  Past Articles:
These "Articles" are dated from November 1st, 2008 - November 30th, 2008.
 Canadian dog-cam could revolutionize search/rescue |
30/11/08
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Indian forces end siege of Taj Mahal hotel
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29/11/08
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U.S. retailers wait to see Black Friday sales totals
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28/11/08
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Flaherty to unveil spending cuts in fiscal update
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27/11/08
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Climate change still a concern despite economy: poll
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26/11/08
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Ford and Volvo top 2009's safest vehicles list
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25/11/08
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Details sought in spectacular Manitoba crash-landing
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24/11/08
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New theory suggests genetic origins of mental illness
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23/11/08
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Bush says U.S., Canada must work together
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22/11/08
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Mysterious fireball may never have touched down
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21/11/08
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Recession fears send world markets down
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20/11/08
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Pirates attack Indian navy, hijack two more ships
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19/11/08
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Joint action needed to save Big 3: industry rep
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18/11/08
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Seven people dead after plane crashes in B.C.
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17/11/08
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Montreal has lost Canadian Grand Prix: Charest
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16/11/08
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Will Canada's high-end coffee sellers keep percolating?
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15/11/08
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Euro-zone officially in a recession: European Union
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14/11/08
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Canadian scientists discover three new planets
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13/11/08
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Another severed foot washes up on B.C. shore
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12/11/08
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Veterans honoured across Canada, and in Afghanistan
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11/11/08
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Flu shots may lower blood clot risk, study says
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10/11/08
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Russian navy: 20 dead from poison in sub accident
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09/11/08
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Crisp likely died after falling from tree: autopsy
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08/11/08
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Honda unveils device that helps you walk
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07/11/08
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Autopsy could explain what happened to Brandon
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06/11/08
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Obama promises 'change has come to America'
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05/11/08
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Americans voting in historic presidential poll
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04/11/08
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Dad pleads guilty in daughters' freezing deaths
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03/11/08
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The food industry's untold secrets: Check the pantry
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02/11/08
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Former sales rep pleads guilty to price fixing at pumps
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01/11/08
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Canadian dog-cam could revolutionize search/rescue
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 30 2008 13:18 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 30th, 2008
A joint initiative between a Ryerson University computer science professor and his colleague in the school's fashion department has resulted in a device that allows rescue dogs to transmit video and audio of disaster victims that humans can't reach.
The project, known as Canine Augmentation Technology -- ironically, CAT for short -- has the potential to allow emergency responders to see and hear the victims they are attempting to rescue, from the dog's perspective.
The invention consists of a vest, fitted on the rescue dog that is equipped with a wireless camera and microphone, as well as GPS technology so the dog's position can be pinpointed at all times.
And just by pushing a button, rescuers can use a remote deployment system to release supplies from the dog to the victims, said computer science professor Alex Ferworn.
"We can drop off a bag to someone who might be caught in the rubble, we can drop off a radio, we can drop off water, we can drop off bandages, anything they might need," Ferworn told CTV's Canada AM.
The design is being tested by the Ontario Provincial Police Emergency Response Team, and Dare, a six-year-old black lab member of the OPP team.
During a demonstration in the Canada AM studio, Dare moved about the room, his viewpoint transmitted to a laptop computer and projected on a large television screen.
Some of the initial designs posed risks to the equipment, which could easily be damaged in tight situations, and the dog, which could become stuck, for example, in the tangled debris of a collapsed building.
As a result, Ferworn sought the help of Lucia Dell'Agnese, director of fashion design at Ryerson, to come up with a safer, more efficient vest for the dog to wear.
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Dare, a six-year-old black lab member of the OPP team, demonstrates the Canine Augmentation Technology on CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.
Lucia Dell'Agnese, director of fashion design at Ryerson, discusses how she came up with a safer, more efficient vest for the dog to wear, on CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.
Computer science professor Alex Ferwor explains the joint initiative on CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.
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"The first thing I did was I looked at the equipment Alex and his team had created. I measured everything and I spoke and communicated very closely with these guys to make sure I knew where everything had to go on the dog's body," Dell'Agnese told Canada AM.
"Once that was established I created this outer shell of fabric that accommodates all the technology inside."
The vest fits the rescue dog snugly and is held together with strong magnets that release under pressure, so the vest will simply come off if the dog becomes tangled.
The gear has been in development for three years, and will require extensive testing and research before it is used in the field.
However, Ferworn said he is hopeful dogs like Dare will one day be equipped with the invention, and that it will help save human lives.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Indian forces end siege of Taj Mahal hotel
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 29 2008 09:42 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 29th, 2008
Indian commandos have ended the attacks at Mumbai's historic Taj Mahal hotel, local officials reported early Saturday.
"The Taj operation is over," said Mumbai Police Chief Hasan Ghafoor.
"The last two terrorists holed up there have been killed."
Police said nine terrorists in all were killed, while one was arrested.
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Policemen stand outside burnt-out sections of the facade of the Taj Mahal Hotel is seen in Mumbai, India, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008. (AP / The Hindustan Times, Anshuman Poyrekar)
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Maharshta state official R. R. Patil said the captured gunman was a Pakistani national named Mohammad Ajmal Qasam.
Patil said the gunmen used "GPS, mobile and satellite phones to communicate," and "were constantly in touch with another country."
CTV reporter Steve Chao reported that Indian commandos were still sweeping through hotel rooms on Saturday to ensure that no other militants or weapons were left unaccounted for.
Chao said police are now focused on finding out who is responsible for the series of devastating attacks that began Wednesday.
Chao said that the attacks were originally attributed to the Deccan Mujahideen, a previously unheard of Islamic militant group, but officials now suspect a Pakistani militant group may have been involved.
"Nothing is substantiated and Pakistan's government says that they do not believe that their country has been used as a base for militancy and the problem may be home grown in India," Chao told CTV Newsnet Saturday in a telephone interview from Mumbai.
"It's leading to some increased tension to the two nuclear powers."
There were other reports that suggested some of the terrorists may have carried British passports, but nothing has been confirmed, Chao said.
Attacks may signal new trend in terrorist attacks
Terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that the Mumbai attacks appeared to be an example of a new type of terrorist tactic.
Rather than using explosives, the militants used a series of highly-planned, on-the-ground raids to achieve their objectives.
"What sets the Mumbai attacks apart is that these were en masse...simultaneous, almost commando-like assaults," Hoffman said in a phone interview from Washington.
"Clearly this was an operation that involved considerable training and the use of training facilities," he said.
Death toll climbs
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As of early Saturday, the death toll in the Mumbai terror attacks, which took place at 10 different sites across the city, was estimated to be at least 195 -- including two Canadians.
Montreal physician Michael Moss was one of the two Canadians killed in the attacks. The name of the other Canadian victim has not been released.
Shantaram Jadhav, an official at Mumbai's disaster control office, said the death toll will likely rise further as not all bodies have been removed from the sites of the attacks.
Jadhav thought as many as 295 had been wounded in the attacks.
Early Friday, Indian commandos found the bodies of six hostages, including a New York rabbi and his wife, after storming an ultra-orthodox Jewish centre in Mumbai.
Two gunmen were also reported dead inside the centre but how they died is unknown.
"The Jewish centre has been cleared but now they're looking for any explosives that have been left behind," Y.P. Rajesh, a reporter with the Indian Express, told CTV Newsnet on Friday.
Late Friday, a spokesman for the Chabad Lubavitch movement, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., said that Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, were among those killed.
The couple's toddler son, Moshe Holtzberg, was smuggled out by an employee and is in the care of his grandparents.
Holtzberg was one of five Americans killed. It was not immediately clear if his wife had American citizenship.
Earlier Friday, about 20 Westerners, some of whom had Canadian flags on their luggage, emerged from the Oberoi hotel, another target in Wednesday's attacks.
Officials said commandos had killed the two last gunmen inside the Oberoi.
"The hotel is under our control," J.K. Dutt, director general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit, told reporters.
He said 24 bodies had been found inside the hotel.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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U.S. retailers wait to see Black Friday sales totals
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 28 2008 08:24 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 28th, 2008
U.S. retailers are waiting to see how the country's battered economy will respond to a barrage of high-discount, pre-Christmas sales, to determine how much consumer confidence has fallen prior to this year's holiday season.
Black Friday, the name given to the day following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, kicked off at midnight in many places across the country, with big retailers offering deep discounts at their stores and extended hours of service throughout the weekend.
Canadian shopping enthusiast Heather Gore described to CTV's Canada AM the long lineups
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The early morning opening of the Vanity Fair Outlet stores for Black Friday has crowds of shoppers seeking sales and discounts November 28, 2008 in Reading, Pa. (AP / Bradley C Bower)
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at a Niagara Falls, N.Y., outlet mall where she was shopping at 12:01 a.m. on Friday morning.
"I have been coming here on Black Friday for the past five or six years," she said. "This year is the busiest I've ever seen it."
Gore, a Toronto lawyer and veteran cross-border shopper, said she had seen many Canadians at the malls on Friday morning.
Some U.S. retailers, in fact, have been directly appealing to Canadian shoppers, in an attempt to bring them across the border for Black Friday.
In Detroit, mall owner Taubman Centers Inc., offered a $20 gift card voucher to the first 2,008 vehicles travelling through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Friday.
"For those Canadians who make Black Friday an annual shopping tradition, we would like to be their shopping destination of choice," Taubman spokesperson Karen MacDonald said in a release.
Prior to Friday morning, however, many analysts were not predicting that the turnout at the malls on Black Friday and its accompanying weekend would necessarily save the holiday season for retailers.
Morningstar analyst Brady Lemos told The Associated Press that his organization was expecting the retail numbers "to be pretty bad across the board."
America's Research Group chairman Britt Beemer questioned how long the shoppers would remain in the stores as the weekend progressed.
"I think we are going to see the busiest Black Friday ever, but will it carry over past 10 a.m.?" Beemer told The Associated Press.
"The bottom line is a great Black Friday does not make a season."
ShopperTrak RCT Corp. reported that last year's Black Friday weekend accounted for about 10 per cent of the 2007 holiday sales totals.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Flaherty to unveil spending cuts in fiscal update
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 27 2008 07:31 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 27th, 2008
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will unveil a fiscal update today that is expected to include major spending cuts but no stimulus package for the economy.
The Tories are expected to slash about $27 million a year in public funding for federal parties, in a move that would save taxpayers' money but deal a major financial blow to opposition parties, CTV News has learned.
Under the new proposal, this is how much the parties stand to lose:
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Finance Minister Jim Flaherty responds during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday Nov.26, 2008. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
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 Conservatives: $10 million.Liberals: $7.7 million.
NDP: $4.9 million.
Bloc Quebecois: $2.6 million.
Green Party: $1.8 million.
While the Conservatives would lose the most money, it would be a smaller share of their overall revenue because they get most of their funding through private donations.
"The Conservatives have much better grassroots organizations and are much better at raising money," CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said Thursday.
In 2007, the Conservative Party received just 37 per cent of its funding from the public subsidy. In contrast, the Bloc Quebecois receives 86 per cent, Green Party 65 per cent, Liberals 63 per cent, and 57 per cent for the NDP.
"They're going to have a hell of a fight on their hands. This is not the way to behave in a democracy," Liberal leadership contender Bob Rae told CTV News.
Fife, speaking to CTV's Canada AM, said the cut is more of a "clever diversion" tactic on behalf of the Tories since the statement will not include any stimulus plans.
Sources say Flaherty will also present measures to curb the pay of Parliamentarians and top civil servants.
That would include curtailing a planned $4,600 pay hike for MPs.
"It's totally symbolic," Fife said.
Opposition parties are in support of freezing salaries. Anthony Rota, the Liberal caucus chair, said "we're willing to do our share as far as restricting and looking at what can be done with MPs' salaries."
But other opposition members also said the Conservatives should rein in their own spending, noting that Harper's cabinet has increased in size from 26 members to 37.
"Will the prime minister reduce his cabinet to a sensible level?" Liberal MP Wayne Easter asked during question period Wednesday. "Cut the 37 limo services and cut the bloated staffing."
Flaherty will present the measures in his fiscal update at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Climate change still a concern despite economy: poll
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 26 2008 08:02 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 26th, 2008
Despite the ongoing global financial crisis, a new poll of 11 countries, including Canada, shows nearly half are still more worried about climate change.
The Climate Confidence Monitor 2008, which surveyed 12,000 people around the world, found
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43 per cent of respondents chose climate change ahead of global economic stability when asked about their top three concerns.
Worldwide, 48 per cent of people believe governments should be playing a leading role in tackling climate change but only 25 per cent think they are actually doing so.
"Without greater government leadership, people's individual engagement with the issue is stalling: willingness to make further changes to lifestyles, contribute more time and spend extra money are all down compared to 2007," says the report.
Researchers found the global community wants its governments to focus on "big issue" direct actions, such as increasing investment in renewable energy, halting deforestation, conserving water resources and protecting ecosystems.
The indirect activities that many governments are focusing on, such as carbon markets and taxation systems, are seen by consumers as less of a priority, says the report.
The vast majority of people, 78 per cent, want their countries to take on at least their "fair share" of emissions reductions, in proportion to their current share of global emissions.
"This sense of sharing responsibility for reductions suggests a different picture to that being played out in international negotiations," says the report.
Noteworthy numbers:
In Canada, 34 per cent of respondents said climate change and how governments respond to it are among the biggest issues they worry about.
Only 6 per cent of Canadians, compared to 55 per cent in China, said the people and organizations that should be doing something about climate change are doing what is needed.
Twenty-nine per cent of Canadians said they are personally making a "significant effort" to help reduce climate change in their daily living.
Nine per cent said they believed climate change will be stopped, compared to 47 per cent in China and 12 per cent in the U.S.
"Despite clear concern about climate change and a demonstrably fair attitude to national emission reductions, the picture that has emerged from this year's Climate Confidence Monitor is one of consumers stalling in their own efforts and not appreciating those of their governments," says the report.
"Governments and companies have a greater role to play both in creating low-carbon opportunities and in helping consumers better understand the options and implications."
The survey -- which included research in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and U.S.A., Brazil, China, the Hong Kong SAR, India, Malaysia and Mexico -- was done on behalf of the HSBC Climate Partnership, which includes environmental groups and business.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Ford and Volvo top 2009's safest vehicles list
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 25 2008 08:30 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 25th, 2008
The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named 72 cars, trucks and SUVs on its 2009 safest vehicles list, more than double the number on last year's safety list.
The Institute attributes the jump to big strides automakers have made in recent years to improve crash protection.
"(It means) that manufacturers are really improving their vehicles. Most of them have made a commitment to safety ... Consumers have a wide range of choices now," IIHS spokesperson Russ Rader told CTV's Canada AM from Washington on Tuesday morning.
He noted that an increasing number of smaller cars now have improved safety features. But he added, "the laws of physics still apply" and bigger vehicles are still generally safer in crashes because of their sheer size.
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This undated handout photo shows a frontal offset crash test on a 2009 Honda FitL. (AP / Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
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The vehicles on the IIHS list are the best in protecting people in front, side and rear crash tests, according to the Institute. It evaluated dozens of vehicles in tests conducted throughout the year and noted that all of the winners were equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), an anti-rollover technology.
According to the IIHS:
Ford and its subsidiary Volvo had 16 vehicles on its safety list.
Honda and its Acura division had 13 cars on the list.
Volkswagen AG and its Audi brand had nine vehicles on the list.
Toyota and General Motors both had eight vehicles on the list.
"In order to win, automakers have beefed up the side structures of vehicles and added side airbags to do a better job of protecting people in serious side crashes," said Institute president Adrian Lund in a press release.
"They're rapidly adding ESC to prevent crashes, and they're designing seats and head restraints that do a better job of protecting against whiplash."
For the 2009 model year, the IIHS says that:
About 84 per cent of passenger cars, 99 per cent of SUVs, and 23 per cent of pickups have standard side airbags with head protection.
ESC is standard on 74 per cent of passenger cars, 99 per cent of SUVs, and 37 per cent of pickups.
"The sheer number of this year's winners indicates that automakers have made huge strides to improve crash protection to achieve Top Safety Pick designation," Lund said in the press release.
The Institute noted that Chrysler was the only major automaker lacking a single Top Safety Pick. It said the carmaker needed better head restraints on some of its models.
Chrysler spokesman Cole Quinnell told The Associated Press that their vehicles are equipped with a variety of safety features and the institute's results "are just one of the sources of information about a vehicle's crash performance."
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization. It describes its mission as being dedicated to reducing losses from crashes on highways.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Details sought in spectacular Manitoba crash-landing
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 24 2008 08:06 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 24th, 2008
More details are expected to emerge today in the spectacular crash-landing of a plane in northern Manitoba that saw five people walk away unharmed, just moments before the aircraft exploded.
The pilot of the plane -- an air ambulance -- downed the aircraft at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday night after a fire broke out in the cockpit, said Mike Young, of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
Two pilots and a flight nurse, as well as a passenger and her baby son, were aboard the plane when it went down.
"We understand the pilot had a cockpit fire shortly after take-off and didn't have time to turn around and land at the aerodrome," Young told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.
"Obviously he picked an area and crashed into some dense bush, taking out some trees along the way, and shortly before the post-crash fire the two pilots and the flight nurse managed to get out their two passengers, luckily, and all survived."
The plane went down in a rugged area about 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Soon after the
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The turbo-prop Beech King Air A100 was a medical aircraft owned by Winnipeg-based SkyNorth Air.
The group aboard the plane was on a SkyNorth medevac trip from God's Lake Narrows, Man., to Thompson, which is a remote town about 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
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crash, police at the nearby God's Lake Narrows First Nations community received reports of a fireball that erupted just above the trees.
The joint rescue centre immediately dispatched a Herculese aircraft from Winnipeg, and the RCMP sent out a ground search crew that headed out by snowmobile, Young said.
The survivors were found at 2:45 a.m. local time, roughly five hours after the crash. The survivors -- none of whom have been identified -- were taken to a nursing station at around 3 a.m. but they had suffered little more than scrapes and bruises.
Young said the result could have been much worse, but the pilots, nurse and passengers climbed out of the turbo-prop Beech King Air A100 within minutes of the crash, and cleared the wreckage just before it exploded, sending a fireball into the sky.
CTV Winnipeg reported that the 10-month-old boy, who was being transferred to hospital because of an illness, slept through the crash.
"This is an amazing outcome and accolades have to be passed to the two pilots and the crew, the flight nurse, for getting out their passengers before the fire took hold," Young said.
The group was on a SkyNorth medevac trip from God's Lake Narrows, Man., to a hospital in Thompson, which is a remote town about 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg, RCMP said.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and what caused the fire, and more details are expected soon.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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New theory suggests genetic origins of mental illness
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 23 2008 07:52 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 23rd, 2008
Two scientists, one a Canadian, have developed a revolutionary theory for the basis of some mental illness. They argue that autism and schizophrenia are opposite disorders when viewed through the lens of the brain's development.
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Prof. Bernard Crespi, an evolutionary biologist at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University, and Christopher Badcock of the London School of Economics, believe that the two disorders evolve depending on whether certain genes in the mother or father are imprinted, or silenced, during gestation.
Imprinting is particularly common in genes that are expressed in the brain, Crespi said, and is caused by a biochemical change in the germ line, the sequence of cells that contain genetic material that will be passed on to the child.
If the mother's genes, which are growth-promoting, are silenced, a child may develop autism due to an underdevelopment of the social brain.
If the father's genes are silenced, the effect could be a hyper-developed social brain, which is associated with schizophrenia.
"The most important aspect of the theory is that these sets of disorders can be seen as opposites to one another in the context of the development of the so-called human social brain," Crespi told CTV.ca in a phone interview from B.C.
Crespi began working on this theory after hearing Badcock speak about his theories that autism could be an opposite condition to schizophrenia.
Autism is a broad spectrum of disorders that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, while schizophrenia is characterized by a number of symptoms including paranoia, extreme activity and mood swings.
After looking into the genetic basis for each condition, as well as teaching himself the basics of psychiatry and psychology, "it became clear that there are imprinting effects in both of these, but they had not in the literature been considered in terms of evolutionary theory," Crespi said.
Crespi compiled data on the physiology and neurodevelopment of patients with both disorders, as well as information about psychological, cognitive and behavioural traits.
He looked for patterns in autistic patients, and then for the opposites in those with schizophrenia.
He found, for example, that smoking is far more common in patients with schizophrenia, while research has shown low rates of smoking in autism.
Crsepi is quick to caution that imprinting is only one of a number of contributing causes to both autism and schizophrenia, but it's one of the causes that most clearly demonstrates the opposite nature of the two conditions.
He also points out that the theory of the two disorders being opposites is a general one, that gene imprinting can have an impact on a number of diseases.
He says that while scientists know that the tug-of-war between the mother's and father's genes exists during fetal development, it is still unclear what exactly the imprinted genes are doing to the brain.
Crespi hopes his research will open up the field of psychiatry and the study of psychiatric disorders to include the study of evolutionary genetics.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Andrea Janus
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Bush says U.S., Canada must work together
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 22 2008 09:40 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 22nd, 2008
U.S. President George Bush said Saturday that with the economic crisis the world is facing, it is more important than ever that the U.S. and Canada maintain strong ties.
"We've accomplished a lot together," Bush said. "Relations between the United States and Canada are strong -- sometimes complicated, but nevertheless based on common values."
Bush made his remarks as he met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-Operation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, on Saturday morning.
Harper, who arrived at the meetings on Friday, will also meet with representatives from New Zealand and Peru on Saturday, and he will give a keynote speech to a group of business executives.
Bush and Harper also talked about the upcoming inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama -- an event Bush jokingly called a case of "forced retirement."
Steve Rennie, a reporter with The Canadian Press, told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that the economy will be at top of the agenda for Ottawa as the meetings in Peru continue through the weekend.
"It's going to be almost entirely devoted to the economy," he said in an interview from Lima.
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U.S. President George W. Bush, right, meets with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008. (AP / Lawrence Jackson)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right, meets with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at a bilateral meeting in Lima, Peru on Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
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"There's going to be a little bit of talk on climate change, on dealing with security matters and that sort of thing, but almost entirely this conference is going to be focused on the economy."
On Friday, Canada signed a free-trade agreement with Colombia that will make it easier for the two countries to do business with one another.
Ottawa says the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement will provide greater market access for Canadian exporters, particularly for products such as wheat, pulses, barley, paper and heavy equipment. The government also says the agreement will provide stability for businesses involved in both the manufacturing and financial services.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and International Trade Minister Stockwell Day also signed three other deals with their Colombian counterparts on labour, the environment and double taxation.
Canada and Colombia trade $1.14 billion worth of goods and services each year.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Mysterious fireball may never have touched down
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 21 2008 08:11 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 21st, 2008
The fireball that blazed across the Prairie sky Thursday evening was likely a meteor travelling at an incredible velocity, according to one expert.
Hundreds of residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba reported seeing the bright light, which was also captured on security cameras.
The stunning images show the sky light up as a bright point of light blazes into view, then disappears over the horizon.
"There's a very good chance it was what we call a bull's eye, which is a meteorite crossing the sky at extremely quick velocity -- very, very fast -- and as it hits the atmosphere at about 400,000 feet, travelling at about 60 kilometres per second, this is the incredible light show that it creates," said space educator Randy Atwood.
Atwood told CTV's Canada AM the meteor was probably no bigger than a grapefruit, and may have broken into small pieces before hitting the ground, or it may have burned up entirely before touching down.
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CTV Edmonton security cameras caught the meteor approach and then create a massive flash in the skyline on Thursday evening, Nov. 20, 2008.
A CTV map details the area of western Canada where the flash was reportedly visible.
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"It was a beautiful show and some people might have thought it was just over the hill, and that it was the size of a house," he said.
Astronomers and universities across Western Canada have cameras recording activity in the sky, Atwood said. If the meteor was captured by more than one of the cameras, it may be possible over the next couple of days to triangulate exactly where it touched down -- if it did.
CTV's Mike Ciona, a Saskatoon reporter who saw the sky light up on his way home from work, said it appeared to be positioned to the west and north of the city.
"It looked like a lighting bolt, the most intense lighting bolt you've ever seen, and maybe the size of three," Ciona told Canada AM.
Phone lines at CTV began to light up just minutes after the event, with residents seeking more information on what happened.
CTV Saskatoon fielded roughly 60 calls, Ciona said.
"It seemed the most intense areas where it was being reported was in the west-central part of Saskatchewan and the east-central part of Alberta, with the most intense reports coming in from Melford, Saskatchewan and Lloydminster...and right at Red Pheasant First Nation," Ciona said.
MyNews user Dan Charrois, who lives about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, said security cameras set up at his home managed to capture some grainy footage showing a big flare in the night sky.
"It happened so fast I don't think anyone would have had the reaction time to get it," he told CTV.ca, adding that his computer software business has written programs that track meteors.
Though Charrois didn't see the fireball himself, he decided to check the security tapes after his friends and neighbours called him to find out where the light may have came from.
"I only had to rewind a couple of minutes and it was there," he said, noting the security time stamped the flash at 5:26 p.m. local time.
"You kind of see a flash, which lasts about two seconds or so," he said.
CTV Calgary has also received several calls about the fireball, and one witness said it was so bright that it was visible from the Deerfoot freeway in the city's core.
Other witnesses in Lloydminster said the light was so strong that it appeared to be daylight when it passed over the area.
And locals at the Red Pheasant First Nation, 100 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, said the walls of their band office shook when the fireball streaked overhead.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Recession fears send world markets down
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 20 2008 07:50 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 20th, 2008
Global stock markets fell Thursday, just one day after recession fears sent both Wall Street and Bay Street tumbling.
The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 87.46 points, or 2.2 per cent, at 3,918.22, Thursday.
In Germany the DAX was 145.17 points, or 3.3 per cent, lower at 4,208.92 while the CAC-40 in France was 111.98 points, or 3.6 per cent, lower at 2,975.91.
Earlier Thursday, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 average slid down 570.18 points, or 6.9 per cent, to 7,703.0.
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Passers-by watch the electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average plunged early in the day and never recovered, finishing down 6.9 percent, or 570.18 points, at 7,703.04. (AP / Shizuo Kambayashi)
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The downturn came as new data showed exports in October sank 7.7 per cent -- the biggest decline since 2001.
In South Korea, the country's main index fell for its eighth straight session, losing 6.7 per cent to 948.69. Hong Kong's Hang Seng benchmark sank 517.24 points, or 4 per cent, to 12,298.56.
"We've gone past the poor sentiment stage," said Miles Remington, head of Asian sales trading at BNP Paribas Securities in Hong Kong.
"People are looking for any kind of positive and there are just no positives out there. Everyone seems to be united in the depressed global outlook," he said. "Whether it's commodities or equities, everything seems to be on a downturn."
The overseas losses follow a dismal session Wednesday on North American stock markets.
On Wall Street, both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 closed at their lowest levels since March 2003.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 427.47 points to 7,997.28 and the S&P 500 tumbled 52.54 to 806.58.
The Nasdaq composite index lost 6.5 per cent, or 96.85 points to 1,386.42.
"Alongside the dismal outlook painted by leaders in the U.S. automotive industry, growing fears surrounding the drastic rate of disinflation across the globe and renewed fears for the U.S. banking sector, this has sent investors scrambling for cover once more," Neil Mellor, an analyst at Bank of New York Mellon, said.
In Toronto, the main S&P/TSX composite index fell by 345.17 points to 8,490.56, a drop of nearly four per cent Wednesday.
BNN's Linda Sims said there is an overwhelming amount of uncertainty on the markets.
"Nobody knows how deep this recession may be, nobody knows how long it could take... If we can see that it's not going to be as a severe a recession as a lot of people fear then you will see the markets bounce back," Sims told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.
Officially, Japan, Hong Kong and European countries including Germany and Italy are in recession.
Most analysts expect the U.S. and Britain to fall into recession very soon.
On Wednesday, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney told reporters a recession in 2009 was at least "a possibility."
"Starting from flat growth in the first quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2009 ... recession is a possibility for Canada," he said.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Pirates attack Indian navy, hijack two more ships
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 19 2008 08:13 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 19th, 2008
Separate gangs of pirates have hijacked two more ships near Somalia, while a third attacked an Indian navy ship, before being destroyed by return fire.
Pirate ships have been roaming the Gulf of Aden, where modern-day buccaneers have captured several ships in the past few months.
Just yesterday, two separate groups captured a Thai ship and an Iranian cargo vessel. Forty crew members from the two ships were also captured.
In total, various groups of pirates have control of 17 vessels along with their 300 crew members. The captured ships include a Ukrainian ship carrying weapons and a Saudi supertanker with a US$100-million-load of crude oil.
A Canadian vessel is among a multinational coalition that patrols Horn of Africa, but that has not stopped the spate of hijackings.
Retired Vice Admiral Peter Cairns told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday that the problem is a global issue that needs to be addressed through increased international co-operation. Cairns, who is currently the president of the Ship Building Association, said more countries need to get involved in what is becoming a major problem not just in the waters off Somalia but in other areas of the world as well.
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The Indian warship INS Tabar, right, escorts the MV Jag Arnav ship to safety after rescuing it from a hijack attempt by Somali pirates, Nov. 11, 2008. (AP / Indian Navy)
Eight Somali pirates sit at the Kenya Ports Authority Port Police station, in Mombasa, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008, where they are being held after being handed over to the Kenyan authorities by the Royal Navy. (AP Photo)
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"Our navy cannot deal with it by itself. It has to be an international effort, and that is what has been lacking," he said.
"You need to have significant intelligence. You need to have navies to step in at the right time to prevent these."
Cairns also noted that the pirates have been propped up by some of Somalia's poorest people.
"There is backing by a lot of people to support these pirates because that is one of the major source of income that some of these regions of Somalia have -- in fact, the only source of income," he said.
Ahmed Hussen, the head of the Canadian Somali Congress, said piracy has become a "huge industry" in Somalia, an impoverished nation which has had a broken federal government for nearly two decades. He told Canada AM from Ottawa that the piracy problem has been exacerbated by the failure of international intervention in the country. He said the country has had to deal with "decades of neglect" and "inefficient peace plans."
That has left "a lot of militiamen with not much to do," he said.
The Indian ship that was attacked on Tuesday was part of the multinational coalition force patrolling the region. The Indian navy said pirates fired on their ship, the INS Tabar, when they were stopped for a search. The Indian vessel fired back, destroying the pirate ship. The navy ship then chased a pair of speedboats, but the pirates escaped. One of the speedboats was later found abandoned.
The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's most important sea routes. It connects to the Red Sea, which allows the most direct access to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. But now, at least one European company has ordered its ships to take a longer route round the southern tip of Africa to avoid pirates.
"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," Terje Storeng, president and chief executive of the Norwegian shipping giant Odfjell SE, told The Associated Press.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press.
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Joint action needed to save Big 3: industry rep
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 18 2008 08:15 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 18th, 2008
As top executives from the Big Three automakers head to Washington today to plead for their survival, a representative of the Canadian auto industry says Canada must act in lockstep with its U.S. neighbours.
The CEOs of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, along with the president of the United Auto Workers, are expected to ask Congress for a minimum $25-billion portion of Washington's economic bailout package.
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A General Motors sign is seen through a fence at an auto plant. (AP / LM Otero)
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Pressure from the U.S. credit crunch and housing slowdown, as well as a shifting market that has buyers moving towards more fuel-efficient vehicles, has North American automakers fighting to remain viable.
Mark Nantais, of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, said it's not enough for Canada to respond to steps the U.S. takes. Rather, the two industries must act as one.
"We've been an integrated industry since 1965," Nantais told CTV's Canada AM.
"We established the Auto Pact as an integrated industry, we went to the NAFTA table as an integrated industry, we've worked on customs security programs since 9-11 as an integrated industry. So it makes absolute sense to do it lockstep with the United States."
Nantais said he welcomes the fact that Canada has sent representatives to Washington to look into what can be done to help the auto sector.
Industry Minister Tony Clement and Ontario's Economic Development Minister Michael Bryant are heading to the U.S. Capitol this week on a so-called fact-finding mission.
While some argue that a bailout from Ottawa would be akin to rewarding bad management, Nantais said so much of Canada's economy relies on the industry that it would be devastating to let the Big Three fail.
He said as much as 12 per cent of Canada's manufacturing GDP comes from the auto industry, which employs roughly 500,000 workers, directly or indirectly, across the country.
"Clearly every one should be very concerned -- since the auto industry is a cornerstone of our economy -- about its long term viability here."
Nantais said the U.S. financial woes have had a deep impact on all auto manufacturers in the North American market, including Toyota and Honda -- one that could not have been prepared for.
However, with the right help, the industry will recover, he said.
"This is something we're looking for in a temporary period of time to get us through this period, to complete our transition plans and put in place the necessary new technologies and new environmentally friendly and fuel efficient vehicles going forward," Nantais said.
Last week, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said a rescue package was possible. But he said it would be targeted at companies that demonstrate their long-term viability.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Seven people dead after plane crashes in B.C.
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 16 2008 22:33 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 17th, 2008
The sole survivor of a plane crash in B.C. that killed seven people escaped from the wreckage moments before it exploded behind him.
Burned and bleeding, the man made his way to a beach on a remote island along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver Sunday.
It was there that the man was rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard, several hours after the crash.
Drew McKee, a spokesperson for the rescue crew, said the man waved to them and appeared to in intense pain.
"His face was burned, his chest was burned, his hands were burned and he had some gashes on his body," McKee said Sunday night.
The man from was taken from Thormanby Island to Halfmoon Bay for treatment.
"He didn't have to fight his way out of the plane, because it was in pieces," McKee said. "He got out, and pretty close to after he got out, the plane went up with a whoomph."
McKee said the man said he had been sleeping before the crash and thought he may have been knocked out for a few minutes before waking up in the wreckage.
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The sole survivor of a plane crash in B.C. that killed seven people arrives is brought to Halfmoon Bay by the Canadian Coast Guard for treatment on Sunday, November 16, 2008.
A Grumman Goose lands at the airport in Port Hardy, B.C., on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Search and rescue crews are on scene off of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast where a Grummond Goose airplane has gone down near Thormandy Island. (Richard Lam / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
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"I'm not sure when he got his burns," McKee said. "Anyway he figured he was the only one left."
Eight people were on board the plane when it crashed, according to Pacific Coastal Airlines, the plane's operators.
The Grumman Goose aircraft was reported missing by the airline on Sunday morning, said Lt. Marguerite Dodds-Lepinski.
"It's tragic, it's just tragic the whole thing," she told The Canadian Press. "The great news is, some guy, one of the survivors, walked out and is alive and the Canadian Coast Guard found him on the beach."
Dodds-Lepinski noted that emergency crews received a report from a resident about a plane in distress around 10:40 a.m. local time.
Pacific Coastal Airlines is a small airline based in B.C. that operates regional and charter flights.
The passengers were employees of heavy construction contractor Peter Kiewit Sons Co., CTV British Columbia reported Sunday.
The company is working on a river power project at Toba Inlet, which is about 160 kilometres north of Vancouver.
The plane took off from Vancouver International Airport at 10:15 a.m on a flight to Powell River, B.C.
Pacific Coastal Airlines vice-president Spencer Smith confirmed that the survivor was a passenger and not a crew member.
"I don't know what to tell you," he told The Canadian Press. "There's nothing good about this. It wouldn't take very many people to figure what it feels like, if they have any sense of empathy."
He added that the pilot was quite experienced and told CTV British Columbia that it would be "reckless" to speculate on what caused the crash.
Several rescue aircraft flew to the scene and the Coast Guard dispatched a hovercraft to assist with the effort, officials said.
In August, five people were killed when a Pacific Coastal Airlines plane crashed into rugged terrain on Vancouver Island.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Montreal has lost Canadian Grand Prix: Charest
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 16 2008 13:16 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 16th, 2008
Quebec Premier Jean Charest has confirmed reports that Montreal has lost the Canadian Grand Prix.
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and provincial tourism minister Raymond Bachand are expected to talk about the matter at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Tremblay, Bachand and federal International Trade Minister Michael Fortier met with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in London last month to talk about the future of the race.
The Canadian Grand Prix was dropped by F1 from its 2009 calendar and replaced with a race in Abu Dhabi after Ecclestone said Montreal has not paid its debts to Formula for the last three years.
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Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay, center, Quebec Economic Development Minister Raymond Bachand, left, and International Trade Minister Michael Fortier, right, leave a meeting with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in London, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008. (AP / Matt Dunham)
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But Tremblay, Fortier and Bachand have contended that payments for 2006 and 2007 have been taken care of and the dispute is over what is owed for 2008.
The race generates an estimated $100 million of revenue and economic spinoffs for Montreal every year.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Will Canada's high-end coffee sellers keep percolating?
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 15 2008 07:05 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 15th, 2008
It's been a pretty good run for Canada's premium coffee houses over the past decade.
With an estimated 4,400 top-shelf coffee shops now in operation across the country, it seems there's one on every corner, filled with people looking for a caffeine fix.
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But with U.S. coffee giant Starbucks reporting big-time profit drops this past week, it may be a sign the good times are coming to an end.
Coffee, of course, won't be going away any time soon -- but the long lines of people waiting to buy expensive, whip cream-topped, chocolate-sprinkled lattes, just might.
Close-up on the couture coffee market
The market for premium coffee has grown strongly in recent decades because of changes in consumer behaviour, said Coffee Association of Canada president Sandy McAlpine.
"There has been, over time, a transfer of people brewing coffee at home, to buying coffee away from home," McAlpine told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Toronto.
Today, Canadians are more likely to partake in an "inexpensive luxury" at these cafés than ever before, he said.
According to figures from New York's Beverage Marketing Corporation, more than half of Canadians consume lattes, cappuccinos or specialty brews on an occasional basis, and six per cent have at least one of these gourmet coffee drinks every day.
Monica Treidlinger, a business analyst with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said Canada's premium coffee market relies as much on providing a perceived high-end service to its customers as it does high-end products.
"People like to be waited on and have their pampering and whatnot," she told CTV.ca in a phone interview from her home office in Ottawa.
"To do that for $4 or $5, it's pretty cheap -- as opposed to being pampered in a restaurant for $50."
Coffee market confidential
Representatives from several Canadian premium coffee chains told CTV.ca this past week about the way they see their market right now.
In short, things are looking better than they are in the U.S., but no one can be sure what will happen when it comes to the way consumers will spend their money -- and sip their coffees -- in the near future.
At Second Cup Limited, where 5,000 Canadians work at more than 350 locations across the country, things have been tightening up.
President Stacey Mowbray told CTV.ca that growth has slowed to just under one per cent for the year to date and may slow even further by the end of December.
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"What we've seen is just lower customer traffic across all of our major markets," she said in a phone interview.
"It hasn't been one region that we've seen a decline, it's been a softening across the board."
The company has made sure that it is getting the best price on its supplies and is focusing on maximizing its customer experience, Mowbray said, in order to stay competitive.
Some smaller Canadian chains, however, say they haven't seen the same problems -- yet.
At the British Columbia-based Blenz Coffee, for instance, things seem to be perking along just fine.
Greg Lui, director of marketing at Blenz, said the company plans to add four stores to its current count of 50 by the end of the year.
"Currently we're not experiencing any disturbance," he told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Vancouver. "It's been pretty steady."
Lui said premium coffee, as well as lattes and the like, have become a daily treat -- or a"five-minute spa treatment" -- for many Canadians, and he expects that to continue.
But he realizes premium coffee isn't exempt from marketplace pressures, like the ones staring down the Canadian economy from south of the border.
"I don't think that any business is recession-proof," Lui said.
At the Saint John-based Java Moose coffee chain, co-owner Randy Pedersen said the business has never been better.
"We're experiencing double-digit growth in same-store sales, which is fantastic," he told CTV.ca in a phone interview from New Brunswick.
Pedersen said the landscape of the premium coffee market might change in Canada, but consumers will be looking for the same things no matter what happens.
"People truly are looking to upgrade their coffee experience as long as it's reasonable and affordable," he said.
Conclusions
If Canada's economy takes a jolt, it's hard to say how Canadians will take their java: Some might keep a high-end coffee as part of their morning routine, some might start brewing at home, and others might cut lattes out of their diet altogether.
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"People will continue to drink coffee, but they may shift down a notch," Treidlinger said.
"They may continue to have coffee out...but they may not go to that top-of-the-line premium brand, or they may switch to brewing it at home."
According to McAlpine, none of his premium coffee chain members have signaled any plans to undertake any major closings.
He predicts business will continue as usual, at least for now.
"I think anyone in the restaurant business, frankly, as a whole, is just feeling a little cautious waiting to see what happens," he said.
But with as many as 80,000 people working at high-end cafes and coffee shops across Canada, McAlpine said the impact of a downturn in the premium coffee market would be significant.
Second Cup president Mowbray said the key for her company is to stay on top of the basics, to keep customers coming back during tough times.
"We've just got to do what we do really well," she said.
"I think the businesses that are well-positioned and execute flawlessly will survive this. And the ones who are not well-positioned will not."
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Geoff Nixon
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Euro-zone officially in a recession: European Union
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 14 2008 08:09 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 14th, 2008
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The 15 countries that use the euro are officially in a recession, the European Union said Friday, as their economies shrank for a second straight quarter because of the world financial crisis and sinking demand.
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EU statistics published Friday show the euro zone shrank by 0.2 per cent in both the third and second quarters compared to the quarter before. Two successive quarters of negative growth is the usual definition of a recession.
From a year ago, the euro-zone grew 0.8 per cent in the third quarter and 1.4 per cent in the second.
The entire 27 countries of the EU have so far escaped recession thanks to growth in eastern Europe. But they shrank 0.2 per cent in the third quarter after zero growth in the second quarter-on-quarter. From a year ago, third-quarter growth was 1.7 per cent and second-quarter growth was 0.8 per cent.
Two of the region's largest economies -- Germany and Italy -- are in recession, Eurostat said, while France narrowly escaped, growing just 0.1 per cent in the third quarter after shrinking in the second quarter.
The spending slowdown and tight credit conditions are starting to hurt: carmakers said Friday that sales are slumping even as euro-zone inflation calms from record highs. So far, euro economies have not seen the jobless rate surge -- but the EU executive Commission estimates that it will rise steadily over coming months.
Business and consumer confidence figures show business and consumers are worried, with companies readying to make cutbacks and households trying to save more as they worry about job losses. Both are hurt by tighter credit conditions that raise the cost of borrowing money.
It is the first recession since the euro currency was launched in 1999, when the European Central Bank took control of interest rates. That is the major lever of economic growth because changing borrowing costs can stoke or cool growth.
"It will be the biggest recession since the '80s" and will last through to the first half of next year, said Christoph Weil, an economist with Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. He expects the pickup to be triggered by rising global demand for European goods and a fall in the value of the euro currency.
The last major recession to hit European economies was in 1993 when each country controlled its own monetary policy and could react individually to economy problems. Euro-zone nations face more trouble in acting alone now and must consult the EU executive before launching major programs to kickstart the economy with state subsidies.
Germany, the largest euro economy, shrank 0.5 per cent in the third quarter as its main source of growth -- exports -- dropped and it could no longer rely on household demand to power the economy. Italy was also down 0.5 per cent. Both now have two quarters of negative growth.
They join Ireland, in recession since growth dropped in the first and second quarters. Spain also shrank in the third quarter but is not yet officially in recession.
Outside the euro area, EU members Estonia and Latvia -- until recently part of the Baltic boom -- are in recession.
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Britain and Hungary also contracted in the third quarter, remaining a quarter short of official recession. British unemployment is rising, with telecommunications firm BT saying Thursday it would cut 10,000 jobs by March, and the country is bracing for a deep downturn amid a collapsed housing market.
The spending slowdown is hitting major purchases hard with car sales across Europe slumping by 14.5 per cent last month, EU carmakers said Friday. The European carmakers' association ACEA said car sales in October dropped for the sixth month in a row from a strong year in 2007.
Ireland and Spain -- both suffering badly from the bursting of a housing bubble -- saw dramatic falls with Irish sales halving and Spanish sales down 40 per cent. Europe's biggest car market, Germany, was down 8.2 per cent from weak sales a year ago. France was down 7.4 per cent, Britain dropped 23 per cent and Italy 18.9 per cent.
Fast-growing eastern European nations that had pulled in bumper sales are no longer doing so with overall sales in the 10 EU newcomer states down 3.3 per cent despite an increase in Poland.
But there is some good news for shoppers as plummeting oil prices brought yearly inflation down to 3.2 per cent in October, Eurostat said, confirming an Oct. 31 first estimate.
The rate of price increases has been gradually falling from a record high of 4 per cent in June and July but is still well above the European Central Bank's guideline of just under 2 per cent that it looks to when it considers hiking or lowering interest rates.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Canadian scientists discover three new planets
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 13 2008 07:44 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 13th, 2008
A team of scientists, including several Canadians, have photographed three new planets around a distant star, which they are calling an "unprecedented discovery."
Christian Marois of the National Research Council's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria, B.C. says in the Nov. 13 issue of Science Express that this is the first time images of several planets around a star outside our solar system have been captured.
He says the discovery is a crucial step towards finding a planet like Earth.
"All major telescopes around the world will now be pointed towards this star to learn more about this fascinating new solar system." co-author René Doyon, of Université de Montréal, said in a news release.
The three planets were captured by telescope using a sophisticated image processing technique called angular differential imaging (ADI),in which the planets' heat from their formation provided a glow that was picked up on an infrared wavelength.
"Using the ADI technique, we searched around 85 young stars of mass no greater than the Sun, and no planets were found. The next step was to search around a larger number of stars and especially those more massive than the Sun. This system is a gift from Nature. It's incredible that our first detection found not one, not two, but three planets around the same star," Doyon said.
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A luminosity analysis of the three objects, reveals that the planets have masses between seven and 10 times that of Jupiter and that they revolve around the central star. (Gemini Observatory Artwork by Lynette Cook)
On the left, star HR8799 is seen as photographed by the Keck telescope and on the right, the same star is seen after ADI image processing.
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The star, known as HR8799 is located in the constellation Pegasus and its mass is about 1.5 times that of our sun. It is about 60-million years old, much younger than ours and is located about 130 light years away from our solar system.
The star is barely visible to the human eye outside of major urban centers.
More details are available in Science express. Members of the team are:
Christian Marois - NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Victoria, BC.
Bruce Macintosh - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.
Travis Barman - Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
Benjamin Zuckerman - Astronomy Dep't, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jennifer Patience - School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Inseok Song - University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
David Lafrenière - Dep't of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
René Doyon, Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, CRAQ, Montréal, Qc.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Another severed foot washes up on B.C. shore
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 11 2008 23:48 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 12th, 2008
CTV News is reporting another development in a case that has baffled police and the public for over a year, drawing worldwide attention to British Columbia's southwest coast.
Another severed foot has washed up on B.C.'s shoreline, this time in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, where it was discovered by a woman on Tuesday morning while she was walking near the banks of the Fraser River with her dogs.
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Diane and Ken Johnston discuss the latest possible development in the missing foot case. Nov. 11, 2008.
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"It had been brought up by a high tide,'' said Diane Johnston. Since she was too scared to climb down the river bank to fetch a running shoe that was sitting up on a rock, she notifed her husband Ken, who later phoned Richmond police.
RCMP Const. Annie Linteau has confirmed that the New Balance running shoe contained the remains of a human foot. Those remains will be sent to the B.C. Coroners office for further examination Wednesday.
It is the seventh foot to have been found in a coastal region -- that includes the B.C. west coast, and the northwestern tip of Washington State -- since August of 2007.
The first foot was found on Jedidiah Island, in the strait that divides Vancouver Island from the mainland. It was a right foot inside a Campus-brand men's size 12 running shoe that was mainly distributed in India.
Six days later, another right foot -- inside a man's size 12 Reebok running shoe -- washed ashore on Gabriola Island.
A third -- a right foot in a Nike sneaker -- was found in the area on Feb. 8 on the east side of Valdez Island.
The fourth and fifth feet were both found near the Fraser River.
The fourth came ashore on Kirkland Island on May 22 and was the only one of the five that came from a woman's body. It was found in a New Balance running shoe.
The fifth, a size 10 left foot, was located a kilometre away on June 16. It was later determined to be a match to the foot found months earlier on Valdez Island.
Then, on August 3, a newspaper in Washington State reported that a running shoe, containing bones and flesh had been found at a Strait of Juan de Fuca beach, just south of the U.S-Canada border, about 40 kilometres west of Port Angeles.
Police are expected to answer media questions about the Richmond discovery later today.
"The shoe looked to be in pretty good shape,'' said Ken Johnston during an interview with CTV. He said it was found near the mouth of the Fraser River, behind an old paper plant in Finn Slough.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with reports by CTV British Columbia's Renu Bakshi and Jon Woodward.
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Veterans honoured across Canada, and in Afghanistan
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 11 2008 08:32 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 11th, 2008
The families of six Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan honoured their memory Tuesday in an emotional ceremony at Kandahar Air Field, while Canadians at home prepared to gather at cenotaphs and memorials across the country.
In total, 97 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in six years, giving Nov. 11th special meaning in the war zone, said Bill Graveland of The Canadian Press.
"It was very emotional," he told CTV's Canada AM after the ceremony.
"Many of these people have been mourning the loss of their sons for a year or two or three, and they're finally able to visit the area where their sons died."
Albert Graham, whose son Mark was killed last year, laid a fresh green wreath on the cenotaph where his son's name and face have been engraved in stone, along with all the other Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Graham said he was finally able to see Afghanistan through his son's eyes.
"He said he was proud of his son and the one thing that would remain constant is that Mark would always be his baby," Graveland said.
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UN veteran Ray Paquette, 78, salutes during the closing ceremony of Vigil 1914-1918 at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. The Vigil honoured Canada's 68,000 soldiers who died during the Great War by projecting their names onto the surface of the National War Memorial from Nov. 3 to Nov. 11. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
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"There was a lot of tears here today; those in uniform, those who were just watching. when you see Remembrance Day in Afghanistan it gives you a whole new appreciation for it."
Meanwhile across Canada, Canadians were gathering to honour the nation's veterans on the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will observe a moment of silence during a ceremony at the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa, along with Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean.
During that event, scheduled to begin at 10:30 ET, Avril Stachnik will represent all mothers of fallen soldiers when she lays a wreath at the memorial in her capacity as this year's Silver Cross Mother.
At 11 a.m., after the clock at the Peace Tower strikes the hour, the first gun will be fired, followed by two minutes of silence, then a fly-past and a 21-gun salute, which will mark the end of the period of silence.
In Toronto, Remembrance Day ceremonies began with a service at Prospect Cemetery. Several dozen people gathered Tuesday morning in the cemetery's veteran's section to watch as white doves were released and the Last Post was played.
Elsewhere in the Greater Toronto Area, teenage air cadets gathered in Oshawa overnight to maintain an honour guard over the city's cenotaph.
And in cities and small towns across the country, Canadians young and old, veterans and otherwise, will gather at Royal Canadian Legions, churches, community centres, cenotaphs and memorials to mark Remembrance Day and honour Canada's veterans and fallen soldiers.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Flu shots may lower blood clot risk, study says
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 09 2008 20:26 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 10th, 2008
The flu shot may not just protect against influenza. A new study suggests it may also reduce the risk of developing a blood clot by as much as 26 per cent.
Researchers from the University Paris Descartes found that the flu shot was equally effective
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against two types of blood clots: deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the leg, and pulmonary embolism, which is a clot in the lung.
A blood clot can be fatal if it breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream and reaches the lungs.
The research, which included more than 1,400 patients, also found that the flu shot:
Lowered the likelihood of developing a blood clot by 48 per cent among people over age 52.
Reduced the risk of developing blood clots by 50 per cent among women under 51 years of age and by 59 per cent in women taking oral contraceptives.
"Our study suggests for the first time that vaccination against influenza may reduce the risk of venous thrombotic embolism (VTE)," as blood clots are also known, lead study author Dr. Joseph Emmerich said in a statement.
Emmerich presented the findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008 in New Orleans, La.
It is still unclear to researchers how exactly the flu vaccine works to lower blood-clot risk, Emmerich said, but his team is planning future studies to try and answer that question.
One theory is that infections such as influenza can trigger inflammation in the body, which in turn may trigger a clot.
In the meantime, the findings suggest that flu vaccination may one day be recommended as a preventative measure, especially in patients who have already had a blood clot.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Russian navy: 20 dead from poison in sub accident
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 09 2008 07:05 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 9th, 2008
MOSCOW -- The fire safety system on a new Russian nuclear-powered submarine malfunctioned on a test run in the Sea of Japan, spewing chemicals that killed at least 20 people and injured 21 others, officials said Sunday.
It was Russia's worst naval accident since torpedo explosions sank another nuclear-powered submarine, the Kursk, in the Barents Sea in 2000, killing all 118 seamen aboard.
The victims died of poisoning from Freon gas that was released Saturday when the fire-extinguishing system accidentally turned on, said Sergei Markin, an official with Russia's top investigative agency.
His agency has launched a probe into the accident, which Markin said will focus on what activated the firefighting system. He suggested there could be possible violations of operating rules, which points to human error.
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A Soviet-built Akula class nuclear submarine is moored at a harbor on the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka, in this Saturday, July 29, 2007 file photo. An accident aboard a Russian nuclear-powered submarine similar to this one during sea trials in the Sea of Japan killed at least 20 people, officials said Sunday Nov. 9, 2008. (AP Photo / File)
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The submarine itself was not damaged and traveled back to its base on Russia's Pacific coast under its own power Sunday, Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said.
The nuclear reactor that powers the sub was operating normally and radiation levels in the sub were also normal, Dygalo said.
The submarine returned to Bolshoi Kamen, a military shipyard and a navy base near Vladivostok, state-run Rossiya television said.
Dygalo said the deaths and injuries were due to the "unsanctioned activation" of the firefighting system in the two sections of the submarine closest to the bow.
Seventeen civilians and three seamen died in the accident and 21 others were hospitalized after being evacuated to a destroyer that brought them to shore, Markin said in a statement, revising earlier casualty figures.
Dygalo said the submarine had 208 people aboard, including 81 servicemen, and was to be commissioned by the navy later this year.
Officials did not reveal the name of the submarine, but Russian news agencies quoted officials at the Amur Shipbuilding Factory saying the submarine was built there and is called the Nerpa.
Construction of the Nerpa, an Akula II class attack submarine, started in 1991 but was suspended for years because of a shortage of funding, they said. Testing on the submarine began last month and it submerged for the first time last week.
First Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Kolmakov and navy chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky were heading for the Pacific Coast in the wake of the accident, Dygalo said.
Saturday's accident came as the Kremlin is seeking to restore Russia's naval reach, part of a drive to show off the nuclear-armed country's clout amid strained ties with the West. A naval squadron is headed to Venezuela for joint exercises this month in a show of force near U.S. waters.
Despite a major boost in military spending during Vladimir Putin's eight years as president, Russia's military is still hampered by decrepit infrastructure, aging weapons and problems with corruption and incompetence.
The Kremlin said President Dmitry Medvedev was told about the accident immediately and ordered a thorough investigation.
Putin, now prime minister, was criticized for his slow response to the Kursk disaster.
In 2003, 11 people also died when a Russian submarine that was being taken out of service sank in the Barents Sea.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Crisp likely died after falling from tree: autopsy
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 08 2008 13:09 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 8th, 2008
Autopsy results suggest Brandon Crisp died from chest injuries, possibly sustained when he fell from a tree. The Barrie, Ont. teen went missing from Thanksgiving Day until hunters discovered his body on Wednesday.
"The cause of the death was determined through medical examination to be as a result of injuries to the chest area that are consistent with a fall from a tree," a police report said early Saturday.
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Brandon Crisp, 15, is seen in this family photo released by the Barrie Police Service.
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CTV Toronto reported Friday that the autopsy had confirmed it was Brandon's body, based on a comparison of dental records.
Brandon left home after he got into an argument on Oct. 13 with his parents about his constant Xbox video game playing. He was obsessed with the combat game "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare." His family never heard from him again.
Police launched boat, helicopter and foot searches in the areas where they thought Brandon may have headed, including to the rail trail where he was last seen alive. Volunteers supplemented the police search by expanding the area.
Police also restarted the search last weekend, canvassing drivers and others in the area where Brandon was last seen to see if anyone knew something that might help find the youth.
On Wednesday, locals out deer hunting stumbled upon a body matching Brandon's description in a wooded area east of Barrie, more than three weeks after he first disappeared. The body was outside the search area.
The hunters have said they don't think Brandon's body had been there for three weeks.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from ctvtoronto.ca
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Honda unveils device that helps you walk
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 07 2008 08:13 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 7th, 2008
TOKYO -- Imagine a bicycle seat connected by mechanical frames to a pair of shoes for an idea of how the new wearable assisted-walking gadget from Honda works.
The experimental device, unveiled Friday, is designed to support bodyweight, reduce stress on the knees and help people get up steps and stay in crouching positions.
Honda envisions the device being used by workers at auto or other factories. It showed a video of Honda employees wearing the device and bending to peer underneath vehicles on an assembly line.
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A researcher displays Honda Motor Co.'s experimental walking assist device with bodyweight support system as the device is unveiled in Tokyo Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (AP / Katsumi Kasahara)
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Engineer Jun Ashihara also said the machine is useful for people standing in long lines and for people who run around to make deliveries.
"This should be as easy to use as a bicycle," Ashihara said at Honda's Tokyo headquarters. "It reduces stress, and you should feel less tired."
To wear it, you put the seat between your legs, put on the shoes and push the on button. Then just start walking around.
In a test-run for media, this reporter found it does take some getting used to. But I could sense how it supported my moves, pushing up on my bottom when I squatted and pushing at my soles to help lift my legs when I walked.
The system has a computer, motor, gears, battery and sensors embedded in it so it responds to a person's movements, according to Honda Motor Co.
Pricing and commercial product plans are still undecided. Japan's No. 2 automaker will begin testing a prototype with its assembly line workers later this month for feedback.
The need for such mechanical help is expected to grow in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world.
Other companies are also eyeing the potentially lucrative market of helping the weak and old get around. Japan is among the world's leading nations in robotics technology, not only for industrial use but also for entertainment and companionship.
Earlier this year, Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. showed a Segway-like ride it said was meant for old people.
Japanese robot company Cyberdyne has begun renting out in Japan a belted device called HAL, for "hybrid assistive limb," that reads brain signals to help people move about with mechanical leg braces that strap to the legs.
Honda has shown a similar but simpler belted device. It has motors on the left and right, which hook up to frames that strap at the thighs, helping the walker maintain a proper stride.
That device, being tested at one Japanese facility, helps rehabilitation programs for the disabled, encouraging them to take steps, said Honda official Kiyoshi Aikawa.
Honda has been carrying out research into mobility for more than a decade, introducing the Asimo humanoid in 2000.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Autopsy could explain what happened to Brandon
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 06 2008 07:46 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 6th, 2008
It is hoped that an autopsy scheduled for today will provide insight on the final moments in the life of Brandon Crisp, the Barrie, Ont. teen who disappeared on Thanksgiving Day.
Crisp ran away from home after a dispute with his parents over the amount of time he was spending playing with his Xbox.
Hunters found a body believed to be Brandon's in a field northwest of the city on Wednesday -- three weeks after the 15-year-old went missing on Oct. 13.
However, police are awaiting the results of pathology tests before the body can be identified conclusively.
Police say foul play isn't suspected in Crisp's death, but that possibility won't be ruled out conclusively until the autopsy is complete.
Michael O'Keefe, of the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, said grief counsellors were on-hand yesterday at St. Joseph's High School, where Brandon attended along with one of his sisters.
Counsellors will also be available to the school's 1,100 students today and Friday if necessary, O'Keefe told CTV's Canada AM.
He described students as "sad" and "shocked" by the news on Wednesday.
"Brandon was in Grade 10 and his older sister is in Grade 12, so overall the impact is on about 50 per cent of the school," he said.
On Wednesday, when news began to emerge that a body had been found, the school held an assembly to provide students with official information.
A prayer service was also held at the school, and a candlelight vigil was held Wednesday night in the community.
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Brandon Crisp, 15, is seen in this undated police handout photo.
OPP officers walk out off deep brush with a bag of materials as police believe the body of 15-year-old Brandon Crisp may have been found by hunters just north of Barrie, Ont., on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
St. Joseph's High School students react to the news of the discovery of a body believed to be that of Brandon Crisp in an area within kilometers of his central Ontario home on Wednesday, Nov. 5th, 2008. (Ian McInroy / THE CANADIAN PRESS).
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Leigh Gate, who helped organize volunteer search teams that scoured much of the Barrie area searching for Brandon, said the body was found just outside of the search area.
Teams of volunteers covered roughly 180 metres on each side of roads in the area. However, the body was found about 300 metres from the road, Gate told Canada AM.
"The search did a great job of covering outside of where the police were searching," Gate said.
"We covered a great deal of land from the 4th Line of Oro all the way to the 14th Line and in the case of where Brandon's body was found, we were within a few hundred yards of where he was."
He said the news that a body had been found was devastating to Crisp's friends and family, as well as searchers, who had held onto hope that Crisp would be found alive.
"It was a possibility we really didn't want to consider. So as the news was filtering through yesterday, really shock is the word," Gate said.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Obama promises 'change has come to America'
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 05 2008 07:55 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 5th, 2008
After being elected the first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama now faces the difficult task of leading a nation contending with an economic crisis, divisions along party lines and two unfinished wars.
Obama, delivering his historic victory speech late Tuesday to more than 125,000 exuberant supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, said America has a tough road ahead that will be long and steep.
"The greatest of a lifetime," he called the challenges, which include "two wars, a planet in peril, (and) the worst financial crisis in a century."
He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face."
Obama thanked his supporters, saying that his victory belonged to them.
"I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight," he said.
Obama also spoke about his historic achievement, which came more than four decades after Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech.
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of democracy, tonight is your answer," Obama said.
"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited for three hours, four hours -- many for the first time in their lives - because they believed that this time must be different, and their voices could be that difference.
"At this defining moment, change has come to America."
CNN's Sandra Endo, reporting from Chicago Wednesday, said Obama was not in a full-out celebratory mood last night.
"He knows he has a lot of work to do in the days and months to come," Endo told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.
She said one of the main goals of Obama, and Republican candidate John McCain, is to now try uniting their two parties after a divisive campaign.
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President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle and Vice president-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill take the stage after Obama delivered his victory speech at the election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President-elect Barack Obama, right, and Vice president-elect Joe Biden waves to supporters during their election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP / Alex Brandon)
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., concedes to Barack Obama during a speech to supporters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP / Chris Carlson)
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"There is such animosity sometimes between the parties in a long, drawn-out campaign so right now it's time to unify the country and for Barack Obama now to transition into the role of becoming president," she said.
Endo added that Obama will also be working on putting his team together, including his economic advisers and national security advisers.
Obama, who will be sworn in as America's 44th president, was the first Democrat to win more than 50 per cent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
He was even able to take GOP strongholds, including states like Indiana and Virginia, which hadn't voted Democrat in 44 years.
Ohio, Florida and even Pennsylvania, a state McCain considered crucial if he was to win, also voted for Obama.
With most U.S. precincts tallied, the popular vote was 51.9 per cent for Obama and 46.8 per cent for McCain.
But the count in the Electoral College swung heavily in Obama's favour -- 349 to 147 as of early Wednesday.
Obama won California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
McCain had Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
He also won at least 3 of Nebraska's five electoral votes, with the other two in doubt.
Three states were still to be decided: North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.
In terms of turnout, based on 88 per cent of the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, 136.6 million will have Americans voted in the election.
That would give 2008 a 64.1 per cent turnout rate, the highest since 1908's 65.7 per cent, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Americans voting in historic presidential poll
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 04 2008 07:49 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 4th, 2008
People across the U.S. began lining up at sunrise on Tuesday to cast their ballots in a historic election that is predicted to see a record voter turnout, as Barack Obama faces off against John McCain.
The first ballots on Tuesday were tallied in New Hampshire. Democratic presidential candidate Obama took an early -- if tiny -- lead with a win of 15 votes to six in Dixville Notch, and in Hart's Location, with 17 Obama votes compared to 10 for McCain.
If Obama wins, he will become the first U.S. president of African-American descent. If McCain wins, running mate Sarah Palin will become the first female U.S. vice-president.
Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, was leading in most polls as of Tuesday morning against the 76-year-old McCain, a veteran lawmaker who spent five-and-a-half years as a PoW in Vietnam.
Both were continuing to press for every vote possible on Tuesday, continuing to campaign even as Americans began casting ballots.
"At this defining moment in history, Virginia, you can give this country the change it needs," Obama said Monday night, addressing voters in Virginia -- a staunchly Republican state that hasn't favoured the Democrats in over four decades.
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Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks at a rally at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. (AP / Chuck Burton)
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at an airport rally in Roswell, N.M., Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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CTV's Washington Bureau Chief Tom Clark said if Obama can win in Virginia, the election will virtually be his for the taking.
"If you're looking for any talisman tonight, I'd keep an eye on Virginia. If Virginia falls to Obama this election is going to be over early tonight," Clark told CTV's Canada AM from Chicago, where Obama had his election night headquarters.
"In Virginia they haven't voted Democrat since 1964, and that was for (Lyndon Johnson), so that would be a massive turnover to the Democratic side. And it would be Virginia, the home of the Confederacy, that would put the first African-American into the White House. The irony is kind of delicious."
McCain, meanwhile, was fighting hard for a comeback, refusing to give up and urging his supporters to get the vote out.
"This momentum, this enthusiasm, convinces me we're going to win tomorrow," McCain said Monday night at a rally in Henderson, Nev.
McCain has crossed three time zones in two days in a last-ditch attempt to bring as many voters to the Republican camp as possible before heading to his election night headquarters in Phoenix, in his home state of Arizona, later Tuesday.
"John McCain has run a marathon," CTV's Joy Malbon told Canada AM from Phoenix.
"He's visited seven cities in seven states but he's not stopping. He's off to Colorado and New Mexico, out to get every last vote -- Republicans, independents -- trying to change minds. And I have to tell you I've never seen John McCain so feisty. He seems to be energized by this underdog status."
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Dad pleads guilty in daughters' freezing deaths
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 03 2008 13:41 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 3rd, 2008
The father of two girls who froze to death on a snowy reserve last January has pleaded guilty to criminal negligence.
Christopher Pauchay, 24, entered the plea as his trial was set to begin Monday morning at a courtroom in Rose Valley, Sask.
In the early morning hours of January 29, Kaydance Pauchay, 3, and her one-year-old sister Santana became separated from their father after leaving their house on the province's Yellow Quill reserve.
Pauchay later arrived at a neighbour's home suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia. He was taken to hospital, where he asked about his children when he was able to speak.
After searching for hours, officials found the girls wearing only diapers and T-shirts, though the temperature when they left their home was -50 C with the wind chill.
Their father had allegedly been drinking.
Pauchay's lawyer said he will ask for a sentencing circle for his client at a special session of court, which is set for December 5.
Several provinces are attempting to use sentencing circles more often when dealing with Aboriginal offenders.
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Christopher Pauchay leaves court in Rose Valley court in Rose Valley, Sask., Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Pauchay pleaded guilty today. (Troy Fleece / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Aunt Sheila Pauchay shows a family photo of (left to right) Christopher Pauchay, Santana Pauchay, Tracey Jimmy and Kaydance Pauchay taken a month ago with Santa Claus, on the Yellow Quill First Nation, Sask. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Troy Fleece)
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A circle includes the accused, victims and their families and community elders, as well as a judge.
A defence lawyer, prosecutor or police officer may also participate.
The judge can impose the recommended sentence after all participants come to a consensus.
The crown is seeking jail time and is therefore expected to oppose the sentencing circle request, CTV's Mike Ciona said Monday on CTV Newsnet.
"They're against the sentencing circle because they are believed to show more sympathy and, possibly, a little bit more leniency," Ciona said.
Pauchay's estranged wife and the mother of the two girls was not in court Monday.
She was pregnant at the time of the girls' death and has since had another daughter, named Miracle.
Pauchay's sister said that baby is now in the custody of children's services, Ciona said.
After the girls' deaths, Chief Robert Whitehead announced plans to establish an addiction treatment centre on the reserve, which has been plagued by alcohol abuse, unemployment and a lack of suitable housing.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council is still reviewing the plans for the treatment centre.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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The food industry's untold secrets: Check the pantry
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 02 2008 07:11 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 2nd, 2008
Nearly 70 per cent of Canadians may understand nutritional labels on food packages, a recent survey suggests, but do they really know what's good for them and what isn't?
Unhealthy eating habits are partly to blame for the spike in obesity rates in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
In 2004, 5.5 million Canadian adults, or 23 per cent of the population aged 18 or older, were obese, up from 14 per cent in 1978/79.
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Consumers may try to check the packaging to determine how healthy a product is, but experts say some claims are invented by marketers just to make the products more appealing.
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Add to that figure the 26 per cent of Canadian kids between the ages of two and 17 who are considered obese or overweight, and it seems this country has a problem with food.
But is it entirely consumers' fault?
The industry, as well as some health advocacy groups, does not always convey accurate information about their products, which can confuse consumers and propel them to unwittingly make unhealthy food choices.
Here, then, are some secrets that the food industry doesn't want you to know about:
1. Health Canada regulates nutrition information on food labels. However, some claims are invented by marketers just to make the products more appealing to consumers, experts say.
"You have to look beyond the front of the package that may have a healthy sounding name or a claim like, 'made with real fruit' and you've got to read the fine print," nutrition expert Leslie Beck said in a recent appearance on CTV's Canada AM. "The only way to know is to look at the Nutrition Facts box and the ingredient list."
The "real fruit" in some products is actually very low down on the ingredient list, Beck said, which means there is actually very little of it.
2. The words, "low in fat" or "low in calories" do not make a food more healthy. Brian Wansink, who is on leave from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," calls these words "health halos." These words lead consumers to assume the foods have health benefits "that go far beyond what's rational," Wansink told CTV.ca.
In fact, foods that are low in fat usually have only about 11 per cent fewer calories because the fat that is taken out it is often replaced with sugar, Wansink said.
Consumers often eat too many of these products, which then leads to weight gain.
3. The Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check label, which is found on a number of packaged foods found at the grocery store, is supposed to be "a simple tool to help you make food choices that are part of a healthy diet," according to the Foundation's website.
But Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute, says the symbol appears on many products that contain refined flours, red meats and high levels of sodium and sugar, all dietary factors that contribute to a number of diseases.
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Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University, recently wrote in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that such front-of-package labels "confuse consumers and distract them from making sensible food choices."
4. Canada's Food Guide, recently revamped by Health Canada, "doesn't reflect what we understand to be an evidence base for chronic disease and nutrition," Freedhoff said.
It's less that the Guide promotes bad eating habits, Freedhoff said. It's more that it does not warn of the potential health problems caused by consuming foods such as red meat, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
"I don't think that the number three beef-producing country in the world is going to be willing to come out and say, regardless of the evidence base, that we should be eating less red meat," Freedhoff said.
5. Some consumer advocacy groups that claim to defend the right of consumers to make their own food choices are actually funded by the food industry.
For instance, the Center for Consumer Freedom claims on its website that it's a "nonprofit organization devoted to promoting personal responsibility and protecting consumer choices."
However, according to a review published in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine, the Center for Media and Democracy has found that it is funded through donations from companies such as Coca-Cola, Tyson Foods and Wendy's.
6. Children are still getting messages that support unhealthy food choices despite a voluntary initiative by 16 food and beverage brands, such as Coca-Cola Canada, Hershey Canada and McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, to promote healthier lifestyle choices to children under 12.
Under the Canadian Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, the companies agreed to, among other principles, devote at least 50 per cent of advertising aimed at children under 12 to either promote healthy products or deliver healthy lifestyle messages.
However, a survey of advertising on networks that broadcast children's programming showed that more than 90 per cent of food commercials touted unhealthy products.
7. Government agencies, such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), advocate for the interests of government, industry and the public, which leads to a conflict of interest, Freedhoff says.
"It's this non-arm's length relationship, so it makes it challenging to expect any of them to create rules that have enough teeth to make a big difference," Freedhoff says.
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8. Studies show that when research is sponsored by a company that has a financial stake in the results, the results often favour the company.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston found that no industry funded studies conducted on soft drinks, juice and milk had outcomes that were unfavourable to the product.
In fact, studies sponsored solely by food or beverage companies "were four to eight times more likely to have conclusions favourable to the financial interests of the sponsoring company than articles which were not sponsored by food or drinks companies," the study said.
At the end of the day, the experts agree, consumers need to ensure they are making healthy food choices for themselves and their families.
As Freedhoff said: "I don't think that we should be looking to (food manufacturers) to be socially responsible for the health of ourselves or our children."
Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Andrea Janus
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Former sales rep pleads guilty to price fixing at pumps
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 01 2008 14:49 ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: November 1st, 2008
A former sales representative for Les Petroles Global Inc. in Quebec has pleaded guilty to criminal charges for fixing gas prices at the pumps, according to the Competition Bureau.
In a press release, the Bureau said that Pierre Bourassa was sentenced to 12 months for price fixing in Magog and Sherbrooke, Que. The judge agreed to let Bourassa serve his sentence in the community because he has no prior criminal record.
Liberal MP Dan McTeague, a gas-price watchdog, told CTV.ca on Saturday that the latest conviction shows a "handful of players" were caught acting illegally, but Ottawa needs to do more to increase competition.
He said that big oil companies may currently be acting within the law, but without increased competition, gas prices will remain artificially high.
"We have far more egregious examples of blatant whole-sale ripoffs, which go unprotected by a Competition Act rigged in such a way never to catch the big guys," he said.
The federal Competition Act has both criminal and civil provisions designed to thwart anti-competitive practices in Canada's marketplace.
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Liberal Member of Parliament Dan McTeague answers reporters questions following a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday March 12, 2008. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Tom Hanson)
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Bourassa's plea is connected to charges laid last summer against several gasoline retailers in four Quebec regions that were accused of price fixing.
The alleged scheme involved 13 people and 11 companies in Sherbrooke, Magog, Victoriaville and Thetford Mines.
According to the Competition Bureau, three companies have pleaded guilty and have been fined just over $2 million. The companies are:
Les Petroles Therrien Inc, operating under the Petro-T banner.
Distributions Petrolieres Therrien Inc.
Ultramar Ltee.
In September 2008, Daniel Leblond, another sales representative formerly employed by Les Petroles Global Inc., which operates under the Olco banner, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy offence and was fined $10,000, according to the Bureau.
"Today's announcement sends a clear message that price-fixing is a criminal activity with serious consequences. Attacking these cartels continues to be a top Bureau priority," Commissioner of Competition Sheridan Scott said in a press release after the plea deal was reached with Bourassa.
The Competition Bureau says it is continuing investigations into potential gas price-fixing in other markets in Canada.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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