Dec 07

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HEIGHT= 36377 ><NOBR><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="top_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT><IMG SRC="5e4a5c200.png" border=0 width="92" height="32" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <B>Past Articles:</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC80" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC9900" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1161.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 10"><U><B>Sep/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1160.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 10"><U><B>Aug/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1159.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 10"><U><B>Jul/10</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 10"><U><B>Jun/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 10"><U><B>May/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1143.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 10"><U><B>Apr/10</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1142.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 10"><U><B>Mar/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 10"><U><B>Feb/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 10"><U><B>Jan/10</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1134.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 09"><U><B>Dec/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 09"><U><B>Nov/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 09"><U><B>Oct/09</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 09"><U><B>Sep/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 09"><U><B>Aug/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 09"><U><B>Jul/09</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD 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BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1091.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 08"><U><B>Nov/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1086.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 08"><U><B>Oct/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1084.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 08"><U><B>Sep/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1083.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 08"><U><B>Aug/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1078.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 08"><U><B>Jul/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1077.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 08"><U><B>Jun/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1072.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 08"><U><B>May/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1071.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 08"><U><B>Apr/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1060.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 08"><U><B>Mar/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1044.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 08"><U><B>Feb/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1043.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 08"><U><B>Jan/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1038.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B>Dec/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1037.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 07"><U><B>Nov/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1032.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B>Oct/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1026.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 07"><U><B>Sep/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1025.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 07"><U><B>Aug/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1020.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 07"><U><B>Jul/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1015.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 07"><U><B>Jun/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 07"><U><B>May/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 07"><U><B>Apr/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id986.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 07"><U><B>Mar/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id979.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 07"><U><B>Feb/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id978.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 07"><U><B>Jan/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id973.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 06"><U><B>Dec/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id968.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B>Nov/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id963.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 06"><U><B>Oct/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id957.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 06"><U><B>Sep/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id951.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 06"><U><B>Aug/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id945.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 06"><U><B>Jul/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id940.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 06"><U><B>Jun/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id934.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 06"><U><B>May/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id929.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 06"><U><B>Apr/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id924.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 06"><U><B>Mar/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id910.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 06"><U><B>Feb/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id908.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 06"><U><B>Jan/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id898.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 05"><U><B>Dec/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id892.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 05"><U><B>Nov/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id885.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 05"><U><B>Oct/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id880.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 05"><U><B>Sep/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id875.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 05"><U><B>Aug/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id808.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 05"><U><B>Jul/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id803.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 05"><U><B>Jun/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id798.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 05"><U><B>May/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id793.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 05"><U><B>Apr/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id771.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 05"><U><B>Mar/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id766.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 05"><U><B>Feb/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id760.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B>Jan/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>These "Articles" are dated from December 1st, 2007 - December 31st, 2007.</B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="359" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#31" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Calgary's new trans fat rules kick in on Tuesday</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 31/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#30" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 30/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#29" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Don't give Truscott compensation: Harper family</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 29/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#28" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Foul play suspected in death of aboriginal activist</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 28/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#27" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Pakistani ex-prime minister Bhutto assassinated</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 27/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#26" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Consumers spend more than $1B on Boxing Day</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 26/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#25" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Girl, 8, drowns after Christmas Eve car rollover</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 25/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#24" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 24/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#23" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Queen Elizabeth joins YouTube generation</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 23/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#22" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Madeleine's parents want her home for Christmas</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 22/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#21" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  'Provocative' security study has holes: expert</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 21/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#20" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Time names loonie as Canada's story of the year</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 20/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#19" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Murder victim's friends wait for 'nightmare' to end</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 19/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#18" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadians heading home after Dubai amnesty</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 18/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#17" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Storm leaves 20,000 without power in the Maritimes</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 17/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#16" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  'Crippling' storm hits Ontario and Eastern Canada</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 16/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#15" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Central Canada braces for 'massive' winter wallop</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 15/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#14" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Review of RCMP expected to criticize force</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 14/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#13" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  RCMP officer defends Tasers as an 'important tool'</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 13/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#12" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Isotope bill balances need, safety: Clement</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 12/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#11" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Doctors warn of potential dangers of OxyContin</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 11/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#10" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Gore gets Nobel, warns of ominous threat</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 10/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#09" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Mulroney to face tough questions on Schreiber</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 09/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#08" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Two adults, three kids killed in Calgary car crash</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 08/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#07" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Fire destroys historic buildings in Barrie, Ont.</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 07/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#06" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Mall shooting suspect described as 'troubled'</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 06/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#05" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  More people smoking toad venom to get high: cops</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 05/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#04" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  1 in 5 people in Canada now foreign-born: census</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 04/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#03" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Winter weather stretching from sea to sea</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 03/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#02" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Storms blast Central, Atlantic and Pacific regions</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 02/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#01" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Dublin beer bandit raids Guinness brewery</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 01/12/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> =======================</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="705" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="707"><div>  <A NAME="31"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 351 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Calgary's new trans fat rules kick in on Tuesday</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Dec. 31  2007  10:17  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 31st, 2007</div> <div> <B>Calgary is just hours away from becoming the first city in Canada to regulate trans fat, with new grease-fighting rules set to kick in on New Year's Day.</B></div> <bR> <div> The new rules ban restaurants in the city from cooking with oils that have a trans fat content of two per cent or higher.</div> <bR> <div> And margarines and spreads used in restaurants must also remain below the 2 per cent threshold.</div> <bR> <div> The artery-clogging trans fats have become a top target of health advocates in recent years, but Calgary is the first Canadian municipality to set limits -- following the example of Chicago and New York.</div> <bR> <div> The city has launched a two-phase plan, said Dr. Richard Musto, executive director of public health for the Calgary Health Region.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c59aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Guilty pleasures, like poutine, won’t be as bad for your health after Calgary's new fat rules are in place.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c59ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dr. Richard Musto of the Calgary Health Region speaks to Canada AM on Monday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 664 WIDTH="707"><div> "Phase one requires the use of oils and spreads that contain less than two per cent trans fat," Musto told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> "Phase two, which will be effective sometime in middle of January of the middle of 2009, requires that all processed or manufactured foods contain less than five per cent of their total fat content as trans fats."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Musto said officials from Calgary Health found that most restaurants within the city are already within compliance with the new standards, but the new rules will ensure everyone follows the rules.</div> <bR> <div> "First of all, our survey of 400 of the operators conducted this past fall revealed that better than 80 per cent are already in compliance with the use of the oils, and two thirds with respect to the spreads. So most have already moved there, they know this is a trend in our society to expect safer, healthier foods," Musto said.</div> <bR> <div> Inspectors will be visiting restaurants in the coming months to ensure they are within compliance, and will work with the facilities to ensure they can meet the requirements, Musto said.</div> <bR> <div> Though the vegetable-based oils that meet the lower transfat content rules are often more expensive, Musto said the higher cost will be absorbed by the fact the healthier oils don't need to be changed as often.</div> <bR> <div> According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the consumption of trans fats accounts for between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths every year in Canada alone.</div> <bR> <div> Cargary's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brent Friesen said the change will mean major health benefits for residents.</div> <bR> <div> "With healthier choices we can see a reduction of somewhere between six and 22 per cent in cardiovascular disease," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Trans fat occurs naturally in low levels in some animal-based foods. However, it is also generated when liquid oils are turned into semi-solid fats such as margarine.</div> <bR> <div> Trans fat has been linked to obesity, clogged arteries and high cholesterol.</div> <bR> <div> Restaurants in Calgary will be given a five month grace period to institute the changes before risking health code violations and having their operating permits pulled.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="30"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 196 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun.  Dec. 30  2007  14:28  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 30th, 2007</div> <div> <B>A roadside bomb has killed a Canadian soldier out on routine patrol in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province.</B></div> <bR> <div> The dead soldier has been identified as Gunner Jonathan Dion, 27, of the 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada, which is based in Valcartier, Que.</div> <bR> <div> Four others were wounded in the blast, which occurred about 9:10 a.m. local time on Sunday.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c596a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Canadian Gunner Jonathan Dion, 27, is shown in this undated handout photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Department of National Defence)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 447 WIDTH="707"><div> The four injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the hospital at Kandahar Airfield and are in good condition.</div> <bR> <div> CTV's Murray Oliver told CTV Newsnet from Kandahar that one soldier has already been released from hospital and the others are expected to make a full recovery.</div> <bR> <div> They were able to call their families themselves, Oliver said.</div> <bR> <div> The blast occurred in Zhari District, about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City. The soldiers were travelling in a TLAV -- an older model of personnel carrier that has had its armour upgraded -- as part of a convoy heading back to Kandahar City for the new year.</div> <bR> <div> "We are saddened by the tragic loss of our brother. We will mourn him, we will honour him and we will remember him," Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, Canada's top military commander in Afghanistan, told reporters.</div> <bR> <div> "While doing so, we will carry on with our mission of helping the people of Afghanistan find peace and stability, with the same resolve as we have always shown."</div> <bR> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was deeply saddened by Dion's death and wished the injured soldiers a speedy recovery.</div> <bR> <div> We will not forget the sacrifice made by Gunner Dion while working to make life better for others," Harper said in a statement released Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> "These Canadian soldiers were working to provide security and help create the conditions needed to improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 472 WIDTH="707"><div> Canada has 2,500 soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission.</div> <bR> <div> Dion, from Val-d'Or, Que., is the 74th Canadian soldier to die since 2002. A Canadian diplomat has also been killed. </div> <div> Roadside bombs have accounted for a majority of those deaths.</div> <bR> <div> "These roadside bombs have been the way that most Canadian soldiers have been killed or injured. I can tell you that the soldiers just hate them," Oliver said.</div> <bR> <div> "It's very frustrating, you can imagine, for a soldier who wants to be fighting and can accept being injured in combat, to be injured while sitting in a vehicle."</div> <bR> <div> Sunil Ram, an international security and defence analyst, told CTV Newsnet that there is not much more that can be done against IED attacks.</div> <bR> <div> "We can stop 99 out of 100 of these things, but it's the one that gets through that will do the damage," he said on Sunday. </div> <div> Ram said the Taliban were fighting a war of attrition.</div> <bR> <div> "The Taliban can't realistically defeat NATO, but they can kill NATO by inches through the use of IEDs and insurgency tactics."</div> <bR> <div> Elsewhere in Afghanistan, six private guards and two police officers were killed on Sunday when Taliban militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at a convoy of security contractors guarding an equipment delivery.</div> <bR> <div> The attack happened along the country's main highway, 32 kilometres southwest of Kabul in Wardak province.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="29"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 357 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Don't give Truscott compensation: Harper family</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat.  Dec. 29  2007  16:44  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 28th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The family of slain schoolgirl Lynne Harper has until Tuesday to convince a court not to award financial compensation to Steven Truscott, the man wrongly convicted of the murder.</B></div> <bR> <div> Lynne's father and oldest brother Barry will make a submission Tuesday to retired appeal court judge Sydney Robbins, detailing how their lives have been affected since the 12-year-old girl's untimely death half a century ago.</div> <bR> <div> Barry Harper told the <I>Globe and Mail</I> the family will argue in court Truscott should not receive financial compensation because he was never declared "factually innocent."</div> <bR> <div> "They haven't declared him innocent," he said in the interview. "How can they possibly compensate him?"</div> <bR> <div> He also told the<I> Globe</I> their father Leslie had become ill since Truscott was acquitted last August. He said he fears his father's health would take a turn for the worse if Truscott came into money because of the case.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c592a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Steven Truscott arrives at the Ontario Court of Appeal at Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c593a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Lynne Harper</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 302 WIDTH="707"><div> However, in recent history, the courts have awarded significant compensation to people who have been wrongly accused of murder. Current guidelines state that compensation should be awarded when it is proven that the person did not commit the crime for which they were convicted.</div> <bR> <div> Guy Paul Morin and David Milgaard were both exonerated of murder, thanks to DNA evidence, after serving years in prison. They received $1.2 million and $10 million respectively.</div> <bR> <div> However, there is no DNA evidence available in Truscott's case which makes it almost impossible to clear his name completely.</div> <bR> <div> While the Ontario Court of Appeal declared Truscott a victim of a miscarriage of justice and acquitted him of raping and murdering Harper in 1959, they also said the evidence prevented them from declaring him innocent.</div> <bR> <div> Truscott was 14 years old when he was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. However, that was later commuted to life in prison. After 10 years, Truscott was paroled. He has maintained his innocence since the beginning.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from toronto.ctv.ca</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="28"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 540 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Foul play suspected in death of aboriginal activist</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri.  Dec. 28  2007  17:57  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 28th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Nova Scotia police say they suspect foul play in the death of an aboriginal activist who fought for a government settlement worth billions of dollars.</B></div> <bR> <div> Police in Truro, N.S., said they are investigating the death of Nora Bernard and have classified her home as a crime scene.</div> <bR> <div> Bernard was found dead on the floor of her home in Millbrook First Nation, near Truro, Thursday morning after police responded to a 911 call.</div> <bR> <div> Family members have said they believe Bernard died of a heart attack or stroke.</div> <bR> <div> Sgt. Randy MacKenzie said police have not confirmed the cause of death, but an autopsy is expected to conclude this weekend.</div> <bR> <div> "The family would certainly be aware of that information. But, as I say, as a result of the examination of the scene and the body of Ms. Bernard, foul play has been determined," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The 72-year-old activist spearheaded a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government on behalf of students of the residential school system, seeking compensation for loss of language and culture.</div> <bR> <div> Bernard's dedication has been credited for reaching the settlement worth up to $5 billion to the more than 70,000 aboriginal school children who suffered physical and sexual abuse from the 1870s to the 1970s.</div> <bR> <div> It is believed to be the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c58aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Aboriginal activist Nora Bernard speaks with CTV News in this undated file photo.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c58ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Police have not confirmed the cause of death, Sgt. Randy MacKenzie told CTV Atlantic on Friday, Dec. 28, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c58ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A police vehicle is stationed outside the home of Nora Bernard after finding her dead on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 161 WIDTH="707"><div> Victims, including Bernard, had recently started receiving settlement cheques worth up to $10,000.</div> <bR> <div> Lloyd Johnson, a band councillor, said Bernard was a welcoming woman who likely left the door unlocked at night. He said her recent payment could have made her a target.</div> <bR> <div> "If it's determined to be because of the money, then we will have to see to it that adequate protection is in place for the other elders," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="27"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 196 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Pakistani ex-prime minister Bhutto assassinated</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu.  Dec. 27  2007  15:05  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 27th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is dead following a shooting and a suicide bomb attack on her vehicle as she left a public rally in Rawalpindi. She was 54.</B></div> <bR> <div> There are mixed reports regarding whether Bhutto was directly killed by the bomb or by gunfire shortly before the explosion.</div> <bR> <div> At least 22 other people were killed in the blast, for which no one has claimed responsibility.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c582a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Benazir Bhutto arrives at her last public rally, shortly before she was assassinated, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. (AP / Mohammad Javed)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 484 WIDTH="707"><div> Bhutto's security adviser, Rehman Malik, said the leader was shot in the neck and chest by the attacker, who then detonated his explosive. Party supporter Chaudry Mohammed Nazir said two gunshots were fired on Bhutto's vehicle as it left the rally and then a big blast occurred.</div> <bR> <div> <U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Read about the life of Benazir Bhutto: 1953-2007</U>  <<<A HREF="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071227/bhutto_obit_071227/20071227?hub=TopStories" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/st"><U><B><IMG SRC="b6b30b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>>></B></div> <bR> <div> Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital for surgery but succumbed to her wounds. Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto's party, said "at 6:16 p.m. she expired.''</div> <bR> <div> Hours later, her body was later taken out of the hospital, her casket carried aloft by supporters. Domestic television networks said the body was headed to her hometown of Larkana to be buried.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered condolences to Bhutto's family, to the families of the other victims of today's attack, and to the Pakistani people.</div> <bR> <div> "We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. This was an abhorrent act of terror. We hope that the government of Pakistan will act to bring the perpetrators to justice."</div> <bR> <div> Harper told reporters in Calgary that the Pakistan election scheduled for Jan. 8 should continue as planned.</div> <bR> <div> "This cannot be allowed to permit any delay in the return of Pakistan to full democracy -- something the people of Pakistan have been waiting for, for far too long," he said.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. President George Bush also condemned the attack.</div> <bR> <div> "The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," he said from Crawford, Tex.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 501 WIDTH="707"><div> "We stand with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against forces of terror and extremism. We urge them to honour Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life."</div> <bR> <div> United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the assassination an "assault on stability", while the UN Security Council went into consultations to discuss the killing.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Three days of mourning</B></div> <bR> <div> Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced three days of mourning and appealed for calm amid word of violent protests erupting across the volatile South Asian nation.</div> <bR> <div> "This is the work of those terrorists with whom we are engaged in war," he said in a nationally televised speech. "Today, after this tragic incident, I want to express my firm resolve ... we will not rest until we eliminate these terrorists and root them out." </div> <div> Bhutto's supporters at the hospital in Rawalpindi smashed glass doors and stoned cars and many chanted slogans against Musharraf, accusing him of complicity in the assassination.</div> <bR> <div> In Rawalpindi, the site of the attack, Bhutto's supporters burned election posters from the ruling party and attacked police, who fled from the scene. And in the northwestern city of Peshawar as well other areas, angry supporters have taken to the streets chanting slogans against Musharraf.</div> <bR> <div> The death has also thrown the campaign for the Jan. 8 election into chaos. Musharraf has called a high-level emergency meeting to discuss the government's response.</div> <bR> <div> Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday his party would boycott the election. </div> <div> "The PML(N) is boycotting the election after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto," Sharif told a news conference in Islamabad, referring to his party.</div> <bR> <div> "Free elections are not possible in the presence of Musharraf... Musharraf is the root cause of all problems."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 517 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>'She was the party'</B></div> <bR> <div> Terrorism expert Eric Margolis, who advised Bhutto on security and became friends with her, told CTV Newsnet that her death will throw her party's future into turmoil.</div> <bR> <div> "Bhutto's party which was the largest party in Pakistan -- the Peoples Party -- has now been decapitated," said Margolis. "She dominated the party. She was the party. It was a very personalized party. She does not really have a strong No. 2."</div> <bR> <div> The Pakistan Peoples Party was founded by Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who served as a president and prime minister of Pakistan in the 1970s.</div> <bR> <div> Bhutto lost power in a 1977 coup to Gen. Zia Ul-Haq, then the chief of the army staff whom Bhutto himself had appointed. Bhutto was executed in 1979 for allegedly ordering the murder of a political opponent.</div> <bR> <div> Benazir, the oldest of the Bhutto children, vowed to continue the work of her father and won a majority in parliamentary elections in November 1988, at the age of 35.</div> <bR> <div> By 1990, President Gulam Ishaq Khan had dismissed her government on charges of corruption -- charges Bhutto denied. Three years later, Bhutto won the prime ministership once again.</div> <bR> <div> Her government would be dismissed again on corruption allegations in 1996. That same year, her brother Murtaza, also politically active, was shot to death under murky circumstances.</div> <bR> <div> Facing corruption charges that she claimed were politically motivated, Bhutto left Pakistan in 1999, the same year Musharraf deposed Sharif.</div> <bR> <div> Bhutto returned to Pakistan from exile in October 2007 and was campaigning ahead of the January elections. At the rally celebrating her return last October, more than 140 people were killed in another suicide blast. Bhutto was not hurt and remained defiant despite the threats on her life.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 250 WIDTH="707"><div> Margolis says Bhutto was aware of the dangers she faced and knew that attending rallies was a risk.</div> <bR> <div> "She always said to be a politician and to do her populace politics, she had to be seen, and to move, and to go into the streets. That's the Pakistani style," he told CTV Newsnet.</div> <bR> <div> "She was taking extreme precautions to protect herself, but the point was if she didn't show herself and stayed in seclusion, she would have lost a lot of her popular appeal. She was a street politician, rallying huge numbers of people was her stock and trade."</div> <bR> <div> At the rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday, Bhutto herself explained her motivations: </div> <div> "I put my life in danger and came here because I feel this country is in danger. People are worried. We will bring the country out of this crisis."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="26"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 225 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Consumers spend more than $1B on Boxing Day</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed.  Dec. 26  2007  23:24  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 26th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Canadian shoppers may have spent $1.2 billion chasing Boxing Day bargains in the nation's stores, by one estimate.</B></div> <bR> <div> The official estimate will come out in about a month, and economists will be studying the numbers closely to glean insight into the country's economic health going into 2008, reported CTV's David Akin.</div> <bR> <div> "These numbers really tell us about how consumers are feeling about the economy," he said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c583a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A man walks into a Vancouver clothing store to shop during the annual Boxing Day sale. Despite the big sales, a recent survey found that more consumers are opting to stay at home.(Richard Lam / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 451 WIDTH="707"><div> Some signs are good. Canada's federal government is in much better fiscal shape that its American neighbour, unemployment is low and house prices have held up while U.S. prices are sagging, Akin said.</div> <bR> <div> The credit and housing problems in the U.S. may have been reflected by sales activity.</div> <bR> <div> "It was a relatively mediocre shopping season. You had some big winners, but in general the American consumer is really not reaching out and spending that last extra dollar," said retail analyst Eric Beder in New York.</div> <bR> <div> In Canada, Visa Canada's annual gift-giving survey released before Boxing Day found that 23 per cent of Canadians planned to go shopping on Wednesday -- 17 per cent less than 2006. They also planned to spend $233 on average, down from 2006's estimate of $328.</div> <bR> <div> However, Canadians appeared to be out in force. One survey found that about 40 per cent were out to find entertainment or consumer electronics bargains.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Early start</B></div> <bR> <div> Boxing Day shoppers lined up outside malls and electronics stores well before sunrise to take advantage of those sales.</div> <bR> <div> Future Shop and Best Buy locations in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal saw shoppers posted outside hours before the doors opened, intent on taking advantage of big savings on electronics.</div> <bR> <div> Many stores opened to a crush of shoppers as early as 6 a.m.</div> <bR> <div> At one Montreal store, staff counted down the opening before a cheering crowd charged into the store and up escalators.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 456 WIDTH="707"><div> One couple that waited outside a Toronto electronics store from 5 a.m. came out with a truckload of new purchases.</div> <bR> <div> "Two TVs, a GPS and a bunch of stuff," the man told CTV Toronto while packing his car with his purchases.</div> <bR> <div> One Vancouver Best Buy store scheduled 200 people to work Wednesday morning to accommodate the expected rush.</div> <bR> <div> "Some of them, this is first time doing it, so there may be butterflies going on. But we try to keep them calm," manager Peter Chetwynd told CTV British Columbia.</div> <bR> <div> Winnipeg's Polo Park Shopping Centre reported heavy traffic through the afternoon. Sandra Hagenaars, Polo Park's marketing director, said the day started with a crush of traffic at electronics stores.</div> <bR> <div> "Early in the morning our electronic stores had super crazy line ups with tons of people," Hagenaars told CTV.ca. The mall opened at 8 a.m., several hours earlier than on other holidays.</div> <bR> <div> "It's full out crazy now. We're seeing groups of families -- I think we have a lot of people visiting from out of town."</div> <bR> <div> The generally white Christmas across Canada meant sporting goods retailers did a booming business.</div> <bR> <div> "Compared to last year, it's heaven on Earth," said Ottawa retailer Kevin Pidgeon.</div> <bR> <div> "Compared to last year, as we all know, it went sideways. We didn't have snow until January 15th -- well, the pent-up demand is standing behind me."</div> <bR> <div> However, women's fashion retailers found Boxing Day and the Christmas season in general to be tough for sales.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>Silent in Atlantic Canada</B></div> <bR> <div> While bargain-hunters across most of Canada stormed stores before dawn on Boxing Day, shoppers in the Maritimes spent the day look for a place to browse.</div> <bR> <div> Recently passed legislation kept malls, box stores and small shops closed in Canada's four Atlantic Provinces on Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> Still, a steady stream of shoppers drove through empty parking lots and pulled on store door handles Wednesday, hoping to find an open store.</div> <bR> <div> Debbie Prince said she tried to get some shopping done in Halifax, but supports the law that makes the holiday a time for family.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm a little disappointed but I really, in my heart, believe you shouldn't be shopping on holidays," Prince told CTV Atlantic. "The people that work here, it's not fair for them to be working on holidays."</div> <bR> <div> Much of the confusion comes from flyers distributed across Canada. They promote sales beginning on Dec. 26, without mentioning that stores are closed until Dec. 27 in Atlantic Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>w</I><I>ith reports from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness, CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander and CTV Atlantic's Toby Koffman</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="25"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Girl, 8, drowns after Christmas Eve car rollover</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue.  Dec. 25  2007  14:33  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 25th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Icy roads are being blamed for a car accident that killed an eight-year-old Ontario girl on Christmas Eve.</B></div> <bR> <div> A 28-year-old woman lost control of her Ford pick-up truck and slid off the road into a pond in</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c57fa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 380 WIDTH="707"><div> Durham Region, just east of Toronto. The truck, which was also carrying the young girl, overturned and became partially submerged in the water.</div> <bR> <div> With the help of a passerby, the woman was able to get out of the vehicle.</div> <bR> <div> However, despite the efforts of several passing motorists, they were unable to free the girl, who was submerged in the water.</div> <bR> <div> The girl's body was eventually removed by two firefighters who suffered hypothermia in the ordeal.</div> <bR> <div> The eight-year-old, from Cannington, Ont., was pronounced dead at the scene.</div> <bR> <div> The woman was treated for minor injuries at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ont. and then released.</div> <bR> <div> The accident happened just before 8 p.m. Monday in Brock Township on Regional Road 12, near Highway 12. The scene was closed for several hours as police conducted an investigation.</div> <bR> <div> Police said in a news release alcohol was not a factor in the crash and that road conditions were very icy at the time of the accident.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from toronto.ctv.ca</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="24"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 662 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon.  Dec. 24  2007  18:51  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 24th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Internationally renowned Canadian jazz pianist and trumpet player Oscar Peterson has died.</B></div> <bR> <div> The 82-year-old died at his Mississauga, Ont. home on Sunday from kidney failure and other complications stemming from the stroke he suffered years ago, sources say.</div> <bR> <div> Veteran politician Bob Rae, a close family friend of Peterson, told CTV that he heard the news from Peterson's wife Kelly Sunday night.</div> <bR> <div> "I'd been over to visit a couple of weeks ago. He'd been okay, but he was obviously failing," Rae said Monday. "It was not quite the Oscar we'd all come to know and love."</div> <bR> <div> Rae said that while the news did not come as a shock, it is a great loss to the nation.</div> <bR> <div> "He's probably Canada's best-known citizen internationally. No Canadian has done more in the cultural musical field than Oscar, and really as a humanitarian and a fighter for civil rights," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "He was the world's greatest jazz pianist. He could swing like nobody else," said Montreal jazz historian Billy Georgette.</div> <bR> <div> According to his website, Oscarpeterson.com, Peterson -- born in 1925 -- was the fourth of five children born to parents Daniel and Kathleen.</div> <bR> <div> He began playing music when he was five, first under the tutelage of his father, a porter with Canadian Pacific Railways who was also a self-taught piano player, then later under the guidance of Paul de Marky, a respected classical pianist from Hungary.</div> <bR> <div> "I didn't know what I was doing. I just knew I could do this," he once told a National Film Board documentary.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Surrounded by jazz</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c574a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Oscar Peterson performs in concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in this July 7, 1983 file photo. (Marc Miller / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c575a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson smiles while being honoured by Canada Post on his 80th birthday with his picture on a Canadian stamp in Toronto, Ont. on Monday, August 15, 2005. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c577a06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson receives decoration from Governor-General Roland Michener who invested him as an officer of the Order of Canada in Ottawa in this April 12, 1973 file photo. (Chuck Mitchell / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 447 WIDTH="707"><div> Peterson's introduction to jazz music also came at an early age. Growing up in Montreal's poor, predominantly black Little Burgundy neighbourhood in the 1920s and '30s, he was surrounded by a then flourishing jazz culture that came to define his long career.</div> <bR> <div> His influences are said to be Teddy Wilson, Nat King Cole and Art Tatum.</div> <bR> <div> Peterson's first national exposure in Canada came when he was 14, when his older sister Daisy arranged for him to audition for a national amateur competition. He went on to win the contest.</div> <bR> <div> Ex-Montreal Oliver Jones -- a friend of Peterson's since childhood -- said people could tell Peterson was destined for big things from an early age.</div> <bR> <div> "He had this aura ... we just knew he was slated for greatness," Jones told CTV Newsnet from his home in Deerfield Beach, Fla.</div> <bR> <div> "I don't believe we ever knew just how much of an impact he would have on the world scene."</div> <bR> <div> Known as a virtuoso piano improviser, Peterson was described in a 1975 Maclean's article as the "Best Damn Jazz Piano" player in the world.</div> <bR> <div> On top of his technical and musical brilliance, Peterson was known for his left hand dexterity -- his ability to spin creative, complex and clear streams of notes effortlessly with his accompanying hand.</div> <bR> <div> It was also his left side, however that was weakened when he suffered a serious stroke in 1993. He never recovered fully, but played on a limited basis several years later until his death.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> In 2004, Peterson gave his last performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The musician Prince was one of the artists performing that year, and he stayed around for a few days just to catch Peterson.</div> <bR> <div> Jones, a renowned jazz piano player in his own right, described Peterson as the epitome of "a complete musician."</div> <bR> <div> Peterson knew what he wanted to do and was determined to be the best jazz pianist - not an easy task for a young black man growing up in Canada during the 30s and 40s, he said.</div> <bR> <div> In the 1950s, "I remember we were due to play the Ritz Carlton and they weren't going to have this," Peterson later recalled.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm thankful that he passed away at home with his family, apparently very peacefully and with dignity," Jones said.</div> <bR> <div> Liberal Leader Stephane Dion issued a statement on Monday, expressing his condolences to the family of the man he said was "one of the greatest pianists and composers the jazz community has known."</div> <bR> <div> "I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Mr. Peterson's family and friends. I share in the grief of the millions of fans with whom Oscar Peterson shared the tremendous gift of his remarkable music," Dion said in the statement.</div> <bR> <div> "A great Canadian, Mr. Peterson was a beloved and respected citizen of the world who remained proud of his heritage," Heritage Minister Josee Verner said in a statement on behalf of the government.</div> <bR> <div> "More than a talented musician, he was a composer and conductor."</div> <bR> <div> Among the many awards Peterson collected during his 50-year career, he received eight Grammys, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement and was a Companion of the Order of Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="23"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 200 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Queen Elizabeth joins YouTube generation</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun.  Dec. 23  2007  12:44  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 23rd, 2007</div> <div> <B>In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II broadcast a Christmas message using the relatively new medium of television.</B></div> <bR> <div> In 2007, she will use YouTube as one means to send out her 50th Christmas message to people in Britain, Canada, other Commonwealth countries and the world.</div> <bR> <div> "The Queen always keeps abreast with new ways of communicating with people," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The Christmas message was podcast last year."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c571a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This screenshot downloaded from YouTube Sunday Dec. 23, 2007 shows the Royal Channel on YouTube. (AP Photo/YouTube)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 580 WIDTH="707"><div> There will also be a podcast this year, and for the first time, the Christmas message will be available in high-definition television.</div> <bR> <div> "She has always been aware of reaching more people and adapting the communication to suit. This will make the Christmas message more accessible to younger people and those in other countries."</div> <bR> <div> The Royal Channel page on YouTube is branded "The Royal Channel -- The Official Channel of the British Monarchy."</div> <bR> <div> One is greeted by a photo of Buckingham Palace, the Queen's official residence in London, flanked by guards in trademark red tunics and bearskin hats.</div> <bR> <div> A visitor can watch the Queen's first Christmas TV message.</div> <bR> <div> "I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct. That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us," the queen said of television in 1957.</div> <bR> <div> Monarchists will find a wealth of material, including video of:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Garden parties</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">State video</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Snippets of British prime ministers</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A day in the life of Prince Charles</div> <bR> <div> The film "Long To Reign Over Us," by Lord Wakehurst, has never been publicly released. However, the channel carries excerpts.</div> <bR> <div> His movie shows historical events like the Queen on Coronation Day from the public's perspective.</div> <bR> <div> One can also find some rare silent news footage of the 1923 wedding of the Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon -- the Queen's parents.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="22"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 534 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Madeleine's parents want her home for Christmas</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat.  Dec. 22  2007  15:52  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 22nd, 2007</div> <div> <B>The parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann have released an emotional video plea for information about their daughter's whereabouts and a wish that she be returned to them in time for the holidays.</B></div> <bR> <div> In the three-minute long video released Saturday, Kate and Gerry McCann appeal to Madeleine directly telling her to "be brave, sweetheart."</div> <bR> <div> The video was filmed at their home in Rothley, England and includes footage of Madeleine opening Christmas gifts last year.</div> <bR> <div> "Clearly for us and the rest of her family, this is going to be the hardest Christmas imaginable without Madeleine here," Gerry McCann says in the video.</div> <bR> <div> The McCanns and British national Robert Murat have been formally named as suspects by Portuguese authorities.</div> <bR> <div> According to Portuguese law, declaring a person a suspect indicates that police may think they're involved but does not necessarily mean that a suspect would be detained or charged.</div> <bR> <div> The legal move provides police more latitude in questioning and grants certain protections to suspects. It also means police must show suspects whatever evidence they have against them.</div> <bR> <div> Madeleine disappeared on May 3 while her family was on holiday in Portugal. Despite a global publicity campaign and financial backing from a number of celebrities, Madeleine remains missing and no charges have been laid in the case.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c56ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann are seen here in their latest television appeal for their daughter's return.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c56da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Madeleine McCann opens presents on Christmas day last year.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c56ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Madeleine McCann celebrates Christmas with her family on Dec. 25, 2006.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 505 WIDTH="707"><div> A spokesperson for the McCann family was adamant that the video is not a last-ditch attempt to find Madeleine.</div> <bR> <div> Madeleine's great aunt Norah Paul told CTV Newsnet on Saturday that the family was "in very rough shape" during her last visit with the McCanns in November.</div> <bR> <div> "They've got private investigators, but there's nothing really. There are no leads they are following, so it's very hard," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Paul said the McCanns direct appeal to their daughter is likely a "self-preservation mechanism." However, she maintained the entire family remains optimistic Madeleine will be found alive.</div> <bR> <div> "There's as much reason to think she's alive as she is not. There's been nothing found to say that she has gone on, so I guess it gets them through the night thinking she is still alive. And we're all pretty hopeful of that," she said.</div> <bR> <div> "In my mind I think she's out there somewhere and it will just take some (one) to come forward and say something. We're very optimistic."</div> <bR> <div> <B>A desperate attempt</B></div> <bR> <div> Matt Drake, a journalist with the British newspaper Daily Express, told CTV Newsnet on Saturday that the video was a desperate attempt by the McCanns to make sure "no stone was left unturned."</div> <bR> <div> "They feel that since it's a sensitive time of year it's a good idea to put an appeal out," he said, adding the video may trigger someone to come forward with new information.</div> <bR> <div> Drake said the case is "hugely still on the radar" within Britain, despite Madeleine disappearing some seven months ago. The girl's face continues to be splashed across the front page of newspapers across the country.</div> <bR> <div> "The story itself has possibly been the biggest human interest story (in Britain) for the last two decades," Drake said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 468 WIDTH="707"><div> Paul said the family is still bombarded with well wishes for Madeleine's safe return.</div> <bR> <div> "Hordes of letters and mass cards and good wishes and gifts, you know presents for the twins, (they) are very much still in people's eye," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Madeleine vanished from the family's rented villa after her parents left her and her two younger siblings alone as they went to dinner. They said they returned frequently to check on them.</div> <bR> <div> Drake said the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance appears to be stalled. However, Portuguese investigators will fly to Britain in the new year to question the McCanns and the people they dined with on the night Madeleine disappeared.</div> <bR> <div> All nine adults will "be questioned over what police refer to as contradictions and inaccuracies in statements that were made," Drake said.</div> <bR> <div> Since Madeleine's disappearance, the main suspect has been Murat. He lived with his mother close to the hotel from which Madeleine disappeared. He has always maintained his innocence. Police say his status as a suspect has not changed.</div> <bR> <div> Last fall, the case took a dramatic turn after authorities apparently found traces of blood in a vehicle used by the McCanns.</div> <bR> <div> Through forensic testing, police reportedly found evidence indicating that Madeleine's DNA was present in a rental car her parents used after she disappeared.</div> <bR> <div> The couple, who had remained in Portugal since their daughter disappeared, has since returned to the U.K. They deny any involvement and have urged police to continue the search.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="21"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 337 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>'Provocative' security study has holes: expert</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri.  Dec. 21  2007  08:32  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 21st, 2007</div> <div> <B>A security expert says Canadians should take with a grain of salt a U.S. study that suggests new security measures at airports, such as x-ray screening of baggage, are not improving safety.</B></div> <bR> <div> The study by a team at the Harvard School of Public Health suggests the only real effect of the new measures may be greater delays and wait times at airports as travellers are forced to remove their belts and shoes and as security officers confiscate a long list of banned items.</div> <bR> <div> But Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a security consultant and former CSIS agent, says it's not quite that simple. Looking at the big picture, he said, shows security is improving.</div> <bR> <div> "That, I have a little bit of difficulty with, because we just need to go from an empirical perspective, compared to what it was before -- and I'm talking way before 9/11 when there was no security at all, so in the '60s and the '70s -- where there was a lot of hijacking and bombing," Juneau-Katsuya told CTV's Canada AM.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c567a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Security consultant Michel Juneau-Katsuya speaks with Canada AM.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c568a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A new study suggests new airport security initiatives may not be making a difference.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 575 WIDTH="707"><div> "Now we don't have a lot of hijacking and no bombing at all of that nature. But have we exceeded what we need to do? That's a very pertinent question."</div> <bR> <div> He suggested there needs to be a careful balance struck between the massive amount of money being spent on security in the U.S. and Canada and actually ensuring that those measures are making a difference.</div> <bR> <div> But Juneau-Katsuya also said it's difficult, if not impossible, to measure the number of potential attacks the new security efforts may have prevented.</div> <bR> <div> "Bingo. That's the difficult element," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "That's the portion of trying to assess something that has not happened. That's all the challenge that you have ... when you have crime preventative measures. How do you measure the effectiveness of crime prevention? It's the same thing here to a certain extent."</div> <bR> <div> The Transportation Security Administration told researchers doing the study that the need to implement new security measures quickly, superseded the usefulness of evaluating those procedures.</div> <bR> <div> In other words, the measures are necessary and valuable even if they haven't been proven to work.</div> <bR> <div> The administration pointed out that 13 million banned items were intercepted in one year under the current rules. But the researchers who did the study noted that the majority of those items were lighters.</div> <bR> <div> Juneau-Katsuya suggested Canada can improve its efforts. He said the U.S. Senate Committee on Security is an effective body, and Canada needs a similar watchdog for security.</div> <bR> <div> He also said greater consistency is needed in the way security measures are enforced across Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "There are places where they don't care too much about your belt, they don't care too too much about your shoes. Other places you almost strip down. So there's an issue of consistency," Juneau-Katsuya said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 435 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Time names loonie as Canada's story of the year</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu.  Dec. 20  2007  09:03  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 20th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Canada's soaring loonie -- which this year hit US$1.10, its highest peak in generations -- has been named </B><I><B>Time</B></I><B> magazine's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year.</B></div> <bR> <div> The publication announced the loonie's new status on Thursday. One day earlier, Russian President Vladimir was named by <I>Time</I> as its choice for 2007 Person of the Year.</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian dollar has secured headlines over the past year on both sides of the border as retailers, importers and exporters, and cross-border shoppers watched anxiously or excitedly depending on the exchange rate's effect on their pocketbook.</div> <bR> <div> In fact, the number of headlines and Canadians' fascination with the currency climb prompted CTV News to also name the loonie as its story of the year.</div> <bR> <div> At the beginning of 2007, the dollar was worth 87 cents U.S. In April it began to rise, reaching 96 cents by July, then finally surpassing the greenback to reach US$1.10 in early November before dropping later in the month.</div> <bR> <div> The magazine suggests the loonie's increase was due to the rising price of oil and increased production levels, and may be linked to budget deficits south of the border the cost of the Iraq war to Washington and the deficit between the value of U.S. imports and exports.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c293a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c55fa0dc0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="220" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Yes, it's Vladimir Putin. The Russian president beat out former U.S. vice-president Al Gore and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for the coveted Time magazine 'Person of the Year.'</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 416 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>Putin</B></div> <bR> <div> Putin, meanwhile, is heralding his new status as great news for Russia, according to his press attache, who spoke to CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> "Of course it's great news and we consider it acknowledgment of all of the achievements of president Putin in his two terms as president over the past eight years," said Dmitry Peskov.</div> <bR> <div> Peskov said Putin has brought Russia back from a time of troubles to a position as a legitimate world power. Under Putin's rule, he said, democracy in Russia has flourished, the media has grown and business is seeing steady gains.</div> <bR> <div> Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time, told The Associated Press that Putin was chosen for his "extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability."</div> <bR> <div> Peskov agreed, saying Russia's voice is now being heard on the international stage, as the result of Putin's leadership. </div> <div> "Without any consideration (Russia) is for the better, it's for the better for Russians," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Putin beat out top contenders former U.S. vice-president and Nobel laureate Al Gore and J.K. Rowling, author of the wildly popular Harry Potter series.</div> <bR> <div> Last year, the magazine named anyone creating or using online content on the Internet as its person of the year.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 577 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Murder victim's friends wait for 'nightmare' to end</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed.  Dec. 19  2007  08:02  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 19th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The friends and loved ones of a 74-year-old man, who was murdered over the weekend while delivering Christmas cards to his neighbours, say feel like they are waiting to wake up from a nightmare.</B></div> <bR> <div> A man whose arrest may be linked to the murder will appear in court today.</div> <bR> <div> Hunter Brown was attacked on Saturday with a "sharp-edged" weapon, then left to die in his neighbour's driveway, his stack of Christmas cards lying beside him.</div> <bR> <div> Police say Brown was a random victim.</div> <bR> <div> "It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Dieter Engelmann, a friend of Brown's, told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> "It's like a nightmare we just haven't woken up from. You hope to wake up, but it's just not going to happen."</div> <bR> <div> Waterloo Regional Police have not yet named the 22-year-old suspect who was arrested on Tuesday and is from Kitchener, Ont.</div> <bR> <div> He has been charged with first-degree murder and assault, though investigators have not publicly linked him to Brown's slaying.</div> <bR> <div> The assault charge was laid following an attack on a 35-year-old man on Saturday. The man was able to fend off the assailant partly with the use of a snow shovel, according to police.</div> <bR> <div> Investigators released a composite sketch of the murder suspect on Tuesday. Later in the day a person matching that description was arrested by investigators who were looking for the man who killed Brown on the weekend.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c554a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Mary and Dieter Engelmann, neighbour of Hunter Brown, speak with Canada AM from CTV studios in Kitchener, Ont. on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c555a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Hunter Brown in Muskoka, Ont. in 2007, as seen in this handout photo provided to CTV Southwestern Ontario.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c556a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A Waterloo Regional police officer speaks to the suspect under arrest in Kitchener, Ont., Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 528 WIDTH="707"><div> The suspect was arrested in the back of a taxi by police who converged on the area. He was with another person at the time. </div> <div> Both attacks happened in Kitchener, but police are uncertain whether the two incidents are connected.</div> <bR> <div> "We encourage people to continue to call us and to continue to be vigilant," said Insp. Bryan Larkin of the Waterloo Regional Police on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> "Our investigation really begins now. We need more help from the community."</div> <bR> <div> Police were trying to secure a search warrant on Tuesday for an address in Kitchener.</div> <bR> <div> Engelmann and his wife, Mary Engelmann, had known Brown for 27 years. She described them as "extended family" and said their son looked up to Brown as an uncle.</div> <bR> <div> Her husband said Brown's wife is dealing well with the tragedy.</div> <bR> <div> "The regional police did such a tremendous job, they were so compassionate with everyone in the neighbourhood and they did their job really well. She's a strong woman, she's really holding up. She's there for her children and grandchildren and she's really holding up," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "Hunter lived a great life. He had a good life and he was an outstanding citizen. I think that's what we have to dwell on right now. He was always there for everybody, He was a great listener."</div> <bR> <div> Police have set up a tip hotline and have been working around the clock since Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> Brown and his wife had lived in their Kitchener home for 34 years, and he retired after a career with Bell Canada.</div> <bR> <div> The couple had two children and three grandchildren.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="18"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 200 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadians heading home after Dubai amnesty</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue.  Dec. 18  2007  08:01  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 18th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Three Canadians imprisoned in Dubai, United Arab Emirates will be spending the holidays with their loved ones after being pardoned by the ruler there.</B></div> <bR> <div> Sheik Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued an amnesty order on Monday for 377 inmates to mark the Eid al-Adha Islamic festival.</div> <bR> <div> One of those Canadians is Bert Tatham, 35. The other two Canadians freed have not been identified.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="bb78a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bert Tatham, who worked advising farmers of alternatives to poppies, works in a poppy field in Afghanistan.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 739 WIDTH="707"><div> Charles Tatham, Bert's father, told CTV on Tuesday that he got the unexpected call from his son, who was in Dubai's deportation centre.</div> <bR> <div> "I couldn't believe it. Call display showed 'Bert Tatham' on the phone, and I just about jumped out of my skin," he said from Duntroon, Ont., which is north of Toronto near Georgian Bay.</div> <bR> <div> As for the holidays, "the plan is to have a quiet family Christmas and to enjoy some of the things we've been missing," he said.</div> <div> The former United Nations worker was travelling to Canada from Afghanistan, where he'd been working for a company contracted with the U.S. State Department.</div> <bR> <div> On April 23, authorities arrested him at Dubai International Airport when he was found with 0.6 grams of hashish and two poppy bulbs. A judge sentenced him to four years in prison on June 19.</div> <bR> <div> "We think he was set up," Charles said. "He was definitely pulled aside and searched and 'a-ha!'"</div> <bR> <div> Tatham had been working with Afghans in the Kandahar area to find alternatives to growing poppies, Charles said.</div> <bR> <div> The family had hoped Bert would be released in October in conjunction with the Ramadan Islamic holiday, he said.</div> <bR> <div> About 160 people were taken to the airport, but Bert was taken aside and told he wasn't going. "That was a crushing blow," Charles said.</div> <bR> <div> The federal government has praised Dubai's actions.</div> <bR> <div> "We welcome this act of goodwill by the government of Dubai. Canada highly values its friendship with the U.A.E.," Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said Monday night in a statement.</div> <bR> <div> "Growing commercial ties and an expanding political dialogue give the relationship important depth. There is wide scope for Canada and the U.A.E. to develop closer relations and we will continue to work toward that objective."</div> <bR> <div> Helena Guergis, secretary of state for foreign affairs and international trade, added: "I extend my sincere appreciation to our officials, both in Ottawa and Dubai, who worked hard to advance the cases of our three detained Canadians and for also providing assistance and support to them and their families.</div> <bR> <div> "This decision, on the eve of Eid al-Adha, an important Islamic holiday, and also one week before Christmas, will be welcomed by the families and friends of the released Canadians."</div> <bR> <div> FreeBert.ca, a website devoted to Tatham's case, said Bert is expected back in Canada Tuesday night.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff w<I>ith files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="17"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 365 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Storm leaves 20,000 without power in the Maritimes</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon.  Dec. 17  2007  08:38  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 17th, 2007</div> <div> <B>More than 20,000 Maritimers are without electricity Monday following a blast of wintry weather that has also closed schools and created havoc on the roads.</B></div> <bR> <div> Across the Maritime provinces, snowfall amounts reached as much as 20 centimetres -- but the snow has changed over to rain in many regions.</div> <bR> <div> "The snow blew in last night and early this morning it did turn to rain," CTV's Kelland Sundahl reported Monday from Moncton, N.B. "But the one thing that really hasn't died down is the wind."</div> <bR> <div> Northern New Brunswick got the brunt of the snowfall, receiving about 30 centimetres, said Sundahl.</div> <bR> <div> She said some areas are now experiencing 90-kilometre winds.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, about 11,000 electricity customers in Nova Scotia and 9,200 in New Brunswick are without power today.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c541a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A tow truck attempts to pull a car out that slid off a snow-covered road in Gatineau, Que. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c542a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Snowbanks build during the snow storm in Moncton, N.B. early Monday, Dec. 17, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 603 WIDTH="540"><div> The majority of the outages in Nova Scotia are in Cape Breton while in New Brunswick, outages have mainly taken place in Moncton, Shediac and Sussex.</div> <bR> <div> "Crews are working to get power restored for those people," said Sundahl.</div> <bR> <div> Heavy snow, rain and gusty winds have also forced school closures in both provinces today.</div> <bR> <div> Due to the rain, police are advising motorists to be cautious because of slippery road surfaces.</div> <bR> <div> Darin Borgel, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said most people in the Maritimes were ready for the storm. </div> <div> "Most people were pretty adequately warned,'' Borgel told The Canadian Press on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "This storm got a lot of attention as it went through Ontario and Quebec ... so I think most people were expecting some pretty nasty conditions here.''</div> <bR> <div> The storm hit the Maritime region on Sunday after battering Ontario and Quebec with as much as 60 centimetres of snow.</div> <bR> <div> "It's expected to take five days to clear all of this," CTV Montreal's Annie DeMelt said Monday. "Right now we have 3,000 city workers working with 2,500 pieces of equipment that are on the street."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Storm-related deaths</B></div> <bR> <div> On Sunday afternoon, a 16-year-old boy died at the scene of a crash in Nova Scotia. Police say slippery roads may have been a factor in the accident, which took place on Highway 101 in the Kentville area.</div> <bR> <div> The driver, a 17-year-old boy, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.</div> <bR> <div> In London, Ont. an unidentified woman was killed Sunday when she stopped on the shoulder of a highway to fix a windshield wiper on her van.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c543a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A pedestrian makes his way through the deserted streets during the severe winter snowstorm in downtown Ottawa. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c544a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Traffic attempts to navigate around a congo line of snow plows on Hwy. 401 near Pearson International Airport in Toronto. (J.P. Moczulski / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c545a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Cross-country skiers take to the street at Yonge St. and Bloor Ave. in Toronto. (Patrick Dell / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 70 WIDTH="707"><div> The woman's vehicle was struck by a snow plow, killing her instantly. Two passengers inside the van, related to the victim, were taken to hospital for shock.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff w<I>ith files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="16"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 386 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>'Crippling' storm hits Ontario and Eastern Canada</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun.  Dec. 16  2007  11:16  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 16th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Blowing snow and ice pellets are hitting southern Ontario in what Environment Canada is calling a crippling major winter storm.</B></div> <bR> <div> "It's a big one, a dangerous one," Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips told CTV Newsnet on Sunday. "Just because there's no whiteouts out your window right now, don't think it's a meteorological bust."</div> <bR> <div> But people can expect poor visibility and treacherous driving, he said.</div> <bR> <div> The storm, which originated in Texas, was just west of Cleveland, Ohio at 9 a.m. ET and is moving to the northeast, he said.</div> <bR> <div> 'When you look back in history and you see some of these Paul Bunyan snowfalls, they're very reminiscent of this particular type of storm," Phillips said, noting this already-moist air mass will pick more moisture up from the Great Lakes.</div> <bR> <div> Weather warnings have been issued for all of Ontario from Algonquin provincial park south, southern Quebec and all of the Atlantic Provinces.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c53ea0640.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A lone snow shoveller out in north Brampton, Ont. on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. (Photo for CTV.ca courtesy Deepak Sharma)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c53ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This satellite image taken Sunday, Dec.16, 2007 at 02:15 a.m. EST shows clouds through the U.S. northeast. The red dots show the approximate locations of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. (AP Photo/Weather Underground)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="540"><div> Road crews around the region are cleaning major highways in the Toronto area this morning. Far southwest Ontario has had some serious bursts of snow already, even some thunder, Phillips said.</div> <bR> <div> Airport officials said passengers throughout Central and Eastern Canada can expect delays and cancelled flights over the next two days. Air Canada said anyone who has a flight heading into or out of Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, or Halifax should check the status of flights before heading to the airport.</div> <bR> <div> Toronto's Pearson International Airport cancelled more than 30 flights Saturday evening. Most of them were headed to U.S. cities already affected by winter storms.</div> <bR> <div> Sunday's storm is expected to force delays and cancellations throughout the day.</div> <bR> <div> "We're going to be looking at reduced operations due to snow clearing and de-icing,'' Toby Lennox of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> "There will be delays, there will be cancellations.''</div> <bR> <div> "Significant blowing snow is expected to be a problem in all regions as strong northeast winds gusting to 70 or 80 km/h whip up the freshly fallen snow and cause whiteout conditions," Environment Canada said on its website.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c53ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A cardinal and blue jay jockey for a sheltered position under a feeder in Welland, Ont. on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. (Photo for CTV.ca courtesy Mark Tulumello).</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c53da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Streets are close to empty in downtown Toronto Sunday morning, as drivers are being told to stay home during the crippling storm.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="707"><div> Southwestern Ontario will experience the worst of the storm Sunday night as the system intensifies.</div> <bR> <div> "The highest snowfall amounts may be around the west end of Lake Ontario into the Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara areas where very strong and cold northeasterly winds picking up extra moisture from Lake Ontario will help enhance snowfall amounts, with 30 to 40 cm quite possible by Sunday night," Environment Canada said.</div> <bR> <div> The winter blast was expected to move toward southwestern Quebec and into the Gaspe region by Sunday, bringing between 15 to 30 centimetres of snow to the area.</div> <bR> <div> The storm is expected to touch down in New Brunswick on Monday, with snow beginning ahead of the system on Sunday. Strong winds and blowing snow are expected for southern New Brunswick, which will receive 20 centimetres of snow and ice pellets near coastal regions.</div> <bR> <div> Metro Halifax and the central mainland was expected to receive upwards of 15 centimetres of snow beginning Sunday afternoon that will change to ice pellets and rain by Sunday evening.</div> <bR> <div> Winter officially starts next Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> "Just because you have this one storm doesn't mean we're into the winter from hell, but my gosh, it's certainly started that way," Phillips said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="15"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 304 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Central Canada braces for 'massive' winter wallop</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat.  Dec. 15  2007  00:04  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 15th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Central and Eastern Canada are bracing for a severe winter storm that Environment Canada warns could dump as much as 40 centimetres of snow in some parts of the country.</B></div> <bR> <div> The major low pressure system is barreling toward Canada from Texas and will move into southwestern Ontario by Saturday afternoon -- bringing 20 to 30 centimetres of snow, strong winds and freezing rain with it, Environment Canada's website reports.</div> <bR> <div> "Significant blowing snow is expected to be a problem in all regions as strong northeast winds gusting to 70 or 80 km/h whip up the freshly fallen snow and cause whiteout conditions," it said.</div> <bR> <div> Southwestern Ontario will experience the worst of the storm Sunday night as the system intensifies.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c537a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan Rohleder uses a snow blower to clean his grandfather's sidewalk Saturday morning Dec. 15, 2007 on Allen Street in Hays, Kan.. After fighting a series of ice storms, the area was hit Friday evening with a winter storm dropping 13.5 inches of snow according to the National Weather Service monitorinig center in Dodge City, Kan.. (AP Photo/Hays Daily News, Fred Hunt)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 1146 WIDTH="707"><div> "The highest snowfall amounts may be around the west end of Lake Ontario into the Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara areas where very strong and cold northeasterly winds picking up extra moisture from Lake Ontario will help enhance snowfall amounts, with 30 to 40 cm quite possible by Sunday night," Environment Canada said.</div> <bR> <div> Toronto's 600 road plows, 200 salters and 300 sidewalk plows are on standby.</div> <bR> <div> Laura Cooke, a spokesperson from Ontario's Hydro One, told CTV.ca that emergency preparations are in place with crews on standby.</div> <bR> <div> "We've got crews at the ready, helicopters ready, we've not had to press them into service yet because we're only seeing the beginnings of the weather system," she said.</div> <bR> <div> "Every good Canadian knows to be prepared in the Canadian winter, so it's a wise idea to have food, water, candles and to be prepared for any eventuality," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Forecasters warn the exact path of the storm remains uncertain. A number of factors could affect how far north the storm will extend and how much snow will reach into southern Ontario.</div> <bR> <div> The winter blast is expected to move toward southwestern Quebec and into the Gaspe region by Sunday, bringing between 15 to 30 centimetres of snow to the area.</div> <bR> <div> The storm is expected to touch down in New Brunswick on Monday, with snow beginning ahead of the system on Sunday. Strong winds and blowing snow are expected for southern New Brunswick, which will receive 20 centimetres of snow and ice pellets near coastal regions.</div> <bR> <div> The snow will begin in southwestern Nova Scotia late Sunday morning and will move north into the Cape Breton highlands by that evening.</div> <bR> <div> Metro Halifax and the central mainland will receive upwards of 15 centimetres of snow beginning Sunday afternoon that will change to ice pellets and rain by Sunday evening.</div> <bR> <div> Environment Canada is warning motorists to use extreme caution and to only travel if necessary.</div> <bR> <div> "This massive and potentially dangerous winter storm will cause driving conditions to quickly deteriorate with extremely hazardous winter travelling conditions expected tonight and Sunday," the website read.</div> <bR> <div> There are no weather warnings for the Prairies or the Arctic so far today. In British Columbia, Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for the Sunshine Coast, most coastal areas of Vancouver Island and the Central Coast. Winds of 60 to 80 kilometres per hour are forecast.</div> <bR> <div> <B>System to battle northeastern U.S.</B></div> <bR> <div> The same system threatening Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes is expected to batter the northeastern United States late in the weekend.</div> <bR> <div> The storm centre is likely to track northeast across Pennsylvania and New York state into New England by Sunday night, Environment Canada said.</div> <bR> <div> The brunt of the bad weather will pass through Kansas and Missouri first before reaching the northeast.</div> <bR> <div> The new system comes as the U.S. Midwest and northeastern parts of that country are digging out from a major winter blast on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Hundreds of thousands of residents were still without power on Friday following a system that dumped as much as 30 centimetres of snow in some areas on Thursday. The severe weather is blamed for more than 35 deaths and caused more than one million customers to lose their power.</div> <bR> <div> The National Weather Service issued winter weather watches for the northwest sections of Oklahoma from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. Northwest was also crippled by Thursday's storm. Schools and businesses were closed, and some of the country's most heavily used highways were paralyzed by the snow and ice.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="14"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 316 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Review of RCMP expected to criticize force</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri.  Dec. 14  2007  07:56  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 14th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The RCMP will likely face recommendations for sweeping changes today as a review of the troubled force is released this afternoon.</B></div> <bR> <div> Toronto lawyer David Brown will be releasing the report compiled by his task force that was charged five months ago with reviewing the Mounties.</div> <bR> <div> The review is expected to target many aspects of the force including funding, training, ethics and morale and include a call for change that will bring more accountability and transparency to the force.</div> <bR> <div> Brown has said the task force's goal is to fix an organization he's described as "horribly broken'' and to restore the public's confidence in the Mounties. To conduct his "top-to-bottom" review, his task force interviewed more than 2,000 officers and consulted academics and management experts.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c52ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c536a0730.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="115" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> David Brown responds to questions about his report at a news conference in Ottawa Friday June 15, 2007. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 285 WIDTH="707"><div> One of the recommendations expected to come out of the report is the creation of an arm's-length, independent office -- similar to an ombudsman -- to deal with accusations of wrongdoing and hand out internal disciplinary charges.</div> <bR> <div> Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day asked the task force to review the RCMP after Brown released a scathing report in June that outlined mismanagement of Mountie pension and insurance plans, as well as allegations of abuse of authority and internal harassment.</div> <bR> <div> That report laid most of the blame at the feet of former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli.</div> <bR> <div> A report earlier this week from <I>The Globe and Mail suggested</I> that new RCMP commissioner William Elliott is already preparing to shake up the top ranks of the force.</div> <bR> <div> <I>The Globe</I> said the shuffle would include a number of assistant commissioners who head the RCMP's provincial divisions, and deputy commissioners who make up the executive team.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 379 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>RCMP officer defends Tasers as an 'important tool'</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu.  Dec. 13  2007  08:36  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 13th, 2007</div> <div> <B>An RCMP officer defended Tasers as an "important tool" on Thursday following an interim report recommending restrictions on the use of the conducted energy weapon.</B></div> <bR> <div> The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP made 10 recommendations Wednesday for immediate implementation, including that the RCMP "immediately restrict the use of the conducted energy weapon (CEW)" by classifying it as an "impact weapon."</div> <bR> <div> The change would mean Tasers would only be used when an individual is being "combative" or posing a risk of "death or grievous bodily harm" to the officer, themselves or the general public, says the report.</div> <bR> <div> Currently, RCMP policy classifies Tasers as an "intermediate" device, placing it in the same category as pepper spray.</div> <bR> <div> Staff Sgt. Ken Legge told Canada AM on Thursday that the report's recommendations and the possibility that officers could lose an "important tool" causes concern.</div> <bR> <div> "This is an important tool in the tool belt of our members and in our intervention model and to</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c525a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Image taken from a slow motion video shows the conductive agents of a Taser exiting the weapon shortly after the trigger being pulled.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c526a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> RCMP Sgt. Ken Legge speaks with Canada AM from CTV studios in Fredericton, N.B. on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 725 WIDTH="707"><div> see this restricted further or moved in our model causes us some concern, especially where this is an interim report," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Police force protocol currently has six-levels which escalate in intensity depending on the situation. They include:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">officer presence;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">verbal commands;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">empty-hand control techniques;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">use of pepper spray, batons or Tasers;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">less-lethal force such as weapons that fire bean bags or rubber bullets;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">deadly force.</div> <bR> <div> Legge said weapons within the same category as Tasers can also cause significant damage to a combative individual.</div> <bR> <div> "There's often potentially more damage done by a steel baton with a combative individual as opposed to a brief electric shock to bring an individual under control and take control of them," Leffe said from Fredericton.</div> <bR> <div> The report was compiled on the request of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, who called for it following the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski last October.</div> <bR> <div> Dziekanski died after being Tasered by police during a confrontation at the Vancouver International Airport. His death sparked international criticism on the use of Tasers and prompted the airport to announce announced more than $1 million in upgrades in effort to prevent a similar tragedy.</div> <bR> <div> Legge said any form of public outcry is "always important to us," but he cautioned that Canadians shouldn't "prematurely make judgments."</div> <bR> <div> "We're here to protect the Canadian people, that's our role and obviously we need the support of the Canadian people to do that. But, it's also important that we don't judge hatefully on just on opinion or a quick review of an incident," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "There is research being done as we speak by a variety of agencies and all of this will come into play. The real question is whether the conductive energy weapon actually causes death or not."</div> <bR> <div> He added "it would be a mistake if we moved too hastily on this."</div> <bR> <div> The report does not recommend an outright moratorium on Taser use by the RCMP, saying that the weapon "has a role in certain situations."</div> <bR> <div> The CPC is expected to release its final report next summer.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 365 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Isotope bill balances need, safety: Clement</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed.  Dec. 12  2007  08:56  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 12th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Commons decision last night to restart Ontario's Chalk River nuclear reactor which produces medical isotopes, balances safety issues at the plant with the urgent need for the product, says Health Minister Tony Clement.</B></div> <bR> <div> The government introduced emergency legislation last night that will compel the plant to restart operations immediately.</div> <bR> <div> Atomic Energy of Canada Limited shut down the plant for scheduled maintenance in November. The closure was then extended when serious safety concerns were discovered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the federal watchdog for the industry.</div> <bR> <div> Last night's bill allows the plant to restart, but suspends the CNSC's oversight of the Chalk River facility for 120 days -- a reasonable decision, said Clement.</div> <bR> <div> The commission made its decisions based on concerns from scientists and engineers over the system used to cool the reactors, and the possibility of a meltdown in an emergency situation.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c517a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Federal Health Minister Tony Clement speaks with Canada AM from CTV studios in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c518a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Green Party Leader Elizabeth May speaks with Canada AM from CTV studios in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 421 WIDTH="540"><div> But Clement said the government's priority is providing the isotopes to patients who need them.</div> <bR> <div> "In terms of balancing that risk with the risk of cancer patients and heart patients who will not be able to get diagnosis or not be able to get therapy, I think the House of Commons made the right decision and approved the startup of the reactor," Clement told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> He said the government expects the plant to once again be producing useable isotopes within six to eight days. </div> <div> The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate, which will likely happen today.</div> <bR> <div> Green Party Leader Elizabeth May called for an inquiry into exactly what took place leading up to last night's decision. </div> <div> She said Prime Minister Stephen Harper turned the reactor shutdown into a partisan issue and undermined Canada's nuclear regulator.</div> <bR> <div> "Yesterday in the House, he attacked the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission which is the regulatory body that oversees nuclear safety, referring to them as Liberal appointments and charging the Liberal party was getting in the way of people getting their medical isotopes," May told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> "This was a moment for statesmanship, this is when the prime minister should have called on all parties to work together in the interests of Canadians to protect the supply of radioactive isotopes."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c519a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Radioisotopes are necessary for diagnosing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and bone ailments.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c51aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The NRC's National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Ont. is the world's biggest producer of medical isotopes. The image shows the interior of the cathedral-sized NRU reactor hall. (Photo: National Research Council of Canada)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 963 WIDTH="707"><div> She said the situation sets a dangerous precedent for other Canadian communities that host nuclear reactors.</div> <bR> <div> "These are experts in nuclear safety and the chairperson Linda Keen has now been undercut by the prime minister," May said.</div> <bR> <div> "So the next time Canadians living near a nuclear reactor should be concerned if there's a safety defect in a reactor, AECL is going to thumb their nose at the regulator and know the prime minister is going to come to their defence and blame the regulator?"</div> <bR> <div> The Liberals had threatened to refuse to give the bill the unanimous support necessary to bypass the legislative process.</div> <bR> <div> But all of the political parties eventually agreed to fast-track the legislation through the House and Senate.</div> <bR> <div> MPs passed the vote late Tuesday night, with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois backing it.</div> <bR> <div> The Liberal-dominated Senate, which also agreed to stay late, was expected to put the bill to a vote by early Wednesday. </div> <div> The Tory bill is an attempt to put a quick end to the critical shortage of medical isotopes that are necessary to diagnose diseases such as cancer.</div> <bR> <div> The new bill will suspend the oversight role of the regulator at the plant for 120 days.</div> <bR> <div> During that time, the reactor's operators will be expected to bring in the changes that CNSC has said are needed.</div> <bR> <div> The plant has proposed a temporary solution that would have one pump linked to emergency power during repairs. But the CNSC wants to wait for a detailed plan before giving the proposal the go-ahead.</div> <bR> <div> <B>PM blasted Opposition</B></div> <bR> <div> The Tory legislation was the topic of heated debate during Tuesday's question period, with Opposition members demanding to know whether it was safe to re-open a facility the country's nuclear watchdog has said does not meet safety standards.</div> <bR> <div> "There will be no nuclear accidents," said Harper, responding to heckles from Opposition members. What there will be, he said, is a growing medical crisis if all members of the House don't support the legislation.</div> <bR> <div> Harper also accused the Liberals of being part of the problem.</div> <bR> <div> He said past Liberal appointments to the CNCS which overseas the AECL that runs the plant are partly to blame. Harper believes bickering between the AECL and the CNCS has exacerbated issues.</div> <bR> <div> "The continuing actions of the Liberal-appointed nuclear safety commission will jeopardize the health and safety and lives of tens of thousands of Canadians," Harper said.</div> <bR> <div> Liberals shot back, with deputy leader Michael Ignatieff saying that attacking the regulator would only exacerbate the situation.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Shortage</B></div> <bR> <div> The publicly-owned reactor, not 50 years old, supplies more than two-thirds of the world's medical isotopes.</div> <bR> <div> The reactor was supposed to have been decommissioned in 2005. But a plant designed to replace the aging facility is six years behind schedule and will not produce radioisotopes until late 2008.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="11"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Doctors warn of potential dangers of OxyContin</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue.  Dec. 11  2007  09:01  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 11th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Canadian physicians are warning of the potential dangers of the prescription painkiller OxyContin following a high-profile case in which a Newfoundland and Labrador doctor was convicted of trafficking the potentially addictive narcotic.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c50fa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 463 WIDTH="707"><div> On Monday, Dr. Sean Buckingham was convicted of five counts of sexual assault, six counts of trafficking painkillers such as OxyContin and lorazepam (sold under the name Ativan), and one count of assault.</div> <bR> <div> Witnesses testified during the two-month trial that Buckingham provided them with drugs in exchange for money and sexual favours over a two-year period.</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Lydia Hatcher of the OxyContin Task Force told Canada AM on Tuesday that the powerful pain medication can be easily abused.</div> <bR> <div> "It is a very effective drug for pain and when used properly it actually isn't dangerous. The problem is when it gets in the wrong hands it can be a dangerous drug," she said from St. John's.</div> <bR> <div> Hatcher said 29 per cent of the Canadian population is in constant chronic pain and that drugs like OxyContin are a necessity for leading a normal life.</div> <bR> <div> "When a person is prescribed this drug and it's used properly, the possibility of addiction is extremely low. Addiction occurs in a small per cent of the population and people who are at risk for a whole number of reasons," she said.</div> <bR> <div> "When the drug is prescribed as it's supposed to be and used as it's supposed to be, you're not going to see patients misusing these kinds of drugs."</div> <bR> <div> The investigation surrounding Buckingham, dubbed Operation Remedy, was aimed at probing the misuse and trafficking of prescription medications in the St. John's region.</div> <bR> <div> "Police intelligence suggests that the bulk of OxyContin on the streets originates with prescriptions generated in the province," the OxyContin Task Force's 2004 final report reads.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 480 WIDTH="707"><div> "Since 2001, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has seen an increase in the number of pharmacy break and enters, armed robberies at pharmacies where the thieves are demanding OxyContin, break and enters at homes targeted for OxyContin, and personal robberies with violence for OxyContin."</div> <bR> <div> Hatcher says most patients take their medication responsibly but she urges them to guard against potential theft and abuse.</div> <bR> <div> "What I tell my patients who are taking these drugs is put them in a safe place, keep them locked. Don't tell people that you're taking them, don't make it public knowledge because you might be at risk for somebody coming and breaking into your home and taking them," she said.</div> <bR> <div> A recent Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey shows that slightly more than one in five students say they've used other people's painkillers. More than three-quarters of those surveyed said they got the drugs from their homes.</div> <bR> <div> Twenty-one per cent of students said they used Tylenol 3, Percocet, and OxyContin without prescription.</div> <bR> <div> Hatcher recommends if patients need to discuss their medication with a pharmacist, be adamant that the discussion take place in a private area.</div> <bR> <div> "I actually had a patient who was followed home having had a discussion with her pharmacist and somebody asked her to sell the drugs."</div> <bR> <div> Buckingham was also found not guilty on four sexual assault charges in the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court and was acquitted of two other drug trafficking charges. He was held in custody following the conviction and will return to court for sentencing Dec. 20.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 250 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Gore gets Nobel, warns of ominous threat</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Dec. 10  2007  08:48  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 10th, 2007</div> <div> <B>OSLO, Norway -- Al Gore received his Nobel Peace Prize on Monday and urged the United States and China to make the boldest moves on climate change or "stand accountable before history for their failure to act."</B></div> <bR> <div> "We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency -- a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here," Gore said in his acceptance speech.</div> <bR> <div> Gore shared the Nobel with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for sounding the alarm over global warming and spreading awareness on how to counteract it. the UN panel was represented at the ceremony by its leader, Rajendra Pachauri.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c503a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nobel Peace Prize winners Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri, the UN climate panel's chief scientist, hold with their medals and diplomas at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at City Hall in Oslo, Norway on Monday, Dec. 10, 2007. (AP / John McConnico)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 894 WIDTH="707"><div> "It is time to make peace with the planet," Gore said at the gala ceremony in Oslo's city hall, in front of Norway's royalty, leaders and invited guests. "We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war."</div> <bR> <div> The former vice president urged China and the U.S. -- the world's biggest carbon emitters -- to "make the boldest moves, or stand accountable before history for their failure to act."</div> <bR> <div> His remarks came as governments met in Bali, Indonesia, to start work on a new international treaty to reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions. Gore and Pachauri plan to fly there Wednesday to join the climate talks.</div> <bR> <div> The governments hope to have the new pact, which succeeds the Kyoto accord, in place by 2012, but Gore has said the urgency of the problem means they should aim to come to an agreement by 2010.</div> <bR> <div> Before his speech, Gore said in an interview with The Associated Press that he believes the next U.S. president will shift the country's course on climate change and engage in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.</div> <bR> <div> "The new president, whichever party wins the election, is likely to have to change the position on this climate crisis," Gore said in the interview. "I do believe the U.S., soon, is to have a more constructive role."</div> <bR> <div> He said it was not too late for Bush administration to join efforts to draft a new global treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions.</div> <bR> <div> "I have urged President Bush and his administration to be part of the world community's effort to solve this crisis," Gore said. "I hope they will change their position."</div> <bR> <div> The Bush administration opposed the Kyoto treaty on climate change, saying it would hurt the U.S. economy and objecting that fast developing nations like China and India were not required to reduce emissions.</div> <bR> <div> The other Nobel awards -- in medicine, chemistry, physics, literature and economics -- will be presented at a separate ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.</div> <bR> <div> Each Nobel Prize includes a gold medal, a diploma and a $1.6 million cash award.</div> <bR> <div> The Nobel Prizes, first awarded in 1901, are always presented Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of their creator, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.</div> <bR> <div> In Stockholm, the winners of the science Nobels receive their awards Monday from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf before being treated to a lavish white-tie banquet at City Hall.</div> <bR> <div> The 2007 awards in medicine, chemistry and physics honored breakthroughs in stem cell research on mice, solid-surface chemistry and the discovery of a phenomenon that lets computers and digital music players store reams of data on ever-shrinking hard disks.</div> <bR> <div> Three U.S. economists shared the economics award for their work on how people's knowledge and self-interest affect their behavior in the market or in social situations such as voting and labor negotiations.</div> <bR> <div> One of the economics winners, Leonid Hurwicz, 90, and the literature prize winner, 88-year-old British writer Doris Lessing, could not travel to Stockholm. They will receive their awards at later ceremonies in Minnesota and London, respectively.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="09"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 351 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Mulroney to face tough questions on Schreiber</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Dec. 09  2007  13:36  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 9th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Former prime minister Brian Mulroney will have some tough questions to answer when he appears before the Commons ethics committee later this week, members said Sunday.</B></div> <bR> <div> Mulroney is expected to appear at an ethics committee meeting on Thursday to answer questions raised by Karlheinz Schreiber's testimony, which will conclude on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> "By the end of this coming week we will have had to former prime minister before our committee to answer some of the obvious top-of-mind questions people have," NDP MP Pat Martin said on CTV's <I>Question Period</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Those questions include why Mulroney has claimed to have little to do with Schreiber when he was actually meeting him in hotel rooms and accepting envelopes of cash from him, he said.</div> <bR> <div> Mulroney accepted a total of $300,000 in cash over three meetings with Schreiber in 1993 and 1994.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4faa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Former prime minister Brian Mulroney speaks in Toronto on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4fba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> NDP MP Pat Martin on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 368 WIDTH="540"><div> "We're going to have an opportunity to put that question to Brian Mulroney once and for all -- and he owes Canadians an answer," Martin said.</div> <bR> <div> Luc Lavoie, a former Mulroney spokesperson, has said that Mulroney feels his dealings with Schreiber were a colossal error in judgment. But Mulroney has also said he has done nothing wrong.</div> <bR> <div> William Kaplan -- a lawyer and author of two books on the Mulroney-Schreiber affair -- told <I>Question Period</I> that the ethics committee should have Mulroney chronologically explain his dealings with Schreiber dating back to when he was the prime minister.</div> <bR> <div> Kaplan said key questions for Mulroney should include:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Did Mulroney have Schreiber up to Harrington Lake while he was still prime minister, or after? What kind of arrangement did they reach? Were fees discussed?</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Why he would accept a payment of $100,000 from Schreiber in August 1993 while he was still an MP?</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Why he did not disclose his business relationship with Schreiber to the government of Canada before accepting a $2.1 million settlement from the government in 1997 over a libel suit? and</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Why did he testify under oath to barely knowing Schreiber, despite having previously received envelopes of money from him?</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4fca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> William Kaplan, author of 'A Secret Trial', on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4fda0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Russ Hiebert, Conservative MP on CTV's Question Period, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 533 WIDTH="707"><div> "A prime minister has a public trust, and it doesn't matter if he or she is still in office or if they've left office," Kaplan said. "They've occupied the most important position in our society. People of Canada trust them to govern for us and the trust continues after they leave office."</div> <bR> <div> In his three appearances before the ethics committee so far, Schreiber has made some exculpatory statements about Mulroney and made some damaging allegations.</div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, Schreiber testified that he was told to transfer some proceeds from the sale of Airbus jets to Air Canada into a bank account for Mulroney's lawyer. He also alleged that Mulroney's former adviser, Fred Doucet, told him to open the account.</div> <bR> <div> Schreiber, a German-Canadian businessman who faces corruption-related charges in Germany and is currently appealing an extradition charge against him, has offered no proof to back up his allegations. Doucet issued a statement Thursday denying Schreiber's allegations.</div> <bR> <div> "We're getting information from Mr. Schreiber, but I'm not sure how accurate it is," Conservative MP Russ Hiebert told <I>Question Period</I> on Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> He said the ethics committee was at the end of its ability to provide any insight into the affair.</div> <bR> <div> Kaplan said the committee's structure denied any chance to delve deeply into questions. "Instead, Schreiber's allowed to make these extraordinary statements and move on to say something else," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Liberal MP Robert Thibault said the committee had been very successful thus far. "We have got some information, and what we have got is a glimpse of what is available," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Martin added that Schreiber would not still be in the country to answer any questions if the ethics committee hadn't intervened.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="08"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 395 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Two adults, three kids killed in Calgary car crash</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Dec. 08  2007  13:29  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 8th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Two adults and three children were killed after their car was crushed by a cement truck on a Calgary street.</B></div> <bR> <div> Police say the northbound Chrysler Intrepid was stopped at a red light located at the intersection of MacLeod Trail and 194 Avenue Southwest around 7 p.m. on Friday when it was struck from behind by a 2005 Mack 700 Tri-Axel cement truck.</div> <bR> <div> "The force of the impact lodged the Intrepid under the front of the cement truck and the momentum of this truck pushed this vehicle nearly 300 metres northward where it finally came to rest in the east curb lane and shoulder," a statement from Calgary police said.</div> <bR> <div> A male driver, 41 and a female passenger, 33, were pronounced dead at the scene.</div> <bR> <div> A six-year-old girl, nine-year-old girl and 16-month-old baby boy were also killed in the crash. Police say all three children were properly restrained in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the collision.</div> <bR> <div> The 50-year-old male cement-truck driver was uninjured in the crash. The identities of the deceased have not been released.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4f6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The crushed Chrysler Intrepid is seen here under a 2005 Mack 700 Tri-Axel cement truck at the intersection of MacLeod Trail and 194 Avenue South West Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4f7a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Rescue crews working at the intersection of MacLeod Trail and 194 Avenue South West Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 547 WIDTH="707"><div> Police say the tangled wreckage of the vehicle has created problems for investigators. Only some of the next of kin have been notified.</div> <bR> <div> "The wreckage of the vehicle made it extremely difficult for extrication and so the medical examiner's office has not been able to complete their work in order to confirm identity and do the notification of the next of kin," Duty Inspector Guy Slater told CTV.ca on Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> Police have not confirmed if those killed were members of the same family or Calgary residents.</div> <bR> <div> Slater said excessive speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash.</div> <bR> <div> "Numerous witnesses plus the first assessment from the debris field would indicate that speed was a factor," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Slater said the driver of the cement truck allegedly refused to provide a breath sample to investigators.</div> <bR> <div> "There would have been indicators of alcohol consumption present which would have prompted the demand for a breath sample," he said.</div> <bR> <div> MacLeod Trail is a major roadway that runs from the south of Calgary to downtown.</div> <bR> <div> Slater said weather was not a factor and road conditions were not icy or slick at the time. "It's a tragic situation that reinforces that speed kills," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The accused, Daniel Tschetter of Cochrane, Alta., has been arrested and charged with the following:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Refusing to provide a breath sample;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Five counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.</div> <bR> <div> He is expected to appear in court on Dec. 13.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="07"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 183 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Fire destroys historic buildings in Barrie, Ont.</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Dec. 07  2007  08:30  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 7th, 2007</div> <div> <B>A massive explosion and fire ripped through the historic downtown core of Barrie, Ont. overnight, destroying several buildings and forcing the evacuation of dozens of people.</B></div> <bR> <div> Firefighters fought for hours to extinguish the blaze, which broke out at 11:20 p.m. in a Thai restaurant located at Dunlop and Bayfield Streets.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4e6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Firefighters battle the blaze in Barrie, Ont., 90 km north of Toronto, early Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 351 WIDTH="540"><div> A number of people in the community, located approximately 90 kilometres north of Toronto, heard the explosion. The blast occurred in the basement of the restaurant, scattering furniture and glass.</div> <bR> <div> "Everything just blew out the bottom windows," one Barrie resident told CTV News.</div> <bR> <div> The fire quickly spread to neighbouring buildings and at least 50 residents from nearby apartments and patrons at a hotel were evacuated. One building collapsed in a flurry of flames and debris.</div> <bR> <div> Dozens of firefighters from neighbouring communities rushed to the scene, pumping in water from Lake Simcoe to extinguish the blaze. No injuries have been reported.</div> <bR> <div> Fire officials described the blaze as one of the worst in decades. At least three buildings were destroyed and five others damaged in one large block of buildings known as the Five Points Intersection.</div> <bR> <div> Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden told Canada AM on Friday that the city will rally despite already sinking money into restoration projects in recent years.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4e7a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Emergency officials watch as the building collapses during the fire in Barrie, Ont. on Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4e8a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Fire crews work from overhead to extinguish the blaze in Barrie, Ont. early Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 145 WIDTH="707"><div> "I'm sure Barrie will pull together and we'll see business back in the same location in time," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Aspden said there is no indication what caused the explosion. "I just know the Barrie fire crew and the adjoining fire departments that had to come in and help have done a terrific job," Aspden said.</div> <bR> <div> There are over 600 property owners and business operators in historic downtown Barrie, which was established in 1814.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="06"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 199 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Mall shooting suspect described as 'troubled'</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Dec. 06  2007  08:08  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 6th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The 19-year-old believed to be responsible for a shooting spree that left eight people dead in an Omaha, Neb. mall is said to have been a troubled young man.</B></div> <bR> <div> Robert Hawkins died from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> The woman who owns the home where Hawkins lived said he was like a "lost puppy that nobody wanted," The Associated Press reports.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4e0a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Larissa Stachenko, an employee who was inside the Von Maur storewhen a gunman opened fire,</div> <div> in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP / Nati Harnik)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 416 WIDTH="540"><div> She said Hawkins was fired from his job at a fast-food restaurant this week and had recently broken up with his girlfriend.</div> <bR> <div> It is also reported that Hawkins had a criminal record and had recently been kicked out of his parents' home.</div> <bR> <div> The gunman in the shooting Wednesday afternoon killed seven others before turning the weapon on himself.</div> <bR> <div> Five others were injured, with two of them remaining in critical condition.</div> <bR> <div> Police Chief Thomas Warren said the victims appeared to have been targeted at random.</div> <bR> <div> The dead included five females and four males, including the gunman.</div> <bR> <div> Warren would not give a motive for the attack and did not release the identities of the victims.</div> <bR> <div> <B>'Lost puppy'</B></div> <div> Debora Maruca-Kovac told The Associated Press she and her husband took Hawkins into their home after he was kicked out of his parents' house.</div> <bR> <div> "When he first came in the house, he was introverted, a troubled young man who was like a lost pound puppy that nobody wanted," Maruca-Kovac told AP.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4e1a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Women who were evacuated from the Von Maur store when a gunman opened fire, await news, in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP / Nati Harnik)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4e2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A member of the Omaha police stands outside the Westroads mall, after a gunman opened fire at a Von Maur store in the mall, in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP / Nati Harnik)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 925 WIDTH="707"><div> She also told a local newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald, that the evening before the mall shooting Hawkins and her sons showed her an SKS semiautomatic Russian military rifle -- the same type used in the shooting.</div> <bR> <div> She told the paper she thought the gun belonged to someone from Hawkins' family and didn't think much of it at the time, believing the weapon was too old to work.</div> <bR> <div> Local records show Hawkins had a felony drug conviction on his record as well as several misdemeanor cases filed against him. One of them was related to an arrest 11 days before the shooting for underage possession of alcohol.</div> <bR> <div> Maruca-Kovac also said Hawkins called her Wednesday afternoon to say he had left a note. He wouldn't explain further, only saying "It's too late," before hanging up, she told CNN.</div> <bR> <div> The note was turned over to authorities. In it, Hawkins wrote that he was "sorry for everything" and would no longer be a burden to his family.</div> <bR> <div> He also wrote "Now I'll be famous."</div> <bR> <div> CNN's Sean Callebs said people in the area are still reeling.</div> <bR> <div> "People want to know how was he able to go in this store and make his way to the third floor with an SKS assault rifle and apparently go undetected," Callebs told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday, reporting from the scene.</div> <bR> <div> "Apparently he was firing from that third floor. He turned it one way back to a service area and a lot of the victims were back in that area. He also shot people on the second level. People were just scattering, doing whatever they could."</div> <bR> <div> Eyewitness account</div> <div> A witness told CNN that he was in the Westroads Mall when he heard people screaming and running towards exits.</div> <bR> <div> Shawn Vidlak said he and his family were in the mall when he saw a rushing crowd heading towards them. People were frantic and yelling out warnings.</div> <bR> <div> They were screaming to "grab your families. Get out of there. Someone's shooting," Vidlak said.</div> <bR> <div> He said he then heard a series of four or five popping sounds. Vidlak quickly grabbed his wife, picked up his four-year-old daughter, and ran outside.</div> <bR> <div> But not everyone got out. Some hid in clothing racks and dressing rooms when they heard the shots.</div> <bR> <div> Witnesses described hearing round after round of gun shots. There are reports that at least 30 to 40 shots were fired.</div> <bR> <div> By the time police arrived they weren't sure how many shooters they were dealing with. They surrounded the mall, and once they were set up, shoppers and employees had to come out with their hands raised in the air.</div> <bR> <div> Later they said they believed Hawkins, of Bellevue, Neb., was the only shooter.</div> <bR> <div> The gunman is believed to have been found on the third floor of the shopping complex.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. President George Bush was in Omaha delivering a speech Wednesday, but had left the city before the shootings began.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="05"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>More people smoking toad venom to get high: cops</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Dec. 05  2007  08:34  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 5th, 2007</div> <div> <B>KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- U.S. law enforcement authorities have discovered that people are willing to go to great lengths to get high, including a troubling new method that features a frightened toad.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c4d5a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 720 WIDTH="707"><div> "Toad smoking," which is a substitute for "toad licking," is done by extracting venom from the Sonoran Desert toad of the Colorado River. The toad's venom -- which is secreted when the toad gets angry or scared -- contains a hallucinogen called bufotenine that can be dried and smoked to produce a buzz.</div> <bR> <div> In October, a Kansas City man was charged with possessing a controlled substance after Clay County authorities determined he possessed a toad with the intent to use its venom to get high.</div> <bR> <div> Clay County Prosecutor Daniel White said possessing the toad is not illegal, but using it to get high off its venom is.</div> <bR> <div> "It is easier to get it, and law enforcement might not immediately know you use it to get high," White said. "It's sort of a New Age way to get high. You convince yourself it is OK because it is something you get naturally from our environment.</div> <bR> <div> "There are a lot of things that are created naturally but they are still not legal," he said.</div> <bR> <div> White said that for years people experimented with "toad licking," and now toad smoking is considered a substitute. To do so, a person heats up the frog's venom to break down its toxins and preserve the hallucinogen, which is dried.</div> <bR> <div> He said some Internet sites feature an instructional video on how to extract the toad's venom.</div> <bR> <div> Police found the toad when they went to a northern Kansas City home to investigate a suspected meth lab. They later arrested David S. Theiss, 21, and charged him with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia -- the toad.</div> <bR> <div> Theiss also is accused of possessing mescaline, a controlled substance extracted from a cactus.</div> <bR> <div> While smoking toad venom might sound extreme, an even more disturbing method to get high possibly includes sniffing fermented human waste. Vicky Ward, manager of prevention services at Tri-County Mental Health Services in Kansas City, said she has read e-mail warnings about a drug called jenkem.</div> <bR> <div> The drug is made from fermented feces and urine.</div> <bR> <div> "We work with a lot of youths and we ask them whether anyone has tried it and they said no," Ward said. "They (the youths) have heard about it because of the Internet."</div> <bR> <div> But whether people actually use of jenkem has not been determined, Ward said, noting that a Web site that investigates urban legends isn't clear on the matter.</div> <bR> <div> "Kids get ideas that later turn out to be unfounded, but you will get some idiots who will try anything," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="04"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 126 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>1 in 5 people in Canada now foreign-born: census</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Dec. 04  2007  09:14  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 4th, 2007</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA -- One-in-five people in Canada is foreign-born according to census numbers released Tuesday, an immigration surge unprecedented in a quarter-of-a-century and one that comes as the country grapples with acts of overt racism that fly in the face of Canada's reputation for tolerance.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c4cba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 317 WIDTH="540"><div> While the "neo-racism'' that infects society through subtle, systemic practices has largely been the focus of anti-racism crusaders, recent reports of assaults against Asian fisherman in Ontario and open anti-Muslim sentiment in Quebec have become the subject of inquiries and commissions.</div> <bR> <div> Canada garners kudos from around the world for laws promising equality for all, but experts say the true test of a tolerant nation is in day-to-day living.</div> <bR> <div> "It's important for us to have human rights written down... but really where human rights exist is on the street,'' said Marguerite Cassin, a Dalhousie University professor who has written papers on racism.</div> <bR> <div> "We know we have human rights when there is an absence of (racist) incidents.''</div> <bR> <div> The latest census figures show that 19.8 per cent of the population in 2006 was foreign born, the highest proportion since 1931 and up 13.6 per cent from five years earlier. By contrast, the entire Canadian population grew only 3.3 per cent in the same period.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4cea06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> CTV graphic detailing the percentage of Canadians that are foreign born.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4cfa06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> CTV graphic showing which province new Canadians are settling in.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 463 WIDTH="707"><div> Almost two-thirds of the nation's foreign-born population resided in Canada's three biggest cities: Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.</div> <bR> <div> The highest percentage of newcomers to Canada were from China (14 per cent), followed by India (11.6), the Philippines (7) and Pakistan (5.2). For the first time, the proportion of foreign-born immigrants from Asian and Middle Eastern countries (41 per cent) outstripped those of European heritage (37).</div> <bR> <div> "The newcomers who came between 2001 and 2006, we have about 1.1 million of them, and they added to Canada's diverse population because they report coming from about over 200 countries,'' said Statistics Canada analyst Tina Chui.</div> <bR> <div> "When you look at that, Canada is like a world within a country.''</div> <bR> <div> An aging population and the declining birth rate has Canada on track to becoming fully dependent on immigration for population growth by around 2030, Statistics Canada data suggests.</div> <bR> <div> Among Western nations, only Australia had a higher percentage of foreign-born residents (22.2 per cent) than Canada in 2006. The United States had 12.5 per cent foreign-born.</div> <bR> <div> Almost four decades after Canada became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as official policy, the emergence of apparently racist acts raises questions about how harmoniously the races are living together.</div> <bR> <div> In 2004, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on racism found that while Canada supports ethnic diversity through policy, law and numerous government-led programs, "tangible'' racism continues to exist in the country.</div> <bR> <div> The Muslim population in Quebec continues to deal with what it sees as racist attitudes in everything from girls' soccer to small-town misconceptions about Canadian Muslims.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 484 WIDTH="707"><div> In January, the rural town of Herouxville passed a policy paper laying out norms for immigrants that declared, among other things, that it is forbidden to stone women in public.</div> <bR> <div> A commission has since been struck to hear what Quebecers feel is reasonable in terms of accommodating the practices of other cultures.</div> <bR> <div> "What we're seeing is that, in the regions of Quebec there are people who have never met minorities before (and) are coming out with... outlandish statements,'' said Sameer Zuberi of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.</div> <bR> <div> "A lot of it has to do with people not understanding and people not knowing each other.''</div> <bR> <div> Although Canadian-born, Zuberi said it was during his teen years that he began to notice that others viewed him as "different, even though I was born (in Montreal).''</div> <bR> <div> "I would say that is an ongoing thing, it exists and that has led to a lot of the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing today,'' he said.</div> <bR> <div> In Ontario, reports of Asian-Canadian anglers being targeted and assaulted while fishing on Lake Simcoe in the town of Georgina, 80 kilometres north of Toronto, have instigated an inquiry.</div> <bR> <div> Several men face charges after the fishermen where pushed into the lake, their gear destroyed and windshields smashed.</div> <bR> <div> "In a way, I'm glad that it's coming out, it's coming forward, it's being talked about,'' said Avvy Go of the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.</div> <bR> <div> "I hope that this will force all Canadians to take a look at what's happening and try to understand why, in 2007, we still have to deal with that in Canada, supposedly one of the most multicultural societies in the world.''</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><div> Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Barbara Hall struck an inquiry following the assaults and said it's clear when cultures ignorant of one another meet it can set the stage for conflict.</div> <bR> <div> Greater understanding of one another's practices is key to overcoming that threat, she said.</div> <bR> <div> "That's not new, because our diversity and the constant change of populations who are coming to Canada mean that we are always having to learn about new communities,'' said Hall.</div> <bR> <div> "In the various places where attacks have occurred against Asian-Canadian anglers, we see what appears to be racial stereotyping, racial profiling, hostility.''</div> <bR> <div> That hostility isn't confined to just two select groups.</div> <bR> <div> Each year, B'nai Brith Canada releases its list of anti-Semitic events which includes everything from rocks thrown through synagogue windows to hate crimes on the Internet and toppled gravestones.</div> <bR> <div> In Vancouver, a special task force has been struck amid a dramatic spike in murders as gang factions within the Indo-Canadian community wage war against one another.</div> <bR> <div> In the United States, immigration issues _ largely focused on Mexican immigration _ loom large in political debates heading toward the 2008 presidential election and the country remains mired in the racist legacy of slavery.</div> <bR> <div> Canada's history is filled with its own sordid tales of the ugly actions that result when suspicion of newcomers overwhelms.</div> <bR> <div> The internment of Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War, the Chinese Head Tax and past discriminatory immigration practices against African Americans and Jews are just a few examples, said Cassin.</div> <bR> <div> Current laws prevent people from being denied access to education or participation in society based on their race or culture, "so at that kind of level, in institutional practices, there is equality,'' Cassin said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 308 WIDTH="707"><div> "The reality, however, is that we do differentiate among one another every day on everything, from choosing jobs, organizing promotions to who gets served in line first, all of those kinds of things.''</div> <bR> <div> While overt acts of racism are easy to identify, a subtler form that Cassin identifies as "neo-racism'' is a much trickier entity. </div> <div> "Do we mean is something illegal, or do we mean that we're not nice to each other?'' said Cassin.</div> <bR> <div> "Or does it mean what I try to get it to mean, which is that we treat one another in racialized ways, where we're taking our race into account when we're making decisions or we're making preferences.''</div> <bR> <div> Moving beyond those practices will be "tough work,'' Cassin added.</div> <bR> <div> "Making Canada, making a country made up of people that come and will continue to come from all sorts of other countries and circumstances, it's tough work. It requires engagement,'' she said.</div> <bR> <div> "It's not completed. It's a work that is something that all of us have to be part of all of the time.''</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="03"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 378 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Winter weather stretching from sea to sea</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Dec. 03  2007  09:09  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 3rd, 2007</div> <div> <B>Vast swathes of Canada are under some type of weather warning this morning, from B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands to Cape Breton, N.S.</B></div> <bR> <div> "Really, truly, we're almost united in this country, because we're dealing today with winter weather from coast to coast to coast to coast," Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips told Canada AM on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> On Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, power crews are working to restore electricity service following Sunday's nasty weather.</div> <bR> <div> Parts of two major transmission lines collapsed following winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.</div> <bR> <div> Newfoundland and Labrador aren't under any weather warnings today, but 110 km/h winds are expected to strike the northwest part of Cape Breton.</div> <bR> <div> West-central Nova Scotia -- including communities like Middleton, Truro and Amherst -- can expect up to 20 centimetres of snow by the end of Monday.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4b2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A man drives his bicycle down the middle of a downtown street in New Westminster, B.C. (Chuck Stoody / The Canadian Press.</div> <div>  <IMG SRC="c4b3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This infrared Environment Canada satellite image shows systems across Canada on Monday, Dec. 3, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 336 WIDTH="540"><div> Virtually all of New Brunswick has been warned to expect heavy snow and strong winds today as the system that hit Central Canada on Sunday moves into the area.</div> <bR> <div> Moving westward, the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, along with most of the province's southwest, can expect brisk northeasterly winds and blowing snow.</div> <bR> <div> "A major low pressure system that was near the Great Lakes last night will move to lie over New England late in the day today," Environment Canada said on its website.</div> <bR> <div> "The snow and the blowing snow already affect a good part of southwestern Québec this morning. These conditions will spread eastward to reach some regions of the Gaspé Peninsula this evening."</div> <bR> <div> Some parts of southwest Quebec near the Ontario border could get from 25 to 35 centimetres of snow, it said.</div> <bR> <div> In Ontario, the greater Ottawa region can expect heavy snow today, along with freezing rain and ice pellets. Accumulations are expected to be between 20 and 30 centimetres by day's end.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c4b4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An ambulance driver got stuck trying to rush to a woman who had a heart attack while shoveling her driveway in Hamilton, Ont.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c4b6a0690.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="105" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Repair crews work on downed power lines in Sydney, N.S. on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 575 WIDTH="707"><div> Snow squalls are predicted for areas adjacent to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. But the squalls could extend inland to affect communities like Woodstock, Brantford, Kitchener and Guelph.</div> <bR> <div> "Sudden and frequent whiteout conditions from blowing snow as well as bursts of heavy snow will be a serious problem from these snowsqualls," Environment Canada said.</div> <bR> <div> Toronto has dodged any weather warnings today, following a Sunday that saw things go from snow to freezing rain to a downpour. But strong winds could carry the squalls into the Greater Toronto Area by tonight, it said.</div> <bR> <div> Strong winds of 60 to 90 km/h are expected to blow along the north shore of Lake Erie and into the Niagara region.</div> <bR> <div> The Sudbury region and areas north can expect some heavy snowfall.</div> <bR> <div> Southwest Manitoba is under a weather watch, with Environment Canada warning about the possibility of severe winter weather.</div> <bR> <div> East-central Saskatchewan can expect about 10 to 20 cm of snow by tonight. The same system is tracking across northern Alberta, and is expected to bring 10 to 20 cm of snow in a band going from Peace River in the west to Cold Lake in the east.</div> <bR> <div> Greater Vancouver is under a wind and rainfall warning. Phillips attributed that to a "pineapple express," a storm system that brings warm air and is heavily laden with moisture. Vancouver could see 70 millimetres of rain, and Squamish, to the north of Vancouver, might get up to 120 mm of rain.</div> <bR> <div> Inland Vancouver Island has to worry about snow, freezing rain and rain over the course of Monday.</div> <bR> <div> The Queen Charlotte Islands face a snowfall warning, and the north coast on the mainland has to worry about an Arctic outflow. Most of the southern interior is under some type of winter weather warning.</div> <bR> <div> The weekend saw three different storm systems hit the West Coast, Central Canada and Atlantic Canada. Phillips said that wasn't unusual.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="02"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 156 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Storms blast Central, Atlantic and Pacific regions</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Dec. 02  2007  11:24  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 2nd, 2007</div> <div> <B>Central Canada's day is off to a white, wintry, nasty start from a major winter storm system.</B></div> <bR> <div> In Toronto, the country's largest city, snow fell overnight as a storm system passed over the Great Lakes from Colorado.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c47da0690.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="105" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Two cars slide towards each other on a slippery road but</div> <div> avoid a hit.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 629 WIDTH="707"><div> That same system left three people dead, brought road and air travel to a halt and caused power outages for thousands of people as it passed over the U.S. Midwest.</div> <bR> <div> About 15 to 30 centimetres is expected across Ontario and into southwest Quebec. Parts of northwestern Ontario could get up to 40 cm over the next 24 hours.</div> <bR> <div> The snow is expected to change into freezing rain by mid-day in southern Ontario. Windsor and Goderich in far southwestern Ontario have already had a dose of freezing rain.</div> <bR> <div> "Dangerous winter travelling conditions are expected across Ontario as the snow may possibly be heavy at times which can cause brief whiteout conditions," warned Environment Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "Furthermore roads will be snow covered and slippery due to freezing rain and ice pellets. Travel plans should be altered accordingly."</div> <bR> <div> Pearson International Airport in Toronto is reporting some departure delays and cancellations. So are Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. Some airlines are cancelling their flights into the storm-affected areas.</div> <bR> <div> Other major storm systems are hitting or have hit B.C. and Atlantic Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Parts of Vancouver Island might get up to 40 cm of snow, and Vancouver is expecting up to 10 cm of snow mixed with rain. The Fraser Valley east of Vancouver got a dumping of snow on Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> In Atlantic Canada, a system has already brought as much as 25 cm of snow to northern Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and parts of Newfoundland.</div> <bR> <div> Weather warnings have been lifted for Nova Scotia and P.E.I., but the Bona Vista and southern Avalon Peninsulas can expect winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour.</div> <bR> <div> The central parts of Newfoundland's east coast are under a heavy snowfall advisory.</div> <bR> <div> The Nain to Hopedale area of Labrador's central coast region is under a high wind advisory, with gusts hitting 100 km/h.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="01"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Dublin beer bandit raids Guinness brewery</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Dec. 01  2007  09:56  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: December 1st, 2007</div> <div> <B>DUBLIN -- Irish police were hunting for a beer bandit who stole 450 full kegs from the Guinness brewery -- the largest heist ever at Ireland's largest brewer.</B></div> <bR> <div> National police said a lone man drove into the brewery -- a Dublin landmark and top tourist</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c47ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 525 WIDTH="707"><div> attraction -- on Wednesday and hitched his truck to a fully loaded trailer awaiting delivery to city pubs.</div> <bR> <div> Diageo PLC, the beverage company that owns Guinness, said the brewery had never suffered such a large-scale theft before in its 248-year history.</div> <bR> <div> Police said the raider took 180 kegs of Guinness stout, 180 kegs of U.S. lager Budweiser and 90 kegs of Danish beer Carlsberg. Guinness brews both of those foreign brands under license for sale in Ireland.</div> <bR> <div> Police declined to say whether the theft had been captured by closed-circuit surveillance cameras. No description of the suspect was issued, suggesting that nobody got a good look at him.</div> <bR> <div> Each keg holds about 88 British-sized pints, the most common serving size in Ireland, equivalent to 20 ounces each. The total theft involves 39,600 pints with a retail value exceeding $235,000.</div> <bR> <div> Police said it would be difficult for the thief to sell the stolen beer without attracting attention, unless he has criminal associates who own a network of pubs.</div> <bR> <div> But customs agents say it is common for pubs to sell stolen or smuggled cigarettes and alcohol, particularly counterfeit-labeled supplies of vodka, to avoid paying hefty taxes.</div> <bR> <div> In the past, the outlawed Irish Republican Army and other gangs have hijacked truck shipments of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes for resale in pubs run by sympathizers or friends. Those raids typically happen in rural areas, never in the center of Dublin.</div> <bR> <div> The Republic of Ireland, a country of 4.2 million, has more than 10,000 pubs and bars. The Guinness brewery in Dublin is the biggest supplier, producing more than 5 million kegs annually.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>