in mortuary practices and rituals.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 18:11 UTC
Toronto police issued 13 speeding tickets per hour during enforcement blitz
How easy is it to catch speeding drivers in Toronto? During a six-day enforcement blitz, police issued 1,888 speeding tickets — that's an average of 13 tickets per hour. Overall, Toronto police issued 2,800 tickets during the June 22 to June 28 blitz, which targeted speeding and dangerous driving, as well as impaired and distracted driving. Here's a breakdown of the tickets handed out:Speeding — 1,888. At least 18 people, meanwhile, were charged with stunt driving or related charges that led to driving suspensions and their vehicles being impounded.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 18:11 UTC
Vancouver keeps it cool for the start of summer — literally
A week of unseasonably cool temperatures in Metro Vancouver is coming to a showery, cloudy end with a sunny break on the horizon this weekend. Grey skies and temperatures in the mid-to-high-teens across the region this week prompted some to reach for extra layers. At the Vancouver International Airport on Thursday, temperatures dipped to 14.8 C, among the coldest July days in two decades. 🤯 —@CherylKoehnVery cool to see that Vancouver's summer weather is fully embracing the 2020 vibe ☔️☔️☔️ —@jillkathleenmIt’s another day of “July-uary” here in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vancouver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vancouver</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Weather?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Weather</a> <a href="https://t.co/XOOJj2zbLu">pic.twitter.com/XOOJj2zbLu</a> —@NargesNirumvalaMuch of the South Coast will be drying out throughout this weekend and into next week.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 17:37 UTC
Iran dumps Flight 752 investigator after he suggests Tehran kept airspace open to conceal 'imminent' attack
The crash of Flight 752 killed 176 people, including 57 Canadians. Flight 752 was shot down just four hours after the strike on the U.S. base. Dozens of Canadians, as well as students and academics studying in Canada, were killed in the downing of Flight 752. Ralph Goodale, Canada's special adviser to the Trudeau government on the Flight 752 file, said the phone call "constitutes outrageous behaviour." Esmaeilion lost his wife, Parisa Eghbalian, and their nine-year-old daughter Reera in the destruction of Flight 752.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 17:33 UTC
Delta teacher faces child pornography charges after tip from service provider
A Delta, B.C., teacher has been charged with possession of child pornography, according to Surrey RCMP. Surrey resident Elazar Reshef, 52, was charged with three counts of child pornography-related offences on Thursday. Surrey RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) launched an investigation in March 2019 after an electronic service provider filed a tip to a U.S.-based nonprofit alleging that an account user was in possession of child pornography. The Delta School District said the safety and wellbeing of its students is of paramount concern. "This team of trained investigators is dedicated to protecting children from harm and vigorously pursuing those who access, distribute, or create child pornography," Sidhu said.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 17:26 UTC
Province urges water conservation as surface, groundwater levels drop
The government is asking New Brunswickers to conserve water because an especially dry end of June has lowered the water levels in surface and groundwater tables. The province also suggests taking quick showers, and only running dishwashers and washing machines when they're full. "A slow steady rainfall over a period of days is needed to help improve low water levels," said Carr. As of 1:30 p.m. the province was under a yellow fire advisory, meaning no fires can be lit until 8 p.m. Since July, August and September are traditionally dry times, conserving water is necessary.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 17:15 UTC
Boy, 14, charged with 1st-degree murder of woman, 'shocking' string of shootings and assaults: police
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder and a range of other serious offences in connection with unrelated shootings that killed one woman and injured five people in Winnipeg. A 14-year-old boy is now charged with first-degree murder. They said they believe an unidentified woman was shot at on the 100 block of Isabel Street between the first two incidents. Police said they believe the woman and a man she was with then left the area on foot. (Submitted by Laura Cote)Murray didn't say whether investigators knew of a specific motive, though he suggested first-degree murder charges are usually laid in premeditated murders.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 15:50 UTC
Fewer than 10% of police watchdog investigations in Canada end in charges against officers, analysis finds
An analysis of data from civilian police watchdogs in Canada shows that most of their investigations do not result in charges against officers. They may be taken to mean that watchdogs cast wide nets in their investigations and officers in most cases were justified in their use of force. They're a welcome addition to police oversight, given that the alternative sees police or watchdogs from outside jurisdictions conduct investigations, Laming said. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) closed 416 cases in 2018 and charged officers in 15 of them. In the vast majority of cases, officers were not charged and Palmer said that shows they operated legally.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 15:33 UTC
Inuit gov. in Labrador, Canada tells out-of-province travellers to stay away despite ‘Atlantic bubble’
The government of Nunatsiavut, the Inuit region of the Atlantic Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, is asking out-of-province travellers to refrain from travelling their region even though the Atlantic region as a whole lifted the ban on interprovincial travel July 3. The premiers of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, lifted the ban Friday after getting COVID-19 numbers largely under control. There are currently no active cases being reported in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island. Concerns remain on travel into Inuit communitiesHowever, despite this, the government of Nunatsiavut says it still needs to be vigilant. Nunatsiavut’s population of 2,560 is spread out between five communities along the Atlantic coast: Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet.
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 15:22 UTC
Federal government, WE Charity agree to part ways on summer student grant program
The federal Liberal government and the WE Charity are ending a partnership that would have seen the charity distribute around $900 million in federal student grants this summer. A spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Office said Grégoire Trudeau's involvement with WE was cleared by the federal ethics commissioner. "Certainly there are certain things that we will not be able to do as government delivers this program directly," Trudeau said. The grant provides eligible students with up to $5,000 each to help cover the cost of post-secondary education this fall. WE said any federal funds earmarked for WE to administer the grant "will be returned in full to the government."
Source:CBC News
July 03, 2020 14:10 UTC