In the news today: Canadians in ‘hellish situation’, BC fires spark political flames

Jack Letts, a Canadian citizen, is among the many foreign nationals in ramshackle Syrian camps and jails run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-ravaged region from militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

More details about Letts and other detained Canadians are expected to emerge today when members of the delegation discuss their recent five-day visit at a news conference in Ottawa.

The four-person delegation says it held meetings with officials and saw a number of Canadian men, women and children, as well as non-Canadian mothers of Canadian children, held in camps and detention centres.

Delegation members, including Sen. Kim Pate, said Wednesday they would issue an urgent call for substantially increased action from Canada on consular assistance, repatriation of detained citizens, and wider engagement and resources in support of justice and accountability in the region.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Shuswap wildfire fans B.C. political flames

The wildfire that has been rampaging through the Shuswap region of the B.C. Interior has also sparked a fight over whether local Opposition MLAs have been encouraging residents to disobey firefighters, or if the government is refusing to listen to critics of its response to the fires.

The Bush Creek East fire has destroyed or significantly damaged nearly 170 properties, and authorities have called it a major front in the province’s worst fire season on record. A BC Wildfire Service official said the blaze swept through the Shuswap like a tornado.

But it has also been in focus because of some residents’ decision to defy evacuation orders and instead stay to defend their homes from the flames.

The New Democrat government accused the Opposition BC United of supporting residents who refused to obey the North Shuswap evacuation order, while the Opposition denied the accusation and said it was calling on the government to work with the community, which it eventually did.

Woman accusing ex-MP of sexual assault goes public

The woman accusing former New Democrat MP Roméo Saganash of sexual assault is going public, saying she wants to support others.

Carmen Roy, who works for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, is alleging that she was sexually assaulted on May 1 in Winnipeg, and police say they arrested the former MP on June 27.

In a written statement to The Canadian Press, Roy says she is pondering a civil suit.

Her lawyer says Roy was at work when the alleged incident happened, but she is not able to provide more details.

The lawyer representing Saganash says in a statement that his client is presumed innocent and requested that his privacy be respected.

None of the allegations have been tested in court.

Metro workers to vote today on tentative agreement

Metro workers from 27 stores in the Greater Toronto Area are voting this afternoon on a second tentative deal, which if ratified will end a more than month-long strike.

The Montreal-based grocer and the Unifor bargaining committee reached a deal on Wednesday.

The deal came one day after Metro was granted a temporary injunction restricting secondary picket lines that blocked fresh product deliveries to its stores.

The more than 3,700 workers have been on strike since July 29 after rejecting the first tentative agreement, which was recommended by the bargaining committee.

The workers have been calling for their pandemic “hero pay” to return, as well as better working conditions and more full-time jobs.

‘Shining star’: Former Olympic skater remembered

Whether on the ice, in the courtroom or in her latest role as a new mother, Alexandra Paul brought passion and joy to all she did, those who knew the former Olympic figure skater said as they mourned her death.

Paul, 31, died last week in a crash involving seven vehicles in Melancthon Township, west of Barrie, Ont., when a transport truck entered a construction zone and crashed into a line of stopped cars.

Police have said Paul’s infant son was with her and was taken to a children’s hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Mike Slipchuk, the high performance director with Skate Canada who had worked with Paul for years, said news of her death has been heartbreaking.

Paul was “just a great-all-around person,” he said, and will be remembered fondly by all who knew her.

Charlotte Cardin pens musical diary on ’99 Nights’

A little over a year ago, Charlotte Cardin was standing at the finish line of Juno Awards weekend, her arms full of golden statuettes.

With a leading four wins in some of the Canadian music award show’s top categories, including artist, single and album of the year for her 2021 debut “Phoenix,” the Montreal singer-songwriter was the show’s breakout star.

All eyes seemed fixed on what she would do next.

But Cardin says she didn’t feel much pressure as she readied her sophomore album “99 Nights,” which was released last week.

“I never had time to stop and think, ‘Oh, the stakes are so much higher now,’” Cardin recalled in a recent interview in the Toronto offices of her record label.

“It took us four years to write ‘Phoenix’ and when it came out, I was already working on this album. And right now I’m already on to the next project.”

The 28-year-old’s career has been in a state of constant motion ever since she landed a spot in the Top 4 of French Canada’s version of “The Voice” in 2013. It took her a few more years before Quebec embraced her as its new critical pop darling, helped by early standout singles “Meaningless” and “Daddy.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2023

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today: Canadians in ‘hellish situation’, BC fires spark political flames

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