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The Alaska Highway was closed for a period of time yesterday around 5 PM due to a semi truck catching fire. Cpl. Jodi Shelkie of the Fort St. John RCMP said police responded to a call from the driver of the semi truck, saying it was on fire. The driver pulled off to a vacant […]
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Alta. — RCMP say a third girl has died in a central Alberta farm accident that buried her and two other girls in a truckload of canola.
The girl had been airlifted to a hospital in Edmonton after the accident at a family farm near Withrow on Tuesday night.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP said that the three were playing on a loaded truck of canola, became buried by the seed and suffocated.
EMS officials say ambulance personnel determined the girls had been inside the truck while it was being filled from a hopper, but it was unclear how they became submerged underneath the seed.
They were pulled out by adults, who called for help, but despite the efforts of emergency workers, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old died.
Another 11-year-old girl was transported via air ambulance in critical condition to the Stollery Children's Hospital and later died.
There are media reports that the three girls were sisters.
RCMP say life-saving measures were attempted at length by personnel from several community fire departments, the ambulance service and RCMP members.
The Rocky Mountain House Victims Service Unit was assisting the family.
— With files from CTV Calgary
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — A father, mother and their son, all convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of four members of their family, are asking Ontario's highest court for new trials.
In documents filed with the Ontario Court of Appeal, Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their son Hamed argue, among other issues, that their trial judge should not have admitted evidence from an expert on so-called honour killings.
The three were convicted in January 2012 of four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of daughters Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, and Mohammad Shafia's first wife in a polygamous marriage, fifty-two-year-old Rona Amir Mohammad.
The victims' bodies were found on June 30, 2009, in a car at the bottom of a canal in Kingston, Ont.
The Crown at the trial asserted the murders were committed after the girls shamed the family by dating and acting out, and Amir Mohammad was simply disposed of.
The trial judge described the killings as being motivated by the Shafias' "twisted concept of honour."
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays' success on the field is helping them online.
Toronto's surge into Major League Baseball's post-season and performance in the American League Division Series has seen the Blue Jays' popularity explode, with the team's official Twitter account gaining over 350,000 followers in the past 10 weeks and putting them over one million total followers.
"We do see these kinds of spikes in sports around a team or athlete when they're winning," said Christopher Doyle, director of media partnerships for Twitter Canada. "We see it in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A couple of seasons ago the Montreal Canadiens saw a surge in Twitter followers and almost caught up to the Maple Leafs, at that point, because of their playoff run.
"A playoff run can really galvanize a fanbase."
The Toronto Maple Leafs remain the most popular Canadian sports franchise on Twitter, but may soon fall to the Blue Jays. The Maple Leafs had 1,034,103 followers and the Blue Jays had 1,030,844 as of Tuesday night — a difference of just 3,259 — ahead of Game 5 of the ALDS between the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon.
Live events often drive an account's popularity, with Wednesday's big game against Texas likely putting the Blue Jays ahead of their Toronto neighbours by the end of the day.
"We see huge peaks in conversation around key moments," said Doyle. "We pulled the top moments from (Toronto's 14-inning loss to Texas on Friday). There was 2,200 tweets per minute when the final pitch was thrown when the Rangers won. The second largest peak was when Josh Donaldson homered in the bottom of the first at 1,200 tweets per minute."
Doyle adds that the million-follower mark is a an excellent gauge of a team's popularity. Of Canada's seven NHL teams, only Toronto is in the seven-digit range. The Blue Jays are one of only four MLB teams over a million, joining the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Blue Jays have several advantages that have helped power them to new heights on social media. As the only MLB team in Canada, they can draw on baseball fans from across the country to engage with them on social media instead of just relying on fans in the Greater Toronto Area. Star players like pitchers David Price and Marcus Stroman and sluggers Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista are also very active on Twitter, driving the Blue Jays' popularity.
Mike Naraine, a part-time faculty member and PhD candidate in sport management at the University of Ottawa who specializes in social media, believes that this reflects a change in how fans experience sports.
"We've moved as a sport society away from just one-on-one engagement. You know, I pay $100 for a ticket, I sit up in the stands, and I watch the product on the field or in the arena," said Naraine. "Now it's a society where I'm engaging and interacting on multiple levels, whether it's with the dual screen — my television and my tablet or my smartphone — or I'm able to interact even when I'm not watching the game and not physically in the brick-and-mortar building.
"I'm able to log on and interact with other fans while I'm still doing other things in my every day life."
Sporting events are the best example of how Twitter and other social networks have become forums for discussion, but other live events effect online behaviour as well.
"It's the same here in Canada during the federal leaders' debates," said Doyle. "We were tracking the data exactly the way we are now with the Blue Jays. You see these huge spikes around key moments in the debates. You see the leaders being talked about more on Twitter just as players in baseball are talked about more during the game."
The Blue Jays are closing in on several American teams in other sports. The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are the top NHL team with 1.12 million followers, with the Maple Leafs second. The Yankees are the most popular baseball team and the New England Patriots have more followers than any other NFL team, with both at 1.51 million.
The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular professional sports team in North America at 4.49 million Twitter followers, while soccer club Real Madrid is the most popular team worldwide, with 17.3 million followers, nearly six times more than the population of the city of Madrid.
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Follow @jchidleyhill on Twitter
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
Six stories in the news today, Oct. 14 from The Canadian Press:
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TORIES, NDP TRY TO SHORE UP SUPPORT TODAY; LIBERALS EYE NEW SEATS
With the campaign finish line in sight, the leaders of the Conservative and New Democratic parties will spend the day shoring up support in ridings they won in 2011. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper will visit a pair of ridings in southwest Ontario while NDP Leader Tom Mulcair visits Dartmouth, N.S., and the Quebec riding of Repentigny. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will visit ridings in Ontario's Niagara region won by the NDP and Tories in 2011.
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TWO GIRLS DIE, THIRD INJURED, IN ALBERTA FARM ACCIDENT
Two young girls have been killed and another injured in a farm accident near Withrow, Alta. Rocky Mountain House RCMP say the three girls were playing on a loaded truck of canola at a family farm on Tuesday evening when they became buried by the seed in the truck and started to suffocate. Despite the efforts of emergency workers, two of the girls — ages 11 and 13 — died. Another 11-year-old girl was flown to an Edmonton hospital. Media reports that all three girls were sisters.
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MILITARY HOME EQUITY CASE HEADS TO COURT
The lawyer for a Canadian Forces veteran who lost $72,000 on the sale of his house will be in a Halifax court today to argue a proposed class action should not be struck down. Under the rules, a military member can receive 100 per cent compensation through a home-equity assistance program if they sell their home in a depressed market. The dispute centres on what constitutes a depressed market.
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VIDEO SURFACES IN PHILIPPINES ABDUCTION
Two men who identify themselves as Canadians taken hostage last month in the Philippines have appeared at gunpoint in a video that is circulating online. One man introduces himself as Robert Hall who says he is OK, but in grave danger. Another says he is John Ridsdel and urges the Canadian government to help the hostages. They, along with a Norwegian man and a Filipina woman, were taken hostage by gunmen a resort on Samal Island last month. Authorities were trying to verify the authenticity of the video.
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COMPANIES TURN TO CYBER INSURANCE AFTER HIGH-POFILE HACKS
In the wake of the Ashley Madison hack and other high-profile data breaches, Canadian companies are turning to so-called cyber insurance to protect themselves from the fallout of data leaks. In July, adultery website Ashley Madison made headlines after hackers broke in to the company's network and leaked customers' personal information. It was the latest in a series of incidents that experts say represent a wake-up call for executives about the real-world consequences of digital vulnerabilities.
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS FACE DO OR DIE GAME
Millions of Canadians will be nervously glued to their TVs, radios and electronic devices this afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays try to win the fifth and deciding game of their American League Division Series against Texas. Marcus Stroman will start for the Jays in front of a packed house at the Rogers Centre while Cole Hamels will start for the Rangers. First pitch is just after 4 p.m. ET.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS ...
— A trial continues in Saint John, N.B., for Dennis Oland, accused of second-degree murder in the death of his father, Richard Oland.
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — In the wake of the Ashley Madison hack and other high-profile data breaches, Canadian companies are turning to so-called cyber insurance to protect themselves from the fallout of data leaks.
In July, adultery website Ashley Madison made headlines after hackers broke in to the company's network and leaked customers' personal information, including their messages to other members and sensitive financial data.
The ensuing class-action lawsuit — and founder and CEO Noel Biderman's decision to step down in late August — were the latest in a series of incidents that experts say represent a wake-up call for executives about the real-world consequences of digital vulnerabilities.
Duncan Stewart, director of technology research at Deloitte, said the past year has seen a surge in awareness about cyberattacks, and companies are turning to insurers to prepare for what seems an inevitability in an increasingly interconnected world.
"The number of attacks are rising, the severity is rising, and when they come, they're more difficult to deal with," he said.
There is no legal requirement for companies to report a hack in Canada, making the true number difficult to determine, but security company Websense said in August 2014 that 36 per cent of Canadian businesses had observed a breach in their IT security last 12 months.
In a KPMG survey of Canadian property insurance executives, data security even beat out unexpected catastrophic events as the third-biggest risk facing Canadian companies in 2015 after regulatory burdens and low interest rates.
Stewart compared significant breaches like the Ashley Madison hack to automobile collisions that result in a total write-off, yet he said companies also require coverage for the small attacks and fender-benders of cybersecurity that happen far more often.
Insurance against cyberattacks is now just a part of the cost of doing business, he said.
"You wouldn't have a factory and not have fire insurance, so why would you think about not having cyber insurance?"
Technology analyst Carmi Levy said in an email that insurance providers are stepping in to meet the needs of companies as they find themselves handling more and more data on behalf of their clients and suppliers.
"In the process, they are increasingly liable for what happens when hackers manage to break in and snag some of that data," he said.
Insurance expert Paul Kovacs, president and CEO of the industry-funded oversight body PACICC, said insurance companies are expanding their offerings to provide more than just compensation and protection from liability in the event of a cyberattack.
"When this happens, you are going to need professional help with communications, with forensic investigation, with restoring your systems and putting the protections back in," he said.
Kovacs pointed to the example of Sovereign General, part of the Co-Operators Group, which offers coverage for privacy breaches, business interruptions, extortion, and data recovery stemming from a cyberattack, as well as crisis management services.
He said companies and organizations used to dealing in sensitive information, such as hospitals and financial institutions, were among the first to become targets and have developed comprehensive cybersecurity policies.
Yet what used to be a concern just for the obvious targets is now a business risk for almost everyone, he said, and it's not just customer data that's at risk.
In July, security company Symantec issued a report detailing the "Butterfly" hacking group that it said is responsible for at least 40 attacks since 2012 meant to steal trade secrets and industrial data in order to sell it to the highest bidder.
Kovacs said industrial espionage is spreading out from the large companies that have long been in the crosshairs as hackers become more sophisticated.
"Now, they're still going after the big companies but they're going after the mid-size companies and even some relatively small companies," he said. "The threat is spreading."
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Follow @henderburn on Twitter
Peter Henderson, The Canadian Press
HALIFAX — The lawyer for a Canadian Forces veteran who lost $72,000 on the sale of his house will be in court today to argue a proposed class action should not be struck down.
Dan Wallace says the matter affecting military members who sell their houses at a loss when they are posted to other bases will be heard in Federal Court in Halifax.
Lawyers for the federal goverment filed a motion in April to strike down the proposed class action, saying the matter would be better suited to a judicial review.
The department says the case filed by master warrant officer Neil Dodsworth is bound to fail as it amounts to a criticism of government policy.
Dodsworth took a loss on the sale of his home near Edmonton when he was posted to Kingston, Ont., in 2009.
Under the rules, a military member can receive 100 per cent compensation through a home-equity assistance program if they sell their home in a depressed market.
However, the dispute centres on what constitutes a depressed market.
The Canadian Press
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros have a soundtrack to their first playoff run in a decade.
Texas rapper Bun B dropped a track titled "Crush City" as a nod to the home run hitting prowess of the Astros, who were second in the majors with 230 homers in the regular season. Bun B, who was one half of the acclaimed Port Arthur, Texas rap group Underground Kingz, released the song last week, and the team played it at Minute Maid Park before Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Royals.
"This team deserved it," Bun B told The Associated Press. "This city deserved it."
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Kansas City.
Done over the beat to Tyga's 2011 hit "Rack City," the track mentions many of Houston's players by name and even references the fact that ace Dallas Keuchel had a perfect 15-0 record at home this season.
Bun B is a longtime Astros fan who supported the team even during its worst seasons over the past few years. Before this season the Astros, who lost more than 100 games in three straight seasons from 2011-13, hadn't been to the playoffs since reaching the World Series in 2005.
"It's amazing," Bun B said of Houston's season. "We suffered through a lot of years in this city, with this organization. But we've got a great owner now. We've got great management. We've got a great front office and most importantly we've got great guys in the dugout."
Houston star rookie Carlos Correa said he thought the song was pretty good. It probably didn't hurt that it includes the line: "We got Carlos Correa he's the rookie of the year." All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve also got a shout out for piling up 200 hits for the second straight season.
The about 2
Many of the players were amused by a line in the song addressing the fact that left fielder Colby Rasmus always takes the field with his shoulder-length brown hair dripping wet.
"Hey Colby, don't dry your hair bro," Bun B bellows in the song.
Bun B was tickled to hear that the Astros liked that part.
"I didn't want it just to be fun for me and fun for the people," Bun B said. "I wanted the players to have a good time and know that we watch them, we see what they're doing and we know the hard work that they put in and we're happy to see it pay off now."
Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Catholic School Board moved closer Tuesday to officially respecting the sexual orientation and gender identity of its students by passing first reading of a policy on the matter.
Although there were several amendments made to the policy, Marilyn Bergstra, the board's new chairwoman, called it "a great start."
The reading passed by a vote of 6-1; second reading will take place in late November after a public consultation period earlier in the month.
The issue came to the fore earlier this year when a seven-year-old transgender girl wanted to use the girl's washroom in her Catholic school.
She was no longer identifying as a boy and didn't want to stand out by having to use a new, gender-neutral washroom.
In May, the school in Edmonton had agreed she could use the female facilities but the girl wanted official assurances.
The family filed a human rights complaint and Edmonton Catholic Schools tried several times since then to craft a broader policy — dealing with more than just washrooms — that protects gay and transgender students while falling in line with the church.
The school board requires schools to have all-gender washrooms. But the girl's mother, who has asked not to be named to protect her child's identity, said the decision on which washroom her daughter uses is ultimately up to the principal.
The board's last meeting in September was fiery. One trustee cried and shouted over accusations she was homophobic. Another trustee, Larry Kowalczyk, told media that he considers being transgender a mental disorder.
He apologized Tuesday for that assertion, but still voted against the policy.
Marni Panas, a transgender woman, was one of the speakers at Tuesday's meeting and took aim at Kowalczyk's earlier remarks.
"I am not broken," she told the gathering. "I am not sick. I am transgender. Being transgender is not a mental health problem."
"It's a matter of welcoming, and about including and helping a person to feel that they are truly made in the image of God," said trustee Patricia Grell.
The little girl's mother, who attended Tuesday's meeting, said the result was "more than what we expected, for sure."
But she said she still hopes Education Minister David Eggen gets involved.
"I think it's time for the minister to step in and just do a provincewide policy for both systems — public and Catholic — and that way, children don't have to go through this."
Eggen has said he prefers to let democratically elected school officials build their own policies. He hopes Edmonton Catholic will set an example.
(The Canadian Press, CTV Edmonton)
The Canadian Press
LOS ANGELES — Ryan Miller made 15 saves in his 36th career shutout, Adam Cracknell scored his second goal in two games, and the Vancouver Canucks completed a Southern California sweep with a 3-0 victory over the winless Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Alexander Edler scored and Derek Dorsett added an empty-net goal for the Canucks, who followed up a 2-1 shootout win over Anaheim on Monday by improving to 3-0-1.
Miller is off to a strong start after matching his career high with six shutouts last season, his first with the Canucks.
Jonathan Quick stopped 23 shots for struggling Los Angeles, which has been outscored 11-2 while losing three straight home games to open the season.
Since Nick Shore scored 1:49 into their season opener, the Kings have managed just one goal in 178 minutes, 11 seconds. Their power play is 0 for 13.
Quick made several big saves in his best effort of the season after giving up nine goals in Los Angeles' first two games, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner got no support from his teammates.
For the second straight night, the Canucks got another unlikely offensive contribution from Cracknell. The veteran forward who hadn't scored an NHL in 49 games since April 4, 2013, until he scored in back-to-back games in Southern California.
One night after banking a weird shot off Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen for his seventh career NHL goal, Cracknell got his eighth with a one-timer that ricocheted off Quick, who didn't anticipate the shot being so far off-target.
Vancouver failed to score on a 5-on-3 advantage for 80 seconds later in the period, but Edler made it 2-0 with a long shot on a cross-ice pass from Henrik Sedin.
The Kings came up empty on three straight power plays early in the third period, and they rarely threatened to score before Dorsett wrapped it up.
NOTES: Jake Virtanen made his NHL debut for Vancouver, playing nearly 9 1-2 minutes and recording three hits. The 19-year-old forward was the sixth overall pick in 2014, and the British Columbia native made the Canucks' roster out of training camp after spending most of last season in juniors. ... Vancouver had lost six of eight to Los Angeles before winning the Pacific Division rivals' last three meetings.
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Alta. — Two young girls have been killed and another injured in a farm accident near Withrow, Alta.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP say the three girls were playing on a loaded truck of canola at a family farm on Tuesday evening.
However, they became buried by the seed in the truck and started to suffocate.
EMS officials say the first arriving ambulance from Eckville determined the three girls had been inside the truck while it was being filled from a hopper but say it is unclear how they became submerged underneath the seed.
They were pulled out by adults on scene, who called for emergency personnel but despite the efforts of emergency workers, two of the girls — ages 11 and 13 — died.
Another 11-year-old girl was transported in critical condition to the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton via air ambulance — there are media reports that all three girls were sisters.
RCMP say life-saving measures were attempted at length by personnel from Condor, Leslieville and Clearwater County Fire Departments, as well as the Eckville and Rocky Mountain Ambulance and members of the Rocky Mountain House RCMP.
The Rocky Mountain House Victims Service Unit is on scene and assisting the family.
-- with files from CTV Calgary
The Canadian Press
