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Metro asks Labour Ministry for help reaching deal with striking GTA workers, Unifor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

TORONTO — Metro Inc. says it’s asked a conciliation officer to step in and help it find a resolution to a strike by grocery store workers in Toronto.The move comes two and a half weeks in to the job action by Metro workers represented by Unifor at 27 stores across the Greater Toronto Area. Around 3,700 workers rejected a tentative agreement near the end of July and have been on strike ever since. On Tuesday, Metro said Unifor had refused a recent request for the bargaining committees to meet again.However, the union responded that it was waiting for an acceptable offer from the grocer. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, either a union or an employer can apply to have a conciliation officer appointed to help them reach a collective agreement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:MRU)The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan vice-chief David Pratt running for Assembly of First Nations leadership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

OTTAWA — David Pratt is the first person to announce his intention to run to be the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.Pratt currently serves as a vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, an organization representing 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan.His platform focuses on unity and inclusion, reconciliation and rights, economic empowerment and environmental stewardship. The upcoming election comes after the dramatic ouster of former national chief Roseanne Archibald, who was voted out after colleagues alleged she created a toxic work environment, and who has continued to deny the allegations. Pratt says the AFN is at a “critical juncture” and the election is about restoring and rebuilding the national organization.The election is set to take place during a special assembly in December.This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 17, 2023.The Canadian Press

Energy and base metal stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in energy and base metal stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets edged lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 19.97 points at 19,919.04.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 3.85 points at 34,761.89. The S&P 500 index was down 2.69 points at 4,401.64, while the Nasdaq composite was down 58.45 points at 13,416.18.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.99 cents US compared with 73.98 cents US on Wednesday.The October crude contract was up US$1.44 at US$80.46 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was up six cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down US$3.30 at US$1,925.00 an ounce and the September copper contract was up four cents at US$3.70 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Quebec woman sentenced to 22 years for sending poisoned letter to Donald Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

A Quebec woman has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison after sending a poison-laced letter to former president Donald Trump.Pascale Ferrier, 56, agreed to the sentence as part of a plea agreement back in January, but D.C. district court Judge Dabney Friedrich didn’t sign off until today.The French-born Ferrier pleaded guilty to a total of nine biological weapons charges, each of which carries a potential maximum sentence of life in prison.She was arrested at the Canada-U.S. border in September 2020 and charged with sending Trump a threatening letter laced with the homemade poison ricin.The letter, intercepted two months before the 2020 presidential election, described Trump as an “ugly tyrant clown” and urged him to give up the race.Eight of the nine charges are tied to an indictment in Texas, where Ferrier was accused of sending similar letters to police and prison officials.

Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Women lose value if men can see their uncovered faces in public, a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday, adding that religious scholars in the country agree that a woman must keep her face covered when outside the home.The Taliban, who took over the country in August of 2021, has cited the failure of women to observe the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, as a reason for barring them from most public spaces, including parks, jobs and university.Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif, the spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that if women’s faces are visible in public there is a possibility of fitna, or falling into sin.“It is very bad to see women (without hijab) in some areas (big cities) and our scholars also agree that women’s faces should be hidden,” Akif said. “It’s not that her face will be harmed or damaged. A woman has her own va...

Progress toward parity for women on movie screens has stalled, report finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study on inclusion in film shows just how much of a rarity “Barbie” is. For every woman as a speaking character in the most popular films of 2022, there were more than two men, according to report by University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.The USC report, published Thursday, found that 34.6% of speaking parts were female in the top 100 box-office hits of last year. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has been annually tracking that and many other metrics since 2007.And in its first such study in three years, USC researchers found that in many areas, progress toward parity on screen has stalled since the pandemic — and in some respects hasn’t changed all that much since 14 years ago. In 2019, 34% of speaking characters were female. In 2008, it was 32.8%.“It is clear that the entertainment industry has little desire or motivation to improve casting processes in a way that creates meaningful change for girls and women,” said S...

Teen, 15, critical after shooting in Palatine: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. -- A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition after a shooting in Unincorporated Palatine early Thursday morning. Palatine police said officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1700 block of East Clear Creek Bay around 5:19 a.m. and found several shell casings but no injured individuals. 87-year-old woman dies after striking 2 trees in suburbs A few minutes later officers responded to the 1200 block of Long Valley Drive and found a 15-year-old boy with gunshot wound to his upper body. He was transported to a hopsital in critical condition.There was no additional information provided and the incident is still under investigation.If any information is recovered on the incident, call Palatine police at 847-359-9000.

Over 1,000 former Northwestern athletes defend athletics culture at school in letter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A collection of former Northwestern athletes are showing their support for the culture around the school's athletics program after a host of controversies this summer. In a letter signed by over 1,000 Wildcats alumni who played a variety of sports in their time in Evanston, the group "strongly affirms" the positive experience they had at the school and that they would "do it all over again." The letter does condemn hazing of all kinds but believes it doesn't "represent or define the overall athletics culture at Northwestern.""For those who contributed to Northwestern’s athletic history on the fields and courts of intercollegiate competition, the pain is acute — and we all share the anger, sadness, and frustration," said former women's tennis player Alexis Prousis in a news release that accompanied the letter. "We condemn hazing of any kind and support the victims during their time of healing and recovery. What we must remember throughout this difficult time is that ...

Illinois Lotto jackpot climbs again for Thursday's drawing: $21.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

ILLINOIS — Thursday's Illinois Lotto jackpot will offer players a chance at the largest Lotto jackpot of the year, and the second largest in nearly five years.$21.5 million is up for grabs and all you have to do is match six numbers, selected from a total of 50. Sounds easy right? Well the odds of making the match are 1 in 15,890,700. It's the reason the jackpot has not been won since Oct. 17, 2022. Britney Spears’ husband files for divorce, source says While it's the biggest potential Lotto prize since a $22.5 million jackpot was won in Dec. 2018, Thursday’s top prize still falls well shy of the all-time record. That title goes to a 1989 drawing where four people each bought a winning ticket and split a $69.9 million payout.Lotto is an Illinois-only game that is played three times a week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Lotto can be played for $2 per line, and tickets can be purchased in-store, online, or on the Illinois Lottery’s mobile app.

87-year-old woman dies after striking 2 trees in suburbs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:24 GMT

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — An elderly woman died Wednesday afternoon after striking two trees in the Northwest suburbs.At around 12:45 p.m., officers responded to the 100 block of Waterview Court, in Lake Barrington, on the report of a single-vehicle crash.An 87-year-old woman, of Lake Barrington, accelerated and drove off the roadway into a yard, police said.Her Nissan struck a garbage can and a small tree before striking a larger tree. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.Traffic crash investigators are investigating if the woman unintentionally pressed the gas pedal, instead of the brake pedal, causing her to lose control.