The LCBO has dropped plans for a pilot program that would have required customers at northwestern Ontario stores to have their identification uploaded to a database before entering, after Ontario's finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy directed the Crown corporation to cancel it.

Drivers will have to find off-street parking for another night in the Halifax area.

The municipality has announced the overnight winter parking ban will be enforced in both zones from 1 to 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15. as crews continue to work to cleanup after Tuesday night’s nor’easter.

However in a post to social media, the municipal government is asking people to avoid parking on the street through the day on Wednesday to allow snow plows to get through.

“Please park off-street to allow crews to clear snow as quickly and efficiently as possible,” the municipality wrote on X.

HRM also said regardless of the status of an overnight winter parking ban, or whether you have received a notification, vehicles can be towed, day or night, at any time of year, if they are interfering with snow-clearing operations.

One 62-year-old male from Regina died in a two-vehicle collision yesterday in the southwest.

Saskatchewan RCMP Media issued a release today, stating that officers and local paramedics responded to the call around 6:30 p.m.

A semi-truck and an SUV collided on Highway 2 south of the Mossbank junction, where the driver of the SUV was declared deceased by EMS. 

According to the news release, the driver of the semi was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Assiniboia RCMP continue to investigate with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Leamington Detachment is investigating a theft that occurred in the Municipality of Leamington.

On January 19th, 2024, members of the Leamington Detachment received a report of a lost property that occurred on January 11, 2024 in Leamington.

The property contained credit cards and identification that were used at several business in the Municipality of Leamington. Through further investigation, images of a person of interest were obtained by investigators as the cards were used at an ATM.

A lone individual is believed to be responsible for the thefts. The Essex County OPP Community Street Crime Unit is continuing the investigation and is asking anyone who can assist with identifying the person of interest to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

The post Leamington OPP Investigating Theft appeared first on Kingsville Times.

One man is in custody following the execution of a search warrant by Bay Roberts RCMP on February 13, 2024, at a home in Clarke’s Beach.

Yesterday afternoon, as part of an ongoing investigation, Bay Roberts RCMP obtained a warrant, authorized under the Criminal Code of Canada, to search a residence in Clarke’s Beach for firearms and ammunition.

Police attended the residence and conducted a search.  Inside the home, officers located and seized a total of 17 firearms and quantities of various ammunition.  Among the firearms seized were a loaded handgun with additional readily available ammunition, an AR-15 assault-style rifle and a shotgun with unsecured ammunition readily available.

The man remains in custody at this time and is expected to appear in court later today to face the following charges:

• Unauthorized possession of a firearm – two counts
• Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition
• Careless use/storage of a firearm
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized – two counts

The investigation is continuing.

James Smith Cree Nation released a new emergency alert system Wednesday, two weeks after the coroner's inquest into the stabbing massacre at the Saskatchewan First Nation.

Montreal opposition leaders will table a motion next week requesting that the fire department disclose details on private seniors’ residences which are non-compliant with fire safety regulations after The Globe and Mail revealed last month that dozens have violated the rules with impunity.

“Owners and managers of seniors’ residences must comply with the established rules,” said Abdelhaq Sari, public security spokesperson for Ensemble Montréal, the opposition party at city hall, in a video posted on social media announcing the move.

RBC says the recently announced cap on new study permits won’t lead to an outright decrease in demand for rental housing from international students this year.

But a new report from the bank about the cap finds the expected increase in rental demand from international students could fall by about 50 per cent as a result of the policy.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a temporary cap on new study permits over the next two years, as the federal government tries to get a handle on sharp growth in international student enrolments at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

The Morse Museum has a brand new program for those who love a specific artifact in its collection. 

For just $50, enthusiasts can now become a sponsor for any individual piece of the museum's 14,000-strong collection. 

The Adopt an Artifact program looks to promote the upkeep of these cherished relics, and to stir up a connection with people who hold them near and dear to their hearts. 

Morse Museum Curator, John Griffin, is excited to see which artifacts resonate with people, and which ones will garner the most interest. 

"We have a very wide variety of artifacts in our collection," said Griffin. "Anything and everything from militaria to agricultural items, blacksmithing, town history, as well as Saskatchewan history. There's a lot of artifacts that have to do with life on the prairies, settlers, what have you."

Anyone who chooses to adopt an artifact will be recognized for their contribution. Once purchased, the artifact display will update with a card reading out a small thank you to the generous sponsor, showing everyone exactly who helps keep it in good condition. 

"That way people know that they made a contribution to our museum and they're helping care for that artifact," said Griffin.

This program does replace the previous membership program. While the price is double that of the old $25 buy-in, it does offer the unique trait of the thank you card, and honouring the specific artifact of choosing. 

"I'd just like to say that the Morris Museum and Cultural Center would like to thank all those who have purchased a membership in the past and that we look forward to continuing our cordial relationships with them going forward," said Griffin. "Without our valued members, supporters, and volunteers, the museum would not exist. I would just like to thank them very much for all that they do and their contributions to our organization."

For more information and to select an artifact, folks can visit or call the Morse Museum, which is open every other day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday he had information about a serious national security threat and urged the administration to declassify the information so the U.S. and its allies can openly discuss how to respond.

Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, gave no details about the threat in his statement, including whether it was a new one.

Turner earlier Wednesday sent an email to members of Congress saying his committee had urgent classified information on a “destabilizing foreign military capability” and encouraged them to come to a SCIF, a secure area, to review the intelligence. He again provided no details.

Turner’s announcement appeared to catch the Biden administration off-guard.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing that he already had been due to brief Turner and other senior congressional intelligence leaders, known as the Gang of Eight, on Thursday. Sullivan did not disclose the topic or provide any other details related to Turner’s statement.

“I’m focused on going to see him, sit with him as well as the other House members of the Gang of Eight, tomorrow,” Sullivan said. “And I’m not in a position to say anything further from this podium at this time.”

Ellen Knickmeyer, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press is making some of its U.S. elections data available for free to more than 400 nonprofit news organizations in a program funded by the Google News Initiative, the company said on Wednesday.

The small, primarily digital newsrooms are members of the Institute for Nonprofit News. While that 15-year-old group includes some national outlets like ProPublica, most of its members are smaller organizations that cover local news, most with only a handful of employees and many that operate in areas left otherwise bereft of coverage.

On primary nights and the general election, AP will give these outlets ready-to-publish graphics with national and local results, along with information gleaned from talking to voters from AP’s VoteCast survey.

AP plays a central role tabulating results across the country on election nights, using them to declare winners of contested races, along with seeking an in-depth view of what is on voters’ minds.

Making the information available to organizations that generally haven’t had it in the past is part of AP’s effort to combat election misinformation, said David Scott, AP’s vice president and head of news strategy and operations.

AP would not say how much Google is paying to disseminate the information. The news organization sells more complete data and survey results, along with its journalists’ political coverage, to larger organizations all over the world.

The initiative will allow INN members to deploy its journalists for news coverage on election nights, instead of the laborious work of counting and tabulating votes in local races, said Jonathan Kealing, INN’s chief network officer. Some larger and national organizations offer consumers detailed election information, but usually don’t have the capacity to cover local races of interest to readers of INN publications, he said.

“This makes it easier for these individuals to find news in the place where they look to get it first,” Kealing said.

The organization’s members have a median of four staffers and $271,000 in revenue, he said. Newsrooms at the Mississippi Free Press, San Antonio Report in Texas, Charlottesville Tomorrow in Virginia and Fresnoland in California have expressed particular interest in this information, he said.

The free benefit is limited to the 90% of INN members with annual revenue of $5 million or less. Members are vetted for a commitment to editorial independence and nonpartisanship.

Throughout 2024, AP’s democracy efforts include explaining to readers how its election tabulation and analysis works. For example, the service wrote stories as part of the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary coverage that explained what went into AP declaring a winner before all of the votes are tabulated.

“We think there’s no better way to fight misinformation than to be fully transparent about how we go about collecting the vote,” Scott said.

David Bauder, The Associated Press

Protecting prairie grasslands is a main focus for the Nature Conservancy of Canada and a recent purchase in southwestern Sask. allows them to bolster their existing portfolio in this field.

The non-profit organization struck a deal with the Mackie Ranch in the fall of 2023, for the third time, to expand their project situated along the eastern shoreline of Chaplin Lake.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada acquired 640 hectares in the transaction moving its total to 1,286 hectares at this location.

Eric Cleland, the Sask. director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, said they now own nearly half of the multi-generational Mackie Ranch.

"What makes the project exciting for us, is when we have an opportunity to acquire lands that have been stewarded quite well and are great representative examples of prairie grasslands in a healthy condition," he said.

The site is extremely rare in Canada as it is one of only three saline lakes in the country, with it being the second largest. It's also one of a trio that's been designated with hemispheric importance to shorebirds.

Mackie Ranch features a very diverse shorebird kingdom for sanderling, semipalmated sandpiper, Baird's sandpiper, and piping plover. Red knots are also known to frequent the area according to Cleland.

"It's a shorebird that we're excited to protect some habitat for because it's a known hot spot for that species," he said. 

Several other species visit the property that are listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act. This includes the chestnut-collared longspur (threatened), ferruginous hawk (threatened), and long-billed curlew (special concern).

"There are a lot of species that rely on large intact landscapes," he said. 

The property is nestled between the remaining Mackie Ranch, Shamrock Community Pasture, and the Coteau Hills Community Pasture.

"There's a really large complex now of well-managed grasslands that support biodiversity and the agricultural industry, so it's a nice mix," he said. 

Holland Nurseries says it’s learned from the last few years, when snowstorms have thwarted Valentine Day plans. And as owner John Frecker tells the CBC’s Jeremy Eaton, staff are busy filling orders, for those who left it to the last minute — even amid the widely-known forecast.

Manitoba man who was switched at birth receives Métis citizenship Read More »

Winnipeg police say officers fatally shot a 59-year-old man wielding a “large edged weapon” at his North End home Tuesday morning.

The Winnipeg Police Service says officers were at the home on Magnus Avenue near Main Street to transport the man to hospital for a non-voluntary physician examination.

Officers arrived shortly before 7:30 a.m. and were met at the door by the man holding a crowbar, according to police. They allege he was agitated and used a fire extinguisher towards officers before locking himself in the home.

Police say members from the WPS tactical support team (TST) were called, and they eventually breached the home.

“(Officers) continued their attempts to communicate with the male, who had now barricaded himself in a second-story bedroom,” WPS acting Chief Art Stannard said at a press conference. “The male again discharged a fire extinguisher at TST members.”

That’s when the man walked out of the bedroom with the edged weapon, according to police, and officers shot him. He was taken to Heath Sciences Centre in critical condition, where he died of his injuries.

Winnipeg police say they first received the order under the Manitoba mental Health Act to take the man to hospital on Feb. 8, but attempts to apprehend him during the following days were not successful.

Manitoba’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU), has been notified and is investigating. Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to come forward.

Stannard says the WPS has a history with the man for mental-health issues.

He adds the situation did not call for Alternative Response to Citizens in Crisis (ARCC), the response team made up of a officer and clinician used in certain instances involving a mental-health crisis.

“Based on the information we had, it was not a response for AARC at all,” he said. “Absolutely not. The safety conditions and the information we had, it was definitely a police response.”

More coming.

The post 59-year-old man fatally shot by Winnipeg police in North End appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg.

What if you never had to buy, fix or maintain a furnace or air conditioner to keep your home comfy? What if they worked even during power outages, and you could count on them becoming more efficient and climate-friendly over time? That's the promise of district heating or district energy.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly is appealing the five-game suspension that was handed to him on Tuesday, the team announced.

Because the suspension is under six games, Rielly’s lone appeal option is to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

“The Commissioner will endeavour to hear all appeals on an expedited basis and will determine whether the decision was supported by clear and convincing evidence,” the league states. 

Rielly was assessed a match penalty in the final five seconds of a 5-3 loss against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Feb. 10, after Ridly Greig fired a slap shot into the empty net, and Rielly responded by cross-checking the 21-year-old up high.

In explaining the decision, the league said it was not a hockey play and added a strike to the head was easily avoidable.

Rielly was supposed to have an in-person hearing, which meant the Department of Player Safety would have the option to suspend him for more than five games. Although he initially planned to travel to New York City for the hearing, Rielly opted to do it virtually due to a snowstorm in the area.

This is the first time Rielly has been suspended in his 11-year career. Before Saturday night, the defenceman had eight minutes in penalties this season.

The 29-year-old missed Tuesday’s 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues, a game in which the Maple Leafs were also without Mitch Marner and John Tavares, who were out with an illness.

Toronto hosts the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

On February 13, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced as antisemitic a pro-Palestinian protest on Monday that passed by Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on its way to the US embassy because one or two protesters climbed the scaffold. of the building Thanks to the Ben Cohen of the Toronto Star, we found out that it was Spider-Man for Palestine who climbed the scaffold. He is at all the marches and regularly climbs scaffolds. He probably didn’t even notice it was a Jewish hospital. Yet without hesitation Trudeau, Doug Ford and even Mayor Olivia Chow and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh denounced the protest as antisemitic.

I was on that march at its beginning in front of the Israeli embassy at Yonge and Dundas streets. It started at 5:30 p.m. as an emergency protest of Israel’s attack on Rafah. As most pro-Palestinian marches, it continued marching around town, down Yonge to Dundas, stop at Dundas Square, across Dundas to University Ave. and down to the U.S. embassy. Mount Sinai Hosptial is on the march route every week and no-one has ever stopped there. Almost every week much to the amazement of this old protester, the march goes on and on and athletic young people, mostly men, climb on every scaffold they see, waving flags. On the first march I went on I saw a young Palestinian man with a flag, arm and arm at the top of a scaffold with a Sephardic Jew.

Spider-Man for Palestine is always on the marches climbing everything he can see. It’s his schtick as the Star points out.

So why the instant reaction from political leaders in the city, province, and country? They are under pressure from the Jewish community for fear of a rise of antisemitism. There has been a rise of antisemitism at this time of the genocidal attack of Israel on Gaza. As one of the more public Jews in Canada, I have often experienced antisemitism at moments when Israel is in the news, but I have never experienced antisemitism in the Palestinian marches. In fact, this march as many others had a large contingent of Jews opposing Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

The reaction to Spider-Man for Palestine would be funny if it wasn’t for the increasing anti-democratic pressure against those who agree with South Africa that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

The rise in antisemitism pales in comparison to the anti-Palestinian attacks we’ve seen since October 7. Yet political leaders don’t seem concerned that meetings on Palestinian issues have been cancelled for no good reason, that students who want to speak out for Palestine have been threatened with sanctions and a few people feel they lost jobs or engagements because of their views. Yet there is little concern for incidents of anti-Palestinian racism expressed by those in power.

When I saw the attacks against law students at Toronto Metropolitan University for writing a letter in support of Gaza, it reminded me of the attacks we faced at McGill in the 1960’s for opposing the war in Viet Nam. An entire generation rose up against the war in Viet Nam just as an entire generation around the world is rising up today in support of the Palestinians.

The police will no doubt use this incident to crack down ever harder on these extraordinary demonstrations. I have been an activist for more than 50 years and I have never seen a more persistent, passionate, diverse and caring mobilization of people than the pro-Palestinian marches. The Palestinian Youth Movement has impressed me with their organization and spirit.

Do I agree with every chant, every speech? Probably not but it’s a coalition. Back in the day we chanted, “Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Cong are going to win.” I’m sure it shocked some of the more moderate marchers but a march is a coalition. Frankly I don’t understand how anyone cannot support the people of Gaza at this moment.

As a Jew it worries me a lot that Zionists equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. I have been threatened by real anti-semitism. But creating panic over a false accusation of antisemitism does nothing to stop real antisemitism from taking root.

The post False accusations of antisemitism appeared first on rabble.ca.

NL Health Services advises the public of the following service changes due to adverse weather today.

• Outpatient blood collection clinics offered at locations other than hospitals in Eastern zones have been cancelled. Blood collection will continue at hospitals as usual.
• Central bookings for outpatient medical imaging services will be unavailable for the remainder of the day.
• Urgent care services at Dr. William H. Newhook Community Health Centre in Whitbourne are closed for the remainder of the day. Please note that paramedic services at the site are not impacted by the change in service.

• The community walk-in clinic located at 50 Mundy Pond Road in St. John’s will be closed for the remainder of the day.

NL Health Services reminds the public that, due to adverse weather, all Eastern-Urban and Eastern-Rural zone administrative buildings and community buildings/health sites that do not provide a 24-hour service, with the exception of the dialysis treatment centres located at Mount Pearl Square and Coish Place in Clarenville, are closed today (Feb. 14). Eastern-Urban and Eastern-Rural zone hospitals, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre, long-term care facilities, and other sites with 24-hour operations will remain open, and emergency services continue to be available.