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Cannabis use twice as high among younger Canadians, survey shows

Cannabis use falls with age

Younger Canadians are more than twice as likely to use cannabis as those aged 45 years and older, according to Statistics Canada's annual survey on cannabis use, released this morning. 

The nation's number cruncher found that last year 38.4 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 24 years consumed cannabis while 34.5 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 44 years consumed the drug. That percentage plummeted to 15.5 per cent, when Canadians aged 45 and older were asked if they consumed cannabis. 

Younger cannabis consumers were also more likely to use the drug more often. 

Statistics Canada found 8.7 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 24 reported consuming cannabis daily, or almost daily. That proportion was 10.3 per cent for those aged 25 to 44 years, and fell to 4.8 per cent for those aged 45 and older.

"Among adults aged 45 years and older, men (six per cent) were more likely to use cannabis daily than women (3.6 per cent), while no gender differences were found for adults younger than 45 years," the government survey found. 

Parliament passed its Cannabis Act in 2018, after many amendments and back-and-forth between the House of Commons and the Senate. The government made it legal for licensed retailers to sell dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis oil, cannabis plants and cannabis seeds. A year later, it expanded legal sales to include cannabis extracts, edibles and topicals.

Cannabis products' potency levels vary. Different kinds of products lead to different experiences, with different onset times and lengths of of time when consumers are able to feel effects.

Statistics Canada's survey found that across all age groups, the two most commonly cited product types used in the 12 months preceding the survey were dried leaf or flower (62.1 per cent) and cannabis edibles (57.1 per cent).

Younger respondents were more likely to say that they have used vape pens and cartridges, cannabis extracts and concentrates, cannabis beverages, dried leaf or flower, and edible cannabis.

Older users, in contrast, were more likely to say that they used cannabis topicals and oral cannabis oils than were younger respondents. 

For cannabis consumers aged 25 years and older, dried leaf or flower products were used more commonly among men (70.2 per cent) than women (48.4 per cent), and edible cannabis products were more commonly used among women (62.7 per cent) than men (51.9 per cent), according to Statistics Canada.

These gender differences were not present for young adults aged 18 to 24 years, the nation's number cruncher said in its report

High taxes that flow to the federal and provincial governments have been a bugbear of the industry since the legal regime launched. In 2019, Statistics Canada's estimate was that legal cannabis cost consumers 65-per-cent more than black-market products.

That price differential provided an incentive for many to continue to buy unlicensed products.

The industry has long been lobbying for the government to alter how it levies excise taxes, because the flat-rate tax of $1 per gram is significantly higher in percentage terms than the government originally intended. The tax was meant to be approximately 10 per cent of the product price, because the expectation was that grams of cannabis would cost $10. With grams now selling for $4, the tax is often around 25 per cent. BIV has covered cannabis sector executives arguing that this tax is unfair.

"I don't think anyone ever estimated that the black market would be going away on Day 1, or even by Year 5 of legalization," Deepak Anand, a cannabis consultant and principal at ASDA Consultancy Services, told BIV in October.

"There has been a shift toward people consuming and getting access to cannabis from legal channels so I think momentum is trending in the right direction."

Indeed, this morning's survey found that among those who used cannabis in the 12 months before the survey, 71.7 per cent bought exclusively from legal sources.

The main reasons respondents cited for buying legal cannabis was product safety (38 per cent), convenience (16.9 per cent) and a desire to follow the law (12.9 per cent).



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'This tragedy has shaken me': Ottawa father of slain family thanks public for support

'This tragedy has shaken me'

The surviving father of an attack that Ottawa's mayor has called one of the city's worst cases of mass violence is thanking the public for its support.

Dhanushka Wickramasinghe released his first public statement though police after hundreds gathered at a convention centre Sunday to mourn his family.

Police found his 35-year-old wife Dharshini Ekanyake, their four children and a family friend dead inside their Barrhaven townhouse on March 6.

The father, who was taken to hospital that night with serious injuries, says he is "devastated and torn by the loss of my beloved wife" and his children — his "beautiful angels" — who ranged in age from two months old to seven years old.

Wickramasinghe says he is mourning the life of "my dear friend Gamini," who police say was staying with the family.

He is thanking first responders and hospital staff for helping him "navigate through the initial shock and chaos" that ensued following the tragedy.

The Sri Lankan man also said in the Monday statement that he's thankful for the support of the Buddhist Congress of Canada, Ottawa's Sri Lankan community and the wider public "for their thoughts and prayers."

A 19-year-old international student who was also living with the family at the time of their deaths has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Febrio De-Zoysa's lawyer said last week that the young man's family is devastated by the allegations and that due to their serious nature, he's being held in protective custody.

He is due in court on March 28.

Police have not publicly identified a motive for the alleged crimes.



More families will be allowed to apply to come to Canada from Gaza: Miller

More families from Gaza

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada will allow more people trapped in Gaza who have extended family members in Canada to apply for temporary refuge — but he admits the move is "cold comfort."

The government launched a family reunification program in January that offers temporary refuge to parents, grandparents, siblings and grandchildren of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada initially said it would only consider 1,000 applications for the program.

Miller says the government is increasing the number of people that will be eligible to come out of Gaza.

But none of those whose names have been put forward by the Canadian government have so far been able to cross the tightly controlled border.

Miller says Canada is pleading with Egypt and Israel to let those people out so they can complete their security screening in Egypt and receive a Canadian visa.

"We are indeed increasing the number of people that will be eligible to come out of Gaza. There are a number of matters that are beyond our control, notably the ability to extract people from the Rafah gate," he said.

"We will be relentless in advocating for people to reunifying with their family members in Canada, if but for a temporary basis."

As of March 4, 986 applications had been accepted into processing.

Only 12 of those people had made it out of Gaza, finished the screening process and been approved to come to Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a statement earlier this month.

Immigration lawyers and family members have warned that dozens more people are in limbo — and unclear on whether they are still eligible for the program — after making it across to Egypt by other means, including paying private companies to negotiate their exit with Israeli and Egyptian officials.



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Feds appeal decision requiring action on 'appalling' level of judicial vacancies

Feds to appeal decision

The federal government is challenging a court decision directing it to step up the pace of judicial appointments to address an "untenable" number of vacancies.

In a notice of appeal, the government says the Federal Court overstepped its constitutionally limited role and acted without jurisdiction.

In a February decision, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown said constitutional convention requires Ottawa to appoint a new judge within a reasonable time of a vacancy.

The government's notice of appeal says Brown erred by recognizing a constitutional convention that does not exist.

The notice also says the court substituted its own view on the timeliness of federal judicial appointments for that of the executive branch.

The government is asking the Federal Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment and dismiss the underlying application brought by an Ottawa human-rights lawyer.



Ottawa to release review of ArriveCan contractor’s use of Indigenous program

Ottawa to release review

The Indigenous Services department now says it will release audit summaries of how ArriveCan contractor Dalian Enterprises used a federal government procurement program aimed at supporting Indigenous businesses, after previously saying all results would be kept secret.

The department had previously said no information would be released because it was commercially sensitive.

Dalian founder David Yeo, who was suspended from the public service last month after federal ministers learned he was working as a Defence Department employee, is scheduled to appear Tuesday before a House of Commons committee.

Dalian describes itself as an aboriginally owned company, and it regularly works in joint ventures with a larger company called Coradix Technology Consulting Ltd., which does not contend to be Indigenous.

The joint ventures are usually for the purpose of qualifying for a long-standing Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB), which is a set-aside program meant to support Indigenous businesses and workers.

The two companies have been paid more than $400-million over the past decade.

Indigenous organizations have raised concerns with these types of arrangements, warning that they can promote “phantom joint ventures” where an Indigenous partner is used as a front by a non-Indigenous business to obtain a contract set-aside.

It was under this Indigenous set-aside program that Dalian was awarded a $21.2-million contract in 2019 for “informatics professional services.” That contract was later used to fund work on the ArriveCan app for international travellers, as well as another project at the Canada Border Services Agency that led to allegations of misconduct and an RCMP investigation.

Dalian received $7.9-million to work on ArriveCan, according to a recent Auditor-General’s report.

After the release of the report, the federal government suspended Dalian, Coradix and a third IT staffing company, GCStrategies, from accessing federal contract work.

The suspension of Dalian and Mr. Yeo has led to increased attention on both the set-aside program for Indigenous businesses as well as the rules related to when public servants are allowed to also work as government contractors.

The rules of the set-aside program state that participants are subject to mandatory preapproval audits and random after-the-fact audits to ensure compliance.

The initial audits are primarily focused on confirming that the Indigenous company is on an existing Indigenous Business Directory (IBD) maintained by the department.

After-the-fact audits could determine whether the company followed through on the program requirements, including ensuring that at least 33 per cent of the total value of the work is performed by the Indigenous contractor or through a combination that includes Indigenous subcontractors.

The Globe and Mail reported in December that Indigenous Services Canada has never performed an after-the-fact audit of the Dalian/Coradix joint ventures.

After receiving questions from The Globe, Indigenous Services said in December that it would conduct such audits of all Dalian and Coradix contracts under the program. But department spokesperson Anispiragas Piragasanathar originally said the results would not be made public.

In an update to The Globe sent late Friday, the department said the audits are expected to be completed this summer and the department now plans to release audit summaries. The department maintains that releasing the full audit reports would violate federal privacy laws.

“Due to the complex nature of these audits, an exact timeline for completion cannot be provided,” the department said. “A summary of the results will be made public once the audits are completed. ISC cannot, however, make public the full copies of audits as audits contain commercially sensitive information. This is the case for all PSIB audits.”

The department also said it completed an audit last month that confirmed Dalian qualifies to be registered on the Indigenous Business Directory.

“However, information attributed to Dalian Enterprises by recent media outlets appears to contradict the information provided to ISC by the company during the audit earlier this year. The federal government is therefore auditing the company again to confirm eligibility for the IBD,” the department said, adding that a summary of that review will also be made public upon completion and the company is suspended from the program until further notice.

The statement does not explain what new information led to the decision to review Dalian’s eligibility to be on the IBD.

In a detailed statement released earlier this month, Dalian defended Mr. Yeo’s decision to join the public service. Dalian said Mr. Yeo’s DND position began in September after Dalian’s work on ArriveCan was complete.

The company said Dalian set up a conflict-of-interest screen so he would not be involved in the company’s interactions with his new employer.

The statement also said that since becoming a DND employee in September, Mr. Yeo “has had no involvement in the management or operations of Dalian, and has not had access to Dalian confidential information of any kind.” It also said he has resigned as a director and officer of the company and placed his shares in a blind trust.

The company has not answered questions as to why Mr. Yeo made no mention of any of this when he appeared before a Commons committee in October as the president and founder of Dalian, the month after joining the public service, and described himself as a current director of the company.

During that October appearance, Mr. Yeo said he helped form the PSIB, which was previously called the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB), and works with federal officials with respect to the program.

“I still continue to do that today. We are completely registered and have audits very regularly,” he said, rejecting the suggestion that his company is misusing the program.

“These types of accusations don’t ring true, in my opinion,” he said.

Later in the Oct. 31 meeting, he described himself as a current member of Dalian’s board of directors.

“I am an executive on the board of directors for Dalian, and I maintain all of the governance as it relates to the PSAB and make sure that the company is absolutely in line, in step, with everything that relates to procurement and government contracting within the federal government,” he said.

Defence Department spokesperson Frédérica Dupuis said department employees and Canadian Forces members can accept federal contracts under certain conditions.

“From a contractual point and as per all of Government of Canada’s internal policies, while there is no prohibition against contracting for services with current and former employees at any level, and current and former CAF members at any rank, it is essential that the contracting be conducted honestly and prudently to withstand public scrutiny,” she said in an e-mail.

“If a contract is awarded to a Government of Canada employee or CAF member, it should not give rise to any suggestion of preferential treatment.”

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Parliament to vote on NDP motion urging Trudeau to recognize Palestinian statehood

Vote to recognize Palestine

Members of Parliament are set to vote Monday on an NDP motion calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to "officially recognize the state of Palestine."

Heather McPherson, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, said ahead of the vote that "now is the time to recognize Palestine."

She detailed the unfolding humanitarian crisis amid the Israel-Hamas war, adding that the thousands of Palestinian children who aid groups warn are starving "are not Hamas."

"The choice to refuse aid to these children is political," McPherson said.

Liberal MPs have been divided over the Israel-Hamas war and discussed the motion during a morning call ahead of debate.

Outspoken Liberal MP Salma Zahid, from the Greater Toronto Area, said in a statement that she intends to vote in favour.

But Anthony Housefather, a Liberal from Montreal, said on social media that the motion calls for a list of measures that are "hostile to Israel."

Housefather said on social media over the weekend that the motion fails to include a demand that Hamas surrender and no longer rule Gaza.

"Changing foreign policy to reward a terrorist attack. Not smart," he posted on X.

The non-binding motion also calls on the government to demand an immediate ceasefire and halt the trade of military goods with Israel.

The Bloc Québécois told the House of Commons on Monday that its MPs intend to support it.

Muslim groups spoke in support of the motion at a press conference Monday on Parliament Hill.

"When our government's policy is in support of a two-state solution, then we should vote for those motions that align with it," said Ahmad Al-Qadi, a representative National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Islamic Relief Canada representative Miranda Gallo said it was a matter of upholding the values of international law and human dignity.

"This motion should not be treated as a partisan issue or as a matter of politics, but of principle, and universal values," she said.

Israel's ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, said MPs should reject the motion.

"The one-sided recognition of a Palestinian state rewards Hamas — a listed terrorist organization by the government of Canada — for its sadistic attack on October 7th which was perpetrated with the intention of annihilating the state of Israel," he said in a statement Monday.

Trudeau has repeatedly said that Canada advocates for a two-state solution, meaning that Israel would exist alongside a Palestinian country after its borders are negotiated.

Canada's policy to support the creation of a "sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous" state has remained unchanged since the war began.

The government has not spoken to whether Canada should officially recognize Palestine as a country outside of a negotiated settlement, but some allies are considering it.

In late January, the United Kingdom said it was looking into unilateral recognition of Palestine, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying it would preserve momentum toward a two-state solution and a peaceful goal for Palestinians to work toward.

United States President Joe Biden's administration made similar comments in February, amid concern that the Israeli government was moving to block the viability of an eventual Palestinian state.

The war began when Hamas stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people, taking another 240 hostage.

Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip say Israel's military offensive in the densely populated area has killed at least 31,700 Palestinians.

The motion being debated Monday takes note of the dramatic humanitarian crisis that has ensued.

The Liberals and the NDP, which have been in a supply-and-confidence agreement since March 2022, have engaged in talks over the text of the motion. As it stands, the motion remains unamended.



MPs set to give tributes to former prime minister Brian Mulroney in House of Commons

MPs to honour Mulroney

Members of Parliament are returning to the House of Commons today, where they're expected to offer tributes to Brian Mulroney.

The former prime minister died in Florida on Feb. 29 at age 84.

His casket is being brought to Ottawa on Tuesday, where he will lie in state for two days.

Dignitaries including the Governor General and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are set to offer condolences to the Mulroney family Tuesday morning.

The casket will travel to Montreal on Wednesday afternoon and Mulroney will lie in repose at St. Patrick's Basilica, allowing the public to pay their respects.

A state funeral will be held Saturday morning at Notre Dame Basilica, with eulogies from Caroline Mulroney, Jean Charest and Wayne Gretzky.

 



Tax return software makes filing easy, but knowing when to hire a professional is key

When to get help with taxes

Imagine sitting down with a messy pile of T-slips and old receipts to file your tax return one line at a time. It sounds daunting — and a reason why even people with straightforward returns may choose to hire an accountant. 

With the advent of self-filing software, however, the majority of people are able to file their own taxes without professional guidance, or the cost that goes along with it. But the key is understanding when to recruit extra help.

"There's a lot more simplification of the process with the online platforms," says Andrea Thompson, a certified financial planner and founder of Modern Cents. "You could do it in the comfort of your own home, whenever you want and you can limit your tax-filing costs."

Self-filing taxes is about a mindset shift, Thompson says. 

"For youth growing up today, filing their taxes (themselves) might be more comfortable in an online environment because that's just how they were brought up," she said, while older generations had to make the move to e-filing from doing it by hand. 

When deciding whether to hire help or do it yourself, Thompson suggests looking at the level of complexity of your taxes. 

If it's a simple situation — a full-time employment T4 slip and perhaps registered savings contribution slips, without additional credits or deductions — online platforms can work well, she says. 

"Most people don't have a complex situation or just have maybe a couple of tax slips that they need to input into the software," she said. "Where I think people may need some guidance is in terms of which credits and deductions they may not qualify for." 

Corby Simpson, who owns a tech company, has been filing his taxes himself for the last 20 years.

The motivation was simple: "Curiosity and saving money," he recalled. He discovered an online tax filing system while working at Staples two decades ago. 

"It was $100 (to get help), and when you're a starving student, that buys X amount of packages of hotdogs and potatoes and cheese and onions." 

Every few years, he said, a new slip or expense would get added to his taxes — with changing property ownership and a growing family — and he'd educate himself on how to handle the extra component, sometimes through online forums where people had similar questions and expertise.

Websites such as TurboTax and Wealthsimple, among others, can help streamline returns. The Canada Revenue Agency has also compiled a list of free or pay-what-you-want tax software on its website. 

The deadline for most Canadians to file their taxes is April 30, while those who are self-employed can file returns by June 17 (since June 15 this year falls on a weekend).

The CRA can be a tax filer's best friend, says Brian Quinlan, a chartered professional accountant with Allay LLP. The agency not only provides a list of online sites for simple online filings but also details help through its newsletters and how-to guidance. 

"You don't think of CRA being helpful but the website is very, very robust and detailed," Quinlan said. "You can search line by line (about) what CRA is asking for, why it needs to be reported or what the source would be."

For self-filers, watch out for "lifestyle tax," says Quinlan. 

"Perhaps they've started a new business. That's a big, big tax thing," he said. "If they've had a baby; or if they've got married, separated or divorced; or someone has died in their family."

"All these things have tax implications and perhaps, complicate the filing," he added.

There may be chances of an error. But it's not a serious problem, said Quinlan.

"You can always amend a return."

Despite online resources, some people may still not be comfortable or confident enough to trust themselves with numbers, says Thompson. 

"Regardless of how simple the online software may make it, it doesn't take away people's innate confidence or anxiety about the task," she says. "Not everyone is going to become a tax preparer for themselves at the end of the day."

That's especially true with complications such as investment income, large capital gains or owning rental properties.

That's when hiring an accountant could be beneficial — bringing not only peace of mind but also knowing the job has been done right.

Besides handling returns during tax season, an accountant can advise how to manage and save on taxes. Quinlan says his firm charges anywhere between $400 and $2,000, depending on the case's complexity.

It's also about hiring the right accountant — and trusting them with your finances.

"It would be a bit of chemistry ... whether you think you can get along with them very well," Quinlan said. 

The taxpayer should have confidence in their accountant that the job will be done right — maybe get a referral from a friend or co-worker if they're happy with their accountant and make sure the returns get filed on time, he said.

Whether DIYing the taxes or getting help, the answer lies with the tax filer and their comfort level.

"You need basic math. You need some patience and you need to feel confident," said Thompson.

 



St. Patrick's Day parades in Toronto, Montreal draw hundreds for annual celebration

Parades draw hundreds

Seas of green surged through downtown streets in Montreal and Toronto on Sunday as thousands turned out to mark St. Patrick's Day with a pair of major parades celebrating the occasion and the Irish culture behind it. 

While flurries fell on Toronto's downtown core, throngs of people lined the route for the city’s annual parade to take in more than 100 attractions. Aside from Celtic staples like bagpipes, the festivities also included more diverse elements such as Mexican folklore dancers and a Ukrainian marching band. Former Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke served as the event's Grand Marshal.

David O’Keefe and his one-year-old son Noah were among the marchers, representing the Toronto Gaelic Athletic Association which oversees adult and youth football, hurling and camogie in the Greater Toronto Area.

“The football community here is like a second home for newcomers [from Ireland]. It’s where you meet most of your mates and find work,” said O’Keefe, decked out in a green-and-white-striped soccer kit, who immigrated to Toronto from Ireland in 2012.

“(St. Patrick’s Day is) the biggest day of the year. Being an Irishman abroad, it’s extra special marching down the streets of Toronto. ... It’s great for the kids too." 

"We’re trying to show this little lad his Irish roots in Toronto,” the 37-year-old said of Noah, who had two mini Irish flags poking out of his hooded jacket.

Sean Traynor, 68, said he’s been attending the event marking the annual celebration of Ireland's patron saint and Irish culture since immigrating to Toronto from Belfast, Ireland, in 1981.

“St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and they’ve been fighting ever since,” Traynor said with a chuckle about the day’s significance. “But mostly it’s an excuse to drink. A big excuse for some people.”

In Montreal, St. Patrick's green penetrated the grey skies as thousands lined De Maisonneuve Boulevard, with the rain holding off until the event wrapped up.

It was the 199th edition of the Montreal parade, which organizers describe as the longest-running such event in Canada. Organized by the United Irish Societies of Montreal, the three-hour event included just under 100 groups and more than 2,500 participants.

Phil Hayden's ancestors hail from Ireland, so he and his relatives came out to celebrate their heritage. But Hayden said the event's diversity is nice to see. 

"It's a gathering of all people, no matter what religion, colour, social beliefs or politics, whatever," said Hayden of Mont-Tremblant, Que. "Everybody is here for the same reason — it's a grand celebration, it's very nice to see all the people, happy faces."

Alex Forrest attended Sunday's event with his two children and granddaughter, who have Irish ancestry through their mother. They were getting the family tradition going again this year. 

"Since COVID, it's been a minute, but we're happy to get back to it and we're enjoying ourselves today," Forrest said of the popular event.

"Everybody looks forward to going, whether you're Irish or you're not, it's a celebration because it's a part of Quebec and it's as simple as that."

While the St. Patrick's Day holiday falls on March 17, major celebrations in many locales shifted to other days this year. 

The United States' largest St. Patrick's Day parades, including one in New York City, took place on Saturday. The march through Manhattan dates to 1762 and is one of the world’s largest Irish heritage festivities.

In Canada, meanwhile, residents of Newfoundland and Labrador will mark the occasion on Monday with a public holiday. 



Sri Lankan family slain in Ottawa remembered at public funeral service

Slain family remembered

Dozens of mourners are at an Ottawa convention centre this afternoon for the funeral honouring members of a Sri Lankan family who were victims of a mass killing earlier this month.

More than 100 people gathered at the city's Infinity Convention Centre for a multi-faith service that began at 1 p.m.

Six people, including four children, were found dead on March 6 inside a townhouse in Ottawa's south-end Barrhaven suburb.

The victims included 35-year-old Darshani Ekanayake and her four children, who ranged in age from two months to seven years old, as well as a family friend.

Her husband and the kids' father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was taken to hospital with injuries to his hands and face.

Funeral organizers said on Friday that he has requested privacy to mourn the loss of his family, but is thankful for the outpouring of public support since his relatives died.

The family were Sri Lankan newcomers to Canada, and one of the victims — a less-than-three-month-old baby — was born the country.

Police arrested a 19-year-old Sri Lankan man on the evening of the attack and charged him with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Police said Febrio De-Zoysa was an international student who had been living with the family at the time of their deaths.

De-Zoysa's lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, said his client is being held in protective custody and his family is "obviously very upset" about the allegations.



Police arrest two at protest that delayed Trudeau event, including Rebel News host

Two arrested at PM protest

Toronto Police say they arrested two people at a pro-Palestinian protest that took place outside an event featuring the prime minister, and those facing charges include a reporter for online media outlet Rebel News.

Police say two men were arrested Friday at the rally outside the King Edward Hotel, where Justin Trudeau appeared as the guest of honour at a Liberal Party fundraiser.

Protest organizers issued a statement ahead of the event saying the demonstration was meant to send a message to the Liberal Party of Canada that it could not proceed with "business as usual" amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Police say one man was charged with mischief damage to property, while another they identified as David Menzies was charged with obstructing a peace officer and breaching a peace bond.

Both Rebel News and Menzies later issued statements on X, formerly Twitter, confirming his arrest and saying it came about as he was trying to interview demonstrators on camera. A video posted by the outlet shows the commentator being taken away by police after attempting to interview some protesters.

Menzies has been arrested multiple times in interactions with both Liberal and Conservative politicians, most recently in January outside a Richmond Hill, Ont., event involving Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. An RCMP officer providing security for the minister made the arrest while Menzies was trying to ask questions, and York Regional Police later said he was released unconditionally after it was determined there was no credible security threat.

In an email sent Saturday evening, Menzies compared the most recent arrest to his encounter with RCMP at the Freeland event and described both as "illegal."

"I was peacefully doing public interest journalism in a public place when police suddenly grabbed me, arrested me and took me to jail where they held me for more than four hours," he wrote.

He said he's consulting with lawyers to decide whether to pursue legal action against Toronto Police.



Furless raccoon, dubbed 'Rufus', rescued and given refuge in Nova Scotia shelter

Furless raccoon rescued

A rare bald raccoon is in the care of a Nova Scotia shelter, where staff hope she'll grow her fur coat – including a bandit-like, black streak across her eyes.

Hope Swinimer, the director of Hope for Wildlife, says the furless mammal has been named Rufus after a naked, squeaky mole-rat character in the children's television show "Kim Possible."

It turned out after closer examination Rufus is in fact female, but the name has remained as the pink-hued raccoon is proving to have an entertaining character in keeping with her cartoon namesake. 

A couple in West Arichat discovered the shivering, three-kilogram female in their backyard last week and brought her to a Cape Breton veterinary clinic, where she received fluids before being sent to the wildlife shelter in Seaforth, N.S.

Swinimer says skin tests have determined Rufus's lack of fur — a condition she refers to as alopecia — may be a genetic condition rather than the result of parasites or other causes.

The shelter director says that with good food and living conditions, the hope is for Rufus to gradually grow back her fur and be released back into the wild.

If that proves impossible, however, she says the shelter may provide Rufus with an enclosed, outdoor habitat with her own hut.

In the meantime, the raccoon has gone from being "down and out upon arrival" to showing her dexterity by carefully removing plastic duct covers and scurrying through the ductwork in the building.

"We were panicking for a few short hours ... but she got hungry and came out. She's getting quite feisty and we've seen a big improvement since she first arrived," said the shelter director.

Swinimer has been providing care to injured or ailing wildlife for over 30 years and says while she's seen earlier cases of alopecia in raccoons, Rufus is the most extreme example.

She said in the past when raccoons have lacked hair, they at least had their distinctive facial patterns across the eyes, but Rufus is even bald in that area. 

"It's just tufts of fur around the snout, ankles and feet. This is a severe case," said Swinimer.

The case highlights the crucial nature of fur and feathers to wild animals, she explained. 

"If they don't have that nice fur coat, they won't survive. If compromised, they'll succumb to frostbite."

Several of the animals who have become permanent residents of the shelter, which currently has 250 occupants, have had special habitat created for them.

That includes a 10-metre long space with a view of the ocean for Edward the bald eagle, who after surgery never regained the ability to fly more than a short distance. There is also a visually impaired fox  who lives in a small, outdoor enclosure. 

If Rufus moves in permanently, her outdoor home will include trees, mulch and a space to crawl into and keep warm, said Swinimer. 

"It will include fun things she wouldn't have in the wild, such as hammocks and nesting boxes," she added.

Swinimer said there are many things that can be learned from such cases. For example, if Rufus's fur does grow back, that could mean there is something in the environment causing the loss that could be investigated.

And for those who wonder why her centre would assist an injured or sick animal that's not an endangered species, the shelter director said her policy is not to discriminate.

Most of the animals who come to the shelter have been injured by humans, and the staff provide care regardless of whether they are rare species. 

"We do so much damage to our natural world it's good to be able to give back and do whatever we can, for whatever the reason," Swinimer said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2024.



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