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Quebec, Inuit to reopen self-government negotiations in new year

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

MONTREAL — The Quebec government and the organization that officially represents Inuit in the province are reopening negotiations around self-government for the province’s Far North.Pita Aatami, president of the Makivik Corporation, which represents Quebec’s Inuit in their dealings with the federal and provincial governments, says self-government is something his people have been dreaming of for 55 years.Several rounds of negotiations between Quebec and the Inuit have taken place since the 1990s, and most recently a proposed self-government agreement was rejected by Inuit voters in a 2011 referendum.Quebec Premier François Legault says he understands the desire for more autonomy, adding that the negotiations will take place on a nation-to-nation basis.The vast majority of Nunavik, the largely Inuit region of Quebec north of the 55th parallel, is in the territory of the Kativik Regional Government, which provides municipal-level services but is under the jurisdiction of t...

Woman, 72, uses shovel to chase naked intruder from her Vancouver home, police say

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

VANCOUVER — Police say a 72-year-old woman used a shovel to chase a combative and naked man from her Vancouver home on Tuesday night. Vancouver police say in a statement the man entered the home by smashing a window with a pointed metal rod.They say the woman, who lives alone in the home, got out of bed, grabbed a shovel and chased the man from her house as he swung the rod at her.Police say the woman then cornered the suspect in his vehicle until police arrived.They say neighbours called 911 and officers responded to the scene.Police say the man has been charged and remains in custody. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

TTC says no fare increase in $2.6B budget for 2024

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

The TTC has approved a $2.6 billion budget for 2024 that includes increased service levels but no fare increases.After raising the cost of Presto and cash fares by 10 cents a year ago, the transit agency says it is freezing fares in 2024 “in recognition of the impact current economic conditions have on its customers.”The 2024 budget represents a 7.5 per cent increase over 2023.The TTC says it expects to increase Wheel-Trans service hours to meet increasing demand while at the same time, it expects to see service levels increase to 97 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels by next September due to “increasing demand growth and increasing congestion on mixed-trafficcorridors.”“TTC customers are coming back quicker than we expected, and this budget allows us to meet their needs for the next year,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “This budget balances our need to deliver safe and reliable service while addressing the increased operating costs associated w...

BlackBerry reports loss in Q3, revenue up as it begins work to split business

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

BlackBerry Ltd. lost US$21 million in its third quarter, which it spent working to split up its business.The Waterloo, Ont.-based software company, which reports its earnings in U.S. dollars, says the loss for the period ended Nov. 30 compared with a net loss of US$4 million a year earlier.The loss amounted to five cents per diluted share compared with a loss of nine cents per basic share a year prior.Financial markets data firm Refinitiv says analysts had expected the company to post a loss of five cents per basic share.BlackBerry says its revenue for the third quarter was US$175 million, compared to US$169 million a year earlier. Earlier this month, BlackBerry called off plans for an initial public offering of its Internet of Things business, but said it still plans to split that segment of the company from its cybersecurity division.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)The Canadian Press

Toyota recalling nearly 100,000 vehicles in Canada due to airbag safety issue

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

Toyota is conducting a safety recall involving certain 2020 and 2022 model-year Toyota and Lexus vehicles, affecting nearly 100,000 cars in Canada. The vehicles being recalled have what Toyota referred to as Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the passenger seat that could have been improperly manufactured, causing a short circuit and impacting the airbag function.Toyota says the airbag may not deploy as designed in certain crashes, increasing the risk of injury.The models slated to be recalled include the Toyota Avalon and Avalon Hybrid (2020 and 2021), Camry and Camry Hybrid (2020-2022), Corolla (2020 and 2021), Highland and Highlander Hybrid (2020 and 2021), RAV 4 and RAV 4 Hybrid (2020 and 2021), and the Sienna Hybrid (2021).The Lexus models include the ES250 (2021), ES300H (2020-2022), ES350 (2020 and 2021), RX350 (2020 and 2021), and the RX450H (2020 and 2021). Toyota and Lexus dealers will inspect the OCS sensors and, if necessary, replace them at no cost to owner...

Linamar to buy agriculture equipment manufacturer Bourgault Industries in $640M deal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

GUELPH, Ont. — Linamar Corp. says it’s reached an agreement to acquire Bourgault Industries Ltd. in a deal worth $640 million. The Guelph-based company says Bourgault is a world-class agriculture equipment manufacturer. Linamar says Bourgault will become part of its new agriculture division within its wider industrial segment. Linamar CEO and executive chair Linda Hasenfratz says the acquisition offers “tremendous opportunity” for her company to diversify and grow its agriculture platform. COO and president Jim Jarrell says Bourgault is Linamar’s third strategic acquisition of 2023 and will help it better serve the core Western Canadian and U.S. Midwest farm base. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:LNR)The Canadian Press

Movie Review: Ghosts and longing and love in ‘All of Us Strangers’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

Andrew Scott plays a writer trying to write something about his dead parents in Andrew Haigh’s transcendent drama “All of Us Strangers.” His parents’ death is not recent – they died when he was 12. Not that one ever really gets over that kind of loss. But we meet Adam at a moment where he is not just thinking about them but visiting them in his childhood home, where they are preparing for Christmas. Just in case it wasn’t sad enough already.“All of Us Strangers” will probably make you cry. Maybe even weep. And while there are some twists along the way, it never feels emotionally manipulative or unearned. In fact, it’s a rather authentic and cathartic experience — a deeply felt journey of acceptance, love and forgiveness.The most calculated flex of the movie is actually just in casting Scott, also known as “the hot priest” from “Fleabag,” opposite Paul Mescal, “the hot guy from ‘Normal People’” (and the sad, but still hot, dad from “Aftersun”). It’s the kind of pairing that seems des...

Tennessee judge pushes off issuing ruling in Ja Morant lawsuit

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge on Wednesday said she won’t immediately hand down a ruling on whether Ja Morant’s legal team successfully argued that the NBA star is immune from being sued by a teenager he punched during a pickup game in 2022.According to The Commercial Appeal, Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney said she needs more time due to the lack of case precedent surrounding the lawsuit.“Everybody was hoping for a big decision, or finality, or something like that,” Chumney said. “These are important legal issues.”Wednesday’s court session was a continuation of a hearing that began Dec. 11. The hearing centered on Morant’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit under Tennessee’s so-called ground law. The NBA player’s lawyers argue Morant is immune from liability under the law, which allows people who feel threatened at their homes to act with force in certain situations. The law is used in criminal cases, but Chumney’s ruling last mont...

Regulator denied Trans Mountain variance request due to pipeline safety concerns

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

CALGARY — The Canada Energy Regulator has released its reasons for refusing a request by Trans Mountain Corp. for a pipeline variance.The Crown corporation had applied in October for permission to use a different diameter, wall thickness and coating for a 2.3-kilometre stretch of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project currently under construction in B.C.The company said at the time it had run into challenges drilling through hard rock in the area, and warned of a possible 60-day delay in the completion of the project if it isn’t granted a variance.But the regulator denied that request earlier this month.On Thursday, it provided its reasons for doing so, saying it has serious concerns about material quality and pipeline integrity if Trans Mountain goes ahead with a variance.Last week, Trans Mountain asked the regulator to reconsider, saying the company now believes its construction challenges are more significant than first indicated and that denying the variance could r...

NYC Council approves bill banning solitary confinement in city jails

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:51:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Over the objections of Mayor Eric Adams, New York City lawmakers passed legislation Wednesday meant to ban solitary confinement in the city’s jails.The bill that was overwhelmingly approved allows jails to isolate inmates who pose an immediate risk of violence to others or themselves in “de-escalation” units for a maximum of four hours. Those placed in longer-term restrictive housing would need to be allowed out of their cells for 14 hours each day and get access to the same programming available to those in the general population.New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who introduced the legislation, said Wednesday ahead of the vote that solitary confinement amounts to torture for those subjected to lengthy hours in isolation in small jail cells. He and other supporters, including prominent members of New York’s congressional delegation, have pointed to research showing solitary confinement, even only for a few days, increases the likelihood an inmate ...