Jan 24 2020 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — An American murder suspect nabbed in Halifax will remain detained until February, when he'll have another hearing to determine whether he's admissible to Canada, a member of the Immigration and Review Board ruled Friday. Derek Cameron Whisenand was scheduled to appear before the board Friday morning for both a detention review and an admissibility hearing, […]
Jan 22 2020 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Quebec plans to expand medical aid in dying to include people with severe, incurable mental illness, the province's health minister says, with guidelines to be drawn up by the provincial college of physicians. Health Minister Danielle McCann told a news conference Tuesday that people with mental health issues who aren't responding to treatment would […]
Jan 10 2020 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Former SNC-Lavalin executive Sami Bebawi was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison Friday, wrapping up the last of the criminal cases brought against the engineering giant and its former employees involved in fraud and corruption in Libya. Bebawi was impassive as he was sentenced by Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer, who explained he was […]
Jan 1 2020 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — As the third anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting approaches, gun control advocates are urging the province to tighten rules around reference checks for those seeking gun permits. Advocates have pressed for change since it was revealed that the mosque shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, did not acknowledge when applying for a firearm permit that […]
Jan 1 2020 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — As the third anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting approaches, gun control advocates are urging the province to tighten rules around reference checks for those seeking gun permits. Advocates have pressed for change since it was revealed that the mosque shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, did not acknowledge when applying for a firearm permit that […]
Dec 31 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Quebecers under the age of 21 won't be able to buy or possess recreational cannabis as of Wednesday, ushering in the toughest age restrictions in the country since pot was legalized 14 months ago. The Coalition Avenir Quebec government passed legislation in the fall that upped the legal age for accessing cannabis from 18, citing the impact […]
Dec 20 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — A judge refused a last-minute effort by Montreal caleche drivers seeking to save their industry, ruling on Friday against an emergency injunction request to stop new city rules from coming into effect that put an end to horse-drawn carriage rides. The carriage-horse owners and drivers went to court this week in an attempt to put off an […]
Dec 16 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Sixteen potential new alleged victims have spoken to Longueuil police in connection with a former Montreal police officer and minor hockey coach accused of committing sex crimes over a 25-year period. Francois Lamarre, also known as Frank, faces charges of gross indecency, indecent exposure, sexual assault, sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching involving four alleged victims in […]
Dec 12 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Prosecutors have opposed bail for a blogger alleged to have glorified the gunman behind Montreal's 1989 Ecole polytechnique killings, calling it one of the worst examples in recent memory of inciting hatred. Jean-Claude Rochefort is charged with one count of inciting hatred towards women after investigators found what they described as "disturbing" writing under the pseudonym […]
Dec 10 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Millions of dollars that ended up in the accounts of a former SNC-Lavalin executive on trial for fraud and corruption were legitimate bonuses authorized by the company's president, the defence said in final arguments Tuesday. Sami Bebawi's legal team told the jury the money was compensation for their client's work manoeuvring complicated contracts in Libya. Defence lawyer […]
Dec 9 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Summing up six weeks of testimony at the trial of a former SNC-Lavalin executive accused of fraud and corruption, a prosecutor told jurors Monday that greed lies at the root of the accusations. Sami Bebawi's fate will soon be in the hands of the jury after federal prosecutors made their closing arguments to jurors. The defence is […]
Dec 7 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — In the small Quebec town of St-Prosper-de-Champlain — population 552 — a newly arrived resident has been trotting around like it owns the place. Mayor France Bedard said its been about 10 days since a wild turkey arrived in the village, about 190 kilometres northeast of Montreal, and it saw fit to settle smack in the heart of […]
Dec 6 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — There were promises to end violence against women and solemn reflection Friday as ceremonies were held to honour the 14 victims of the Dec. 6, 1989, anti-feminist attack at Montreal's Ecole polytechnique. On the 30th anniversary of Canada's worst mass shooting, the House of Commons fell silent as members of Parliament remembered the victims who were targeted because […]
Dec 6 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — There were promises to end violence against women and solemn reflection Friday as ceremonies were held to honour the 14 victims of the Dec. 6, 1989, anti-feminist attack at Montreal's Ecole polytechnique. On the 30th anniversary of Canada's worst mass shooting, the House of Commons fell silent as members of Parliament remembered the victims who were targeted because […]
Dec 5 2019 — Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Thirty years after the worst mass shooting in Canadian history, official acknowledgment has come that what happened on Dec. 6, 1989 at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique was an attack on feminists. On the eve of Friday's anniversary, Montreal changed a plaque in a memorial park that previously referred to a "tragic event" — with no mention […]