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In the news today: Trudeau at G20 in New Delhi, “Freedom Convoy” trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Trudeau suggests he would raise issue of foreign interference with India’s PM ModiPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to New Delhi for the G20 leaders’ summit, hoping to meet with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Trudeau has suggested that if he does end up meeting Modi, he will bring up the issue of foreign interference in Canada.The Liberal government has asked a Quebec judge to lead an inquiry into allegations of meddling by China, Russia and other foreign states and non-state actors.Trudeau’s national security adviser Jody Thomas said earlier this year that India, a democratic country, was among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada.‘Freedom Convoy’ Facebook evidence to be debatedDay four of the criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is set to focus on w...

Police search huge London park for terrorism suspect who escaped from prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British police scoured a huge London park on Friday for an ex-soldier who escaped from prison while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.The Metropolitan Police confirmed the search of Richmond Park in the city’s southwest, which involved two helicopters and officers on the ground, was connected to the hunt for Daniel Abed Khalife. The 21-year-old slipped out of Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning while working in the kitchen, apparently by clinging to the underside of a food-delivery truck, police said.Khalife is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britain’s Official Secrets Act by gathering information “that could be useful to an enemy.”He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. His trial is set for November.His escape has prompted extra security checks at airports and the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France. But activity focused on Richmond Park,...

Egoyan’s TIFF film ‘Seven Veils’ set for unique premiere with Canadian Opera Company

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

TORONTO — Director Atom Egoyan is set to premiere his film “Seven Veils” tonight, in a unique collaboration with the Canadian Opera Company and the Toronto International Film Festival.The special “avant-premiere” will take place at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, with the official TIFF screening taking place Sunday at the Princess of Wales Theatre.“Seven Veils,” starring Amanda Seyfried, tells the story of a theatre director whose world unwinds as she reworks a production of “Salome” after the death of her mentor, who was previously in charge.Egoyan directed “Salome” for the Canadian Opera Company in 1996. It depicts the beheading of John the Baptist at the behest of Jewish princess Salome.Egoyan has said the work carries deeply personal themes about concealed wounds, which have also been a staple in several of his early works.However, Seyfried won’t be walking the red carpet due to an ongoing strike by mem...

Red carpet revelry dimmed at TIFF, but movie buffs unfazed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival is kicking off its second day following an opening night that saw sparse red carpet crowds amid a Hollywood strike preventing many celebrities from attending publicity events.Yet film buffs were undeterred by the lack of star power, instead choosing to use this year’s festival to celebrate the art of cinema and industry workers.Oakville, Ont., resident Dean Dobono said he waited in line for more than seven hours to see opening night film “The Boy and the Heron.”Kuuku Quagraine, another animation fan in line to see Hayao Miyazaki’s much-anticipated new film, said he wanted to celebrate people who love and make movies, not just celebs.Still, celebrities have traditionally been a huge draw at TIFF, and several buzzy world premieres tonight are not expected to have any screen stars walking the red carpet.That includes Wall Street scandal comedy “Dumb Money” with Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson and Shailene W...

‘Freedom Convoy’ lawyers to argue admissibility of Facebook evidence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

OTTAWA — Day four of the criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is set to focus on whether Facebook content should be entered into evidence.Lich and Barber helped to bring a convoy of large trucks and other vehicles to Ottawa last year, remaining for a three-week, chaotic protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government. The two are co-accused of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing the police. The Crown says getting the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page accepted as evidence in the trial is the first step toward proving the two organizers conspired together, and that evidence against one should apply to both.Lich’s lawyer, Eric Granger, says the Crown is trying to put 212 pages of Facebook evidence to the court, including posts that haven’t been made by Barber or by Lich.He says this is not the trial of the “Freedom Convoy,” and the evidence ...

B.C.’s Cantonese speakers fight to preserve language amid uncertainty in Hong Kong

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

You wouldn’t know that Cantonese is under threat, judging from the food court of the Parker Place shopping mall in Richmond, B.C., the most ethnically Chinese city in the world outside Asia.All around, tables of diners young and old meet to “chui sui” — literally, to “blow water,” or gossip — in the language that originated in southern China and Hong Kong.Charles Chan, who immigrated to British Columbia from Hong Kong 40 years ago, said he raised his children to speak Cantonese at home.“You better let your children learn Cantonese to help them be more competitive in the job market,” said Chan as he waited for his wife to buy dumplings. He said he was confident about the language’s future. But some Metro Vancouver Cantonese speakers say its fate is uncertain in its homeland, and overseas communities play a vital role in its preservation.The concerns come after the shutdown of an online group promoting Cantonese in late August, after authorities in ...

Pierre Poilievre to deliver first speech as leader to Conservative convention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

QUEBEC — Conservatives gathered for the federal party’s national policy convention in Quebec City today will hear not only from their leader later, but from a man who at one time wanted that job himself.The must-see event of the day for the more than 2,000 Conservatives who travelled to Quebec City will be tonight’s speech by leader Pierre Poilievre.The convention comes almost one year exactly since he scored a resounding first-ballot victory in the leadership race and it is the first time he will address a policy convention as the party’s head.Poilievre will take the stage as recent polls show the Conservatives with a considerable lead over the governing Liberals, lifting the spirits of party members clamouring for a return to power after being shut out for nearly eight years. Before Poilievre, the delegates will hear from former cabinet minister Peter MacKay.MacKay skipped the virtual policy convention in 2021 following his defeat in the 2020 leadership race and ...

Statistics Canada to release August jobs data this morning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

OTTAWA — Canadians will get a read on the health of the jobs market this morning as Statistics Canada gears up to release the August Labour Force Survey. The jobs market has been showing signs of softening in recent months, with the unemployment rate climbing to 5.5 per cent as of July, marking the third straight monthly increase. The labour market stalled in July, according to the reporting agency, but wage growth has continued to be strong — a point of contention for the Bank of Canada as it tries to wrestle inflation back to its two per cent target. Average hourly wages accelerated to five per cent in July. On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada decided to maintain its overnight rate at five per cent, influenced by signs that the economy is weakening. Last week, Statistics Canada reported the domestic economy contracted in the second quarter, taking many economists by surprise. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.The Canadian Press

Home sick: How hybrid workplaces and employees can navigate flu season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

While many workplaces have shifted to hybrid setups coming out of the pandemic, employment experts say workers should be cautious about using that added flexibility to work from home when feeling sick.It’s a situation that some observers of remote work trends predict could become more prevalent as companies increasingly make their hybrid arrangements permanent.“There is a bit of a return to … people’s comfort level with doing things while not feeling 100 per cent, but that’s not everybody by any means,” said John Trougakos, a University of Toronto professor of organizational behaviour and human resources management.With a current uptick in COVID-19 cases in Canada linked to two new variants, along with the usual cold and flu season, employment lawyer Brittany Taylor said it’s crucial that both employers and employees take the time now to consider how to handle sick days.“I’m expecting as we get into the fall these issues are goin...

Grocery store workforce stands to benefit from gains made by Unifor with Metro strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:40 GMT

As Metro workers at 27 Toronto-area grocery stores return to work after a month-long strike, experts and union representatives say their new collective agreement raises the bar for grocery store workers across the country.“It’s the workers’ time to be recognized for what they’ve given to these companies,” said Kim Novak, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Local 1518 in British Columbia. More than 3,700 Metro workers went on strike at the end of July after rejecting their first tentative agreement, fighting for better pay. On Aug. 31, they voted ‘yes’ on a second agreement, which included front-loaded wage gains beginning with a $1.50 hike.The Unifor-Metro deal helps set a floor for future agreements, though they won’t be identical, said Stephanie Ross, an associate professor in the school of labour studies at McMaster University. “They’re going to … these next tables with a victory in their pocket,” she said.Unifor has made it cl...