National News
B.C. NDP election loss not issue of leadership: party
VANCOUVER — The surprising electoral loss of British Columbia’s New Democrats this week should not trigger a leadership race, the party’s president said Wednesday as Leader Adrian Dix remained behind closed doors for another day.
Moe Sihota said there were many factors in the electoral upset that saw the heavily favoured New Democrats lose ground in the legislature to the incumbent Liberals, and a “revolving door” on the leader’s office is not the solution. READ
Duffy quits Conservative caucus over expenses
Senator Mike Duffy resigned from the Conservative caucus to sit as an independent Thursday night amid a controversy over his housing claims, leaving a trail of unanswered questions about the expenses and why the prime minister backed him for so long. READ
Earthquake tremors felt in Toronto
An earthquake has struck a wide area west of Ottawa. READ
Canadian astronaut Hadfield describes feeling banged-up after return to gravity
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield says his body feels confused and banged-up by the effects of gravity after a five-month stay in space. READ
Supreme Court to rule on case of mom who left newborn baby in Walmart toilet
The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide the fate of a Saskatchewan woman who gave birth in a Walmart bathroom stall and left the newborn in a toilet. READ
Brazeau fights order to repay
Patrick Brazeau insists he broke no rules when he claimed a generous Senate housing allowance and he’s exploring all options to overturn an order to pay the money back. READ
Canada won’t participate in UN disarmament forum
Canada is once again temporarily turning its back on the United Nations Conference on Disarmament over its selection of a controversial president. READ
B.C. Liberals defy polls, win re-election
The B.C. Liberals will form a majority government, a stunning result that has defied months of polling which had the party as many as 18 percentage points behind the NDP before the campaign started. READ
Remains of Ontario man missing for more than a week have been found: Police
A massive search for a southern Ontario man who vanished more than a week ago came to a grim conclusion Tuesday when police announced his body had been found. READ
Astronaut Chris Hadfield back on Earth
Astronaut Chris Hadfield returned to Earth Monday night after a five-month mission at the International Space Station that saw him become the first Canadian to command the orbiting laboratory. READ
U.S. bill would give snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
Canadian snowbirds may soon be able to spend an extra two months nesting in their favourite sunshine state each year. U.S. legislation winding its way through Congress would allow Canadians aged 55 and older to spend up to 240 days — about eight months — in the country without a visa, 58 days longer than the current 182-day annual limit. READ
Flood threat growing all along Fraser River
The flood threat is growing all along the Fraser River in B.C., from the centre of the province to Metro Vancouver. The B.C. River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the river at Prince George and north, and a high water advisory for south of Prince George through the Fraser Canyon to the coast. Recent heat and rain have combined to cause a rapid snowmelt that has swollen the river. READ
No Canadian will visit space station before 2016
Space station watchers who have been entertained by Chris Hadfield in orbit will have to wait at least nearly three more years to get their next fix from a visiting Canadian astronaut. READ
RCMP looking at Senate expense claims
The RCMP says it is examining senators’ expense claims following an independent audit and pointed reports from the upper chamber’s internal economy committee. READ
Better oil price needed for emissions controls to work
The ability of the oil and gas sector to absorb tough government controls on their greenhouse gas emissions depends on Canada getting a better price for its oil, Environment Minister Peter Kent says. READ
Feds announce plans to close B.C. farming research station
The federal government has notified employees of a 78-year-old agricultural research station in the Kamloops area that they’ll be out of a job. The station is being closed as part of an effort to consilidate federal beef research operations in Alberta. READ
Better oil price needed for emissions controls to work
The ability of the oil and gas sector to absorb tough government controls on their greenhouse gas emissions depends on Canada getting a better price for its oil, Environment Minister Peter Kent says. READ
Alberta leads Canada in extreme weather loss claims
It seems Mother Nature has a thing for Alberta when it comes to severe weather. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says 62 per cent of all insurance losses from natural catastrophes in the country last year were in the province. READ
Flood fears trigger wave of evacuations
First Nations communities threatened by rising waters each spring should be moved off flood plains once and for all, a member of the Ontario legislature said Tuesday after flood fears triggered another wave of evacuations in the province. READ
Contraband tobacco crackdown demanded
Contraband tobacco is still a big problem in Canada, says a group partly funded by businesses that make or sell cigarettes. Despite new powers given police to crack down on contraband dealers, sales of bootleg smokes are on the rise in Atlantic Canada, the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco said Tuesday at an Ottawa news conference. READ
