Canada column for
Sunday, Jan. 28/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
The Ontario
Conservative party has been thrown into disarray after leader Patrick Brown
abruptly resigned over sexual misconduct claims by two unidentified women.
Brown, 39, a
bachelor, denies being involved in inappropriate actions with the young women
about 10 years ago.
In his fall from
power, Brown says he will remain a politician for Simcoe North as he fights the
accusations.
The bombshell comes
just months before Brown was to lead his party into the June 7 provincial
election as a favorite against the ruling Liberals and New Democrats.
The Conservatives appointed
finance critic Vic Fedeli to be interim leader while naming Brown’s successor will
be done by March 31.
Fedeli suggested
that Brown take a leave of absence to defend himself, adding that he “believes
the women.”
Meanwhile, Kent Hehr
has resigned from the federal cabinet as sport and disabilities minister
after being accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks while a
provincial politician a decade ago.
“Harassment of any
kind is unacceptable and Canadians have a right to live and work in environments
free from harassment,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
---
Toronto police now
say the deaths of billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife Honey in their home
was a targeted double murder.
Police earlier
called their deaths “suspicious” after autopsies showed they died of
strangulation on Dec. 15.
Sherman was the
founder of generic drug manufacturing company Apotex Inc. and had a net worth
of $4.77 billion.
Detective-Sergeant Susan Gomes said homicide
is their conclusion after six weeks of collecting evidence and the search is on
for their killers.
The Sherman family has
hired private investigators and a lawyer to help with the case.
---
News in brief:
- Canadian Super
Bowl television viewers will still be able to watch U.S. feeds and advertisements
during the big game. Bell Canada, owner of CTV and the Sports Network (TSN),
was unable to block the 2015 ruling by the Canadian broadcast regulator that
banned the substitution of Canadian TV feeds and ads. The Supreme Court did
grant Bell’s request to appeal the ruling.
- Canada’s annual
pace of inflation slowed to 1.9 percent last month largely as the price of
gasoline eased. Statistics Canada said that excluding gasoline, prices were 1.5
percent higher as compared with a year earlier and matched the increase in
November.
- There is an
indication the Canadian government will give financial help to the newspaper
industry in the budget to be announced in late March. Prime Minister Trudeau
said he is concerned about the financial crisis facing media in Canada and
dealing with the challenge of the digital age.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar has advanced to 81.22
cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.231 in Canadian funds before
exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is
steady at 1.25 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.45 percent.
Stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index down at 16,239 points while the TSX Venture index is up at 890 points.
The average price for gas in Canada has risen to
$1.208 a liter or $4.59 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Jan. 24) 9, 20, 21, 28, 34 and 35; bonus 33.
(Jan. 20) 6, 10, 14, 27, 30 and 40; bonus 5. Lotto Max: (Jan. 19) 9, 18, 25, 30,
39, 40 and 43; bonus 5.
---
Regional briefs:
- Nova Scotia’s
Opposition leader Jamie Baillie has been forced to resign over sexual
harassment allegations. An investigation found the Conservative politician
acted inappropriately and breached the legislature’s policy on workplace
harassment. Premier Stephen McNeil said people need to “feel safe in their
place of work” while New Democratic Party Leader Gary Burrill said such behavior
is “no longer part of the accepted landscape.”
- A cyberattack
that originated in North Korea targeted Ontario transit agency Metrolinx.
Officials said no personal information was compromised and systems that operate
its trains and buses were not affected. Metrolinx manages transportation
services for the Toronto and Hamilton area.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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