Supreme Court judge quits amid probe over alleged drunken fight

A Canadian Supreme Court judge being probed for alleged involvement in a drunken fight resigned on Monday, marking the first time a member of the top court has resigned amid questions of misconduct.

Russell Brown, appointed to the nine-judge court in August 2015, had stepped aside in February after reports emerged of a confrontation with a U.S. Marine veteran in an Arizona resort in late January.

The veteran told reporters that Brown had been drunk and made women at the resort feel uncomfortable. Brown denied this, saying the veteran was intoxicated and had punched him several times in the face without warning.

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Alberta wildfires increase again, threatening air quality and energy production

The number of wildfires burning in Alberta is on the rise again, hurting air quality across the region and threatening oil and gas production.

The province had 76 active wildfires, up from 71 on Friday, with 23 burning out of control, according to provincial data on Monday. Smoke from the blazes — which are most active in the central and western parts of the province — was set to drift south to Calgary on Tuesday, worsening the air quality into the “high risk” category, according to Environment Canada.

Some relief is expected in the coming days, with rain and cooler weather set to help firefighters.

The amount of land burned has risen to a record 1.4 million hectares in the province.

#Alberta #wildfires

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Majority side with N.B. premier on gender identity: poll

The numbers from a national poll collected by market research firm Leger in May show that Premier Blaine Higgs appears to be on the right side of public opinion.

🔹The poll suggests that 57 per cent agree that schools should have to tell parents about their child’s desire to change their gender or pronouns. Meanwhile, less than a fifth — 18 per cent — feel schools shouldn’t tell parents.

🔹The same poll also asked respondents whether schools should have to place classroom materials on gender identity and sensitive race-related topics on their websites ahead of time so that parents could view them. Roughly 47 per cent polled nationally said “yes.”

🔹Meanwhile, 51 per cent of respondents feel the public school system is “moving in the wrong direction” when asked generally about education.

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Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie to run for leader of Ontario Liberal Party

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie has officially registered to run for leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Crombie is expected to formally announce her run at a press conference on Wednesday.

Earlier, Ontario Premier Doug Ford addressed the speculation that Crombie was considering a run, saying it would be a “slap in the face” to Mississauga residents for her to remain as mayor while running for Liberal leader.

Crombie later explained that exploring a leadership bid with the Ontario Liberal Party while remaining mayor would not present any conflicts — she would not back down from Ford either way.

#Ontario

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NDP tables pharmacare bill to pressure government

The NDP has tabled legislation to establish a universal single-payer pharmacare system in Canada.

"We believe no one should have to choose between buying their medication or buying their groceries, and this bill will move us towards that," party leader Jagmeet Singh said.

The creation of a national universal pharmacare program by the end of the year is a condition of the House of Commons supply-and-confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP.

#healthcare

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Notley to stay on as NDP leader, but will take time to consider future role

Alberta New Democratic Party Leader Rachel Notley said Tuesday that while she is staying on as leader, she’s also considering her future as the party begins evaluating its election campaign and performance.

She added she’ll review “a whole range of factors” in deciding on her future.

Notley said her party’s shadow cabinet could be announced next week following a party caucus meeting in Calgary this Thursday.

#Alberta

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President of Calgary's Black Lives Matter movement charged with hate crime

The head of the Black Lives Matter movement in Calgary has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly impeding access to a Catholic school.

Court records show Adora Nwofor was charged with mischief on June 2, in connection with an incident on May 26, for allegedly “wilfully obstructing and interfering” with the use of a property “primarily used for religious worship and educational purposes.”

It’s alleged she interfered with people’s use of St. Thomas Aquinas School on 26 Avenue S.W. “for reasons of bias, prejudice, or hate based on race or ethnic origin.”

#Alberta

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RCMP opens investigation into claims China intimidated MP Chong

The head of the RCMP says the national police force is investigating allegations China attempted to target and intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family.

Commissioner Mike Duheme also told MPs on the procedure and House affairs committee Tuesday morning that he only learned about the matter recently, despite the fact that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) drafted a memo on the matter back in 2021.

The committee is studying an alleged 2021 Beijing plot to amass information on Chong's family in retaliation for his efforts to recognize the persecution of Uyghurs as genocide. Duheme said Chong's case is one of more than 100 investigations the RCMP has opened on foreign interference.

#China

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Raises for hospital workers who fought Doug Ford’s pay cap

Hospital workers whose unions battled Prime Minister Doug Ford’s unions Bill 124 The wage cap legislation — limiting raises to one percent annually — led to a 3.75 percent wage increase last year and 2.5 percent this year.

On Tuesday, arbitrator William Kaplan awarded raises for 45,000 registered practical nurses, personal care workers, cooks, laboratory technicians and other occupations, including food service aides.

While the increases are below inflation, which peaked at 8 percent last year, “I think they will be well received,” said Michael Gurley of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.

#healthcare

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Top Toronto mayoral candidates to attend debate in final campaign stretch

The seven leading candidates in Toronto's mayoral byelection are participating in another debate tonight as the race to lead Canada's most populous city enters its final stretch.

The debate will air live at 7 p.m. and focus on key campaign issues including housing, affordability, public safety and traffic congestion.

Among invited candidates are NDP parliamentarian Olivia Chow, city councillor Josh Matlow, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, councillor Brad Bradford and former Liberal provincial education minister Mitzie Hunter.

Journalist Anthony Furey was also invited: he had not been included in a number of previous mayoral debates but has gained some traction among voters according to recent polling data.

The byelection to replace John Tory, who resigned in February after admitting to an affair with a staffer, is set for June 26.

#Ontario

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🇨🇦🇷🇺 Russia threatens to cut relations with Canada over cargo plane seizure

Moscow is warning that relations with Canada are "on the verge of being severed" after the federal Liberal government moved to forfeit a massive Russian cargo plane.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine on the weekend, where he announced that Canada officially seized an airplane that had been sitting on the tarmac at Toronto's Pearson International Airport since February 2022.

"We perceive this act as cynical and shameless theft," Russia's foreign ministry said in an English-language statement posted Tuesday.

#Russia #Trudeau

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Ontario will have $22.6B in 'excess funds' that could be used on programs or debt

Ontario's budget watchdog says a look at the province's spending plan shows there will be $22.6 billion in excess funds over the next few years.

The Financial Accountability Office says through to 2025-26 the government's spending plan is $5.6 billion higher each year on average than the FAO's projections.

The $22.6 billion represents money that isn't needed to fund existing or announced programs, so it could go toward new programs, enhancing existing programs, offset any new financial pressures that materialize or pay down the province's net debt.

The FAO estimates that the health sector represents about $4.4 billion in excess funds, but most of the rest are likely contingency funds.

#Ontario

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Canada suspends work with Asian infrastructure bank amid allegations of Chinese Communist Party control

Canada is suspending involvement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank after a high-ranking executive left the organization saying it has a “toxic culture” and is being controlled by China’s communist dictatorship.

The bank was launched in 2016, with Canada joining in 2018 and contributing US$995 million, according to the bank’s website. At today’s exchange rates that would be a contribution of US$1.35 billion. The bank is meant to invest in large infrastructure projects.

Bob Pickard, who was the bank’s director general of communications, announced on Twitter Monday that he was tendering his resignation.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government is suspending its activities at the bank and considering its options.

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Danielle Smith says she's been banned from posting on Facebook for a "few days"

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took to Twitter to say she has been banned from posting on Facebook for a few days.

“Big tech and government censorship is becoming a danger to free speech around the world,” Smith tweeted.

According to Smith, the ban will last “a few days” and she can’t post anything to her Facebook page until it is removed.

“As the Premier of a province of 4.6 million Albertans- if they can prevent me from communicating with you, imagine what they can do to any one of us,” she said.

#Alberta

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🇨🇦🇭🇹 Canada to coordinate Haiti security aid from Dominican Republic

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has announced that Canada will launch a “joint security coordination cell” to respond to the ongoing crisis in Haiti this summer.

In an announcement on Thursday during a ministerial meeting, Joly said Canada will lead the effort from Haiti’s neighbour, the Dominican Republic.

The cell will “enhance international efforts in security assistance, working closely with the Haitian National Police and the United Nations to foster a sustainable environment for long-term peace and security in Haiti,” Joly said in a subsequent tweet.

The foreign minister did not specify why Canada would in part work out of the Dominican Republic.

#Haiti #DominicanRepublic

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Largest single seizure of meth among 6,300 kg of the drug recently confiscated by B.C. border agents

The Canada Border Services Agency says it has confiscated more than 6,300 kilograms of methamphetamine in British Columbia over the last six months, including the largest-ever single seizure of the drug.

The agency says the drugs were found in four Metro Vancouver seizures in jugs labelled as canola oil and destined for export to Australia.

In December of last year, agents in Burnaby found 40 jugs containing just over 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, and a month later, 180 containers with 2,900 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine were seized coming through the container examination facility in Delta.

The agency says in a statement that the January discovery was enough to fill 35 large suitcases and is its largest methamphetamine seizure to date.

In May, two other major seizures happened at the container examination facility, where more than 3,000 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine was discovered.

The agency says the seizures were a result of collaboration between officials in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

#NewZealand #Australia

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B.C. announces universal coverage for medication to treat opioid addiction

British Columbia says it's the first province in Canada to provide universal coverage for eligible medications used for the treatment of opioid-use disorder.

On Thursday the province announced that as of June 6, opioid agonist treatment (OAT), which uses medications such as methadone or Suboxone to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms and help people work toward recovery, will be universally covered for any B.C. resident with an active medical services plan.

The province said during the 2021-22 fiscal year 32,882 people received coverage of OAT treatment medications through PharmaCare, B.C.'s publicly funded program that helps residents pay for some prenoscription drugs. A further 1,638 patients paid out of pocket for the medications.

Under the new rules, those patients will now be 100 per cent covered for OAT medication costs under another provincial coverage plan called Plan Z.

#BritishColumbia

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📉 François Legault approval rating drops 7 points to 48%

According to a new study by the Angus Reid Institute, the approval rating of Quebec Premier François Legault has decreased to 48%, 7 points lower than in March when it was last measured.

Legault currently sits in third place, behind Scott Moe of Saskatchewan (57%) and Tim Houston of Nova Scotia (55%).

The approval rating of François Legault hit an all-time high of 77% in June 2020; his lowest approval rating was 43%, in September 2022.

#Quebec

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