Bad political blood played into Ottawa’s 'Freedom Convoy' response, inquiry hears
Bad political blood appears to have been running hot through the crisis response to the "Freedom Convoy" that gridlocked Canada's capital city, the testimony of the city's former police board chair revealed Wednesday.
And new evidence suggests that police forces were planning ahead for a weeks-long event even as Ottawa's then-chief of police privately speculated that they'd be gone after a couple of days.
B.C. RCMP officer, 31, who worked with homeless, 'died bravely': commissioner
An RCMP mental health and homeless outreach officer stabbed to death in Burnaby, B.C., "died bravely," her superior said.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said 31-year-old Const. Shaelyn Yang had been a police officer since December 2019.
McDonald said Yang was stabbed during “an altercation” while she partnered with a city employee officer at a homeless camp site around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
She was pronounced dead at hospital.
A suspect was shot and seriously injured and remains in hospital, he said during an emotional news conference.
Inflation rate drops slightly to 6.9% in September even as food costs climb
Canada's annual inflation rate dropped slightly to 6.9 per cent in September but the cost of groceries continues to climb.
In its latest consumer price index report, Statistics Canada said the slight deceleration from 7.0 per cent inflation in August is mostly attributed to lower gas prices, which fell by 7.4 per cent in September.
Meanwhile, grocery prices rose at the fastest rate since August 1981, with prices up 11.4 per cent compared with a year ago.
Statistics Canada said food prices have outstripped the overall inflation rate for 10 consecutive months.
Police mourn death of RCMP constable fatally stabbed in Burnaby, B.C.
Mounties are mourning one of their own after an RCMP officer was fatally stabbed at a homeless campsite in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says the death Tuesday of Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31, will be felt by her colleagues who say goodbye to their loved ones each day when they go to work to serve their communities.
Police say Yang was partnered with a city employee when an altercation broke out at a campsite and she was fatally stabbed.
A suspect, who was shot and seriously injured, was being treated in hospital.
Governments weren't always working in tandem during 'Freedom Convoy': Trudeau
Different levels of government involved in trying to bring an end to the mass demonstrations in Ottawa and several border crossings last winter were not always on the same page, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Wednesday.
But he says the important thing is that, in the end, there was unity between the city, the province and the federal government, including over the decision to invoke the federal Emergencies Act in mid-February to bring an end to the weeks-long events.
B.C.'s Sunshine Coast declares state of emergency over drought
A British Columbia community has declared a state of local emergency as a drought drags on and the area risks running out of drinking water.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District, the District of Sechelt and the shíshálh Nation issued the declaration Monday, saying the first order affects non-essential commercial uses of water, including for swimming pools, breweries and concrete, asphalt and gravel businesses.
Ottawa mayor, top officials testifying at Emergencies Act inquiry
The inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act will hear first-hand testimony Monday from top City of Ottawa officials about February's "Freedom Convoy" protest, including the mayor.
Outgoing mayor Jim Watson, his chief of staff and the city’s manager are expected to detail for the commission the efforts they took to peacefully end protests in Ottawa.
Defence chief calls on Canadians to rally behind military during personnel crisis
The commander of the Canadian Armed Forces is calling on the country to rally behind its military as it faces an unprecedented personnel crisis that he says is threatening its ability to protect and defend Canada.
“We’re here to defend our way of life, now and into the future,” chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said. “So we need a whole-of-society effort to help us bring the Armed Forces back to where it needs to be for the dangerous world ahead.”
Business groups, city officials among first witnesses before Emergencies Act inquiry
The inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act is expected to hear first-hand testimony about the impact February's "Freedom Convoy" protest had on the people and businesses in downtown Ottawa.
The first six witnesses are expected to give their testimony Friday.
- Ottawa lawyer Victoria De La Ronde is the first witness on the list.
-- Zexi Li is the 21-year-old public servant who filed a class-action lawsuit against Freedom Convoy organizers and participants on behalf of her fellow downtown Ottawa residents.
'Words cannot describe our grief': 2 officers killed in Ontario shooting identified
An officer who worked with outreach and mental health teams and a veteran constable who was a trained crisis negotiator were identified Wednesday as the two police officers who died after a shooting in Innisfil, Ont. – an event that left residents of the quiet community in shock.
The South Simcoe Police Service said the officers had responded to a disturbance at a home in the town north of Toronto around 8 p.m. Tuesday when the shooting took place.