‘Geyser’ in Montreal after major water main break floods streets and homes
MONTREAL (CP) – A break in a major underground water main near Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Bridge sent water gushing down streets and inside homes on Friday morning, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said many residents east of downtown woke up around 6 a.m. to firefighters urging them to vacate their homes because of flooding risks from the “geyser” that erupted at the corner of René-Lévesque Boulevard and de Lorimier Avenue.
Images broadcast by media showed water gushing from the intersection in the densely populated neighbourhood near the bridge, and witnesses said that at its peak it was shooting 10 metres high.
The source of the flooding is a pipe more than two metres in diameter installed in 1985, said officials, who explained the asphalt and concrete above the broken section of pipe will need to be excavated before they know how serious the problem is.
Jacob Hoggard now behind bars after appeal dismissed, lawyer says
TORONTO (CP) – Jacob Hoggard’s lawyers say the former Hedley frontman is now serving his sentence after Ontario’s top court dismissed his appeal of his sexual assault conviction.
The musician’s legal team says he surrendered into custody before the ruling was delivered today.
In a statement, the lawyers say that while they maintain Hoggard’s trial was unfair, they respect the court’s decision and will be reviewing the judgment to determine their next steps.
The appeal court unanimously upheld Hoggard’s conviction despite finding his trial should not have heard the evidence of a psychologist who testified on the neurobiology of trauma.
Hoggard, the former frontman for the band Hedley, was found guilty in June 2022 of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman and later sentenced to five years behind bars.
Mpox strain spreading in African countries could arrive in Canada, doctors say
By: Nicole Ireland
(CP) – The type of mpox spreading rapidly through several African countries could arrive in Canada, where that strain hasn’t appeared before, Canadian experts say.
The detection of clade I mpox in Sweden in someone who had travelled to an affected African country is a “harbinger” of broader spread, said Dr. Fahad Razak, an internal medicine specialist and epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden said Thursday it is the first case of clade I mpox to be diagnosed outside the African continent.
Razak said he wasn’t surprised to learn about the case.
“It was only a matter of time,” he said in an interview. “Canada being a major port of travel globally — we’re one of the most travelled high-income countries in the world… I think we should expect that cases will occur here.”
The World Health Organization’s declaration on Wednesday that mpox is a public health emergency of international concern was partly based on the surge of clade I in Congo and its appearance in nearby Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda — four countries that had not had mpox of any kind before.
Safety agency report blames BC Wildfire Service again in another firefighter’s 2023 death
By: Dirk Meissner
VICTORIA, B.C. (CP) – British Columbia’s Forests Ministry says it is doing everything possible to keep those who fight wildfires in the province safe, while the government workers’ union wants more protections following two condemning reports into deaths of firefighters.
Two separate reports from B.C.’s workers safety agency released this week into the deaths of two firefighters cited safety, supervision and training concerns connected to the BC Wildfire Service, the province’s wildfire suppression department.
Devyn Gale died near Revelstoke while Zak Muise was killed near Fort St. John. They were among four firefighters who died last July in Canada. It was one of the deadliest fire seasons in recent memory.
The union represents about 2,000 wildland firefighters, who Finch said are incredibly dedicated professionals.
B.C. court orders pro-Palestinian camp at Vancouver Island University to shut down
VANCOUVER (CP) – Pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., have been told to pack up within 72 hours.
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association says a judge in Vancouver granted an injunction ordering the encampment removed on Thursday, and that no further camps be established in the same area for 150 days.
The university went to court against the protest following an Ontario court decision that granted the University of Toronto an injunction against an encampment there.
The encampments against the Israel-Hamas war began popping up at Canadian universities this spring, including the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria, with protesters demanding the institutions cut ties with Israeli firms and institutions.
Alberta Premier Smith says legislation on school pronouns coming after September
By: Lisa Johnson
EDMONTON (CP) – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will introduce legislation on pronouns in schools after classes begin in September.
Smith said the new policy requiring parents to consent before children under 16 can change their names or pronouns in schools will be proposed in the fall legislature session that begins in late October.
Her comments come about three weeks before most Alberta kindergarten to Grade 12 schools open their classrooms.
Smith said she intends to bring legislation forward for a suite of policies she first announced in January.
Those include restricting transgender youth access to gender-affirming health care, banning transgender participation in female sports, and requiring parental consent or notification on sex education and changes to pronouns and names in schools.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups Egale Canada and Skipping Stone Foundation have said if Alberta moves ahead with the proposed changes, they would bring legal action.
Canada lists old NYC residence for $13M, surpassing cost of new luxury condo
By: Mickey Djuric
OTTAWA (CP) – Canada is selling its former Manhattan residence, which used to house its consulate general in New York.
The 12 room, five-bedroom apartment located on Park Avenue was listed Thursday at over $13 million, which is expected to exceed the purchase of its new $9 million Manhattan condo located on Billionaires’ Row.
Global Affairs Canada said the new condo is smaller and more suitable, saying that the old unit, which was purchased in 1961 and last renovated in 1982, needed updates to the electrical, heating, ventilation and plumbing.
It also did not comply with the 2021 Accessible Canada Act, which mandates barrier-free environments, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.
The department says the new condo will save Canadian taxpayers millions of dollars and reduce ongoing maintenance costs and property taxes while supporting future program needs.
But the Opposition Conservatives charge that only Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and “his wasteful Liberal government would believe it was a better deal to quadruple the cost to taxpayers and buy a new luxury condo for $9 million instead of making repairs.”
