Articles!
These "Articles" are dated from February 1st, 2009 - February 28th, 2009.
 Broadcasters struggling with reduced revenues
28/02/09
 U of T researchers shed light on morality's origins
27/02/09
 Questions emerge after skier dies, husband saved
26/02/09
 Obama says 'day of reckoning has arrived'
25/02/09
 Afghan kids likely died while scavenging metal bits
24/02/09
 Crew from burned trawler heading for N.L. port
23/02/09
 Is a recession the right time to start up a business?
22/02/09
 Big cuts as GM, Chrysler submit restructuring plans
21/02/09
 Inflation rises but analysts expect prices to fall
20/02/09
 Ottawa abuzz ahead of visit from Barack Obama
19/02/09
 Facebook cancels recent changes to terms of use
18/02/09
 Mom shot dead in Surrey while driving with son
17/02/09
 British, French nuclear subs collide in Atlantic
16/02/09
 Plane crashed while on autopilot, says investigator
15/02/09
 Accused T.O. subway pusher to stay in custody
14/02/09
 50 dead after plane crashes in upstate N.Y.
13/02/09
 One-year countdown to 2010 Olympics begins today
12/02/09
 Oilpatch slowdown hurting N.B., says premier
11/02/09
 Wildfire deaths will pass 200 in Australia: premier
10/02/09
 Arson suspected as Australian wildfires kill 135
09/02/09
 56-year-old becomes first woman to swim Atlantic
08/02/09
 Artist who created Obama 'Hope' posters arrested
07/02/09
 Canada's economy shed 129,000 jobs in January
06/02/09
 Hudson's Bay Co. to cut 1,000 Canadian jobs
05/02/09
 Chemicals used in shampoos to get toxic label
04/02/09
 Ex-Detroit mayor released after 99-day jail stay
03/02/09
 List of recalled products grows in peanut probe
02/02/09
 Phelps acknowledges he was smoking pot in photo
01/02/09
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Broadcasters struggling with reduced revenues
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 27  2009  22:23  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 28th, 2009
A bleak picture is being painted this week for Canada's broadcast networks. The CBC is considering cuts to services, CTV is closing or selling some stations, and the owners of Global TV are on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection.
All media companies are suffering in the recession. But the problems conventional broadcasters face are unique, and they are asking the federal regulator to consider some immediate changes.

Last year, CTV and Global went to the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Committee (CRTC) to say that the conventional TV model is broken and the solution is to use the cable television revenue model.

Cable and satellite television providers don't pay for the conventional network signals they distribute. The two major private networks argued that they should have access to the same steady subscriber revenues that cable specialty channels earn.

"It's time has come. It's not fair for people to pay for service like TSN but expect a main network like CTV or CBC for free. It's time for fee for carriage," Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting told CTV News.

But the CRTC said no, part of their argument being that the broadcasters were not making a clear business case that they were losing money.

But the economic landscape has dramatically changed in the last year. Advertising revenues are down, and both CanWest Global and CTV have made some staff reductions to cut costs.

In early February, the CRTC said that private television broadcasters saw their profits drop 93 per cent in 2008.
Heritage Minister James Moore called the situation "alarming."

"We want to make sure as a government that Canadians are being served and getting their news and getting their information," Moore said Friday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has hinted that the government is looking at its options from a policy standpoint.
But don't count a bailout for the media.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the government would not bail out any Canadian media companies, including the CBC.

Earlier this week, the CBC said it is looking at a $60-million budget shortfall and asked Ottawa for help.

The public broadcaster's president, Hubert Lacroix, said the CBC is not asking for more government money and is looking for the government's co-operation on a number of substantial policy changes to bring in more revenue.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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U of T researchers shed light on morality's origins
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 27  2009  08:47  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 27th, 2009
It is said that the facial expression for disgust is universal. Now, researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered that we also make this grimace when we are morally or personally disgusted.

The researchers believe their findings suggest that humans' sophisticated moral sense of what is right and wrong may develop from our primitive preference for what doesn't "leave a bad taste in our mouth."

Lead author Hanah Chapman, a graduate student in U of T's Department of Psychology, says
Hanah Chapman, the lead author of the study and a PHD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, appears on Canada AM on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.
disgust is an ancient and rather primitive emotion that played a key evolutionary role in survivalby helping early humans avoid poison and infection.

"People often think of morality as the peak of human evolution and development," she explained to Canada AM Friday.

"What we think this research shows is that our moral sense is guided as much by simple emotional responses as it is by complex thought. That's not to say that thought isn't important; it's just that some of these very simple emotions play a role too."

In the study, Chapman's team observed facial movements when participants tasted unpleasant liquids and looked at photographs of disgusting objects such as dirty toilets or injuries. They compared these to their facial movements when they were subjected to unfair treatment in a laboratory game.

The team found that people make similar facial movements in response to both primitive forms of disgust and moral disgust.

The research employed electromyography, a technique that uses small electrodes placed on the face to detect electrical activation that occurs when the facial muscles contract.

In particular, they focused on movement of the levator labii muscle, which acts to raise the upper lip and wrinkle the nose, movements that are thought to be characteristic of the facial expression of disgust.

They found that the study volunteers showed activation of the muscle region in all three situations: when tasting something bad, looking at something disgusting and experiencing unfairness.

The researchers draw the conclusion that our moral sense of what is right and wrong may develop from our innate preference for what tastes good, what is potentially nutritious versus what could be poisonous.

"Every culture has things that are safe to eat and that are not safe to eat, and that's something you learn as a child from your parents. That flexibility is actually very useful in a moral context because every culture has a somewhat different moral code," says Chapman.

"What you're disgusted by is going to vary from person to person and from culture to culture. And that's what makes disgust really useful as a moral emotion: it's very culturally malleable."

The study is published in the journal Science.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Questions emerge after skier dies, husband saved
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 26  2009  08:37  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 26th, 2009
The RCMP will hold a news conference today to address questions about why it took nine days to rescue a Montreal-area couple stranded and dying in B.C.'s backcountry.

Gilles Blackburn, 51, and his wife Marie-Josee Fortin, 44, were lost for nine days near Golden, B.C. Blackburn was finally rescued Tuesday, but his wife had already died, presumably from exposure.

The couple went missing Feb. 15 while skiing out of bounds in rocky terrain at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. For days, they walked around the forest, leaving a trail of S.O.S. signals on the snow with their footprints and seeking shelter in tree wells.

While three of their S.O.S. signals were spotted by helicopters, a rescue attempt wasn't begun until Tuesday, Feb. 24, when a helicopter spotted Blackburn waving his arms for help.

Now, there are serious questions about who knew what when and why no one went to look for the couple sooner.

Here is what is known:
The Golden Eagle Express gondola at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Golden, B.C. is shown on Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009. (Jeff Bassett / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Search and rescue crews rushed to an area near Kicking Horse Mountain Resort west of Golden, B.C., after a pilot flew over an SOS symbol in the snow and spotted someone waving on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009.
Feb. 15 - The couple arrives in Golden after having checked out of their last hotel in Alberta and leaving their rental car behind. They don't check in to a new hotel, but immediately hit the slopes at Kicking Horse. The experienced skiers decide to ski out of bounds and get lost.
Feb. 17 - A ski guide spots an S.O.S. signal the couple marks in the snow. The Golden and District Search and Rescue and Kicking Horse resort are alerted. A search of the resort's parking lots for abandoned vehicles turns up nothing, nor does a search for missing ski rental equipment or missing person reports from local hotels.
Feb. 21 - Two more S.O.S. messages found by ski groups. RCMP is called.
The Kicking Horse Resort was contacted and they advised that they had previously investigated this incident with no result," RCMP said in a statement last night.
Feb. 23 - Family in Montreal reports the couple missing to local police after the couple fails to return home as scheduled.
Feb 24. Search and rescue dispatched after a man and S.O.S. are spotted early Tuesday morning by a helicopter -- the fourth S.O.S. seen. Blackburn is rescued within an hour.

The RCMP say they did what they could with the information they had. RCMP Corporal Annie Linteau says the resort told police on Feb. 21 that "the SOS sign appeared to not be fresh and [resort crews] were not initiating a ground search."

It's still not clear how the couple, who had brought along only two granola bars, survived, nor at what point Fortin died.

There was a nearby creek from which to drink and Blackburn may have eaten foliage to survive, police have said. The nights were particularly cold, dipping to -24C at night with the wind chill, adds CTV's Chris Epp.

"The weather here is brutal even at the best of times," he told Canada AM. "People here are asking, 'how could someone survive one night, let alone nine nights?'"

Blackburn was released from hospital Wednesday after being treated for frostbite and other symptoms of exposure.
An autopsy will be conducted on Fortin Friday.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Obama says 'day of reckoning has arrived'
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 24  2009  23:00  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 25th, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama walked a rhetorical tight rope during a crucial address to Congress Tuesday night, balancing the dire economic predicament of a troubled country with a clarion call for its citizens to pull together through determined and swift action.

Though Obama's speech marked his debut in front of a joint session of Congress, the new president also spoke directly to anxious Americans confronting a deepening economic crisis.

"While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," Obama said.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applaud during U.S. President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009. (AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
In sharp contrast to the soaring campaign speeches Obama made during his historic run for the presidency, Tuesday's speech delivered sobering content in sometimes blunt language.

"The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight," he said, referring to over-extended mortgages and deregulation on Wall Street.

"And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here."

Along with providing Americans -- and citizens of the world -- with a detailed update on his unprecedented, US$787-billion stimulus package, Obama also spelled out his administration's goals of greening the U.S. economy, growing health care coverage and slashing U.S. debt.

"The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities, in our fields and our factories, in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth," said Obama.

"What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face and take responsibility for our future once more."

The speech, which took on the flavour of a state of the union address, came only five weeks after Obama took office amid a grand inaugural celebration punctuated by hope about a new political era.

While other presidents, like George W. Bush, have used the joint congressional speech as a platform for important foreign policy issues, Obama's words focused on the economy.

Obama also stressed the importance of the financial bailout as Washington aims to thaw stiff credit markets which have impeded the economy from recovering.

"The concern is that if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins," Obama said.

"You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education," said Obama, speaking directly to Americans tuning in on television.

"That's what this is about. It's not about helping banks -- it's about helping people. "

Green energy, education and health
While the economy took centre stage in Obama's speech, he was clear that greening energy in the U.S. and diminishing the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources like oil is key to long-term prosperity.

"We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century," said Obama.

However, he said that China, Japan and Germany are outpacing the U.S. in terms of developing renewable energy sources.

In order to catch up, Obama said that his administration will aim to double the nation's supply of renewable energy sources in only three years.

"We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills."

Later in the speech, Obama said that his administration has done more in 30 days to reform the nation's healthcare system than in the previous decade.

He also pledged to slash inefficiencies and invest in cancer research.

Along with health reform, Obama promised to bolster education at a time when barely half of the country has a high school diploma.

"This is a prescription for economic decline because we know the countries that out teach us today will out compete us tomorrow," he said.

Obama didn't stop at making government promises: he also called on Americans to improve their own education standards and to make learning a greater priority in their own lives.

"And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training," he said.

Republicans respond
Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered the GOP's televised response shortly after Obama's speech, and called on his party to support the new president on issues where common ground is possible.

But he said the two parties sometimes "look for hope in different places," and called Obama's stimulus package "irresponsible" and excessive.

"The way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians," Jindal said.

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll suggested roughly 75 per cent of Americans believe Obama has tried to be bipartisan in tackling the economic crisis. Nearly as many said they felt the Republicans had opposed the stimulus package for purely political reasons.

CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Washington, D.C., said the Republicans must be careful because of the popularity of the president.

"(Obama is) using almost wartime language, saying if you don't get behind this measure, then you're risking the health of the mission," he told CTV News.

Despite the growing partisan rift over the economic recovery package, Wall Street rallied on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake predicted that the recession could end within a year.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Afghan kids likely died while scavenging metal bits
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 24  2009  08:13  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 24th, 2009
An Afghan provincial police official has confirmed that the two children who were killed on Monday likely died after they picked up an unexploded shell while scavenging for bits of metal.

Afghan elders in the village of Salehan, about 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City, reacted with anger on Monday, blaming Canadians for leaving the explosives behind and chanting "death to Canada."

However, the Canadian Forces has revealed few details about what may have happened.

"Now today we have a little more clarity," The Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.

"A police official has told my staff here in Kandahar today that the theory we heard yesterday is actually correct -- that these little kids were running around trying to scavenge little bits of metal left over after the Canadians had been doing some practice firing in that area."

The Canadian military has confirmed troops were carrying out artillery testing in the region, in an area close to a camp for children with disabilities.

Some of the children from the camp were apparently trying to earn some money by collecting scrap metal left behind after the soldiers left the area. In addition to the two boys who were killed, three others were reportedly injured in the explosion.

"Unfortunately it seems they grabbed a large bit of ordinance and that bit of ordinance exploded," Smith said.

The families were so upset that they collected the children's bodies, put them in a motorcycle sidecar, and drove into downtown Kandahar to show the mutilated remains to reporters.

"That's something they normally wouldn't do," Smith said. "They're busy washing the bodies and trying to get them a proper burial as soon as possible. But these villagers wanted to make a point, they wanted to say 'Look you're hurting us.'"
Afghan villagers surround a small, wooden cart carrying the bodies of two children allegedly killed by an unexploded Canadian shell, in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.
Afghans chant slogans during a protest outside the provincial council office in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.
Omar Samad, Afghan ambassador to Canada, speaks on Canada from CTV's studios in Ottawa, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009.
The Canadians have strict protocols about performing sweeps after such operations to ensure no explosives are left behind. An inquiry is now being conducted by the National Investigation Service into what may have gone wrong.

Afghan Ambassador to Canada Omar Samad told Canada AM the incident is tragic, but lessons can be learned from it. He suggested military firing ranges should be located far from residential areas.

"Whatever we do, we need to make sure we don't lose the faith and the goodwill of the people," Samad said.

Military Spokesman Maj. Mario Couture said the military makes every effort to ensure the "safety of Afghan civilians" and Canadian soldiers.

"Small arms qualified personnel conducted detailed examination of the range sites prior to departing and to make sure the range area was completely safe for Canadians and local village members and infrastructure," he said.

Couture suggested the explosive device may not have been of Canadian origin.

"This area is known -- at least by us and I assume it's probably the case for the residents -- it's littered with all kinds of unexploded ordinance and mines," Couture said.

Afghan National Police Gen. Matiullah Qati blamed the Taliban for the incident on Monday.

"We have seen the area and the wreckage of the mortar. It is actually a land mortar which is shot by the Taliban not (NATO) or Afghan officials," Matiullah said.

"It is a tragedy for these Afghan people who have lost their loved ones, but I blame the Taliban for shooting these kind of rockets which bring civilian casualties."

Some villagers in the Panjwaii district, which is known for a strong Taliban presence, accused the Canadians of actually launching a rocket that killed the children.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Crew from burned trawler heading for N.L. port
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 23  2009  07:46  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 23rd, 2009
The Spanish crew rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard from their burning fishing vessel will arrive in St. John's, N.L., Monday morning.

Rescue officials on board the Leonard J. Cowley helped bring the 22-member crew of the Monte Galineiro, a 30-metre trawler, to safety on Sunday.

"The Cowley was in the area doing patrols and it heard a call of distress that the vessel was on fire and sinking," Dan Frampton, the regional supervisor for the rescue centre in St. John's, told CTV.ca on Monday.

"When she arrived on scene, the vessel looked okay but then all of a sudden it took a list or heel to the left and they started seeing the crew abandon, at which point they started their process for getting ready for recovery or rescue operations."

All 22 on board -- 21 men and one woman -- were rescued with one person having to be flown to St. John's for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Another Spaniard was treated on the Cowley for hypothermia.

At the time of the distress call, the Cowley was out conducting routine fisheries patrol about 400 kilometres southeast of St. John's.
Spanish fishing trawler, the Monte Galineiro, takes on water off the coast of Newfoundland on Sunday Feb. 22, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Canadian Coast Guard)
Spanish fishing trawler, the Monte Galineiro,sinks off the coast of Newfoundland on Sunday Feb. 22, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Canadian Coast Guard)
"We were thinking of doing a boarding on her anyway," Capt. Derek LeRiche told The Canadian Press by telephone from his ship.

"All the cards were in line that we were so close."

LeRiche said some of the Spanish crew jumped into the North Atlantic in their life-rafts with their life-jackets on, while others jumped without anything.

"It was pretty dramatic when you see a ship sinking and people being launched in a life-raft, people jumping off the side. It's a pretty dramatic scene," he said.

LeRiche said everything happened so quickly but his crew was able to respond effectively.

"We managed to pick them up quite fast, and most didn't have ill effects of the water temperature," he said.

Frampton said the rescued crew is doing fine now after spending the night on the Cowley.

"They're actually having breakfast aboard the Cowley now on their way in to St. John's," he said.

Once the crew arrives in Newfoundland, they will go through customs and then head back to Spain, Frampton said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Is a recession the right time to start up a business?
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 22  2009  07:30  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 22nd, 2009
Toronto's Karla Briones was enjoying a successful career in public relations. Not yet 30, she was "living the life" in the heart of the city where she and her husband had their own place, even dabbling in real estate by flipping properties.

But then they decided to give it all up.

She quit her job. They sold their home. And together, they decided to head to Ottawa to start up a business in pet foods.
Karla Briones, her husband Shawn Hoey, daughter Nayeli Hoey and Pepe the Giant Schnauzer are seen in this undated handout photo.
"I got my eureka moment when I saw (my PR) clients in the pet industry ... I thought, 'No, I want to be the client. I want to be the boss,'" she says, recalling the moment she decided to start up her own business.

Although the idea came to her back in 2007, Briones says it's been a long journey from that initial "eureka moment" to seeing the final touches being put on Global Pet Foods, an organic health foods store for pets. She says her desire to become a franchisee wasn't made any easier by the economic downturn that hit last fall.

After spending months researching their industry, creating their business proposal, and getting their franchisee license, they hit a wall when it came to financing.

"It's been a nightmare. I still get chills when I think about that. It only got resolved last week," she told CTV.ca in early February from her parents' home in Ottawa, where she and her husband moved with their 10-month-old baby girl to save money.

Brione's plight isn't unlike those of other Canadian entrepreneurs trying to open a business during a recession. Experts say that while an economic downturn can pose opportunities, the timing also presents many risks and obstacles.

Crisis and opportunity

"More businesses are actually started during a recession than up times because people are usually not thinking about change during good times," says small business adviser Peter Forint of Wardell Professional Development.

A recession presents "danger plus opportunity," he says.

"Someone once said, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. So, if you're someone in mid-career and you're getting a sizable package to leave -- it (could) give a lot of people a chance to say, 'you know what I could go into business for myself.'"

But Forint cautions that potential entrepreneurs shouldn't jump at the first opportunity that may present itself. And he adds, good research is fundamental to finding out if a particular venture is even viable.

"Potentially, if you're well-positioned and well-financed it's an opportune time to jump in. It's also a good time to buy a business. If you find one where there's viability, then you could negotiate a good deal," says Patrick Pardoe, a managing partner at BDC, a Crown corporation that advises and helps finance Canadian businesses.

But he says economically challenging times require sound business acumen.

"You have to have the pencil really sharpened in this environment," he says.

"There are (opportunities) that are out there. But you better have the expertise and you better have deep pockets or the ability to access financing in one form or another."

The expertise required will be more than just knowledge of a particular industry, he says.

"It's not the technical expertise, it's the business management expertise. That's key," Pardoe says.
Long-term financing

He adds potential entrepreneurs will also need to secure funding that may have to last for a couple of years before the business begins to show significant returns. This is where knowing the system and good research will pay off, says Christianne Paris, vice president of client and business strategy at RBC.

She offers this advice to budding entrepreneurs seeking loans during the current economic times.
Go see the bank that knows you, open a business account and get a business credit card and a small line of credit.
Because the bank will evaluate personal credit, business owners should find out their credit history and make sure there are no errors.
Those without a credit history should establish one.
Get all legal documentation for the potential business, such as articles of incorporation, and make sure potential partners are at meetings with the financial institution.
Have a well-researched business plan.

Also, don't jump into the business world alone, advises Erin Kelly of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, noting that getting information from a mentor or someone who has familiarity with starting up and running a business could determine if a business succeeds or fails.

Help is available for potential entrepreneurs from all levels of government, including at the federal government's Canada Business services website. Kelly points out organizations like hers also help budding entrepreneurs through workshops and other events.

"Our biggest advice to people is to go out and network. Find out where businesses meet in your city because through networking you'll meet people who have capital to invest" and information to share, she says.

Briones says she has had good mentoring, so she's followed much of the advice that experts offer. But she's careful to add that the recession could make even the most viable business ventures an uphill climb. But with just weeks to go before she opens the door to her pet foods store, she says her tough battle to fulfill her dream has been worth it.

"Now it's starting to get fun. The financial part was a headache. Now the ball gets rolling," she says.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from Parminder Parmar
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Big cuts as GM, Chrysler submit restructuring plans
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 20  2009  21:26  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 21st, 2009
General Motors and Chrysler promised to trim jobs, overhaul their products and keep Canadian manufacturing plants open in return for billions in emergency government loans.

General Motors Canada, which is asking for about $7.5 billion from the federal and provincial governments, said it will maintain proportional Canadian production levels compared to the U.S. and won't close any plants in Canada.

But the auto maker plans to trim its Canadian workforce down to 7,000 employees by 2010. In 2005, GM Canada employed 20,000 people.
A row of new Chevrolet vehicles are seen at a General Motor dealership in Quebec City on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009. (Jacques Boissinot / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Meanwhile, Chrysler sent Canadian officials the same document it submitted to U.S. lawmakers earlier in the week, with the addition of a covering letter.

Chrysler's Canadian pitch didn't include specifics and was panned as deficient by politicians and industry analysts. Still, part of Chrysler's plan to return to profitability includes an alliance with Italian automaker Fiat and the introduction an electric-drive vehicle by 2010.

And the company said that Canadian employees will have to make further concessions to bring wages in line with their U.S. counterparts.

Industry Minister Tony Clement said he was "encouraged" by General Motors' restructuring plans.

"This is not a grant ... we expect the money to come back in commercial terms," Clement said Friday, only hours after GM submitted its turnaround strategy to Ottawa.

"We still need to have the opportunity to review their plans in detail ... but I have to say that this is a good first step," Clement said.
Part of GM's plan includes a commitment to launch a new facility in Oshawa, Ont., to build a new hybrid model.

GM also wants the government's help to provide "sufficient financing to sustain operations and restructure GM Canada's balance sheet to address unsustainable legacy costs."

It "contemplates no further GM Canada plant closures at this time, reflecting restructuring actions already announced," the company said in a news release. It didn't say how many jobs would be maintained.

Executives' salaries would be cut by 10 per cent. White-collar workers would see cuts to their salaries and benefits.

The plans don't specify an actual amount, but indicate GM's request will be proportional to the US$30-billion request GM made to the U.S. government. That would put the Canadian request at about US$6 billion or Cdn$7.52 billion.

"They did not provide a number," Michael Bryant, Ontario's economic development minister, told a news conference, adding the figure "would not be negotiated through the media."

He expected negotiations would continue "right to the wire" on March 31.

GM said it plans to launch five new vehicles at its plants in Oshawa and Ingersoll, Ont. This would include new hybrid vehicle production.

A "leaner and greener" GM will result from the restructuring, the company said.

Clement said that Chrysler needs to submit more detailed plans if it expects to receive any government loans. The company had previously asked for a bailout loan worth about $1 billion.
And industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers said Chrysler's plan was "quite disappointing."

"It's really unfortunate because Canada has a much higher exposure to Chrysler than General Motors. Over 25 per cent of Chrysler is in Canada versus 17 per cent of General Motors, and Chrysler's the most vulnerable of the two," DesRosiers said.

Ford isn't currently seeking financial assistance from government. Neither are the Japanese auto manufacturers operating in Ontario.

Auto workers nervous

Auto workers have been nervous that the restructuring plans will include layoffs or plant closures.

Earlier in the week the two companies' U.S. operations submitted their restructuring blueprints, which included 50,000 layoffs and several plant closures in order to justify federal bailout funding.

Ken Lewenza, head of the Canadian Auto Workers, pledged Friday evening that the union "will be part of the solution," but he stressed that GM must maintain its current proportions of manufacturing in Canada.

"Number one, the manufacturing footprint has to be there," he said.

But Lewenza said that potential union concessions regarding so-called legacy costs are unacceptable.

"I just want to say that pensions must be protected," said Lewenza. "The GM plan was under-funded even when it was profitable."

McGuinty's limits

Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty indicated earlier he has a limit as to how much public money his government will spend on propping up the Big Three in the province's troubled auto sector.

"Is there a figure that is too high? Absolutely. What it is, I don't know," McGuinty told reporters in Toronto on Friday.

"We will do everything that we can, but we've got to be responsible ... We're absolutely committed to this, but if GM were to come forward with some astonishing figure that didn't lend us the necessary security, then obviously we'd be looking at it in a different light."

The companies' willingness to protect Canadian jobs is another factor, he said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Inflation rises but analysts expect prices to fall
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 20  2009  08:29  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 20th, 2009
Canada's annual inflation rate rose 1.1 per cent in January but falling gas and car prices helped counteract higher food and shelter costs, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The 1.1 per cent increase is lower than the 1.2 per cent jump reported in December.
Economists had expected consumer prices to rise 1.2 per cent in January.

"This is a softer than expected report, and suggests that not only is growing economic slack taking prices broadly lower, but also that the impact of the weaker Canadian dollar, which would otherwise push inflation higher, is not a formidable force," Charmaine Buskas, senior economics strategist at TD Securities, said Friday according to The Globe and Mail.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices actually fell 0.1 per cent from December to January, reflecting price decreases for transportation items, which outweighed higher prices for food.

Statistics Canada said lower gasoline costs were the main factor preventing inflation rates from rising higher.

In January, gas prices dropped by 23.5 per cent, compared to the same time one year ago.

The cost of purchasing and leasing passenger vehicles - which fell by 8.2 per cent -- also helped push inflation down.

Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns, said inflation will likely decline even more in the near future.

"With the economic downturn gathering force and commodity prices still reeling, inflation is poised to move decisively lower in the months ahead," Porter said in a Friday note.

Statistics Canada said some upward pressure on inflation came from higher food and shelter costs.

Food prices increased 7.3 per cent during the 12-month period to January, identical to the increase in December.

"Bakery and cereal products and fresh vegetables exerted upward pressure on the food index," the report said.

Shelter costs were also a significant upward contributor, rising 3.3 per cent in the 12 months to January.

Excluding food and energy, seasonally adjusted consumer prices decreased 0.2 per cent in January.
Here's the annual inflation rates in the provinces and territories (Previous month in brackets):
Newfoundland and Labrador 0.9 (1.2)
Prince Edward Island -0.1 (0.0)
Nova Scotia -0.1 (-0.2)
New Brunswick -0.5 (-0.6)
Quebec 0.5 (0.5)
Ontario 1.4 (1.5)
Manitoba 1.4 (1.9)
Saskatchewan 2.4 (2.6)
Alberta 1.2 (1.9)
British Columbia 1.4 (1.2)
Whitehorse, Yukon 2.4 (3.0)
Yellowknife, N.W.T. 2.7 (3.1)
Iqaluit, Nunavut 3.3 (3.4)

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Ottawa abuzz ahead of visit from Barack Obama
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 19  2009  08:54  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 19th, 2009
Ottawa is abuzz with excitement ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit Thursday, his first foreign trip since taking power last month.

Obama's plane is currently in the air and will touch down at Ottawa International Airport's Hangar 11 at about 10:30 a.m.
He will be greeted by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and the pair will hold a short, private meeting.

After that, Obama's motorcade will travel to Parliament Hill where thousands of well-wishers have already started to gather, hoping to get a glimpse of the new president.

Inside, Obama will have a 10-minute one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper followed by a "restricted" meeting with senior staff and then a working lunch with officials -- featuring a main course of applewood smoked Plains Bison.

Obama and Harper are expected to discuss trade issues and start the framework for negotiations for a North American environmental and energy accord.

Speaking to CTV's Canada AM Thursday, Environment Minister Jim Prentice confirmed that the environment and energy security will be key topics of discussion between the two leaders.
A House of Commons security guard stands guard at the end of the Hall of Honour decorated with Canadian and American flags, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Wednesday Feb 18, 2009. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Ottawa Police and RCMP ready for the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama at Ottawa International Airport, Thursday morning, Feb. 19, 2009.
"We're really speaking about applying technology to our future -- making sure that we take all of the technological innovation that we need, that we apply it to the challenges of clean coal in the United States and the challenges of clean oil in Canada," Prentice said.

CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said the two leaders will discuss issues such as carbon storage -- particularly for the Alberta tar sands.

"There's going to be an effort to spend a lot of money and create jobs trying to get that technology in place," Fife said.

Fife said the leaders will also discuss building new pipelines and "upgrading the north-south electricity grids and building more hydro-power dams to get electricity to the United States."

The state of the economy and global security are also on the agenda, Prentice said.

"This is of course the first chance for the prime minister and the president to get together and to come to know each other so it's going to be very exciting," he said.

Aside from discussing issues, Fife said it will be important for Harper to develop a strong chemistry with Obama.

"If you get a good relationship with the president, as we've seen with other prime ministers, you can actually get things done because if it gets held up in the U.S. political process... a phone call to the president can make a huge difference," he said.
'The Beast,' one of two presidential limousines in Ottawa, is unloaded at Ottawa International Airport from a massive C-5 Galaxy transport plane under the watchful eye of the RCMP.
The joint command centre, to be used by RCMP, Ottawa police and the U.S. Secret Service, is prepped ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ottawa.
After their meetings, Harper and Obama will then make statements to the media and take a total of four questions.

As it is a working meeting, no gifts will be exchanged between the leaders.

At the airport, before he returns to Washington at about 4:30 p.m., Obama will meet briefly with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

"It started out that Ignatieff was supposed to have a half-an-hour with President Obama then it was cut to 20 minutes, then to 15 minutes," Fife said. "He says the Prime Minister's Office is cutting the time because he (Harper) doesn't want to share any of the limelight."

However, Obama's staff said Wednesday night that the meeting will run for at least 20 minutes.

Fife said it's likely the meeting will go even longer because Ignatieff has a lot of friends in the White House, including Obama's chief economic adviser Larry Summers.

Summers will be accompanying Obama on his trip to Ottawa.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Facebook cancels recent changes to terms of use
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 18  2009  08:29  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 18th, 2009
After sparking outrage among many users, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says he's reversing recent changes made to the social networking website's terms of use.

In an early morning blog posting Wednesday, Zuckerberg said his company has received a lot of questions and comments about the changes in the past couple of days.

"Based on this feedback, we have decided to return to our previous terms of use while we resolve the issues that people have raised," Zuckerberg said.
Facebook users were greeted to this 'Terms of Use Update' early Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.
The contentious clause that caused the uproar reads as follows:

"You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service..."

The new terms of use, which were posted to Facebook on February 4, gave the social networking site the right to hang onto information posted by users for as long as the site wants -- and even after that information is removed from a user's profile.

With more than 175 million people using Facebook, Zuckerberg said the document was not solely meant to protect the company's rights.

"It's the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world. Given its importance, we need to make sure the terms reflect the principles and values of the people using the service," he said.

He said the next version "will be written clearly in language everyone can understand" and that Facebook users will have a lot of input in crafting the terms.

"We expect to complete this in the next few weeks," Zuckerberg said.

Users who want to provide their input on the new terms can post questions, comments and requests in the group -- Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

This is not the first time users have expressed concern about the social networking site.

In 2007, a tracking tool called Beacon angered users after they realized their shopping habits and activities at other websites were being broadcast.

Following the backlash, Facebook eventually allowed users to turn the tool off.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Mom shot dead in Surrey while driving with son
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 17  2009  18:00  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 17th, 2009
The epidemic of gun violence on the streets of Metro Vancouver reached a horrific new level on Monday morning when a woman was gunned down -- execution style -- in her luxury car, while driving with her little boy in the back seat.

The victim was caught in a hail of bullets in the 96th Street and 148th area of Surrey, which left the 4-year-old boy apparently traumatized, but otherwise unharmed.

Just after 11:00 a.m. Monday, CTV Chopper 9 captured video of a white Cadillac sedan covered in a yellow tarpaulin, and parked on the sidewalk.
Surrey RCMP investigators cover a late model Cadillac after a fatal shooting of a woman early Monday morning on Feb. 16, 2009 (CTV Chopper 9)
Police have confirmed the victim is a woman and that her four-year-old son was sitting in the back of the car at the time of the shooting.

RCMP Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Team (IHIT) said he was "amazed" that the boy was unharmed. "He seems to be doing just fine," he said.

It appears the woman may have been shot in the head.

This incident looks to be the latest in a series of shootings in the Metro Vancouver region, which has alarmed authorities, and prompted the provincial government to add more police and resources to deal with the outbreak of violent gun play.

It comes less than 12 hours after another shooting in Metro Vancouver. Surrey RCMP has not confirmed if it is gang related.

In that incident, shell casings were found at 104th St. and East Whalley Ring Road outside of a strip club in Surrey B.C., just after midnight.

Police say no victims were found at the scene but RCMP stopped a Range Rover riddled with at least four bullet holes in the neighbouring community of Langley. Inside a man was shot and taken to hospital. His condition is unknown.

Investigators believe the shooting is the latest in a string of deadly gang incidents to plague the Metro Vancouver area.

"This has got to stop,'' said Tracy Flamand, whose truck was almost hit by the driverless Cadillac before he jumped out of his vehicle and guided the car off the road toward a safe berth on the sidewalk.

It was the sight of the boy in the rear seat of the Cadillac which prompted him to take action.

When he and a local doctor went over to examine the contents of the Cadallic, they discovered the lifeless body of the woman with two bullet holes in her side. "I pretty much knew she was gone,'' he said.

The boy was still in the back seat and obviously traumatized. He has since been taken into care.

"He will need counseling, that's for sure,'' said Flamand.

Flamand said this latest incident may be a sign that gang warfare in Metro Vancouver is getting out of control. "Now that they are going after families, the gloves are off.'' He said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy & ctvbc.ca
=======================
 
British, French nuclear subs collide in Atlantic
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 16  2009  10:17  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 16th, 2009
Two nuclear-powered submarines from Britain and France, both carrying nuclear missiles, collided deep under the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, authorities are now acknowledging.

The British newspaper, The Sun, was the first to report the collision Monday. Now, both countries are confirming the report while insisting the crash posed no risk to the safety of the subs' nuclear reactors and missiles.

"The two submarines came into contact at very low speed," Britain's most senior sailor, First Sea Lord, Admiral Jonathon Band said in a statement.

"Both submarines remained safe."

France's defence ministry said the subs had been carrying out routine patrols on separate missions when they collided underwater.

"They briefly came into contact at a very low speed while submerged. There were no injuries.
HMS Vanguard powers through the waves on the surface. (British Royal Navy)
Le Triomphant, carrying nuclear weapons with a standing crew of 111, including 15 officers, is seen in this undated image courtesy the French Ministry of Defense.
Neither their nuclear deterrence missions nor their safety were affected," France's defence ministry said Monday in a statement.

No one was injured in either vessel.

The collision is believed to have taken place on Feb. 3 or 4, in the mid-Atlantic, but neither France nor Britain would confirm the exact date.

Observers say the chances of two submarines colliding were a million-to-one. But it's possible that both warships were using anti-sonar technology, so that neither vessel could detect the other with the sound wave technology.

The incident has sparked outrage among nuclear activists, who have long warned that nuclear submarines carrying ballistic missiles pose risks of radioactive leaks into the world's waters.

Kate Hudson, chair of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, called the reported collision "a nuclear nightmare of the highest order," since the crash could have released vast amounts of radiation into the ocean and scattered nuclear warheads across the seabed.

Stephane Lhomme, a spokesman for the French anti-nuclear group Sortir du Nucleaire, said the incident "reminds us that we could have a new catastrophe with a nuclear submarine at any moment."

HMS Vanguard, which went into operation in 1994, is one of Britain's four nuclear-powered submarines. Each is capable of carrying up to 16 nuclear-armed Trident missiles.

British media outlets report that the damaged sub was towed into Faslane, Scotland, Sunday night, with dents and scrapes visible on her hull. Triomphant reportedly returned to Brest with extensive damage to her sonar dome.

Opposition MPs in the British parliament demanded an explanation of how the accident could have happened.

The government "needs to explain how it is possible for a submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction to collide with another submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction in the middle of the world's second-largest ocean," Angus Robertson of the opposition Scottish National Party said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Plane crashed while on autopilot, says investigator
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 15  2009  13:45  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 15th, 2009
The Canadian-made plane that crashed into a home in Buffalo, killing all 49 people on board and another on the ground, was set on autopilot -- a violation of airline policy on flying in icy conditions.

The pilot of Continental Connection Flight 3407 reported "significant" ice on his wings and windshield moments before the crash Thursday night.

Colgan Air, which operated the Bombardier Q400, recommends pilots fly manually in icy conditions. In severe conditions, the policy becomes a requirement.
A New York State Police officer looks on as workers arrive at the crash site of Continental Connection Flight 3407 to resume recovery efforts in Clarence Center, N.Y., on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. (AP / Mike Groll)
Steve Chealander, of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Sunday the plane appears to have been set on autopilot when it crashed, according to a preliminary investigation.

Earlier this weekend, investigators said the plane landed flat on the house, and was pointed in the opposite direction of the airport where it was supposed to land.

Chealander said the wreckage of Flight 3407 indicates the plane did not nose-dive into the house as previously thought. The flight was supposed to land on a southwest runway, but crashed with the nose facing northeast.

The flight crew began noticing significant buildup of ice on the wings and windshield not long before the plane slammed into a house in Clarence Center, a bedroom community just outside of Buffalo. Two women escaped the home, which burned for hours.

Investigators say that that the plane's deicers were turned on and both prop engines appear to have been functioning properly.

The NTSB has said that the aircraft underwent "severe" pitch and roll after the flaps were engaged in preparation for a landing. Investigators said Saturday the autopilot was disengaged at that time. The plane crashed within a minute after the flaps were engaged.

Canadian Don McDonald of Fort Erie, Ont., was among those killed in the crash.

Also among the victims was Beverly Eckert, who became an outspoken advocate for families of the victims of 9-11 after her husband was killed at the World Trade Center, as well as Alison Des Forges, one of the world's top researchers into the Rwandan genocide.

Flight 3407 was travelling from Newark, N.J. to Buffalo and went down about eight kilometres short of the airport.

Before Thursday, the Bombardier Q400, had never been involved in a crash. There are more than 200 of the planes in service around the world, operated by about 30 different carriers.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Accused T.O. subway pusher to stay in custody
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 14  2009  14:42  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 14th, 2009
The middle-aged suspect accused of pushing three youths at Dufferin subway station, two of whom fell to track level as a train rushed towards them, will be staying in custody for now.

The Toronto man appeared in court Saturday morning. He has been remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Tuesday.

Late Friday afternoon, in an allegedly unprovoked attack, the man is accused of pushing the teens, who were part of a group of five. Two landed on the tracks as an eastbound subway train pulled into the station.

'One child went under the lip of the platform to protect himself and as well, pushed the other child under the lip," Toronto Police Service spokesperson Const. Tony Vella told reporters Friday. "

The train's operator tried to brake, but the second teen's left foot was injured.
Adenir DeOliveira, 47, in a court appearance on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009.
Police stand guard outside Dufferin subway station following the pushing incident on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.
As the suspect went to leave the station, a TTC collector tried to stop him. They scuffled and the man exited and went south on Dufferin Street.

"The TTC collector and a patron chased the accused. The accused assaulted the patron," police alleged in a news release. "Both men managed to control the accused, till police arrived."

Adenir DeOliveira faces three counts of attempted murder and two assault charges.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross told reporters on Friday evening that such incidents are very rare.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but here are some other subway shoving incidents:
May 21, 2008 - A stranger pushed a man at College station, causing him to fall to the tracks. Fortunately, there was no oncoming train.
March 7, 2002: A man pushed a woman into a train at Runnymede station
March 5, 2002: A woman pushed another woman to the tracks at Coxwell station as a train roared in. The victim rolled to safety under the platform

In the most chilling case, a mentally ill man who had fantasized about pushing a beautiful woman in front of a subway train acted on that fantasy.

Herbert Cheong pushed Charlene Minkowski to the tracks on Sept. 26, 1997. She would die of her injuries. He eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 15 years.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press & ctvtoronto.ca
=======================
 
50 dead after plane crashes in upstate N.Y.
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 13  2009  08:37  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 13th, 2009
A commercial airliner crashed into a home in suburban Buffalo late Thursday, killing all 49 people on board and one on the ground, officials have confirmed.

The Canadian-made Q400 Bombardier, a 74-seater aircraft, went down about 8 kilometres from Buffalo Niagara International Airport at around 10:20 p.m. Thursday.

The plane was operated by Colgan Air, a Manassas, Va.-based affiliate of Continental Airlines. Initial reports said 48 people were on board the plane and one was killed on the ground.
The wreckage of Continental flight 3407 lies amid smoke at the scene after crashing into a suburban Buffalo, N.Y., home and erupting into flames late Thursday Feb. 12, 2009. (AP / Dave Sherman)
However, Colgan Air now says one off-duty pilot was also on board the aircraft, bringing the death toll up to 50.

The victim on the ground was killed inside the home that was hit by the plane.

CTV's Lisa LaFlamme, reporting from the scene in Clarence Center, N.Y., said early Friday a woman and her adult daughter inside the house survived.

"They are in hospital right now with non-life threatening injuries," LaFlamme said.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette called it "still a hot scene" early Friday.

"It basically dove right into the top of the house from my perspective," Bissonette said. "I'm no expert on re-creation, but it landed on the house, clearly a direct hit."

Eyewitness Tony Tatro was driving home from the gym when he saw the plane in the sky.

"It was nose-down and it was tilted slightly to the left," Tatro told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.

Bob Dworak, who lives close to the crash site, said the whole sky was lit up in orange.

"All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook," Dworak said.

Another eyewitness said the plane was "sputtering" moments before the crash.

"It was real loud," the eyewitness said. "The next thing you know we heard it crash so we looked out the window and there was bright lights so we decided to run down here."

The Continental Connection Flight 3407 departed from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and was preparing to land at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Prior to the crash, the female pilot was communicating in a routine way with the controller, who told her to fly at 2,300 feet.

A minute later, the controller tried to contact the plane again but there was no response. The controller tried again to contact the pilot but, after receiving no response, he told an unidentified listener to contact authorities, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net.
"You need to find if anything is on the ground," the controller said. "All I can tell you is the aircraft is over the marker (landing beacon), and we're not talking to them now."

None of the victims have been identified.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said there is "no indication of any security related event" behind the incident.

A Transportation Safety Board team will be in Buffalo to investigate the crash Friday.

According to reports, the aircraft was flying in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds.

This is the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.

In Ottawa, the Foreign Affairs Department told CTV News they have no reports of any Canadians onboard the flight, but are continuing to investigate.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
One-year countdown to 2010 Olympics begins today
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 12  2009  08:22  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 12th, 2009
One year from today the world's attention will focus on Canada, as the 2010 Olympics kick-off in Vancouver and Whistler.

A long list of events were scheduled for Thursday to mark the start of the important one-year countdown for the Games, which are expected to attract 350,000 spectators, more than 5,000 athletes and officials and 10,000 journalists.

"The winter Olympics in 2010 will be the biggest event in this country's history and if they're not the biggest they will be close to it," said CTV's Olympic anchor Brian Williams.

Later in the morning, Olympic officials in Whistler will unveil the design of the torch that will be carried through communities in every province and territory in the country on its 45,000 journey to Vancouver's GM Place for the opening ceremonies.
A countdown clock showing 365 days left till the Vancouver 2010 Olympics is seen on a empty stage during a photo-op at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, B.C. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Olympic officials in Whistler will also reveal the uniform that torch-bearers will wear along the journey.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge will attend a countdown event in Vancouver later in the day.

Rogge and other officials will gather at the Richmond, B.C. speedskating oval, where he will issue an invitation to the world's athletes to come and compete in 2010.

Other events will be held across Canada to mark the day. Canadians have been asked by VANOC to "make some noise" at 6 p.m. Vancouver time, in honour of the important milestone.

In Newfoundland, a symphony will be played from boats in St. John's harbour. In Manitoba, an entire week's worth of community sporting events are already underway.

On Wednesday, Williams interviewed Rogge in Whistler, B.C., the resort community that will host Alpine skiing, ski jumping, Nordic skiing and the sliding events during the Feb. 12-Feb. 28 Games.

He acknowledged there are concerns about the ballooning budget for the Games and particularly the cost of the athlete's village, but said overall the Vancouver Olympic Committee is doing a great job of managing costs.

Rogge said he is pleased with the committee's progress so far.

"They seem to have a very good grip on their budget. We are happy. No one has a crystal ball, no one can foresee immediate the future. But today I can say the Games in Vancouver will be a success," Rogge told Williams.

Much of the speculation surrounding the Games focuses on whether a Canadian athlete will finally win a gold medal on Canadian soil. That didn't happen in either the Montreal or Calgary Olympics.

Williams, who has covered the Olympic 12 times, said Canada has its best chance ever of ending the drought.
He said Jennifer Heil, the freestyle mogul skier who won Canada's first gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, is a top contender for a gold medal.

She is among a new breed of Canadian athletes who will accept nothing less than being world contenders, Williams said.

"She told me 'Look, we like the pressure, we no longer are just content to show up and get that Olympic uniform when we march into the stadium.' And I asked her about the pressure of competing here. She said 'No, we look forward to it, we thrive on it,'" Williams said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Oilpatch slowdown hurting N.B., says premier
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 11  2009  08:20  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 11th, 2009
A slowdown in Alberta's oil industry is translating into tough times for the Atlantic provinces, as thousands of East Coasters who've worked in the once-booming sector find themselves out of a job.

Thousands of workers from the East Coast moved west in recent years to grab the high-paying jobs in the energy sector, in what became the biggest demographic shift in Canada since the Second World War. But now, with oil prices low, oilsands projects on hold and the global economy in turmoil, those jobs are disappearing.
New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham appears on CTV's Canada AM from Edmonton on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009.
It's affecting more than just Alberta's bottom line, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham told Canada AM Wednesday from Edmonton.

"We can't underestimate the impact the downturn in the Alberta economy is having on our economy in New Brunswick," he said. "We're predicting zero per cent growth this year; that's right on the verge of a recession."

Graham said for years, many New Brunswickers kept their homes -- and sometimes their families -- back home while they worked out west.

"There have been many skilled trades people who have worked in Alberta in the oilpatch but still remained in New Brunswick, who would work on a three-week rotation and then come back to New Brunswick. They'd file their taxes in New Brunswick, which we were then able to invest in our health care and education systems," he explained.

But with those paycheques disappearing, the economies of New Brunswick and other Atlantic provinces are feeling the pinch.

Graham, along with Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz and senior ministers from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, are now in Calgary on a trade mission, hoping to secure business for companies and projects back home.

The premiers insist that what they are not trying to do is lure all those Atlantic workers back home.

"We're not here on a repatriation mission in Alberta," Graham said. "What we're here to do today is to look at ways that we can put in place businesses to businesses to add to the supply chain. We recognize that there is going to be a recovery in the oilpatch."

Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz echoed that sentiment he spoke to a Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Monday.

"I personally believe, and I think we'll see, that Alberta will be one of the first economies to start to recover when the world economy makes its turnaround - most likely sometime over the next year or two," said Ghiz.

In the meantime, Graham says his government is working on creating jobs for those New Brunswickers who do decide to come home.

"We're focusing on a major stimulus package that we announced before Christmas, a $1.2-billion investment that will employ those trades people who were working out West when they come back to New Brunswick."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Wildfire deaths will pass 200 in Australia: premier
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 10  2009  08:01  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 10th, 2009
The death toll from devastating bushfires in Australia is expected to exceed 200, officials said Tuesday as firefighters tried desperately to control two dozen fires that were still burning.

A total of 400 fires in Victoria state scorched close to 3,000 square kilometres of land, destroyed 750 homes and left 5,000 people homeless.

"The death toll is beyond 180," freelance journalist Tim Stackpool told CTV's Canada AM from Sydney.

"It sits at 181 ... the authorities have told us it will rise to over 200."

There were reports that many bodies are so badly burned they may never be identified.

He said roughly 24 fires are still burning as of Tuesday morning, many of them out of control and threatening a number of town and residents near Melbourne.

Victoria Premier John Brumby said Tuesday that another 50 bodies had been discovered, and were not yet included in the official death toll.
A firefighter stands by to man the pump on his truck at a fire at Chum Creek, near Healseville, north east of Melbourne, Australia Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. (AP / Rick Rycroft)
Firefighters from the Department of Sustainability use a hose to quench embers after a fire near Healseville, north east of Melbourne, Australia Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. (AP / Rick Rycroft)
"This is going to be a significant number, it will exceed 200 deaths," Brumby said.

Police declared some of the burned out towns to be crime scenes, based on suspicions that some of the fires were caused by arson.

Police assistant Commissioner Dannye Moloney said officials were preparing to release a sketch of a suspect in one of the fires, which killed 21 people.

Moloney was appointed Tuesday to head the investigation into the fires.

Officials said they would take a second look at emergency-preparedness policies that allow residents to determine their own course of action amid fire threats.

"The country's fire authority is still saying this is the best plan -- if you're going to leave you need to leave early. If you're going to stay you need to make sure your plan is going to work," Stackpool said.

That strategy has come under tough criticism, as many of those who chose to stay found they weren't prepared to properly fight off the flames that threatened their homes.

"One man started up his pumps and they weren't working because the hoses had melted," Stackpool said.

In another grisly case, fire and rescue officials found the remains of three people in a bathtub, where they had sought protection from the flames and were possibly boiled alive.

The disaster is likely to significantly alter the way Australian officials handle fire safety.

The current policy recognizes the fire protection service, comprised largely of volunteers, doesn't have the resources to protect all homes. Thus, residents are allowed to protect their own property.

"It is the application of that policy and a lack of an alternative that we need to work on," Country Fire Authority chief Russel Rees told reporters Tuesday.

But he conceded that evacuation orders were unlikely to be heeded by all, and would be hard to enforce during a fire emergency, leading to jammed roads and high numbers of vehicle accidents.

Authorities also said that intense, dry heat, powerful winds and drought created the perfect conditions for wildfires.

Stackpool said the rescue efforts often hit close to home for volunteer firefighters who are battling to save their neighbours' homes.

"They sign up to protect their own properties and they'll be trying to save one of their neighbours' properties and they'll look over their shoulder and see their own homes going up in flames, it's just the nature of the work," he said.

There is no formal alert system of text messages or phone calls to warn Victoria residents of approaching wildfires.

However, the state's Country Fire Authority posts updates to its website on individual blazes along with advice for residents.
Fire updates are also broadcast over the radio.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Arson suspected as Australian wildfires kill 135
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 09  2009  07:53  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 9th, 2009
More than 130 people have now been killed in wildfires that are being described as among the worst natural disasters Australia has ever faced.

Police suspect some of the fires are the result of arson.

By Monday morning, more than 750 homes had been destroyed and 5,000 people were homeless, 135 were dead and hundreds more were in hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

The fires have scorched some 2,200 kilometres of land.

"This is happening at very many different levels," Robert Tickner of the Australian Red Cross told CTV's Canada AM.

"In addition to the tragic loss of life, and it may not be over yet because we have many people sadly in hospital with critical burns, we have a very large number of people that have not yet been totally quantified, that have lost their homes. We have human tragedy on a very vast scale."

Adding to the grief was news Monday that some of the fires are believed to have been set deliberately, with police declaring some scorched towns to be crime scenes.
The remains of St. Andrew's church are scattered after it was destroyed by fire at the community of Kinglake, north east of Melbourne, Australia Monday, Feb. 9, 2009. (AP / Rick Rycroft)
A fire erupts in a pine tree plantation northeast of Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. (AP /Rick Rycroft)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called the suspected arson "mass murder."

Visibly upset during a television interview, Rudd expressed disgust -- a sentiment shared by much of the country -- that some of the fires in Victoria State had been set deliberately, or helped to cross fire containment lines.

"What do you say about anyone like that?" Rudd said. "There's no words to describe it, other than it's mass murder."

Murder charges could be applied against anyone found guilty of arson in relation to the fires, said Australian Attorney General Robert McClelland.

The Red Cross has more than 20 emergency centres set up in some of the most dramatically affected areas. A registration process has been established to help relatives and evacuees to get information about their family members.

"The Red Cross is only one participant in this enormous groundswell of government and community support for what is clearly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, natural disasters Australia has suffered," Tickner said.

Freelance journalist Tim Stackpool said 31 fires were still burning southeast of Melbourne on Monday morning, though conditions had improved with the temperature falling from the mid-40s to the mid-20s.

A number of smaller towns were still under threat, he said, noting that in one affected community one in seven people, roughly 16 per cent of the population, were missing or feared dead.

"It is just unbelievable," he told Canada AM.

"It is a scene of devastation. Blackened trees, there is absolutely no sound in the town. No birds twittering, no bugs or insects in the town, it was just deathly, deathly quiet."

Many died trying to flee the fires, with road accidents occurring when drivers became blinded and disoriented from the heavy smoke.

"Other people then ran into those cars and they became horrifically trapped within the flames. The temperatures were just enormous, there was no way for these people to escape, the oxygen was being sucked out at ground level. There was no chance of these people being able to escape," Stackpool said.

One man described seeing smoke billowing over the hill near his town. Next, embers began to fall in the town, and suddenly the fire ripped through town "like a bullet," Stackpool said.

"It was devastating for these people," he said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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56-year-old becomes first woman to swim Atlantic
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 08  2009  07:33  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 8th, 2009
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, exhilarated and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month.

Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean -- a dream she'd had since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.

The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan. 12, battling waves of up to nine metres and strong winds.

David Higdon, a friend of Figge who kept in touch with her via satellite phone, said she had originally planned to swim to the Bahamas, but inclement weather forced her to veer 1,610 kms off course to Trinidad, where she arrived on Feb. 5.

Figge plans to continue her odyssey, swimming from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands, where she expects to arrive in late February. The crew won't compute the total distance Figge swam until after she completes the journey, Higdon said.

Then it's home to Aspen, Colo. -- where she trained for months in an outdoor pool amid snowy blizzards -- to reunite with her Alaskan Malamute.

"My dog doesn't know where I am," she told The Associated Press on Saturday by phone. "It's time for me to get back home to Hank."

The dog swirled in her thoughts, as did family and friends, as Figge stroked through the chilly
In this photo released by David Higdon, Jennifer Figge is shown posing for a picture after her arrival to Chacachacare Island, in Trinidad, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. (AP)
In this undated photo released by David Higdon, Jennifer Figge is shown swimming on her journey that made her the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. (AP)
Atlantic waters escorted by a sailboat. She saw a pod of pilot whales, several turtles, dozens of dolphins, plenty of Portuguese man-of-war -- but no sharks.

"I was never scared," Figge said. "Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can always swim in a pool."

Her journey comes a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo trans-Atlantic swim, covering nearly 6,400 kilometres from Massachusetts to France in 73 days. No woman on record has made the crossing.

Figge woke most days around 7 a.m., eating pasta and baked potatoes while she and the crew assessed the weather. Her longest stint in the water was about eight hours, and her shortest was 21 minutes. Crew members would throw bottles of energy drinks as she swam; if the seas were too rough, divers would deliver them in person. At night she ate meat, fish and peanut butter, replenishing the estimated 8,000 calories she burned a day.

Figge wore a red cap and wet suit, with her only good-luck charm underneath: an old, red shirt to guard against chafing, signed by friends, relatives and her father, who recently died.

The other cherished possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle, an American who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

"We have a few things in common," Figge said. "She wore a red hat and she was of German descent. We both talk to the sea, and neither one of us wanted to get out."

Figge arrived on Trinidad's Chacachacare Island, an abandoned leper colony, at 5:20 p.m. She plans to leave Trinidad on Monday night. During this brief respite, she has avoided the hotel pool and nearby ocean, opting instead for the treadmill.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Artist who created Obama 'Hope' posters arrested
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 07  2009  14:26  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 7th, 2009
BOSTON -- A street artist famous for his red, white and blue "Hope" posters of President Barch Obama has been arrested on warrants accusing him of tagging property with graffiti, police said Saturday.

Shepard Fairey, 38, was arrested Friday night on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art for a kickoff event for his first solo exhibition, called "Supply and Demand."

Two warrants were issued for Fairey on Jan. 24 after police determined he'd tagged property in two locations with graffiti based on the Andre the Giant street art campaign from his early career, police Officer James Kenneally said Saturday.
Artist Shepard Fairey poses beside his 'Obama HOPE' image, part of an exhibit of his work at the Institute of Contemporary Art Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, in Boston. (AP / Boston Herald, Matt Stone)
Fairey, 38, of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanour charges Monday in Brighton District Court, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney. Wark said Fairey would also be arraigned on a default warrant related to a separate graffiti case in the Roxbury section of Boston.

Fairey has spent the last two weeks in the Boston area installing the ICA exhibit and creating outdoor art, including a six-by-15-metre banner on the side of city hall, according to a statement issued Saturday by the museum.

The museum said Fairey was released a few hours after his arrest.

Fairey's Obama image has been sold on hundreds of thousands of stickers and posters, and was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington before Obama's inauguration.

The image is the subject of a copyright dispute with The Associated Press.

Fairey argues his use of The AP photo is protected by "fair use," which allows exceptions to copyright laws based on, among other factors, how much of the original is used, what the new work is used for and how the original is affected by the new work.

A California lawyer who has represented Fairey in the copyright case didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the arrest.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Canada's economy shed 129,000 jobs in January
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 06  2009  07:55  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 6th, 2009
Canada's economy lost 129,000 jobs in January, the biggest monthly decline in more than three decades, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

The losses pushed the country's unemployment rate up 0.6 percentage points from December to 7.2 per cent.

Almost all of the job losses were full-time positions.
Canada's economy lost 129,000 jobs in January, including 101,000 manufacturing jobs, according to a Statistics Canada.
The drop in employment is greater than any monthly decline during the previous economic downturns of the 1980s and 1990s, the report said.

"The expectation was for a loss of 40,000... this is three times the expectation," BNN's Michael Kane said Friday morning.

The losses were most pronounced in manufacturing, where the net drop totalled 101,000 -- the largest monthly decline in the industry on record.

Job losses were also recorded in the following industries: furniture, computer and electronic, non-metallic mineral product, electrical equipment, appliance and components, clothing manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, business, building and other support services.

The only industry with notable gains was health care and social assistance, which saw a boost of 31,000 jobs.

Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec accounted for the entire employment decrease in January, the report said.

Ontario lost 71,000 jobs, the largest in more than three decades.

British Columbia lost 35,000 jobs and Quebec lost 26,000.

Employment fell mostly among adults between the ages of 25 to 54 (111,000 jobs) as well as among youths aged 15 to 24 (28,000).

"One of the things that we do know from the past is that every year that the unemployment rate increases it's going to take at least two years to fall back to where we were," Miles Corak, co-chair of the Canadian Employment Research Forum, said Friday.

Kane said the data was seasonally adjusted to factor in hiring during the Christmas period and the layoffs afterwards.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty warned Canadians to brace for "significant" and "very regrettable" job losses this year.

Later Friday morning, the U.S. Labour Department will release its employment report for January.

Analysts predict January job losses could be more than half-a-million.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Hudson's Bay Co. to cut 1,000 Canadian jobs
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 04  2009  19:25  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 5th, 2009
The Hudson's Bay Company will shed 5 per cent of its Canadian workforce, equal to about 1,000 layoffs, the retailer announced Wednesday.

The cuts, along with other restructuring plans, are expected to help save one of North America's oldest companies about $150 million in 2009 as retailers around the world deal with a deteriorating economic climate.

The layoffs, which will occur in both retail and administrative divisions in stores across the county, come as the former fur trading conglomerate attempts to rejuvenate a business which has faced growing competition from retailers like Wal-Mart.
A person stands next to a Hudson's Bay Company sign in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The job cuts follow a $70-million initiative announced in January to streamline finances, IT and supply chains throughout the company's different retail brands, which include the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields stores.

The retailer, founded in 1670, employs about 60,000 people at 600 retail outlets across the country.

"We believe this new structure will allow us to better compete during these challenging economic times and ensure our long term success," said Hudson's Bay Trading Company chief executive officer Jeff Sherman.

Sherman, who once had a hand in running Victoria's Secret and Bloomingdales, took over control of the company in summer of 2008.

"These changes allow us to be more responsive to customer needs and expectations while at the same time aggressively implement our business strategy in order to grow sales and earnings."

According to John Williams, an analyst at the retail consulting firm JC Williams Group, the Bay's cuts come after sluggish sales over the holiday shopping season.

"Things were tough in November and December and it's going to remain that way for a period of time," Williams told The Canadian Press, adding that the first quarter is historically the worst time of year for retailers.

Combined with a global recession and increased competition from big box retailers, Williams said that a recovery for the Bay won't be easy.

"I don't think it will be a V-shaped turnaround either," said Williams. "There is too much going wrong in too many places in the economy."

BNN's Amanda Lang told CTV Newsnet Wednesday afternoon that many companies are cutting their workforces by about 5 per cent as the global economy spirals ever downward.

"It's right around the norm," Lang said, referring to the Bay's announced cuts.

"In the case of Hudson's Bay, they're doing it as part of a big restructuring," she added, referring to the IT and supply chain changes.

In 2006, South Carolina-based businessman Jerry Zucker purchased the Hudson's Bay Company and became its first American governor.

He died last summer and the company was sold to NRDC Equity Partners, a New York-based firm which also owns the Lord & Taylor chain of stores in the U.S.

The equity firm was initially planning to bring Lord & Taylor to Canada, but those plans have been scrapped, Lang said.

"They're putting that on hold ... they don't want to cannibalize their Hudson's Bay business."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Chemicals used in shampoos to get toxic label
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 03 2009  17:01  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 4th, 2009
The federal government plans to add two silicon-based chemicals, which are found in shampoo, soap, antiperspirant and hundreds of other personal-care products, to its toxic chemicals list after tests showed they pose a danger to wildlife.
The substances, known as D4 and D5, "are not a concern for human health based on the amount of these substances that an individual would be exposed to through the use of various products, including personal care products," says a statement on Environment Canada's website.

However, tests found that because the substances are so prevalent -- they are also used to make industrial products, including textiles, paints and plastics -- they seep into the environment in large quantities, where they can harm fish and other aquatic organisms.

Therefore, the government will propose setting limits on how much of the chemical can be present in products, and how much can be released into the environment during the manufacturing process.

"This is the first step toward regulating these harmful chemicals," Aaron Freeman, policy director of Environmental Defence, said in a statement. "We urge the government to go the distance by getting these chemicals off the market."

The substances are added to shampoos and styling products to add softness and shine to hair. They make other products more malleable.

Fe de Leon, a researcher with the Canadian Environmental Law Association, said the substances are found within hundreds of common products.

"They are found in a number of products and certainly industrial applications," she told CTV Newsnet on Tuesday afternoon.

Besides the shampoos and deodorants, de Leon said they are also used in many building sealant products, lubricants, as well as many detergents.

"We're talking about hundreds of products, and certainly from the perspective of large uses, these are probably one of the largest types of chemicals that are used in huge quantities, not only in Canada but around the world," de Leon said.

According to Environmental Defence, at high doses, D4 has been linked to fertility problems and liver damage in animal tests, while both D4 and D5 have been linked to cancer.

De Leon said she feels Canadians should be concerned that D4 and D5 are included in so many readily-available products.

"The assessments that have been conducted by the government look at a very narrow scope of the problem," she said.

"These chemicals are found to be persistent, bicumulative and inherently toxic, which feels that these chemicals may find (their) way into the northern communities despite the fact that the sources may not be there."
The chemicals have the ability to travel very long distances, de Leon said, and have been found in our sewage treatment plant effluents, landfills and even the Great Lakes.

"Certainly what we'd like to see is an approach by the government to promote a look at an alternative to some of these chemicals," she said.

As part of the process to include substances on the toxic list, the federal government has opened a 60-day comment period for industry representatives and other stakeholders.

The Silicones Environmental, Health and Safety Council, a silicone industry lobby group, says once the federal government reviews more scientific research on D4 and D5, it will deem them safe.

"The Minister of Environment has recommended listing D4 and D5 as possibly warranting environmental regulatory measures. No action has been taken based on this recommendation," the SEHSC said in a statement.

"If the recommendation is adopted, the Canadian government will factor in soon to be completed scientific studies further examining how the materials actually behave in the environment. We fully expect that these studies will continue to demonstrate that D4 and D5 are safe for the environment and that action is not needed."

The SEHSC argues that the United Kingdom's Environmental Agency and the European Union's European Chemicals Bureau are both waiting for further scientific study on the two chemicals before they decide if regulations are needed.

However, Environmental Defence says that beginning next year, the EU will require manufacturers to register the chemicals under a program designed to regulate potentially harmful substances.

The Canadian tests are part of a government review of about 200 substances that have been flagged since recent studies suggested they may have harmful effects on humans or wildlife.

Along with D4 and D5, Ottawa is set to enact new regulations to restrict the use of five other industrial chemicals, and prevent two of them from being used in cosmetics.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Ex-Detroit mayor released after 99-day jail stay
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 03 2009  06:32  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 3rd, 2009
DETROIT -- Kwame Kilpatrick regained his freedom early Tuesday morning, emerging from jail after a 99-day sentence and stepping back onto the streets of the city he once ruled as mayor.

The 38-year-old Kilpatrick, about 25 pounds lighter than when he entered jail at the end of October, left the downtown Detroit facility wearing a dark suit just after 12:30 a.m.

On the sidewalk, Kilpatrick stood for a long moment amid bright television camera lights, a crush of awaiting reporters and swirling snowflakes, smiling occasionally to those in the crowd who called his name and shouted: "We love you, Kwame! Detroit loves you, baby!"
Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, centre at rear, leaves the Wayne County Andrew C. Baird Detention Facility in Detroit, after serving 99 days in jail, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009. (AP / Paul Sancya)
Flanked by a number of men, several dressed in fedoras and long coats, Kilpatrick then was rushed to a waiting blue Chevrolet Suburban. The Democrat waved from behind tinted windows as he was whisked away as part of a multi-vehicle caravan.

Kilpatrick made no statements to the media during his release, upon the orders of new defense attorney Willie E. Gary.

"He's not bitter. He said he learned a lot," Gary said during an impromptu sidewalk news conference. "He said this has been an experience he'll never forget, and he thinks because of it he'll be a better person."

It's been more than a year since a text-messaging sex scandal started the long process that ended in Kilpatrick's arrest, plea, jailing and release. Now, the man who quickly rose from a state representative to mayor of a city of 900,000 people simply is looking for work.

Kilpatrick was expected to meet with state probation officials before heading to a job interview Wednesday with an unnamed company at an undisclosed location in Texas. His wife, Carlita, and three young sons, already have left Michigan.

A judge has ordered that he return by Feb. 9.

"The job prospect is very, very, very favorable," Gary told reporters. "We want to make sure he can get, and land, the job. That's his first thing. He wants a job. That's what he is concerned about now. He wants to get with his family, get with his kids so he can start his life again."

The next five years, though, will be spent on probation and paying off the bulk of $1 million in restitution to the city. He also has had his law license revoked.

If Kilpatrick lands the job in Texas, he must first get permission to transfer his probation from Michigan to that state.

Kilpatrick was into the middle of his second term as mayor when sexually explicit text messages with his then-Chief of Staff Christine Beatty were published by the Detroit Free Press.

The messages from Beatty's city-issued pager also contradicted testimony that she and the married mayor gave during a 2007 whistle-blowers' trial when they denied having a romantic relationship. The messages also indicated they lied about their roles in the firing of a police official.

The cash-strapped city, now facing a deficit believed to be more than $200 million, eventually settled the civil suit with three former officers for $8.4 million.

Kilpatrick and Beatty were charged last March with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice.

Before his trial on those charges was to begin in September, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and no contest to assault for allegedly shoving a detective who was trying to serve a subpoena in the text-message case.

He stepped down as mayor on Sept. 18. Beatty, who resigned last February, was sentenced early last month to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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List of recalled products grows in peanut probe
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 02 2009  07:33  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 2nd, 2009
TORONTO -- Dozens more peanut products have been recalled in Canada over fears they could be contaminated with salmonella linked to an outbreak in the U.S. that has sickened hundreds and may have led to at least eight deaths.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency added almost 50 different snack product items manufactured in Canada and the U.S. to its recall list over the weekend, bringing the total to more than 80 on the list.

"As of today, we have 39 products that were manufactured in Canada that we have on our recall list and there are 42 products that are imported from the United States," CFIA spokesman Garfield Balsom said Sunday.

Most of the foods added to the list - made by well-known brands such as President's Choice, Compliments, Irresistibles, Clif Bar & Company and Nature's Path among others - are various types of peanut, caramel and protein bars, ice cream cones, bridge mix, kettle corn and cookies, with a variety of UPC codes and best-before dates.

The agency said they may contain peanut products - including peanut butter and paste, or whole, crushed or powdered peanuts - that were recalled in the U.S. and Canada by Peanut Corp. of America, whose Georgia plant is the focus of a salmonella contamination investigation.

On Saturday, Balsom said that various snack products were made in Canada, but at different locations, and most of those products may have been distributed nationally.

There have been no illnesses from the listed products purchased in Canada, said Balsom, but a Canadian from New Brunswick who purchased a product while travelling in the U.S. did become ill.

"So I guess the good news with regard to this outbreak is that at this point, we're not seeing it (illnesses) in Canada," said Balsom.

At least 529 people in the U.S. have been sickened and at least eight may have died because of the outbreak which has led to the recall of more than 430 products across the United States.

Jackie Crichton, with the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, said in an email Saturday that "CCGD is aware of the ongoing peanut and related product investigations and recalls in the U.S. and Canada. Food safety is a primary concern of CCGD members. CCGD members receive recall notices directly from the CFIA and promptly follow the direction provided in such recall notices."

A number of pet treats or dog biscuits have also been voluntarily recalled in Canada and the U.S. as a precaution over the past week and a half.

But you won't find that list on the CFIA website. For that list, you will have to go to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website to find the list of recalled pet products, and then to individual company sites to determine if those products were sold in Canada.
CFIA spokesman Tim O'Connor said the pet products are manufactured in the U.S., so Canadian consumers should go to the FDA website to get their information.

But he said once recalls are initiated by manufacturers, any retailers in Canada that carry those pet treats are certainly encouraged to pull them off their shelves.

Carolina Prime Pet, a manufacturer and distributor of dog treats, voluntarily recalled four of its dog treats - including its six-and four-inch Rawhide Bone peanut butter treats - while Salix, a manufacturer of rawhide dog chew products, voluntarily recalled its Healthy-hide Deli-wrap 3-Pack 5" Peanut Butter-Filled Rawhide dog treats.

PetSmart removed products from its shelves voluntarily.

PetSmart spokeswoman Jennifer Simmons said Saturday "we decided to do this on our own as a precautionary measure... just to make sure everything we have is good to go."

Eating food contaminated with salmonella may cause the illness salmonellosis, which can cause high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea in otherwise healthy people. But in young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, the CFIA said salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections.

The CFIA is working closely with the FDA in identifying any manufactured products and imported products that may be affected in Canada, said Balsom.

On Thursday, Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America issued an expanded voluntary recall of all peanuts and peanut products processed in its Blakely, Ga., facility since Jan. 1, 2007.

The FDA said Friday it had asked the U.S. Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into Peanut Corp. of America. The FDA also said it had confirmed the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by salmonella typhimurium are peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corp. of America at its Blakely processing plant.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Phelps acknowledges he was smoking pot in photo
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 01 2009  14:56  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 1st, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. -- Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."

News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school's football games and received a big ovation when he was introduced to the crowd.

While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was "out of control from the moment he got there."
Michael Phelps appears on CTV's Canada AM from New York in December 2008.
The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics, while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and apparently would have no impact on the eight golds he won at Beijing. He has never tested positive for banned substances and even agreed to extra testing before the games.

Phelps was in Tampa, Fla., during Super Bowl week to make promotional appearances on behalf of a sponsor. But he left the city before Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, abandoning his original plan to be at Raymond James Stadium.

Phelps returned to the pool a couple of weeks ago to begin preparations for this summer's world championships in Rome. He plans to take part in his first post-Olympics meet in early March, a Grand Prix event in Austin, Texas.

Not the first time in trouble

This isn't the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months after winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.

In his book "No Limits: The Will to Succeed," Phelps recounted how his first phone call was to his agent, and not his mother or coach Bob Bowman, because he knew they would yell at him.

Later, he called Bowman, who was supportive but told him, "Michael, just because you want to blow off some steam doesn't mean you can be an idiot."

Debbie Phelps, his mother, cried at the news.

"That hurt worse, maybe, than anything," Phelps wrote. "I had never seen my mother that upset."
Bowman did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages Sunday.

Olympic teammate Dara Torres said Phelps has become such a prominent figure that everything he does is news.

However, she said: "This in no way shape or form diminishes anything he's done."

"It's sort of a double-edged sword," Torres told the AP on Sunday. "When you're recognizable, you're looked up to as a role model. He is recognizable and everything you do gets looked at and picked apart. I guess that's the price of winning 14 Olympic medals."

Jason Lezak, whose remarkable anchor leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay helped Phelps stay on course to break Mark Spitz's record in Beijing, said he was "saddened" to hear of the report.

"While I don't condone his conduct, I am a teammate and fan," Lezak said in a text message to the AP on Saturday night. "Unlike many fair-weather people, I am sticking by him. If my wife and I can help him in any way, we will. I believe he will grow from this and be better person, role model and teammate."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press