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Suspect in fatal drunk-driving crash beaten in jail	31/08/07
GM to slash 1,000 jobs at Oshawa, Ont., plant	30/08/07
Helmsley dog gets $12 million, grandchildren zilch	29/08/07
Foreign firefighters join Greece battle	28/08/07
Ten arrested in Russian journalist's death	27/08/07
Wedding goes ahead despite crash that killed six	26/08/07
Two dead, 11 injured after B.C. balloon crash	25/08/07
Former astronaut Lisa Nowak to testify	24/08/07
Officers never posed as protesters: Quebec police	23/08/07
N.L. premier to announce deal on Hebron oil project	22/08/07
Leaders begin talks in Montebello amid protests	21/08/07
Caymans and Cancun expecting worst of hurricane	20/08/07
Jamaica prepares for wrath of Hurricane Dean	19/08/07
Canada tackles the food import safety issue	18/08/07
Government computers linked to Wikipedia edits	17/08/07
Hundreds dead after 7.9-magnitude quake in Peru	16/08/07
Troubled Manitoba reserve buries bullying victim	15/08/07
'Sleepees' herbal pills contain prescription drugs	14/08/07
NASA weighs need for repairs on shuttle gash	13/08/07
Entertainer and mogul Merv Griffin dies at 82	12/08/07
Williams becomes third Canadian to walk in space	11/08/07
Third case of foot-and-mouth disease suspected	10/08/07
Montreal police crack 1984 murder of actress	09/08/07
No charges in 'friendly fire' death: army report	08/08/07
Infected inmates pose wider health risk: studies	07/08/07
Millions displaced as floods recede in south Asia	06/08/07
Flood waters recede, 19 million displaced	05/08/07
U.S. soldier found guilty of rape and murder	04/08/07
Death toll hits 5 in Minneapolis bridge collapse	03/08/07
Bridge collapse rescue shifts to recovery effort	02/08/07
Triple-murder suspect due in court following arrest	01/08/07

Suspect in fatal drunk-driving crash beaten in jail Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug.  30 2007  22:06  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 31st, 2007 A man accused of a drunk-driving crash that killed a 17-year-old girl has suffered a beating in his Quebec jail cell, police said Thursday. Authorities allege Remi William Comeau, 51, was driving home from a strip club in Gatineau, Que. Tuesday night when his truck hit Marie-Helene Primeau. At the time, she was riding her bicycle across Lady Aberdeen Bridge. Police allege the same truck had already crashed into two other vehicles, injuring two people. Police charged Comeau Wednesday with "driving while intoxicated causing death." He has had two prior drunk-driving convictions. A court fined him for impaired driving in Quebec in 1992, and two years later a second offence landed him in jail for two weeks. On Thursday, Comeau was transferred to hospital after he said he was beaten in his Gatineau jail cell. Police have not disclosed who attacked him, but did say he suffered a black eye and head injuries.	A memorial for Marie-Helene Primeau on Lady Aberdeen Bridge where she was hit seen here Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007. Remi William Comeau, 51, is seen Tuesday night after his truck hit Marie-Helene Primeau.
Meanwhile, friends of Primeau continue to mourn her death. They described her as outgoing and an ambitious art student at CEGEP Felix Leclerc in Gatineau. "She always had a smile, always laughing about nothing," Gabrielle Cote told CTV Ottawa. Cote spoke with Primeau at her locker three days before her friend died. "Today, she's gone," she said. If police allegations against Comeau are proven in court, it will raise difficult questions for bar owners. Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said bars and clubs are legally responsible for not serving customers who are clearly intoxicated, and must guard against drunk patrons driving home. "You can't just throw a drunk out, particularly when that person is likely to go to a vehicle and then wreak havoc," he said. That could mean calling a cab for the customer, driving them home, or even calling the police.	The scene of the crash on the Lady Aberdeen Bridge in Gatineau, Que. Tuesday night. The case was splashed over the pages of The Ottawa Citizen Thursday.
"It's part of a bar owner's responsibility to, first of all, actually ensure that their patrons don't get drunk," said Greenspon. "And secondly, if by some chance they do, that they're not going to be getting into a car and hurting or killing other people." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with reports from CTV Ottawa
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GM to slash 1,000 jobs at Oshawa, Ont., plant Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug.  30 2007  08:17  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 30th, 2007 General Motors of Canada Ltd. will cut about 1,000 jobs this January at a truck plant in Oshawa amid slumping pickup sales, says a report. GM will axe one shift of production of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, reports The Globe and Mail.	GM is set to axe one shift producing the Chevrolet Silverado at the plant in Oshawa, Ont.
Sales of the GMC Sierra dropped nearly 28 per cent in July, while Chevrolet Silverado sales dropped 26 per cent. The reduction, from three shifts down to only two, is the first cut to output since the early 1990s. The declining sales are being blamed in part on the U.S. housing slump. "The U.S. auto sector has been slowing down all year and part of that is the credit crunch in the United States and the housing crisis," automotive analyst Dennis DesRosier told CTV's Canada AM Thursday. About 85 per cent of the trucks assembled at the Oshawa plant, which employs more than 3,000 workers, are sent to the U.S. market. GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, all rely on supplying construction trade workers with vehicles as a major source of profit. The GM cuts are also expected to have a ripple effect on businesses that supply the plant. "When the vehicle assembly plants go down, the real jobs are in the parts facilities, said DesRosier. He said the 1,000 jobs to be cut at GM could eventually result in as many as 4,000 jobs lost. "The parts jobs aren't necessarily in Canada but it's nonetheless it's just a harbinger of very difficult times for automotive," said DesRosier. GM is already restructuring two car plants next to the Oshawa truck plant. One of those plants is expected to close as the company builds a single, state-of-the-art facility that will be capable of building as many as 500,000 vehicles. Last year, GM confirmed that the Camaro will be built at the new plant but the Canadian Auto Workers union is pushing for more vehicles to be added. In February, Chrysler announced they were chopping 13,000 jobs across North America, including 2,000 in Southern Ontario, as part of a strategy to cut the struggling automaker's costs. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Helmsley dog gets $12 million, grandchildren zilch Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Aug.  29 2007  07:37  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 29th, 2007 NEW YORK -- Leona Helmsley's dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley's grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire's estate. Helmsley left her beloved white Maltese, named Trouble, a $12 million trust fund, according to her will, which was made public Tuesday in surrogate court. She also left millions for her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who was named to care for Trouble in her absence, as well as two of four grandchildren from her late son Jay Panzirer -- so long as they	Leona Helmsley and her dog Trouble photographed in Leona Helmsley's Park Lane Hotel apartment. Friday, January 31, 2003 in New York. (AP / Jennifer Graylock)
visit their father's grave site once each calendar year. Otherwise, she wrote, neither will get a penny of the $5 million she left for each. Helmsley left nothing to two of Jay Panzirer's other children -- Craig and Meegan Panzirer -- for "reasons that are known to them,'' she wrote. But no one made out better than Trouble, who once appeared in ads for the Helmsley Hotels, and lived up to its name by biting a housekeeper. "I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum,'' Helmsley wrote in her will. The mausoleum, she ordered, must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year.'' She left behind $3 million for the upkeep of her final resting place in Westchester County, where she is buried with her husband, Harry Helmsley, and where the pair have a view of the New York skyline. She also left her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea, $100,000. Everything else, including cash from sales of the Helmsley's residences and belongings, reported to be worth billions, she ordered sold and the proceeds given to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Her longtime spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, had no comment. Helmsley died earlier this month at her Connecticut home. She became known as a symbol of 1980s greed and earned the nickname "the Queen of Mean'' after her 1988 indictment and subsequent conviction for tax evasion. One employee had quoted her as snarling, "Only the little people pay taxes.'' Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from  The Associated Press
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Foreign firefighters join Greece battle Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Aug. 28 2007  06:13  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 28th, 2007 ATHENS, Greece -- Foreign firefighters and aircraft joined the battle Tuesday against blazes in southern Greece, and officials expressed optimism that wildfires burning some of the country's lushest landscape could be brought under partial control. The fires, which began about five days ago, have killed at least 64 people and burned olive groves, forests and orchards. Beyond the loss of life and environmental damage, Greece braced for the economic impact of the worst wildfires in memory, with the government budgeting upward of $410 million for immediate relief. The bill was expected to be much higher, the finance ministry said. He said most of the efforts would be concentrated in those two regions, with most of the firefighters that have arrived from 17 countries operating in the Peloponnese. A group of 55 Israeli firefighters would be used to assist in combatting one of the worst fires in Krestena, near Ancient Olympia. Large parts of the world heritage site, which was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, were burned over the weekend. Diamandis said that 18 planes and 18 helicopters -- including four from Switzerland -- would be used in the southern firefighting effort. "The picture we have gives us some optimism" in the south, Diamandis said. "We have a good picture and hope for some good results." Diamandis asked people to heed instructions from authorities and evacuate villages when asked to do so. Greece's civil defense agency said there was a high risk of fires around the country Tuesday because of high winds and temperatures, especially in the Athens region. From the northern border with Albania to the southern island of Crete, fires ravaged forests and farmland. Residents used garden hoses, buckets, tin cans and branches in desperate -- and sometimes futile -- attempts to save their homes and livelihoods. In some villages, firefighters sent helicopters or vehicles to evacuate the residents, only to find people insisting on staying to fight the blaze.	Firefighters are seen in front of a blaze outside Andritsena village in Peloponnese Peninsula. (AP / Nikolas Giakoumidis) AP map detailing the locations of the fires in Greece. A general view of the nearly destroyed village of Livadaki about 350 kilometres southwest of Athens. (AP / Petros Giannakouris)
"We are asking people to be calm and to follow orders," Diamandis said. A helicopter airlifted five people to safety Monday from the village of Prasidaki in southern Greece, fire department spokesman Yiannis Stamoulis said. Another was sent to the village of Frixa, but the residents refused to leave, he said. The destruction was so extensive that authorities said they had no way of knowing how many acres have burned -- or how many people had been injured. New blazes broke out faster than others could be brought under control, leaving behind a devastated landscape of blackened tree trunks, gutted houses and charred animal carcasses. The destruction and deaths have infuriated Greeks -- already stunned by deadly forest fires in June and July -- and appear likely to dominate political debate before early general elections scheduled for Sept. 16. Many blamed the conservative government for failing to respond quickly enough. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from  The Associated Press
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Ten arrested in Russian journalist's death Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Aug. 27 2007  06:14  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 27th, 2007 MOSCOW -- Authorities have arrested 10 people in the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and they soon will be charged, Russia's chief prosecutor said Monday. "We have made serious progress in this case," Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika told President Vladimir Putin in televised remarks. "As of today, 10 people have been arrested, and literally in the nearest future they will be charged with the commission of this grave crime." Chaika did not identify those arrested.	In this photo provided by Novaya Gazeta newspaper, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is seen in Moscow in this April, 2005 file photo. (AP / Novaya Gazeta)
Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter and critic of Putin, was fatally shot in her Moscow apartment building last October in a killing that caused an international outcry and compounded concern about the safety of journalists in Russia. Putin sparked outrage abroad when he seemed to dismiss Politkovskaya shortly after her killing, saying she her influence on Russian political life was "very minor." A spokeswoman for the Moscow City Court, Anna Usacheva, said the court had approved the arrests of eight suspects in Politkovskaya's killing on Friday. That timing suggests they were detained fairly recently. There was no immediate explanation for the different numbers. Politkovskaya had written passionately and critically about abuses by Russian and pro-Moscow Chechen forces fighting separatists in Chechnya. There had been no word of specific progress in the case for months. In April, the journalists' advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said there appeared to have been no progress in the investigation, and called for an international commission or parliamentary inquiry if authorities produced no concrete and conclusive evidence. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists said 13 journalists have been killed in contract-style murders since Putin took office in 2000. Her killing came less than two months before the radiation poisoning death in London of Kremlin critic and former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko. On his deathbed, Litvinenko blamed Putin for his poisoning -- an allegation that the Kremlin denied. He also accused Russian authorities of being behind the killing of Politkovskaya. Days after Politkovskaya's death, Putin suggested her killing could have been plotted by Kremlin foes abroad to harm Russia's image, and his allies have made similar remarks about Litvinenko's death. In November, Chaika said a possible foreign connection was among several theories being investigated in the murder of Politkovskaya. Much speculation about the slaying has focused on the Kremlin-backed president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, a strongman whose forces human rights groups have accused of being behind severe abuses of civilians in the war-scarred region. Kadyrov has denied any involvement. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from  The Associated Press
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Wedding goes ahead despite crash that killed six Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 26 2007  13:23  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 26th, 2007 MISSION, B.C. -- Sombre friends and family are gathering in the dining hall of an Abbotsford Sikh temple to quietly mark a wedding that's been shattered by the deaths of six partiers less than two days ago. Normally, a wedding like this would draw hundreds of happy people wearing their finest clothes and jewelry and the party would go well into the night. But after a truck plowed into a group of people in a traditional Indian procession, injuring 17, Jagdish Tatlah says everyone is sad. Tatlah is a distant relative of the groom and like many other families, came to the Vancouver area from California to celebrate. Another woman, a friend of the bride and groom, says she's not even sure whether the bride will wear the traditionally elaborate red and gold wedding dress. The woman, who didn't want to be named, says today is the worst feeling in the word. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from  The Canadian Press	Family and friends of the accident victims retrace the short route the victims were walking when a truck collided with the group in Abbotsford, B.C., on Saturday, August 25, 2007. (CP / Richard Lam) An arrow painted on the road indicates the position where a pick-up truck that hit and killed six people and injured 19 in Abbotsford ended up in the ditch (CP / Richard Lam)
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Two dead, 11 injured after B.C. balloon crash Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Aug. 25 2007  13:19  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 25th, 2007 Police have confirmed two people are dead and eleven injured after a hot-air balloon caught fire in mid-air before crashing to the ground in a trailer park in Surrey, B.C. As many as 14 people may have been on board at the time of the accident. As of early Saturday morning, two people were still unaccounted for but RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow confirmed both people were killed in the accident. It's unclear whether they were in the balloon or on the ground when the flaming basket plunged into an RV park. Stephen Harris, a spokesperson from Fraser Health told CTV Newsnet that the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., received four of the injured. Harris said those who did not require high-level trauma care were taken to local hospitals in the Vancouver area. "Two of the patients arrived with burn injuries and two patients arrived with injuries sustained in the fall from the balloon," Harris said on Saturday. "The injuries are quite severe and quite serious. The patients, at this point, are reported as being in stable condition which is good news, but certainly a very frightening and dangerous situation." Harris said one of the burn victims will likely be transported to Vancouver General Hospital to receive specialized burn care.	This combination of two photos shows the charring of the balloon's facade as the fire progressed on August 25, 2007. (AP / Don Randall) The scene of the crash in Surrey, B.C. Friday, Aug. 24, 2007. An aerial view of the accident in Surrey, B.C. Friday night Aug. 24, 2007.
"We had nine patients who had non-life threatening injuries. From what I understand, there were cuts, bruises and some fractures because of the people jumping out of the hot-air balloon," Betty Nicholson, a spokesperson from B.C. Ambulance Service, told CTV Newsnet on Saturday. "Two helicopters took three patients to different hospitals with serious injuries." Six ambulances, two air ambulances and eight fire trucks raced to the scene at the Hazelmere RV Park & Campground on the outskirts of Vancouver on Friday night. Smoke could be seen billowing from the crash site from kilometres away. According to witnesses, the balloon was about 25 feet off the ground when it caught fire just before sundown. "I was watching the whole thing lift off, it ignited while they were in the basket 25 feet off the ground, it just went up all in flames," said one witness. "It was horrifying looking at people screaming, jumping out of there," said another witness. A woman across the street from the campsite told CTV she saw flames engulf the hot air balloon's basket. The fire spread to the ropes attaching the basket to the balloon. The rope then snapped and the basket dropped to the ground. "(The witness) said people were on fire, they were dropping to the ground, there were a number of people who clearly were in distress, on fire from this burning balloon," said CTV's Shannon Patterson from the scene. "Even worse, when the balloon landed on the ground, one of its propane tanks shot out from the side of the balloon and hit a mobile home in the RV park." Police confirmed that up to three, large 40-foot trailers caught fire after being hit by exploding propane tanks. Nobody was hurt in those fires, although Patterson reports three families have been left homeless. The cause of the accident is not yet known. Weather conditions were clear at the time of the sunset flight. The hot-air balloon, operated by Fantasy Balloons Charters based in Langley, B.C., was one of several balloons in flight at the time. A company spokesperson told the Canadian Press he doesn't know why the balloon caught fire shortly after takeoff. "The company deeply regrets this evening's incident and all injuries associated with it (and) inconvenience to those people being displaced,'' John K. George said. Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. A similar incident occurred earlier this month in Manitoba, where 12 people were injured, with some suffering second- and third-degree burns. With reports from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy, Shannon Patterson and files from the Canadian Press Written by CTV.ca News Staff with reports from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy, Shannon Patterson and files from the Canadian Press
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Former astronaut Lisa Nowak to testify Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Aug. 24 2007  06:21  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 24th, 2007 ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former astronaut Lisa Nowak is expected in court Friday and will make her first public statements since her Feb. 5 arrest, her attorney said. Nowak, who is accused of attacking Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in a parking lot at Orlando International Airport, is expected to ask Circuit Court Judge Marc L. Lubet for her release from a GPS ankle monitoring bracelet, said her attorney, Donald Lykkebak. The former astronaut has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault.	NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak is shown at left in a March 2005 photo provided by NASA, and at right in a Feb. 2007 photo provided by the Orange County, Fla. Sheriff's Department. (AP / NASA, Orange County Sheriff)
Nowak, now a Navy pilot, has prepared written remarks to read outside the courtroom after the hearing lets out, Lykkebak said. In an interview with detectives, Nowak said she and Shipman were vying for the affection of former astronaut Bill Oefelein. She told them she confronted Shipman because she wanted to know "where she stands" in the bizarre love triangle. Nowak, 44, is accused of attacking Shipman with pepper spray and trying to jump into her vehicle. Police say Nowak was carrying a duffel bag with a steel mallet, 4-inch knife and a BB gun. At Friday's hearing, Lykkebak is expected to seek to suppress a 5-hour interview Nowak gave at a police airport holding station and the search of her car at a nearby hotel. Lykkebak contends police searched Nowak's car without her permission or a warrant. He said in additional court filings she gave the interview under duress -- after being held three hours, deprived of sleep and a phone call and unadvised of her constitutional rights. It persisted, Lykkebak argued, despite Nowak saying "Should I have a lawyer?" three times. In a court filing earlier this month seeking release from her ankle monitoring bracelet, Nowak said the device is bulky and interferes with her ability to exercise -- a requirement for a Navy officer. It also inhibits her ability to drive, fly on a commercial airplane and monitor her children in the pool, according to the defense. Kepler Funk, an attorney for Shipman, said he planned to fight the motion. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Officers never posed as protesters: Quebec police Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Aug. 22 2007  23:07  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 23rd, 2007 The RCMP and Quebec police force have denied allegations their officers posed as protesters to try to provoke peaceful demonstrators at the recent Montebello summit. "I confirm (to) you that there is no agents provocateurs in the Surete du Quebec... It doesn't exist in the Surete du Quebec," spokesperson Const. Melanie Larouche told The Canadian Press. RCMP Cpl. Luc Bessette said the Mounties do "not use tactics that would encourage confrontation or incite violence." A video posted on YouTube from Monday's protests in Montebello, Que. shows Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) President Dave Coles in a confrontation with three masked men who appear to be protesters. "I accused them of being police, and every time I yelled at them that they were police, you could tell by their facial expressions that they were really troubled," Coles told CTV Newsnet Wednesday. He added that the men "weren't young kids off the streets, they were there to deliberately	Union president Dave Coles claims masked police officers, pictured in background, instigated violence during protests of the North American leaders summit on Aug. 22, 2007.(CP / Tom Hanson) Union leaders say this man demonstrating in Montebello is actually a Quebec provincial police officer.
cause trouble, to give the police a chance to try and get rid of these young kids that were exercising their right to protest peacefully." In the video, Coles and other protesters tell the men to take off their masks. One of the three men is holding a rock and Coles tells him to move because their line is meant for peaceful protesters. "These three guys are cops, everybody!" Coles can be heard shouting to the crowd as he tries to pull down their bandanas. The three men then push their way into the police line and appear to be arrested, then taken away. In the video, Coles claims the men were sent as provocateurs to give the police an excuse to move in on demonstrators. "I looked him in his eye and said 'You're a cop aren't you?' and his eyes just glazed right up," Coles tells a crowd in the video. Photographs taken by another protester show the three men lying on the ground with the soles of their boots adorned by yellow octagons. A police officer kneeling beside the men appears to have the same imprint on his boot.	In this image taken from the scene, the 'protesters' and police are wearing similar boots, although the boots on the 'protesters' appear to have duct tape and spray paint on them. Union leaders say these three men demonstrating in Montebello are actually Quebec provincial police officers.
The imprint appears to be the Vibram boots logo. Earlier reports had suggested it was a yellow triangle signifying Canadian Standards Association-approved footwear. Police have confirmed that only four protesters, not the men in the video, were arrested during the summit. "But we see very clearly in that video three (other) men being arrested . . . How do (police) account for these three people being taken in, being arrested? Where did they go?" veteran protester Jaggi Singh asked CP Tuesday. "I have no hesitation in saying they were police agents... and they were caught red-handed." Despite denials from both the RCMP and Quebec police, Liberal justice critic Marlene Jennings said the evidence is "quite incriminating" and told them to "clear this up." Meanwhile, New Democrat MP Libby Davies said the video raises "hugely serious questions" about how police act at international meetings. "It seems like they create this environment, a show of force, that sets it up for a confrontation,'' said Libby who protested at the summit. "I think we need to know who authorized this, how high up does this go?" Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President George Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, wrapped up the summit Tuesday. Many activists were protesting what they perceived a lack of transparency surrounding the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) process. The two-year-old framework is being used to pursue greater trade and security integration between the three countries. While a group of top business executives got the chance to make a presentation to the three leaders on Tuesday, no such invitation was extended to environmental or social activists. Critics claim the SPP is a 'super-NAFTA' that will result in stolen jobs and an erosion of freedoms. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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N.L. premier to announce deal on Hebron oil project Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Aug. 22 2007  07:40  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 22nd, 2007 Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams has reached a deal that will see the massive Hebron offshore oil project move ahead, says a new report. The Globe and Mail is reporting that Williams, with a provincial election less than two months away, has finalized a deal with a consortium of oil companies to proceed with the $6-billion project.	Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is shown here in this May 1, 2007 file photo. (CP / Adrian Wyld)
The premier and Chevron Corp. -- the lead company in the deal -- will hold a press conference Wednesday in St. John's to make public the terms of the first standalone offshore project in several years, reports The Globe. The deal allocates a 4.9-per-cent equity stake in the project, located 340 kilometres southeast of St. John's, for the province. Further, a royalty regime will guarantee that the province earns greater profits from the oil production than it has in previous projects. Hebron would be the second-largest project, behind Hibernia, in the offshore waters of Newfoundland -- with an estimated 700 million barrels of reserves. Hebron's crude is also a lower quality than Hibernia oil, meaning it would be valued lower on world markets. Williams, with an election set for Oct. 9, has been criticized for insisting upon an ownership stake for the province. But in his home province, the premier has received support in his battle with international oil companies and in his feud with Prime Minister Stephen Harper over equalization. Negotiations in the Hebron deal have been at a standstill since April 2006 when the companies broke off talks following frustration with Williams' demands. Earlier this year, talks resumed after Williams said he was willing to invest in the project to earn the equity stake. Chevron is the operator of the Hebron project, with a 25-per-cent stake; Exxon has the largest ownership stake at 37.5 per cent; Petro-Canada and Norway's state-owned Norsk Hydro ASA are also partners. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Leaders begin talks in Montebello amid protests Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Aug. 21 2007  09:24  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 21st, 2007 The Three Amigos started off a day of heavy discussion with a breakfast meeting in Montebello, Que., where the political leaders have converged to talk about common cross-border issues. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been hosting U.S. President George Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon since they arrived in Canada yesterday. The summit, which was originally scheduled to continue Wednesday, will be cut short a day earlier. Calderon has decided to rush back to Mexico as his country is being pummelled by Hurricane Dean.	U.S. President Bush stands with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the Security and Prosperity Partner Summit at Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello on Monday, Aug. 20, 2007. (AP / Evan Vucci)
Despite the abbreviated meeting, discussions will still focus on a planned Security and Prosperity Partnership agreement, which will deeply integrate trade and security across the continent. The controversial agreement has drawn hundreds of protesters to Ottawa on Sunday and then the Montebello resort on Monday where the leaders are staying. Critics of the partnership argue the agreement would force Canada to streamline their normally high standards for worker and food safety to accommodate the other countries' more relaxed criteria. Protesters objected to the fact that business leaders were invited to participate in discussions but critics of the proposed agreement were not. Breakfast was supposed to be followed by a meeting with the North American Competitiveness Council, which includes top business leaders from all three countries. Riot police continue to be on hand Tuesday to try and manage the group of rowdy protesters. The day before, police used pepper spray and tear gas to hold off demonstrators, who in turn threw rocks and branches at the authorities. Two people were reportedly arrested. Today's meeting will wrap up with discussions about implementing an improved border disaster protocol to avoid the crippling wait-times that have plagued borders since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Caymans and Cancun expecting worst of hurricane Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Aug. 20 2007  07:35  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 20th, 2007 Hurricane Dean, which killed at least eight people as it moved across the Caribbean, could become a category five storm as it heads for the Cayman Islands and then moves on to Cancun, Mexico. Residents of Belize; Mexicans living on the Yucatan Peninsula; and Texans living near the Gulf of Mexico were also taking heed as forecasters predicted Hurricane Dean would gain strength. The Canadian and U.S. Consulates were also urging tourists on vacation to seek safety and shelter from the imminent storm. The threat of the storm comes mere months after many resorts in Cancun reopened after they were pummelled by Hurricane Wilma, which hit Mexico in October 2005. The eye of the storm passed south of Jamaica Sunday night, where the government had spent the weekend urging people to move inland to shelters in schools, churches and the indoor national sports arena. Many Jamaicans stayed put in their homes, though, expressing concerns about looting during the darkness of the storm. Authorities had cut off electricity across the country to prevent damage to the power grid. As the hurricane churned westward across Jamaica, the winds shifted and hit the capital of Kingston at speeds of 160 km/h. The storm uprooted trees, flooded streets and tore the roofs off homes and buildings, but no deaths have been reported. The Cayman Islands, which sit several hundred kilometres west of Jamaica, should also be spared a direct hit by Dean when it passes by Monday morning.	Hurricane Dean churns through the Caribbean Sea as seen in this NOAA satellite image taken early Monday, Aug. 20, 2007. Downtown Kingston is shown during the pass of hurricane Dean over Jamaica on Aug. 19, 2007. (AP / Andres Leighton) Debris covers the John Compton Highway in Castries, St. Lucia after hurricane Dean passed on Aug. 17, 2007. (AP / Tim James)
However, the wealthy British protectorate could get up to 20 centimetres of rain and be buffeted by tropical-storm-strength winds. The island's governor said all but 1,500 tourists had evacuated the islands by Sunday afternoon. Tracy Giacomantonio, a 23-year-old resident of Cape Breton who is in the Caymans, said the airports were "insane" Sunday. "People have been trying to get off the island as soon as they can," she said. Giacomantonio had considered leaving the islands, but one airline was asking US$2,000 for a one-way ticket. She is staying put and says the island seems well-prepared. Dean is believed to be responsible for at least eight deaths in the Caribbean, with the worst hits on the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It is the first storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Jamaica prepares for wrath of Hurricane Dean Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 19 2007  09:45  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 19th, 2007 Hurricane Dean is poised to make a direct hit on Jamaica Sunday, sending residents inland from the deadly force of the monstrous storm. Schools, national sports centres and churches have been converted to shelters on the island as authorities warn people to take cover from the deadly 240 kilometre winds and torrential rain. The U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami has listed Dean as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane that is on the verge of developing into a devastating Category 5 storm. "It's windy right here now in Jamaica. The skies are a bit dark so definitely, the signs are now here unlike yesterday when it was very hot," Kirk Abrahams, a reporter from RJR Television in Kingston, Jamaica, told CTV Newsnet on Sunday. Island residents sought shelter and moved inland as Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller urged the country to be prepared for a national emergency. People across Jamaica packed hardware and grocery stores to stock up on batteries, flashlights, and other emergency essentials. "This morning coming into Kingston, people were battening down," Abrahams said. The Jamaican public service company will be shutting down the island's electrical grid at 10 a.m. local time to prevent electrocution from downed power lines. "By midday we should see some heavy rainfall. One of the things that most people are concerned about is the impact of the flooding," Abrahams said. "Landslides, based on the magnitude of this system, there will be some land slippages, downed trees and lots of water on the island." Abrahams said he had no word on any Canadian travellers still in Jamaica, but confirmed most airlines would be making emergency runs on Sunday despite the closure of both Jamaican airports on Saturday evening. Air Canada told the Canadian Press on Saturday that the company has cancelled flights to many Caribbean destinations and had deployed planes to bring Canadians home.	This image provided by NASA taken by crewmembers on the Space Shuttle Endeavour Saturday Aug. 18, 2007 captured this image around 1 p.m. (AP Photo/NASA) Residents and tourists wait for their flights at the international airport in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, on August 18, 2007. (AP / Alan Markoff) Debris covers the John Compton Highway in Castries, St. Lucia, after Hurricane Dean passed, August 17, 2007. (AP / Tim James)
Caribbean battered by storm Dean is believed to be responsible for at least six deaths on the islands of St. Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. The latest occurred in the Dominican Republic when 11-year-old boy died after being struck by flying debris. He was watching waves hit an oceanfront boulevard at the time. The government of Little Cayman, which is the smallest of the three Cayman Islands, ordered a mandatory evacuation by noon Sunday. The island has a population of roughly 150 people. Cuba has issued a tropical storm warning. The government said it would evacuate 50,000 people from three central and eastern provinces. Dean, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to gain speed as it crosses through the warm Caribbean waters this weekend. The storm will pass over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and land either Wednesday or Thursday in Mexico a few hundred kilometres south of the U.S. border. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean were assessing the damage after Dean hit on Friday as a Category 2 storm. In the island of Martinique, officials confirmed two deaths, including a woman who apparently fell and drowned in her home. Martinique authorities estimated that up to US$270 million is needed to repair infrastructure. Agriculture Minister Louis Daniel Berthome said all banana crops were destroyed. NASA has announced it will end the shuttle Endeavour's mission one day early in case Mission Control in Houston has to be shut down because of Dean. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from the Associated Press
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Jamaica prepares for wrath of Hurricane Dean Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 19 2007  09:45  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 19th, 2007 Hurricane Dean is poised to make a direct hit on Jamaica Sunday, sending residents inland from the deadly force of the monstrous storm. Schools, national sports centres and churches have been converted to shelters on the island as authorities warn people to take cover from the deadly 240 kilometre winds and torrential rain. The U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami has listed Dean as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane that is on the verge of developing into a devastating Category 5 storm. "It's windy right here now in Jamaica. The skies are a bit dark so definitely, the signs are now here unlike yesterday when it was very hot," Kirk Abrahams, a reporter from RJR Television in Kingston, Jamaica, told CTV Newsnet on Sunday. Island residents sought shelter and moved inland as Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller urged the country to be prepared for a national emergency. People across Jamaica packed hardware and grocery stores to stock up on batteries, flashlights, and other emergency essentials. "This morning coming into Kingston, people were battening down," Abrahams said. The Jamaican public service company will be shutting down the island's electrical grid at 10 a.m. local time to prevent electrocution from downed power lines. "By midday we should see some heavy rainfall. One of the things that most people are concerned about is the impact of the flooding," Abrahams said. "Landslides, based on the magnitude of this system, there will be some land slippages, downed trees and lots of water on the island." Abrahams said he had no word on any Canadian travellers still in Jamaica, but confirmed most airlines would be making emergency runs on Sunday despite the closure of both Jamaican airports on Saturday evening. Air Canada told the Canadian Press on Saturday that the company has cancelled flights to many Caribbean destinations and had deployed planes to bring Canadians home.	This image provided by NASA taken by crewmembers on the Space Shuttle Endeavour Saturday Aug. 18, 2007 captured this image around 1 p.m. (AP Photo/NASA) Residents and tourists wait for their flights at the international airport in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, on August 18, 2007. (AP / Alan Markoff) Debris covers the John Compton Highway in Castries, St. Lucia, after Hurricane Dean passed, August 17, 2007. (AP / Tim James)
Caribbean battered by storm Dean is believed to be responsible for at least six deaths on the islands of St. Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. The latest occurred in the Dominican Republic when 11-year-old boy died after being struck by flying debris. He was watching waves hit an oceanfront boulevard at the time. The government of Little Cayman, which is the smallest of the three Cayman Islands, ordered a mandatory evacuation by noon Sunday. The island has a population of roughly 150 people. Cuba has issued a tropical storm warning. The government said it would evacuate 50,000 people from three central and eastern provinces. Dean, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to gain speed as it crosses through the warm Caribbean waters this weekend. The storm will pass over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and land either Wednesday or Thursday in Mexico a few hundred kilometres south of the U.S. border. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean were assessing the damage after Dean hit on Friday as a Category 2 storm. In the island of Martinique, officials confirmed two deaths, including a woman who apparently fell and drowned in her home. Martinique authorities estimated that up to US$270 million is needed to repair infrastructure. Agriculture Minister Louis Daniel Berthome said all banana crops were destroyed. NASA has announced it will end the shuttle Endeavour's mission one day early in case Mission Control in Houston has to be shut down because of Dean. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from the Associated Press
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Canada tackles the food import safety issue Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Aug. 18 2007  06:57  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 18th, 2007 No one will ever know how many pets died this year from melamine-tainted products shipped from China. But those deaths have raised serious concerns about food imported from a nation often called the "factory of the world." "Every country has a certain brand image in the minds of consumers, and when we're buying a T-shirt from China, one thinks: reasonable quality, low price," Prof. Paul Beamish, a researcher for the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada, told CTV.ca. "But when you start looking into anything edible, whether it's pharmaceuticals, dog food, toothpaste, or anything that can affect one's physical health, then you've entered a different category. And realistically, lots of consumers have now expressed concern." According to some reports, Canada imported $756 million in food from China in 2006. That number is expected to rise ever higher as China asserts itself as a giant among global exporters. Prof. Paul Evans, another researcher for APFC, said China's new-found success has also brought major quality control issues, and it will take a concerted effort to fix them. Chinese officials, combating a reputation for poor quality control, have already begun cracking down. Last year, the country's health ministry looked at 111,226 cases of illegal food production -- including baby food. In the end, 29,571 businesses were shut down and 1,700 tons of goods were destroyed.	A Chinese worker supervises the production line at a traditional Chinese medicine industry lab in Beijing. China is pushing efforts to toughen up supervision of the industry to restore confidence in the safety of their products. (AP Photo / Elizabeth Dalziel) A man picks out a Chinese toothpaste from a wide range of toothpaste products on display at a supermarket in Beijing, China, Thursday, May 24, 2007. (AP Photo / Ng Han Guan)
There are currently 14 different agencies in China that have a hand in regulating quality control on food products. But the sheer amount of goods coming from China means that even a small percentage of unsafe food products could have a large impact in Canada. "While I think 99 per cent of things are fine -- good quality control -- there's enough of that 1 per cent in a variety of food items that suggests the Chinese system overall is not working adequately," he said. This month, Beijing announced it had banned another 18 products that failed quality standards, including fruit drinks. Evans compared China's situation to the rise of another export powerhouse: America. "If I was thinking about a country that moved so quickly into a major role as a manufacturer and as a kind of global economic force in a very short time, it would be the United States a century ago," he said. "When Upton Sinclair did his famous novel 'The Jungle,' it was about food packing plants in Chicago. While he was trying to bring in new labour practices, what he found was that America really responded to these stories about improperly-managed meat butchering facilities. He found he really hit the U.S. in the stomach. "For the U.S. to improve its food quality system a century ago, it took a concerted effort at the highest levels. And it began with the recognition that there was a problem." The Olympic challenge International pressure will only increase as the months are counted down to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The finest athletes from around the world will be staying in the dense capital, and they'll have their choice of locally-grown food. Officials have said they will use cutting-edge technology to ensure all meals are monitored. Anything sent to the athletes will be tracked by satellites, and closely watched all the way from their production to arrival at the Olympic Village. "All food entering the Olympic Village and other facilities will be given an Olympic food safety logistics code," Wang Wei, an executive vice president of the Beijing organizing committee, told The Associated Press.
"Also, the food transportation vehicles will be globally positioned and tracked. The whole process will be monitored from the start of production through transportation to the end users." But it's one thing to track food sent to a small village of athletes, and quite another to monitor every product entering a country the size of Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency takes a risk-based approach by examining certain commodities, such as meat, rather than the country of origin. The intention is to focus limited resources where they're most needed. Paul Mayers, who heads the CFIA's animal products directorate, said the agency's approach has been effective in dealing with "unsafe" food products. But if a single country clearly has quality-control problems, then CFIA inspectors may flag more products coming from that nation. "Where a particular risk issue has been associated specifically with production in a country, we will also target within a specific country," he said. "One example is melamine-contamination of vegetable protein concentrates, having been associated with pet illnesses. We issued a border lookout for all vegetable protein concentrates originating from China, and subjected those to being held and tested ... That would be an example of continuing that risk-based approach, but incorporating a country focus where it's warranted." Ronnie Cummins, director of the U.S.-based Organics Consumers Association, wants every food product to come with a country of origin label, so consumers will have the choice of avoiding Chinese-exported produce. He said that would likely cut down on the amount of food government agencies in Canada and the U.S. would have to inspect -- if consumers decide they prefer buying home-grown products.
Otherwise, he reasoned, large corporations -- notably Wal-Mart -- would continue to sell cheaper agricultural goods made in China. "I think the problem with that kind of (risk-based) assessment is you leave out the consumer choice," he told CTV.ca. "We would not have nearly as much food to inspect coming in from China if we required food to be labeled. People have good sense, and they would exercise that good sense in the marketplace if given the opportunity. But this notion of letting the corporations decide what we can know and what we can't know is very expensive. Because then the government has to make up for the fact that corporations are always going to take the cheapest stuff, if they can get away with it." Cummins even wants country-of-origin labels on restaurant food, so anyone buying a hamburger in McDonald's would know exactly where the meat was produced before it found its way into Canada. But Evans said that while such labeling would be a positive change for consumers, it would likely be difficult to implement in a world increasingly interconnected by trade, and where food is often grown in one region and processed in another. "Should we have stickers on it? Yes. But what if it's fish that are caught not far from Prince Rupert, are first processed in Canada, sent to China for more processing, and then exported back to Canada?" said Evans. "Are those Canadian fish or Chinese fish?" He added that it's become increasingly inexpensive to transport goods from one country to another. "You get this globalization of production of food products that is quite remarkable, because shipping costs are so low," said Evans. "There's a new terminal opening up in Prince Rupert in September, and it's basically to bring in container ships from Asia, and the other direction. It will be cheaper to send food products from Prince Rupert to Shanghai than it will be from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. "You start looking at the figures, because of the very low costs, and you now think of a whole range of products that will be processed elsewhere with other inputs made to them and then sent back into the Canadian market." In a world made smaller by globalization, the problem of inspecting food is growing larger. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Michael Stittle
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Government computers linked to Wikipedia edits Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug. 16 2007  18:22  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 17th, 2007 What do the Canadian government, Church of Scientology and Disney have in common? They're all accused of turning Wikipedia entries into self-promotion. Anyone who edits the massive online encyclopedia can do so anonymously, identified only by their computer's Internet Protocol address.	The Wikipedia logo. (Courtesy The Wikimedia Foundation)
But WikiScanner, a new online tool developed by California Institute of Technology graduate student Virgil Griffith, traces those IP numbers to computers linked with specific organizations. He said on his website he hopes "to create minor public relations disasters for companies and organizations I dislike." The free tool can be found  , although service may be down depending on traffic. According to The Globe and Mail, more than 11,000 edits have come from computers inside Canada's federal government offices. Some of the changes added positive or negative comments about specific parliamentarians, including Conservative MP Jason Kenney and Liberal MP Dan McTeague. The newspaper also found the following edits: A user linked to a government office in Ottawa continually defaced the entry on homosexuality between July 2005 and July 2006, replacing it with sentences like "Homosexuality is evil" and "Homosexuality is wrong according to the Bible." The same IP address was also linked to changing an entry about the TV game show "Deal or No Deal." Prime Minister Stephen Harper's entry was edited 10 times by government computers, from August 2005 to August 2006. Changes to an entry on Maher Arar were made using a government computer on Feb. 27 2007. The computer was traced to Public Works and Government Services. Outside of the Canadian government, several organizations and companies have been accused of twisting various Wikipedia entries. Computers linked to the Church of Scientology have deleted criticism about the religion, while a user linked to Disney has removed criticism about digital copy-right protection. A list of interesting edits is being compiled , a website connected to Wired News. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Hundreds dead after 7.9-magnitude quake in Peru Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug. 16 2007  07:49  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 16th, 2007 A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake has rocked Peru's coastal area near the capital, leaving 337 people dead. The Civil Defence commander told state television the quake killed 336 people in Ica, and one person in Lima. There are reports that 827 people were injured in cities further to the south of Lima. In one of the deadliest incidents, 17 people were killed when a church collapsed in Ica, south of Lima, according to reports. Ica, a city of 650,000, incurred the most damage from the quake, according to Health Minister Carlos Vallejos. He was trying to get to the city to inspect the destruction, but along with police, soldiers, doctors and aid workers, was slowed down by jammed up highways due to large cracks in the pavement and downed power lines. The injured were lined up by the dozens to seek treatment at hospitals despite the fact some of those buildings also suffered cracks and other structural damage that made the facilities dangerous. State doctors called off a national strike that had begun on Wednesday in order to help treat the victims. A number of towns along the coast south of Lima, including Ica and smaller communities, had lost electricity. Telephone and mobile phone service was knocked out in the capital and in the provinces. In Chincha, a small town 144 kilometres south of Lima, homes had been damaged and people were injured by falling bricks and glass, The Associated Press reports.	A resident inspects damages after an earthquake hit an area ner Peru's capital of Lima. (Agencia Andina / Hector Vinces) Residents and firemen are seen next to a fire that broke out in a building after an earthquake hit the area in near Lima, Peru. (Agencia Andina / Hector Vinces)
There were reports that the floors of hospitals in Chincha were littered with dead bodies. The quake struck about 144 kilometres south of Lima at a depth of about 40 kilometres, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were four aftershocks that ranged from magnitude 5.4 to 5.9. A tsunami warning was issued for the coasts of Peru. Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, and a tsunami watch was issued for the rest of Central America and Mexico. They were later rescinded. "It wasn't big enough to be destructive," said Stuart Weinstein, the centre's assistant director told AP. According to eyewitness accounts, Lima shook for more than a minute when the quake was underway, and some homes in the centre of the city had collapsed. "This is the strongest earthquake I've ever felt," said Maria Pilar Mena, 47, a sandwich vendor in Lima. "When the quake struck, I thought it would never end."	The earthquake struck about 45 kilometres WNW of Chincha Alta, Peru according to the Web site of the USGS. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit at 6:40 p.m. (7:40 p.m. ET) about 145 kilometres southeast of Lima at a depth of about 40 kilometres.
The last major quake to hit Peru struck on Sept. 2005, when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the north, killing four people. Prior to that, in 2001, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Arequipa in the south, killing 71. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Troubled Manitoba reserve buries bullying victim Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Aug. 14 2007  21:12  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 15th, 2007 A Manitoba First Nations community in distress said goodbye to a young member who died in a tragic bullying-induced drowning incident. "He was a good boy," Harvey Owen, father of six-year-old Adam Keeper, told CTV Winnipeg on Tuesday with a trembling voice, wiping one eye as he did so. "He used to play a lot with his bike and his Game Boy." Adam, a resident of the Pauingassi First Nation, died Aug. 7 in Fishing Lake. He went there with three other boys aged seven to nine. Those boys bullied Adam into going into the water even though he couldn't swim. Hours later, Owen found his son's body floating in the water.	Adam Keeper's coffin bears his picture. Harvey Owen remembers his son as a good boy.
Owen ran into the boys behind the incident that night as he went to look for his son. "I told them, 'have you seen Adam around?' and they never answered me," he said, shaking his head. The boys who bullied Adam are too young to be charged criminally. But a police officer said they were old enough to know better. "To intimidate (someone) and force them to do things they wouldn't normally do. By definition, that's bullying," said RCMP Sgt. Chris Ballard in Winnipeg. However, the community did start an aboriginal healing circle to allow the families to meet and talk. That ended Tuesday morning when the boys were taken to Winnipeg, 280 kilometres to the southwest, for counselling. Chief Harold Crow told reporters he didn't think the boys realized what they were doing. "They pick up these ideas on TV ... what happened here was real life." Pauingassi is in an isolated location near the border with Ontario. The nearest RCMP detachment is a 30-minute boat ride away.	'To intimidate and force them to do things they wouldn't normally do. By definition, that's bullying,' said RCMP Sgt. Chris Ballard in Winnipeg. Chief Harold Crow: 'We need help. We need real help.'
Keeper's death has thrown a spotlight on the community's problems with alcohol and solvent addictions, and the social problems -- such as poor parenting skills -- that ripple out from there. "We need help. We need real help," Crow said. In 2005, Pauingassi made headlines over the solvent abuse problem there. At that time, more than 20 per cent of the residents, including half the school-aged children, were estimated to have a solvent or alcohol abuse problem. Crow said Keeper's death isn't directly related to substance abuse. Since 2000, the reserve has recorded 12 suicides. The reserve suffers from a lack of services and its remote location, Crow said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon and files from The Canadian Press
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'Sleepees' herbal pills contain prescription drugs Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Aug. 13 2007  22:10  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 14th, 2007 Thousands of Canadians turn to herbal remedies to help them get a good night's sleep, believing that because the products are all-natural, there's no risk of addiction. But some have found this is not always the case. Health Canada has recalled five herbal
products in recent months because they contained potentially addictive prescription drugs. That's sparked a number of class action lawsuits against the manufacturers as well as worries that many Canadians may still be using these potentially addictive products. Leslie Alexander and Brenda Connell suffered from insomnia, as many Canadians do. According to a recent study by Statistics Canada, one in every seven Canadians aged 15 or older -- about 3.3 million of us -- have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep. Both women turned to an herbal remedy called Sleepees, thinking it would help them finally get a full night's sleep. "It put me to sleep for sure. I had what I thought was the best sleep of my entire life," recalls Connell.
"I slept beautifully for pretty much as long as I was using it," says Leslie Alexander. But Alexander, a Vancouver-based folk singer, became troubled by the fact that the pills seemed to work "too well" and decided to stop taking them. That's when, she says, she plunged into a deep depression. "My insomnia became total for about two weeks, meaning I was lucky if I got an hour or two of sleep a night. Then I had several months of feeling hopeless and not wanting to live," she says. She found a Health Canada advisory online that said the product contained an undeclared drug called estazolam, a prescription sleeping medication that can be addictive. Leslie realized she was going through withdrawal. Connell also heard about the recall and stopped taking the drug immediately, plunging her into withdrawal. "I noticed a couple of weeks [after stopping the pills], I started to feel really strange. I started to feel a numbness in my left hand. I would get heart palpitations. I started to feel like I was getting depressed, panic, anxiety, fear. I felt like I was losing my mind," she recalls. "I felt duped. I felt quite fearful. How was I going to get off the drug -- how was I going to sleep?" she says. "It would have been nice to know what I was taking, which I thought was a health product. But it was laced with a drug. I was really upset." "I slept beautifully for pretty much as long as I was using it," says Leslie Alexander. But Alexander, a Vancouver-based folk singer, became troubled by the fact that the pills seemed to work "too well" and decided to stop taking them. That's when, she says, she plunged into a deep depression.	'It put me to sleep for sure. I had what I thought was the best sleep of my entire life,' recalls Brenda Connell. 'I slept beautifully for pretty much as long as I was using it,' says Leslie Alexander. David Klein has filed a class action lawsuit against the makers of Sleepees.
"My insomnia became total for about two weeks, meaning I was lucky if I got an hour or two of sleep a night. Then I had several months of feeling hopeless and not wanting to live," she says. She found a Health Canada advisory online that said the product contained an undeclared drug called estazolam, a prescription sleeping medication that can be addictive. Leslie realized she was going through withdrawal. Connell also heard about the recall and stopped taking the drug immediately, plunging her into withdrawal. "I noticed a couple of weeks [after stopping the pills], I started to feel really strange. I started to feel a numbness in my left hand. I would get heart palpitations. I started to feel like I was getting depressed, panic, anxiety, fear. I felt like I was losing my mind," she recalls. "I felt duped. I felt quite fearful. How was I going to get off the drug -- how was I going to sleep?" she says. "It would have been nice to know what I was taking, which I thought was a health product. But it was laced with a drug. I was really upset." In the past year, Health Canada has issued advisories on four other so-called natural sleep products that contain undeclared and potentially addictive prescription drugs: None of the products, including Sleepees, were authorized for sale in Canada and all contained prescription drugs that can be habit-forming when used for as little as a few months. According to Health Canada, Estazolam belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, and could be dangerous to those with an allergy to any benzodiazepines (such as Valium, Restoril and Ativan), or those with the neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis or sleep apnea. In addition, Estazolam should only be used by pregnant women, if absolutely necessary and with caution by the elderly, and those with a history of substance abuse. Side effects include dizziness, confusion, depression, loss of memory and hallucinations.
David Klein has filed a class action lawsuit against the makers of Sleepees. The amount of damages sought in the lawsuit has not yet been set. The Canadian distributor of Sleepees, Our World Inc., says the tainted batch Health Canada investigated came from China and that the product has been reformulated. "There's almost no question that this is part of a bigger problem," Klein says. "The quality control at some of these Chinese factories is very poor and there is limited or no supervision by Canadian importers." Our World Inc. says Sleepees has been reformulated and now includes ingredients such as hops, reishi mushroom, valerian, helicidum and melatonin. Both Connell and Alexander are recovering from their addiction but remain wary about using other similar herbal products. "After you've been duped by one product, you kind of question the rest of the products. If they can do it with one, how many others are affected?" wonders Connell. Health Canada reminds consumers that drugs and natural health products that have been authorized for sale in Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality. Those who have found themselves addicted to any of these recalled products should seek the advice of their doctor since stopping the medication can result in severe withdrawal symptoms. Consumers who want more information about the recalls can contact Health Canada's public enquiries line at (613) 957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709. Those who would like to contact Brenda Connell can email her at byswan@telus.net Please note that the Health Canada Advisory on Sleepees does not apply to Sleep-Eze, a product for which Health Canada has issued authorization to sell to MedTech Products Inc. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
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NASA weighs need for repairs on shuttle gash Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Aug. 13 2007  07:58  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 13th, 2007 Two astronauts will leave the confines of the shuttle Endeavour today, venturing outside to replace a broken gyroscope on the International Space Station, while engineers back home try to decide whether risky repairs are needed for re-entry. A piece of insulating foam collided with the shuttle at liftoff last week. The impact left a nine-centimetre gouge that penetrated all the way through the thermal shielding on the belly of the shuttle. On Sunday, Endeavour astronauts, including Canada's Dave Williams, used a laser boom on the end of the shuttle's robot arm to capture 3-D images of the scar and several other damaged areas which NASA officials say do not present a threat. Engineers and mission officials are expected to decide today or Tuesday whether the gauge can withstand the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry, or if astronauts will be required to do a spacewalk to patch the damaged area. Heat tests will be conducted on other areas with similar damage, The Associated Press reports. "This is something we would rather not deal with but we have really prepared for exactly this case," said John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team. The replacement of the gyroscope, which helps control the orientation of the station, was expected to take six hours on Monday. Williams and U.S. astronaut Rick Mastracchio will remove the gyroscope and replace it with a new one the team brought aboard Endeavour. The crew is scheduled to do two more spacewalks Wednesday and Friday and they could also do the gauge repairs. Astronauts could use protective paint, screw on a shielding panel, or use filler goo to repair the gouge.	Canadarm extends from the space shuttle Endeavour while orbiting Earth on Monday, Aug. 13, 2007. The Canadarm2 is extends from the International Space Station in Earth orbit on Monday, Aug. 13, 2007. A gouge in the underside of a wing on the shuttle Endeavour is shown during a photo survey of the craft.
This could also mean a fourth spacewalk for Williams, who is expected to break the Canadian record for most spacewalks in orbit. Throughout Sunday, Canadarms 1 and 2 were used to manoeuvre around Endeavour to reach the shuttle's underbelly with a laser camera built in Ottawa. The laser allows NASA to create a three-dimensional image to be built of the damage. "They got right on the five different targets that we asked them to go look at," Shannon said. Most of the nicks don't appear to be problems, he said. The major gouge occurred at the 58-second mark of liftoff on Saturday when a chunk of insulating foam broke off and ricocheted off the fuel tank, striking the shuttle. It is nine centimetres long and five centimetres wide. The gouge appears to penetrate into the felt pad below and possibly exposes some of the shuttle's aluminum skin. The damaged thermal tiles are located near the right main landing gear door, right beneath the aluminum framework for the right wing, which would offer extra protection during the ride back to Earth. "Not only did we get really good imagery, we got a good laser scan of it as well," Shannon said of the gouge.	This image provided by NASA shows the damaged underside of the space shuttle Endeavour, taken from the International Space Station. Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, is photographed in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station following the docking with the space shuttle Endeavour.
In addition, the exact same damage can be mimicked on test tiles at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, he said. Once a decision is made, Williams and Mastracchio will likely be assigned to perform any necessary patchwork, NASA has said. In 2003, the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry as a result of damage sustained to its heat-resistant tiles during launch. Paul Delaney, astronomy professor at York University, said the crew is lucky because they have "ample time" to make repairs. The shuttle has docked and is being powered enough by the space station to remain in orbit for several days. "My bet is NASA will probably go out and do something for no other reason than they have ample time to do it," he told Canada AM Monday. "The repair that has to made, from what we can gather, it's not in a typically critical position." In the meantime, Williams' wife Cathy Fraser said she's confident the astronauts will figure it out. "They're pretty certified smart guys over there," she told Canada AM. "They'll figure out whether or not they need to fix it and if there's a real risk involved." She also said Williams called her the night he completed his first spacewalk of the mission. He told her the first thing he did was take a mental snapshot of the view. "He described it as an amazing feeling," she said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Entertainer and mogul Merv Griffin dies at 82 Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 12 2007  14:10  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 12th, 2007 Merv Griffin, the big band-era crooner turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire, died Sunday. He was 82. Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his family that was released by Marcia Newberger, spokeswoman for The Griffin Group/Merv Griffin Entertainment. From his beginning as a US$100-a-week San Francisco radio singer, Griffin moved on as vocalist for Freddy Martin's band, sometime film actor in films and TV game and talk show host, and made Forbes' list of richest Americans several times. His "The Merv Griffin Show" lasted more than 20 years, and Griffin's said his capacity to listen contributed to his success. "If the host is sitting there thinking about his next joke, he isn't listening," Griffin reasoned in a recent interview. But his biggest break financially came from inventing and producing "Jeopardy" in the 1960s and "Wheel of Fortune" in the 1970s. After they had become the hottest game shows on television, Griffin sold the rights to Coca Cola's Columbia Pictures Television Unit for $250 million in 1986, retaining a share of the profits. "My father was a visionary," Griffin's son, Tony Griffin, said in a statement issued Sunday. "He loved business and continued his many projects and holdings even while hospitalized." When Griffin entered a hospital a month ago, he was working on the first week of production of a new syndicated game show, "Merv Griffin's Crosswords," his son said. In recent years, Griffin also rated frequent mentions in the sports pages as a successful race horse owner. His colt Stevie Wonderboy, named for entertainer Stevie Wonder, won the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2005.	Merv Griffin poses at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this July 3, 1989 file photo. (AP Photo / Doug Pizac) Griffin speaks in front of an audience in this March 20, 1974 photo in Los Angeles. (AP Photo) First lady Nancy Reagan meets with talk show host Merv Griffin in this Oct. 6, 1982 file photo, when she appeared to promote her new book on foster grandparents, 'To Love A Child.' (AP Photo/Craig Molenhouse)
Griffin started putting the proceeds from selling "Jeopardy" and "Wheel" in treasury bonds, stocks and other investments, but went into real estate and other ventures because "I was never so bored in my life." "I said `I'm not going to sit around and clip coupons for the rest of my life,'" he recalled in 1989. "That's when Barron Hilton said `Merv, do you want to buy the Beverly Hilton?' I couldn't believe it." Griffin bought the slightly passe hotel for $100.2 million and completely refurbished it for $25 million. Then he made a move for control of Resorts International, which operated hotels and casinos from Atlantic City to the Caribbean. That touched off a feud with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Griffin eventually acquired Resorts for $240 million, even though Trump had held 80 percent of the voting stock. "I love the gamesmanship," he told Life magazine in 1988. "This may sound strange, but it parallels the game shows I've been involved in." In 1948, Freddy Martin hired Griffin to join his band at Los Angeles' Coconut Grove at $150 a week. With Griffin doing the singing, the band had a smash hit with "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts," a 1949 novelty song sung in a cockney accent. Doris Day and her producer husband, Marty Melcher, saw the band in Las Vegas and recommended Griffin to Warner Bros., which offered a contract. After a bit in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," starring Day and Gordon MacRae, he had a bigger role with Kathryn Grayson in "So This Is Love." But after a few more trivial roles, he asked out of his contract. In 1954, Griffin went to New York where he appeared in a summer replacement musical show on CBS-TV, a revival of "Finian's Rainbow," and a music show on CBS radio. He followed with a few TV game show hosting jobs, notably "Play Your Hunch," which premiered in 1958 and ran through the early 1960s. His glibness led to stints as substitute for Jack Paar on "Tonight." When Paar retired in 1962, Griffin was considered a prime candidate to replace him. Johnny Carson was chosen instead. NBC gave Griffin a daytime version of "Tonight," but he was canceled for being "too sophisticated" for the housewife audience. Westinghouse Broadcasting introduced "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1965 on syndicated TV. Griffin never underestimated the intelligence of his audience, offering such figures as philosopher Bertrand Russell, cellist Pablo Casals and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer-philosopher-historians Will and Ariel Durant as well as movie stars and entertainers. He was also a longtime friend of former President Reagan and his wife, Nancy. When the Reagans returned to California in 1988 after eight years in the White House, Griffin and Hilton threw a $25,000-a-table homecoming gala for the couple. With Carson ruling the late-night roost on NBC in the late 1960s, the two other networks challenged him with competing shows, Griffin on CBS and Joey Bishop (later Dick Cavett) on ABC. Nothing stopped Carson, and Griffin returned to Westinghouse.
A lifelong crossword puzzle fan, Griffin devised a game show, "Word for Word," in 1963. It faded after one season, then his wife, Julann, suggested another show. "Julann's idea was a twist on the usual question-answer format of the quiz shows of the Fifties," he wrote in his autobiography "Merv." "Her idea was to give the contestants the answer, and they had to come up with the appropriate question." "Jeopardy" started in 1964 and the more conventional game show "Wheel of Fortune" was begun in 1975. Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. was born in San Mateo, south of San Francisco on July 6, 1925, the son of a stockbroker. An aunt, Claudia Robinson, taught him to play piano at age 4, and he soon was staging shows on the back porch. "Every Saturday I had a show, recruiting all the kids in the block as either stagehands, actors and audience, or sometimes all three," he wrote in his 1980 autobiography. "I was the producer, always the producer." After studying at San Mateo Junior College and the University of San Francisco, Griffin quit school to apply for a job as pianist at KFRC radio in San Francisco. The station needed a vocalist instead. He auditioned and was hired. Griffin attracted the interest of RKO studio boss William Dozier, who was visiting San Francisco with his wife, Joan Fontaine. "As soon as I walked in their hotel room, I could see their faces fall," the singer recalled. He weighed 235 pounds. Shortly afterward, singer Joan Edwards told him: "Your voice is terrific, but the blubber has got to go." Griffin slimmed down, and he spent the rest of his life adding and taking off weight. Griffin and Julann Elizabeth Wright were married in 1958, and their son, Anthony, was born the following year. They divorced in 1973 because of "irreconcilable differences." "It was a pivotal time in my career, one of uncertainty and constant doubt," he wrote in the autobiography. "So much attention was being focused on me that my marriage felt the strain." He never remarried. Besides his son, Griffin is survived by his daughter-in-law, Tricia, and two grandchildren. The family said an invitation-only funeral Mass will be held at a later date at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Williams becomes third Canadian to walk in space Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Aug. 11 2007  13:22  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 11th, 2007 Astronaut Dave Williams became the third Canadian to walk in space as the first of three scheduled spacewalks began at 12:28 ET. Williams and Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio are charged with adding a newly delivered $11 million truss segment, part of a power-generating solar array that will be delivered on future missions. The spacewalk is expected to last for more than six hours and is the first of two scheduled spacewalks for Williams. He may be asked to perform a third if NASA extends shuttle Endeavour's stay in orbit. On the ground Saturday, NASA engineers continued to review camera and radar images on a troubling gouge located on the underside of the shuttle. NASA believes the damage, about 7.6 square centimetres, was caused by ice that broke off the fuel tank a minute after liftoff. The gash will be inspected on Sunday to determine if the damage will need to be repaired, which could mean a fourth spacewalk for the astrounauts. The shuttle comes equipped with a repair kit complete with three types of patch materials -- an additon to every mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. ISS construction underway Dr. Steve MacLean, the Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency, says the truss assembly for the International Space Station is Saturday's main objective. MacLean did a spacewalk last September, on an Atlantis mission, and knows the drill well.	Canadian astronaut Dave Williams, bottom, and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio leave the through the hatch of Endeavour on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. The Earth can be seen in the background as astronauts work on the International Space Station on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean is seen working on the International Space Station during his spacewalk in Sept. 2006 (Photo: NASA TV)
The truss is no small addition either. Roughly the size of a car and weighing in at 2,200 kilograms, the truss segment will be moved into position using the Canadarm2 before the astronauts secure it to the station. Once it is in position, Williams and Mastracchio "will be outside when they do the final assembly there, and they actually will use their own eyes to do the final check-ups on guiding it into its location," MacLean says. In a departure from earlier missions, the work will be done with fewer automated maneuvers and more control being given to the astronauts. They can use their judgment while floating in space. The spacewalk comes with its own unique challenges. The truss must be attached with bolts and electrical connections must be made, and all the while the astronauts will have to resist the spectacular views of Earth.
"I don't know if it's a challenge, but it's a tremendous amount of fun, they're out on the very end of the truss, and the view from there," MacLean says. "That's just a wonderful thing to be out there, and you do need to keep your focus, because actually a mistake out there is worse than a mistake, for example, inside the cargo bay of the shuttle." Apart from the distracting view, there is also a small chance that micrometeorites, could force the astronauts to cut the spacewalk short. The International Space Station has about a one in 100,000 chance of being hit by the small bits of rock and metal. The space shuttle has a smaller chance, and the astronauts even smaller, but training is done to prepare for such an eventuality. "When you're out on a spacewalk, if you get hit by a micrometeorite, let's say you get a hole the size of a nickel in your leg after being hit, you have to get back to the station. With a hole that size you probably have 30 minutes to get back to the Station, and where Dave is, it's probably about 10 or 15 minutes to get back." MacLean is quick to point out that space is a very big place, and the probability is very small, but it is something they will be watching for. Improved view on second walk These same challenges may be heightened on the second spacewalk, scheduled for Monday, when Williams will have an even more spectacular view, with his feet firmly attached to the end of the Canadarm2. Williams and Mastracchio will be working to replace a faulty Control Movement Gyro (CMG), which helps the Station maintain its position, and Williams will carry the 600 kilogram CMG while standing on the end of the Canadarm2. "We have three of them, recently one broke down, so we have only two that are working, we need two to be working, so we need to get the third one in there in case another one fails so we always have attitude control," MacLean says. "These momentum wheels help us maintain the attitude of the station without using fuel, so it's a lot cheaper."	The spacewalkers will firmly fix the new starboard truss segment (S5) onto the existing (S4) backbone of the station using bolts and electrical connectors. The truss is a critical connecting joint for new truss platforms and power-generating solar arrays. (Courtesy Canadian Space Agency) Canadian astronaut Dave Williams is shown on the flight deck of the space shuttle Endeavour in Earth orbit on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean at NASA last year (AP / Chris O'Meara)
Whether there is a third spacewalk will likely not be determined until the shuttle's fifth day in space. If the assembly of a new system that allows power to be transferred from the Station to the shuttle is successful, then the mission could be extended from 11 to 14 days, and allow for the additional spacewalk. MacLean believes it is likely the mission will be extended, but says it is not at all critical that the final spacewalk is completed. "The third spacewalk that Dave might do, is basically a spacewalk where they do some clean-up, do some preparations for future flights, they have a communications antenna to replace, and so there's a series of tasks that need to get done," he says. "The difference is though, if they don't quite finish the third spacewalk that Dave is on, that's not that critical, because we have a long list of items that we need to get done and some of them we can almost do any time." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Amanda Taccone
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Third case of foot-and-mouth disease suspected Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Aug. 10 2007  08:24  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 10th, 2007 There are fears foot-and-mouth virus is spreading as British authorities conduct tests Friday to determine whether cattle who fell ill not far from the original site of the outbreak last week are suffering from the same disease. A new three-kilometre exclusion zone was set up around the original site of the outbreak after cows in a second region nearby showed "mild clinical signs of infections" according to Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds.	A Trading Standards Officer closes off a public footpath in Pirbright, near Guildford, England. (AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The sick cattle are just 15 kilometres away from two farms where cases have been confirmed and a third site where cows have been killed as a precaution. This newest outbreak, located in the southern England county of Surrey, is a "developing disease situation," said Reynolds. A farmer working the site called the veterinarian after he noticed some of his animals developing symptoms of illness. He said he had links with the area where the original outbreak took place. Though authorities had yet to confirm if the symptoms are in fact a result of foot-and-mouth, news of the sick cows sparked concerns the virus was uncontained. Farmers faced a disastrous situation in 2001 when seven million animals had to be killed and incinerated on pyres. Lawrence Matthews, the farmer who called the vet, told The Associated Press he is hopeful. "The vet was absolutely sure this was not foot-and-mouth," he said, adding he will know for sure later Friday when the results are expected to come in. "Hopefully, they will not show foot-and-mouth at this farm." Reynolds said containing and eradicating the virus has been a priority. "This is why we have moved swiftly to put in place a temporary control zone while we investigate this development," she said in a prepared statement released Thursday. If it is indeed foot-and-mouth disease, it could have a devastating impact on the economic success of Britain's agricultural industry. Several countries have already moved to ban imports of British livestock while Britain started to voluntarily suspend exports of its livestock, milk and meat products since the outbreak was first identified last week. More than 570 cows in the country have also been destroyed as a precaution. However, believing the virus had been contained, British officials relaxed their nationwide ban on moving livestock. "People are going to be even more apprehensive than they have been throughout the whole of this,'' Hugh Broom, of the National Farmers' Union, told British Broadcasting Corp. television. "It will be worrying for members here and farmers elsewhere in the country.'' It is believed the virus was transported by human movement from the Pirbright laboratory southwest of London, as foot-and-mouth can be passed along by wind, or on the cars and clothes of people who came into contact with sick animals. There is a "strong probability" the outbreak originated form that site, said Britain's health and safety agency, but there was no evidence of a security breach in biosecurity or any sign of system failure in the facility's water system. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Montreal police crack 1984 murder of actress Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug. 09 2007  07:20  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 9th, 2007 MONTREAL -- City police say they have cracked the 1984 murder of a well-known actor whose strangling in a supposedly vacant Montreal apartment rocked the province. A 49-year-old man was being questioned Wednesday by major crimes squad detectives and will likely face first-degree murder charges in the 23-year-old case, said Montreal police Const. Raphael Bergeron.	Denise Morelle is seen in this achieved photo courtesy La Presse.
The man was arrested in the killing of Denise Morelle, a versatile and beloved Quebec actor who appeared on stage and the large and small screen. "We never close these types of files,'' Bergeron said of the murder, which had been designated a cold case because leads had dried up at the time. "Sometimes it takes a little bit longer. As soon as we receive information in different cases, we have to validate that information. "Obviously, in (Morelle's) case, we had something that made us believe that information was very important and obviously it helped us make a big step in that investigation.'' In April, Morelle's murder was profiled on a French-language TV show. Coincidentally, police reportedly had started looking into the case again around that time. Like most large police departments, Montreal has a squad that re-examines old cases in the hope of making an arrest. Advances in the use of DNA and other technology have spurred the resolution of many cases by police around the world in recent years. Morelle had been thinking of renting the flat when she visited the unlocked dwelling in July 1984. She never left it alive. "The next day, a few friends were worried about the fact that she was not at her place,'' Bergeron said. Police were called and investigators tracing her final hours determined that she had set up a visit to the east-end apartment. "The officers at the time discovered the body of Mme. Morelle,'' Bergeron said. "She was dead.'' Morelle's killing shocked the province and in particular Quebec's artistic community. More than 1,000 people packed a church for her funeral, where Morelle was remembered as someone who worked to divert people's minds from their troubles. Among those who attended were Quebec entertainment legends Jean Duceppe, Monique Mercure and playwright Michel Tremblay, who wrote many of the plays in which Morelle acted. Morelle, 58, was one of seven children. She had got into showbiz juggling her acting career with a telephone company job before she made it big, mainly as a character actor. When she died, she was slated to appear in a role that Tremblay reportedly wrote especially for her. A small park in Montreal's Le Plateau district is named in her honour. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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No charges in 'friendly fire' death: army report Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Aug. 07 2007  19:52  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 8th, 2007 No one individual is to blame and no charges will be laid in the "friendly fire" death of Canada's Pte. Robert Costall in Afghanistan, a new report says. Costall and a U.S. soldier died during a March 29, 2006 nighttime battle with the Taliban at Forward Operating Base Robinson in Helmand province. The U.S. Army released its report on the incident in July. Tuesday's report is the Canadian military's version.	Pte. Robert Costall of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Canadian Forces Combat Camera)
The Canadian report has information blacked out -- the military said that was done to protect operational security -- but still provides insights into the fierce firefight. About 200 soldiers were at the base. They had been attacked on 21 of the previous 42 days. One witness told the inquiry those troops were "smoked." The report detailed a "perfect storm" of factors contributing to the deaths: The darkest night of the month. Lots of dust in the air. Tired soldiers. A surge in base occupancy. An attack of "unprecedented intensity". There were four compounds within FOB Robinson housing Canadian, U.S. and Afghan National Army forces and a private Afghan security firm. On March 28, insurgents attacked a convoy dispatched to the base, killing six Afghan soldiers. In response, a Canadian Quick Reaction Force (QRF) was dispatched to reinforce FOB Robinson, arriving about an hour before the convoy. Costall was one of those soldiers. They were with 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. When the convoy arrived, the base's population doubled, from about 200 to 400, "presenting the commanders with a significant command and control challenge," the report said. The U.S. commanders had a good plan for defending the base but didn't do enough to ensure that everyone knew where everyone else was. For example, some of the exhausted FOB Robinson soldiers were allowed to get some sleep when the QRF arrived, but were not briefed first on the QRF's locations, it said. A U.S. machine gun crew was left out of the loop. That crew ended up firing the fatal shots.
The Taliban attacked about 2 a.m. on March 29 and the Canadian troops were dispatched to the attack point. The narrative ends with the word "secret." One quick burst cut down Costall and wounded three of his comrades. A later burst hit some U.S. troops. Sgt. John Thomas Stone, 52, of the Vermont National Guard also died that night. He was posthumously promoted to master sergeant. In July, a U.S. army investigator recommended no charges be filed against the American machine-gunner who killed Costall. U.S. personnel didn't testify before the Canadian board of inquiry, but the report said the U.S. military provided complete access to statements and other information gathered during its investigation. Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, said he's satisfied with the findings. The army's standard operating procedures have been amended to improve the safety of soldiers, he said. Costall's family said in a statement that the 22-year-old Thunder Bay, Ont. native should be remembered for what he lived for, not how he died. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Infected inmates pose wider health risk: studies Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Aug. 06 2007  23:05  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 7th, 2007 The high rates of HIV or hepatitis C infections in Ontario and Quebec prison inmates is reaching beyond prison gates, said one advocate. "They go back to their family and friends and they go back to their communities and any diseases they may have acquired while in prison come with them," said Richard Elliott, from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Two studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal conclude that health officials need to do more to help prevent the spread of disease, whether it is through education, testing, or even a free needle exchange program. Liviana Calzavara, a professor with the public health sciences department at the University of Toronto, spearheaded the study in Ontario and is also part of a team discussing a needle exchange pilot project in Canada. "When you've done your best to encourage people not to engage in risky behaviour but they continue to do so, then it's our responsibility as public health practitioners to intervene to reduce the harm to others," she told CTV Toronto's Avis Favaro. Her research found that in Ontario, over two per cent of adult inmates tested positive for HIV - 11 times the infection rate in the general public. Also, more than one in six prisoners have hepatitis C. That's 22 times the rate of infections outside prison. Worst of all, about 40 per cent don't even know they are infected. Calzavara and her team of researchers looked at 1,800 inmates for the study.	'They go back to their family and friends and they go back to their communities and any diseases they may have acquired while in prison come with them,' said Richard Elliott, from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. 'When you've done your best to encourage people not to engage in risky behaviour but they continue to do so, then it's our responsibility as public health practitioners to intervene to reduce the harm to others,' Liviana Calzavara, a professor with the public health sciences department at the University of Toronto.
The other study, which focused on Quebec inmates, found slightly more disturbing results.The overall prevalence of HIV among adults in prison is three per cent while the rates of hepatitis C among inmates is 18.5 per cent. The studies suggest the viruses are spreading by intravenous drug use involving makeshift equipment shared among prisoners. "People are taking ball point pens, they are taking cutlery ... They are fashioning crude equipment for injecting drugs," said Elliott who authored a research paper in the same edition of the CMAJ as the studies, on governmental responsibilities in the prison system. No prisons in Canada currently have a needle exchange program. Elliott said the two new studies prove more needs to be done. "They come at a time when there is little willingness -- and even outright opposition -- on the part of correctional systems and their political masters to implement evidence-based measures to address this serious public health crisis," he writes in his research paper. Calzavara said the public can't afford letting the situation get much worse. "If it remains the way it is, it is frightening," she said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV Toronto's Avis Favaro
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Millions displaced as floods recede in south Asia Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 05 2007  21:45  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 6th, 2007 South Asian communities across Canada are scrambling for information and praying for millions of displaced flood victims in India and Bangladesh. Dipali Narvankar, a newlywed attending university in Winnipeg, couldn't contact her husband for nearly a week as a result of the monsoon-driven flooding. "He was stuck in his office for five days. After five minutes, he couldn't come out because the water level was up to neck," she told CTV Winnipeg on Sunday. Rescuers finally tied a rope to his wrist and pulled him out, she said. An estimated 289 people have died as a result of the flooding so far. The Canadian Red Cross has started a national fund-raising effort.	Villagers run to receive relief packages air dropped for flood victims at Darbhanga district, in the northern Indian state of Bihar, on Aug. 4, 2007. (AP / Prashant Ravi)
"Half of the country in Bangladesh is affected. It is literally under water," the Red Cross's Charlie Musoka told CTV News. "We have to provide as much assistance as possible in terms of clean water and emergency food." The South Asian community in Winnipeg is considering some type of aid effort. South Asian communities in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto have already launched campaigns. Mohammad Hassan of Plan Canada, who had travelled to Bangladesh just about the time the flooding started, said people there will need the basics: Food Medicine Shelte	'It's not going to be the prettiest sight in the world, but by getting over there, hopefully we can do some good and help a lot of people out,' said co-ordinator Matt Capobianco.
Six Toronto paramedics affiliated with Globa l Medic plan to travel to the region for a week to help out, packing an inflatable hospital with them. "It's not going to be the prettiest sight in the world, but by getting over there, hopefully we can do some good and help a lot of people out," said co-ordinator Matt Capobianco. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday that Canada has received no official request for aid from the affected countries. Some good news The monsoon flood waters began to recede Sunday. Water levels in major rivers began to drop in some of the hardest hit areas in India and Bangladesh. After a day without rain, relief workers were able to hand out medicine to prevent water-borne diseases. According to the respective governments, about 14 million people in India and five million in Bangladesh have been displaced by flooding. On Saturday, helicopters continued food drops -- with packets containing gram powder, salt, candles and match boxes -- to stranded villagers in India. The Indian army helped civil authorities coordinate relief and rescue efforts for stranded residents in northern India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states. While the situation may not be worsening, it is still dire.
"It's a completely distressing situation all over this region," Devendra Tak, a spokesperson from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, told CTV Newsnet from Bangladesh on Sunday. Tak said people are stranded on government buildings, highways, railroad tracks or high embankments. "They are going anywhere they can hold on, even tree tops or roof tops. These are already common places that people are trying to reach," Tak said. Reports from eastern India say villagers are being bitten by monkeys because the animals are distressed by rising waters. Tak said refugee and first-aid camps have been set up in Bangladesh but villagers are unable to make the trek due to the raging waters. He said local governments will need to come together in a more efficient way to rescue and care for those displaced by the flood. Much of South Asia experiences flooding annually due to monsoon rains from June to September. However, the rains this year have been particularly devastating. Tak said despite efforts by relief organizations to relocate villages, plant trees and prepare residents for annual flooding this year's death toll will be high. "Of course we have monsoons every year and there are floods every year. Last year there were 1,000 people who died because of the flood and this year current estimates say there are 1,300 people or more who have already died of the monsoons in South Asia this year," Tak said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV's Craig Oliver and files from The Associated Press
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Flood waters recede, 19 million displaced Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Aug. 05 2007  12:59  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 5th, 2007 Monsoon flood waters that killed 289 people in the past week began to recede Sunday after displacing millions of residents in Southeast Asia. Water levels in major rivers began to drop in some of the hardest hit areas in India and Bangladesh. After a day without rain, relief workers were able to hand out medicine to prevent water borne diseases.	Villagers look on as the members of the Indian army relief and rescue team arrive at a flood affected area in the Gorakhpur district, Sunday, August 5, 2007. (AP Photo / Rajesh Kumar Singh)
According to government data some 14 million people in India and five million in Bangladesh have been displaced by flooding. On Saturday, helicopters continued food drops -- with packets containing gram powder, salt, candles and match boxes -- to stranded villagers in India. The Indian army helped civil authorities coordinate relief and rescue efforts for stranded residents in northern India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.
Officials estimate 240 people have been killed in India and neighboring Bangladesh with at least 11 deaths tallied on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh from house collapses. "It's a completely distressing situation all over this region," Devendra Tak, a spokesperson from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, told CTV Newsnet from Bangladesh on Sunday. Tak said 35 million people are currently being affected by flooding with many of them stranded on government buildings, highways, railroad tracks or high embankments. "They are going anywhere they can hold on, even tree tops or roof tops. These are already common places that people are trying to reach," Tak said. Reports from eastern India say villagers are being bitten by monkeys because animals are distressed by rising waters. Tak said refugee and first-aid camps have been set up in Bangladesh but villagers are unable to make the trek due to the raging waters. He said local governments will need to come together in a more efficient way to rescue and care for those displaced by the flood. "They are eagerly awaiting any kind of aid. To begin with, the require food, they require drinkable water, they require some kind of medicine that will protect them from things like malaria and diarrhea and perhaps even typhoid which can come about very soon," Tak said.	Flood-affected villagers with their cattle are seen occupying a bridge in Domara village in Maharajganj district in the north state of Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, August 5, 2007. (AP Photo / Rajesh Kumar Singh) Map of the flooded areas, prepared by the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Much of Southeastern Asia experiences flooding annually due to monsoon rains from June to September. However, the rains this year have been particularly devastating. Tak said despite efforts by relief organizations to relocate villages, plant trees and prepare residents for annual flooding this year's death toll will be high. "Of course we have monsoons every year and there are floods every year. Last year there were 1,000 people who died because of the flood and this year current estimates say there are 1,300 people or more who have already died of the monsoons in Southeast Asia this year," Tak said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from the Associated Press
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U.S. soldier found guilty of rape and murder Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Aug. 04 2007  10:18  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 4th, 2007 A U.S. military jury has found a soldier guilty of the 2006 rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl and her family. Army Pfc. Jesse Spielman, 22, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit rape, rape, housebreaking with intent to commit rape and four counts of felony murder.	This is an undated photo released by the U.S. Army of Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman. (AP / U.S. Army)
Jurors came to their decision late Friday evening and will later decide if Spielman is eligible for parole. He could face life in prison and is expected to be sentenced on Saturday. The soldier's grandmother, Nancy Hess, collapsed outside the courtroom after the verdict was read. Prosecutors ran to her side as soldiers fanned the woman with napkins. Spielman's sister, Paige Gerlach, screamed: "I hate the government. You people put him (in Iraq) and now, this happened." Three other soldiers are currently serving time for their roles in the March 12, 2006 slaying of the family. A fourth soldier is awaiting trial in Kentucky. Military prosecutors allege Spielman went to the house knowing the intentions of the other soldiers and served as a lookout. Spielman pleaded guilty on Monday to lesser charges of conspiracy to obstructing justice, arson, wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking. The murder of the family of four in their home in Mahmoudiya, a village south of Baghdad, sparked outrage among Iraqis. The investigator said the soldiers put the parents and their 6-year-old daughter into a bedroom of their home, but kept the teenage girl in the living room, where the soldiers took turns raping her. Abeer Qassim al-Janabi was found sprawled naked in the house, her torso and head burned by flames. Abeer's sister, Hadeel, was found dead from a bullet wound in the head. Their father, Qassim, and mother, Fikhriya, suffered similar deaths. Sgt. Paul E. Cortez testified that Spielman stood guard as his fellow soldiers raped the girl and was within metres of the others as they held her down but did nothing to stop his comrades. Spc. James Barker, Cortez and another soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles in the murders and were sentenced to 100 years in prison under plea agreements. Steven D. Green, who was discharged from the Army before being charged, faces a possible death sentence when he is tried in federal court in Kentucky. It's alleged Green shot and killed Abeer's mother, father and younger sister and then shot the girl in the head after raping her. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from the Associated Press
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Death toll hits 5 in Minneapolis bridge collapse Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Aug. 03 2007  08:38  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 2nd, 2007 Emergency workers on Thursday began another grim day of searching for victims in the aftermath of a Minneapolis bridge collapse that has left at least five people dead. CNN reported Friday morning that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office had confirmed four bodies were recovered on Wednesday and one was recovered Thursday. Divers probing the twisted wreckage of metal and concrete in the Mississippi River have spotted more bodies in the fast-moving water. Police Chief Tim Dolan says there are cars underneath the massive slabs of concrete that came down when the bridge collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. during the height of rush hour traffic on Tuesday. The death toll is still at four, but dozens are still unaccounted for and officials have said the count is expected to rise as workers carry out the slow task of recovering the victims. "One of the problems divers are having when they go into the Mississippi is they are running into a lot of jagged debris," CTV's Scott Laurie, reporting from the scene on Friday morning, told Canada AM.	Aerial view of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. (AP / Morry Gash) The collapsed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River is seen in the lower left corner of an aerial view of Minneapolis. (AP / Morry Gash)
"You have to understand there are cars, trucks, broken glass, girders, everything piled on top of one another and it's making the job of retrieving any people that may be still in the water very difficult for divers." Among those thought to have been killed in the accident is a pregnant Somali nursing student and her two-year-old daughter, The Associated Press reports. The accident has prompted new safety inspections of bridges in the U.S. and Canada. Minnesota officials were warned as early as 1990 that the bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River on Wednesday was "structurally deficient." But they continued to follow a strategy of patchwork fixes and inspections, raising questions over whether the collapse could have been prevented. "We thought we had done all we could," state bridge engineer Dan Dorgan said Thursday at a news conference held not far from the accident site. "Obviously something went terribly wrong." Extracting the vehicles involves moving around very large, heavy pieces of bridge, and the operation was expected to take days. The collapse happened shortly after 6 p.m. local time during the height of rush hour, sending a massive cloud of dust into the sky and terrifying onlookers during the height of rush hour. Four lanes were open on the eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge at the time, while two pairs of outer lanes had been closed to repairs.
Dozens of cars fell more than 60 feet into the Mississippi. A school bus carrying about 60 children was on part of the collapsed bridge, but the students and driver escaped without serious injuries as the bus sat on the angled concrete. Divers on Thursday took down the licence plate numbers of submerged vehicles to help authorities track down the vehicles' owners. The U.S. Homeland Security Department said the collapse didn't appear to be terrorism-related, but the cause was still unknown. Federal officials said US$5 million would be rapidly released to help with efforts such as re-routing traffic around the disaster site. 'Structurally deficient' In 1990, the federal government gave the bridge a rating of "structurally deficient," citing significant corrosion in its bearings. The rating means portions of the bridge needed to be scheduled for repair or replacement. And it was on a schedule for inspection every two years. Dorgan said later inspections in the 1990s found fatigue cracks and corrosion in the steel around the bridge's joints. Those problems were repaired. And beginning in 1993, the bridge was inspected annually instead of every other year.	Abundia Martinez weeps as she hugs her 2-month-old daughter after speaking to her family in Mexico to give news of her husband, who was killed in the collapse. Martinez also has three young children in Mexico. (Star Tribune / Elizabeth Flores) Officials inspect the scene of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis. (Minneapolis Star Tribune / Jim Gehrz)
The "structurally deficient" rating made the 35W one of 77,000 bridges in that category across the U.S. -- with 1,160 in Minnesota alone. The White House said an inspection of the 160-metre-long, 40-year-old bridge in 2005 found problems. Transportation officials said the bridge span rated 50 on a scale of 100 for structural stability. However, "It didn't mean that the bridge is unsafe," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered on Thursday an immediate inspection of all bridges in the state with similar designs. But he said the state was never warned that the bridge needed to be closed or immediately repaired. "There was no call by anyone that we're aware of that said it should be immediately closed or immediately replaced," Pawlenty said. "It was more of a monitor, inspect, maintain, and potentially replace it in the future." But White House press secretary Tony Snow said earlier that while the inspection didn't indicate the bridge was at risk of failing, "If an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions." When still intact, the bridge rose about 20 metres above the river's surface. Between 100,000 and 200,000 vehicles per day are estimated to use the bridge. Federal Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters spoke at a news conference Thursday, pledging engineers and experts from her department would provide full support to the investigation, and would stay on the scene as long as necessary. "We fully understand what happened and we will take every step possible to ensure something like this does not happen again," she said. Pawlenty said the silver lining to the tragedy is the examples of heroism, where bystanders and Good Samaritans rushed to the scene to help the victims. "So it's in this horror, this tragedy, we see a silver lining of the goodness of the people we see in Minnesota." Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Bridge collapse rescue shifts to recovery effort Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Aug. 02 2007  07:42  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 2nd, 2007 Emergency workers in Minneapolis have shifted their focus from searching for survivors to trying to recover the bodies after a major bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush-hour traffic on Wednesday. The collapse happened shortly after 6 p.m. local time, sending a massive cloud of dust into the sky and terrifying onlookers during the height of rush hour. At least seven people were killed in the dramatic collapse and 60 were taken to hospital. About 20 people are still missing and may have been involved in the collapse, and the death toll is expected to continue to rise. Families of the missing have gathered at the site to await news of their loved ones. "It's a search and recovery not a rescue effort, they have changed that connotation," CNN correspondent Rusty Dornin told CTV Newsnet on Thursday. "They don't believe there are any more survivors in the water. They did have to abandon, however, even the recovery efforts overnight. It was too dark, too dangerous, huge chunks of concrete and twisted metal." With little light available and twisted metal covering the riverbed, divers were forced to stop examining some of the wreckage until morning.	Vehicles are scattered along the broken remains of the Interstate 35W bridge, which stretches between Minneapolis and St. Paul. (The Minnesota Daily / Stacy Bengs)
The collapse happened while the bridge was under the full weight of rush-hour traffic. "There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river,'' said Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman. Four lanes were open on the eight-lane highway at the time, while two pairs of outer lanes had been closed to repairs. Many people were likely trying to get to the Minneapolis Twins baseball game at the nearby Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Vehicles fell into the water, along with tonnes of concrete and steel. A school bus carrying about 60 children was on part of the collapsed bridge, but the students and driver were said to have escaped without serious injuries. Leone Carstens, who lives several blocks from the bridge, was at home when the collapse occurred. "There was this roar, I guess you would call it. I walked out to the other room and looked out the window and it was gone. It had already happened," she told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday. Melissa Hughes, 32, narrowly survived when her car dropped several feet along with the western edge of the bridge. "You know that free-fall feeling? I felt that twice," she told The Associated Press. A truck landed on top of her car, heavily damaging part of the roof. But somehow Hughes escaped without any injuries. "I had no idea there was a vehicle on my car," she said. "It's really very surreal." Several burning vehicles were left on the east bank after the collapse, with fire crews pouring water onto the flames. CNN and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper reported that up to 50 cars may have fallen in the river. However, Kristi Rollwagen, director of emergency preparedness for the city of Minneapolis, told CNN, "We don't have a count on that yet." Dozens of other damaged vehicles were stuck in the rubble. Some spans fell into the water, but sat above the water's surface with vehicles on top. In Washington, the U.S. Homeland Security Department said it had no indications the collapse was linked to any terrorist act, but was more likely the result of a structural failure. The eight-lane, 160-metre-long bridge is part of the 35W interstate highway linking Minneapolis and adjacent St. Paul. The 40-year-old bridge spans the Mississippi River. Workers had been conducting work recently to repair the bridge's surface. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., told CNN that the bridge had been structurally inspected three years ago and received a clean bill of health. When still intact, the bridge rose about 20 metres above the river's surface. Between 100,000 and 200,000 vehicles per day are estimated to use the bridge. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Triple-murder suspect due in court following arrest Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Aug. 01 2007  07:42  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: August 1st, 2007 A 22-year-old triple-murder suspect arrested by police in Quebec will be in court today following an intense manhunt that lasted almost two weeks. Jesse Imeson was captured late Tuesday in Portage-Du-Fort, Que., near the Ontario border, about an hour from Ottawa. Dale Lewis, who has a cottage in Portage-Du-Fort, was checking a neighbour's property Tuesday when he saw a person inside jump behind a column in the living room. "I left the property and got another neighbour to call 9-1-1, then I watched the property and I saw (Imeson) walk out the driveway and down the road up into some other cottage areas," Lewis told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday. "My next door neighbour gave a little pursuit and then the police went in. It took them about an hour-and-a-half to apprehend him." Quebec and Ontario police officers then found Imeson in a nearby wooded area just before 9 p.m. Quebec police have confirmed that Imeson was armed with two rifles when he was arrested, CTV's Kate Eggins reported Wednesday. Imeson is wanted in connection with the deaths of William and Helene Regier, an Ontario couple fatally shot earlier this month near Grand Bend. He has also been charged in connection with the earlier murder of Carlos Rivera, a 26-year-old bartender at a gay strip club in Windsor, Ont.	Jesse Imeson, 22, is seen in this image made available by the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch. CTV map detailing the location of Portage-Du-Fort, Que. Victims of the double murder, Bill and Helen Regier are shown in this handout photo. (CP Photo)
Earlier, police found a missing truck in the Ottawa Valley owned by the Regiers, sparking fears that Imeson was still in the area. The GMC Sierra pickup was discovered near Renfrew, Ont. Monday night. Before he was finally caught, the hunt for Imeson had extended into the United States, with his face appearing on the top of the America's Most Wanted website. A Canada-wide warrant was also issued for Imeson. Imeson was held in Portage-du-Fort overnight and will appear in court there Wednesday morning. He will then likely be transported to London, Ont. later in the day to face three charges of first-degree murder. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV Southwestern Ontario and files from The Canadian Press