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Second round of #PeaceDebates will be at the Lido tonight

The election that could kill TPP trade deal: No, not the Canadian one

ATLANTA — There was plenty of chatter at international free-trade talks about the election that could kill the new Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.

No, not Canada's.

From the protesters outside, to the lobbyists indoors, the gaze at this convention site was cast a little farther ahead to the 2016 United States election.

Political forces from the left and right are squeezing in on those fateful few swing votes in the U.S. Congress. In the Senate, about 10 votes separate the deal from failure.

In a few months, those members could decide whether TPP becomes the biggest trade zone in history, or a soon-forgotten, self-congratulatory press release.

A little blue car parked outside the convention site hinted at the opposition ahead.

It was covered in presidential campaign signs for Bernie Sanders, who's doing the squeezing from the left. A passenger held up a printed cutout of the surprisingly competitive socialist senator who's upended the Democratic race, pushing Hillary Clinton to take a stand against the Keystone pipeline, and is now urging her to oppose TPP.

"TPP will have a very difficult road ahead," said Melinda St. Louis, who helped organize a sidewalk protest when the Sanders-mobile pulled up to the curb and joined in.

Nearby, cancer patient Zahara Heckscher held up an IV bag and said longer patent-type protections could make the cutting-edge medicines she uses unaffordable in poorer countries.

St. Louis said there's already talk of primaries to oust congressional Democrats who supported the recent fast-track vote to facilitate trade deals, and they're nervous: "None of them want to take . . . a difficult vote (next year)."

Inside the hotel, pressure mounted from the other side.

The chamber-of-commerce types fretted about Republicans. A letter floated around, signed by GOP establishment figures who urged a pause in the talks. They feared American pharmaceutical companies wouldn't get a good-enough deal.

Orrin Hatch and Paul Ryan demanded 12 years of patent-style protection on hyper-expensive, cell-based biologics. Negotiators settled at a compromise between five and eight. Hatch, who received about $834,000 in campaign donations from the pharmaceutical-and-health industry in the last election cycle, later issued a statement: "I am afraid this deal appears to fall woefully short."

And then there's the candidate who defies political categorization.

Donald Trump isn't heavily funded by industry; he's hated by the establishment; he's certainly not left-wing. But he's the Republican front-runner. And he apparently hates this deal as much as other ones. He tweeted Monday: "The incompetence of our current administration is beyond comprehension. TPP is a terrible deal."

A trade expert who helped start the TPP process is watching closely. Timothy Keeler was chief of staff at the White House agency, USTR, that opened the initial discussions with original TPP countries in late 2008.

He expects it to pass. But he's no longer so sure.

"If you'd asked me six months ago, I'd have said it's very likely," said Keeler, a partner at Mayer Brown. 

"I think with the rise of Donald Trump, and Bernie Sanders, and the resignation of Speaker John Boehner, that's certainly lowered the chances. I still think this Congress will approve it . . . I can see it happening eight, nine months from now. And I can see it happening in a lame-duck session (after the presidential election)."

What are the telltale signs — the swing votes to watch and see where TPP's headed?

Keeler offers two answers.

There's the simple one: "Let's see how long Donald Trump stays in the lead — that's something to keep an eye on."

Then there's the more detailed picture.

He said the Obama administration needs to persuade key members — Democrats Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Ron Wyden of Oregon. Republicans to watch, he said, are Hatch, Ryan and Senate leader Mitch McConnell who represents tobacco-growing Kentucky.

Tobacco got smoked in the deal.

Having been sued over cigarette-packages, Australia forced the U.S. to exempt tobacco from the right of companies to challenge laws in special courts.

In the other chamber, McConnell's counterpart is quitting. It was actually a dispute over trade that started the domino-effect that toppled John Boehner from the leadership.

The chamber leader stripped members of caucus positions after they voted against him on trade fast-track. They joined a rebellion, and forced Boehner out.

A Canadian opponent of the deal says the U.S. will be key. Martin O'Hanlon was there at the Atlanta protest, as the head of a union involved in the fight. 

"The biggest fight in the world right now with regard to TPP is in Washington," said O'Hanlon, a former editor for The Canadian Press who's left to head the national branch of Communication Workers of America.

"You've got all these things coming together. It could be a perfect storm for Obama and the TPP."

He predicted it would stall in Congress. And without approval in all 12 countries, the deal dies.

Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press

Young Quebec woman found killed in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — The family of a young Montreal-area woman who died tragically in San Francisco, issued a statement Tuesday thanking those who expressesd sympathy and support.

Audrey Carey, a 23 year-old from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, was described as someone who was full of life and loved by everyone.

The statement also said the family would now like to mourn in privacy and have asked the media to respect their wishes.

It was the coroner's office in the Californian city that identified the woman.

Carey's body was found by a passerby on Saturday morning near the Golden Gate Park Golf Club.

She had injuries to the head.

Carey was travelling on the West Coast and was believed to have attended Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a three-day music festival that ended on Saturday.

Police identified her after finding documents on her as well as a cellphone that was located near the body.

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The Canadian Press

Northern Health seeking locum coverage for Fort St. John surgeons

Corky the sea otter pulls through historic operation in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Aquarium say veterinarians have made medical history by removing a kidney and performing a blood transfusion on a sick sea otter.

Corky the sea otter was suffering from a fractured rib and other injuries when he was rescued in August near Tofino, B.C.

He was brought to Vancouver, where tests showed one of his kidney had likely ruptured.

Since the aquarium's head veterinarian was away, officials called in surgical assistance from Seattle.

The aquarium says the veterinary team performed what's believed to be the first kidney removal and transfusion on a sea otter.

Corky's prognosis is now guarded, as he is critical condition and under 24-hour care.

The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia man’s double murder trial hears from gunman in January 2010 slayings

MONTREAL — The jury at the trial of a Nova Scotia man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in a 2010 Montreal double slaying heard more testimony on Tuesday from another man who actually pulled the trigger.

Leslie Greenwood, 45, is accused of being the getaway driver in murders which another Nova Scotia native, Robert Simpson, has admitted to committing.

Simpson, 53, is serving a life sentence for gunning down Kirk (Cowboy) Murray and Antonio Onesi in a McDonald's parking lot in Montreal in January 2010.

Now a co-operating Crown witness, Simpson continued his expletive-peppered testimony as he outlined how he and Greenwood were sent to Montreal to kill Murray at the behest of Jeffrey Albert Lynds, a former full-patch Nomad from the Hells Angels Ontario chapter who lived in Nova Scotia.

The witness said Greenwood knew their trip was to "take out Cowboy" and that he was supposed to "get Bobby back in one piece," he said, referring to himself. Simpson said he brought his brother Timothy as backup.

Simpson said they had a 30-minute conversation at a "fleabag motel" near the scene, brainstorming on how to pull off the hit.

He alleged Greenwood suggested the murder be committed at the motel and be followed by dismemberment and setting the room on fire.

The double murder, the jury has heard, was part of a complicated settling of accounts. Murray was killed in part because of a botched hit involving another Montreal drug trafficker.

"That's a big, big no-no, you're not supposed to miss," said Simpson, who on Monday admitted to being the author of several murders himself.

Lynds had also promised Murray a place in the Hells, a pledge he couldn't keep since he too was no longer in good standing with the criminal organization after a fallout with a trafficker.

Murray was lured to the scene under the guise of being paid $9,000 in drug money, but Simpson said he put 14 bullets in Murray and Onesi before hopping into a car driven by Greenwood and returning East.

Simpson testified that upon returning to Nova Scotia, he considered killing Greenwood, but Lynds convinced him to let it drop.

"He's a loose link to me and to the crime," Simpson told the jury. "It was one less person to link me to that crime."

Simpson said he agreed to kill Murray and Onesi for $40,000, but relations began to sour with Lynds when no money materialized.

Simpson said he met Lynds in 2009 after unlawfully fleeing a halfway house and was hired as a bodyguard.

In his line of work, Simpson said he was always suspicious.

"It's a pretty double-cross world and I was always worried I was going to do a contract and I was the contract," Simpson said.

The killer told the jury he returned to Montreal not long after the double killing in a search of money and killed another drug dealer named Mark Stewart as part of a robbery, with his brother disposing of the body in the bushes.

Simpson recounted that he and Lynds ended up having a burger at the very same fast-food restaurant where the first double slaying took place.

Simpson and Lynds were arrested in Truro, N.S., on Feb. 12, 2010. 

He told the court on the day of his arrest that he had decided to kill Lynds and was armed, waiting for the opportune moment.

The trial is expected to continues for several more weeks.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Fort St. John is getting greener with Waste Reduction Week and recycling collection coming up

Despite poor run, Whitecaps still could finish tops in Western Conference

VANCOUVER — Even when his team was flying high, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson cautioned the regular season would come down to the wire.

A 2-4-1 stretch since the middle of August will do that, but with just three games to go on the schedule Vancouver still controls its own destiny in Major League Soccer's Western Conference, beginning with a crucial home-and-home series with FC Dallas that begins Wednesday.

"The league is very tight," said Robinson, whose team can clinch a playoff spot with a point. "You've got to concentrate on yourselves. When you slip up someone else tends to slip up, when you take care of business other teams take care of business. No one's run away with it."

Two victories over Dallas and another against the Houston Dynamo in their finale would guarantee the Whitecaps first place in the West and also put Vancouver in position to possibly win the Supporters' Shield for the league's best record.

"Everything's still on the line," said Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted. "It's still all in our hands and we still believe we have the quality in this team to end up on top."

Vancouver (15-12-4, 49 points) and Dallas (15-10-5, 50 points) have played some feisty matches over the years, including last season's first-round playoff encounter that saw the Whitecaps eliminated in Texas.

"These teams have a little bit of an edge towards each other," said Ousted. "It only makes for great games and it makes for intensity throughout these 180 minutes we're going to play."

Vancouver can retake top spot in the West and the overall standings with a victory at B.C. Place Stadium on Wednesday after getting some help over the weekend. The Whitecaps picked up a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes, but the Los Angeles Galaxy (14-9-9, 51 points) could only manage the same scoreline thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer by the Seattle Sounders.

L.A. has two games remaining and can finish with a maximum 57 points, while Vancouver could finish with 58. Dallas, which has four game left on its schedule could also get to 58, but the Whitecaps have other ideas.

"We want to make sure we take care of business," said Vancouver rookie defender Tim Parker. "We want to make the playoffs, but there's more to achieve as well."

The Whitecaps will be shorthanded on Wednesday, especially in defence. Kendall Waston is away on international duty with Costa Rica, while Steven Beitashour is suspended for yellow card accumulation.

Add to that a trio of Canadian international call ups (defender Sam Adekugbe, and midfielders Kianz Froese and Marco Bustos) as well as the uncertain injury status of captain Pedro Morales and fellow midfielder Nicolas Mezquida, and the Whitecaps could be stretched.

"We can't focus on the guys we haven't got," said Robinson. "I won't do that because we've got enough quality that we believe can go out and win that game. If you worry about who's missing then you lose your focus.

"No point in crying over spilled milk. We've got to deal with it."

Notes: The top two teams in each conference get byes to the second round of the playoffs, while No. 3 plays No.6 and No. 4 plays No. 5 in single elimination games. ... Vancouver visits Dallas on Oct. 14 before wrapping up the season on Oct. 25 at home against Houston. ... The Whitecaps also have to play a meaningless CONCACAF Champions League game in Honduras versus C.D. Olimpia on Oct. 22. Vancouver was eliminated by Seattle from the competition last month.

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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

$860 million sunrise gas plant near Dawson Creek gets approval

Price, Stroman to open for Jays against Rangers in first two games of ALDS

Toronto ace David Price will face Texas' Yovani Gallardo in Game 1 of the American League Division Series while Marcus Stroman takes on Cole Hamels in Game 2.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister announced only his first two starters.

Toronto manager John Gibbons had already confirmed Price would start Game 1 at the Rogers Centre on Thursday. Stroman used social media to fill in the gap for Game 2 Friday.

"Tore my ACL, finished my degree from @DukeU, rehabbed my knee in 5 months, and now pitching in Game 2 of the #ALDS. Crazy excited!" he tweeted Tuesday.

Hamels, the Rangers' marquee pitcher, threw a complete game Sunday in Texas' regular-season finale, a 9-2 win over the Angels that clinched the AL West title.

The Rangers have won their past 10 games started by Hamels, who is 7-1 in 12 starts since being acquired from Philadelphia in late July.

The two Texas pitchers have fared differently against the Jays in a limited number of meetings

Gallardo (13-11, 3.42 ERA) won both of his starts this season against Toronto, pitching 13 2/3 scoreless innings. Toronto managed just six hits while batting 136 against him.

Gallardo is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA all-time against the Jays.

Hamels is 0-2 with a career 6.97 ERA in four starts against the Jays. On the plus side, his post-season ERA is 3.09 against all-teams.

 

The Canadian Press

Canada loses two players to injury ahead of Ghana soccer friendly

ORLANDO, Fla. — Defender David Edgar and midfielder Kyle Bekker have dropped out of Canada's roster for next week's friendly against Ghana due to injury.

The Canadian Soccer Association says Charlie Trafford, a newcomer to the Canadian program, will replace Bekker, who plays for the Montreal Impact. Edgar, currently on loan with England's Sheffield United, is not being replaced.

Trafford plays in Finland for Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS).

Canada, ranked 104th in the world, meets No. 25 Ghana at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13. The team is currently in camp in Florida.

The Canadian Press

Impact looks to solidify playoff position against first place Red Bulls

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact make up a game in hand on the teams chasing them for a Major League Soccer playoff spot Wednesday night against the New York Red Bulls, and things could get nervy in the last three weeks of the regular season if they don't come away with at least a point.

A chance to clinch a playoff spot was wasted on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat in Orlando. The Lions, as they are known, moved to only one point behind Montreal but with two more games played.

If Orlando wins its final two games, the Impact have to win at least two of their last four matches, three of them on the road where they are 2-8-4 this season.

"I hope we can respond," said Mauro Biello, who lost for the first time in seven games since replacing Frank Klopas as head coach. "We had a difficult performance last game and now it's about bouncing back.

"Good teams are able to do that."

After facing Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J., the Impact play Saturday at high altitude against in Colorado, their third game in eight days, even if the Rapids are last in the Western Conference.

The Impact (12-12-6) are up against the first place team in the Eastern Conference in the Red Bulls (15-9-6), who are 10-3-2 at home.

But New York was also caught in Orlando's recent surge, losing 5-2 at home to them on Sept. 25 before rallying with a 2-1 victory over Columbus on the weekend.

The team run by Jesse Marsch, the Impact's first coach in MLS in 2012, no longer has big name stars like Thierry Henry in its lineup, but has been playing winning soccer all season.

"To me, it's one of the most consistent teams in the league," said Biello. "They're a high-tempo team, a team that presses high.

"We expect them to be ready for us and we need to be ready for them."

Now it is Montreal that has the big name player in Didier Drogba, who played only the final 31 minutes against Orlando because he has trouble dealing with artificial turf.

That won't be a problem against New York, and the former Chelsea striker, averaging a goal per game in his first seven MLS matches, is available to start.

Montreal will also have its top midfielder Ignacio Piatti back after missing three games to attend to a family matter, but has lost midfielder Johan Venegas (Costa Rica) and fullback Ambroise Oyongo (Cameroon) to international duty. Canadian Maxim Tissot is also away with the national team.

Having starters in and out of the lineup has become routine for the Impact in the last month and they are 4-1-2 in that span.

"When you're missing players who play regularly it's not easy but this team's depth has been tested and has shown it's true colours," said captain Patrice Bernier. "People have responded well.

"We have to keep doing that."

They caught a break when Belgium agreed not to call up Montreal's best defender Laurent Ciman.

"Normally I wouldn't be here," said Ciman, who finds it "bizarre" that MLS doesn't shut down for regularly scheduled international breaks as leagues in other countries do. "Most of the teams are losing their best players and the teams have to deal with that."

Midfielder Kyle Bekker was also called up by Canada but stayed back due to an undisclosed injury.

Seldom-used midfielder Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare was loaned to the Ottawa Fury of the NASL for the remainder of its regular season and playoffs. Gagnon-Lapare is currently with Canada's under-23 team, which is trying to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press

Quebec company looks at setting up cigarette plant in southern Alberta

EDMONTON — A company registered on a Mohawk reserve in Quebec says it is looking at setting up a cigarette manufacturing plant in southern Alberta.

Representatives of Four Winds Tobacco Products Inc. appeared before Newell County council last month about a possible location in Brooks, about 190 kilometres southeast of Calgary.

Tom O'Connell, a company consultant, said Four Winds wants to produce cigarettes for export and for three wholesalers in Ontario.

There is no immediate plan to sell in Alberta, but Four Winds may eventually try to market cigarettes on First Nations reserves in Western Canada, he said.

"If it is sold on First Nation reserves, we will only sell to registered wholesalers with the Canadian government," O'Connell said. 

"And those cigarettes cannot be sold outside of the reserves. They are strictly for sale on the reserves."

Four Winds is listed as a registered corporation with Industry Canada. It has an office and directors in Kahnawake, Que., a Mohawk community just south of Montreal.

The company is looking at Alberta because Quebec has put a moratorium on new tobacco manufacturing, he said.

O'Connell said Four Winds will apply for the required federal and provincial permits if it hears no objections from neighbouring businesses and gets written approval from the county.

Brian de Jong, deputy reeve of the County of Newell, said a cigarette manufacturing facility would not contravene the municipality's land-use bylaw.

"As long as they follow the rules with the legalities of that, then there should be no issue," he said.

O'Connell said the tobacco, cigarette papers and machinery for the plant would be imported from the United States initially, but the company would eventually seek Canadian suppliers.

Most Canadian tobacco is grown in Ontario.

The company would also encourage Alberta farmers to grow tobacco, O'Connell said.

"If you can grow tomatoes, you can grow tobacco."

Earlier this year, the president of a tobacco company from Kahnawake was found not guilty of importing millions of cigarettes without a licence for resale to a central Alberta reserve.

Robbie Dickson of Rainbow Tobacco G.P. was convicted in provincial court of two other charges under Alberta's Tobacco Tax Act for possessing tobacco not marked for tax sale and for having more than 1,000 cigarettes.

O'Connell said Four Winds is not affiliated with Rainbow Tobacco in any way.

He said its proposed plant would be open to federal, provincial and municipal inspections and would conform to all tax-stamping and other laws associated with cigarette manufacturing. 

"This is not kicking the tires. Our No. 1 priority is that location in Brooks."

 

John Cotter, The Canadian Press

Vlaicu lands late penalty as Romania stuns Canada 17-15 with comeback win in RWC Pool D match

LEICESTER, England — Romania produced an inspired second-half performance to rally from a 15-point deficit and beat Canada 17-15 in a Rugby World Cup Pool D match on Tuesday, clinching a dramatic victory with a nerveless late penalty from centre Florin Vlaicu.

Canada was in control when left winger DTH Van Der Merwe scored late in the first half — his fourth try of the tournament — and right winger Jeff Hassler crossed four minutes after halftime.

But Romania's bold decision to forsake penalty kicks for attacking lineouts and scrums paid off.

Canada played the last eight minutes with a man down after flanker Jebb Sinclair was sin-binned, and paid a serious price for it. Four missed shots at goal and too many wasted attacking chances also cost the Canadians.

"We said if we could stay within 14 points going into the last 20 minutes we knew we'd get the chance," Romania coach Lynn Howells said. "We saw that — Canada's wide game fell apart in the last 20."

Still, it needed an inspired individual performance to get them going and captain Captain Mihai Macovei delivered it for Romania with two tries, the No. 8 bundling over the line for his second with five minutes left.

"He's a captain that leads by example, even when we did struggle he was able to pull everyone together," Howells said.

Canada's players appealed for a double-movement on the second try, but referee Wayne Barnes — standing close by — awarded it after asking for a television referral. Vlaicu — who missed two first-half penalty attempts — added the extras and there was just one point in it.

After Canada's scrum was penalized in the 78th Vlaicu calmly slotted his kick cleanly through the posts to send the Romania fans into delirious celebrations.

"He's the top points scorer in Romanian rugby and he deserves that," Howells said.

Romania has four points and can still finish in third place in the group — assuring automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup — if it beats Italy next weekend.

Canada has played some great attacking rugby at this tournament, but it has also thrown away game-winning positions, having led 10-0 against Italy before losing 23-18.

"We did some pretty naive things in the last 30 minutes," Canada coach Kieran Crowley said. "Romania deserved to win."

Van Der Merwe showed his clinical finishing skills, side-stepping left and then cutting back right for his fourth try of the tournament and 20th in tests to make it 8-0 after 33 minutes. Van Der Merwe has scored in every pool game and only New Zealand's Julian Savea has more with five tries.

Hassler, too, showed great strength to break two tackles and hold off fullback Catalin Fercu's desperate lunge to make it 15-0 five minutes into the second half. The Canadians were no doubt thinking at that stage of pushing for a bonus-point win, and an outside shot at third place.

Then it all went wrong.

"We got a try straight after halftime and then the wheels fell off," Crowley said. "We're just not good enough in the final plays. We just have to get better."

Scrumhalf Gordon McRorie landed only one of three penalties and missed a conversion in the first half. Flyhalf Nathan Hirayama took kicking duties after the break, and although he converted the second try he also missed a penalty.

It was a scrappy early on, not helped by the wet conditions caused by a downpour before kickoff.

The Oaks got their first chance for points when Canada collapsed the scrum but Vlaicu's effort from near halfway fell short. His next long-range effort missed, too, but he was saving his best for last.

Howells said the players would celebrate in moderation.

"They've earned the right," he said. "They'll have a beer but it won't be to any great extent."

For now.

The celebrations promise to be wilder if Romania beats Italy.

Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press

Canadian Olympic Committee unaware of harassment, says interim president

CALGARY — The interim president of the Canadian Olympic Committee says the organization's board did not know of harassment complaints against former president Marcel Aubut.

Aubut resigned after women accused him of sexual comments and unwanted touching.

Interim president Tricia Smith told reporters on a conference call the COC board was unaware of specific instances of harassment.

The COC has hired a Canadian employment lawyer and human resource expert to conduct an independent review.

The Canadian Press

From homeless to hospital patients: how people will vote in the federal election

Millions of Canadians will cast ballots in typical fashion for the Oct. 19 federal election — at polling stations in local school gymnasiums or community centres. But special voting rules have also been established for some groups, who can't do that. Here's a look at some of those rules:  

Inmates — People in provincial jails and federal prisons can apply to vote by mail or register to vote at advance polls set up inside institutions Oct. 9. Inmates vote for candidates in their home riding, or the riding of a relative, the place of their arrest or the court where they were convicted and sentenced.

Homeless — People with no home address vote in the riding of the shelter they stay in or the agency or soup kitchen where they receive services. They must show identification with their name on it, such as a library card or prescription container, as well as proof of their home address in a letter from the shelter or soup kitchen administrator. They can also take an oath, if they are accompanied by someone they know who lives in the area and can attest to the address.

Expats — Canadians who have lived outside the country for less than five consecutive years and intend to move back to Canada can vote by mail. Their home address is considered to be the last address they had before leaving, or the home of a relative or person they would be living with if not out of the country. Government workers, staff with international organizations and military members — and the people who live with them — are exempt from the five-year rule.

Military — Members of the Canadian Forces, along with teachers and staff of Canadian Forces schools outside Canada, can vote by mail or at polling stations set up in their units, whether they are at home or abroad.

Students — Post-secondary students who live in two places — one while at school and the other while not in school — can choose which they consider to be their home address. Those who live on campus are allowed to vote at polls set up there. All students are eligible to vote Oct. 5-8 at Elections Canada offices on 39 campuses.

Patients — People in some hospitals and long-term care facilities have the extra option of voting at mobile polling stations. Elections Canada staff can carry ballot boxes from room to room if needed. Election workers also provide in-home voting for people unable to leave home because of a disability.

Oilsands workers — During the last election, kiosks were set up at six remote work camps around Fort McMurray, Alta., since the areas had limited access to postal services. About 14 per cent of 8,285 workers at the locations cast ballots; many didn't have proof of their home addresses and couldn't vote. Elections Canada says it's not continuing the program this year because it was too expensive and logistically complex.

(Source: Elections Canada)

The Canadian Press

Corrado hopes to stick in NHL as Maple Leafs claim him off waivers from Canucks

TORONTO — Frankie Corrado was at his grandmother's house in Woodbridge, Ont., when he found out the Toronto Maple Leafs had claimed him off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks.

"We just started jumping around and hugging each other," Corrado said. "It's as good as it gets."

The 22-year-old defenceman wasn't as thrilled to find out he hadn't made the Canucks, but he hopes to stick in the NHL with the team he grew up rooting for.

"In my head I thought I was good enough to play and had done well enough (in Canucks camp)," Corrado said. "Just by the decision they made they clearly thought that it wasn't good enough. That's their decision, and they have a lot of good defencemen there who can play. It's over now and I'm here now and I just want to make the best of this opportunity."

Corrado will soon get that opportunity, potentially on the third defensive pairing alongside Jake Gardiner. Scott Harrington, who was in that spot for the past two days of practice, was sent to American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies on Tuesday to get the Leafs to the 23-man roster limit by the deadline.

Coach Mike Babcock watched tape of Corrado on Monday and did some background work on who he was as a player. He came away with a strong impression.

"Right-hand shot, young guy, skates, moves the puck," Babcock said. "I thought he played well in the games I saw with Vancouver when I was watching him yesterday. We can help him on his puck retrievals and his exits as well, but another young guy trying to make our club better."

Babcock said making the Leafs better was the reason they put winger Richard Panik on waivers Tuesday. Toronto got Panik off waivers a year ago from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it's hard to see him clearing as a 24-year-old who scored 11 goals last season.

"What you do is you say, 'Can we improve our roster in any way?'" Babcock said. "Richie's a good man who worked hard and tried hard and we were just in a position we feel that we can help our back end, so we're going to try it."

Corrado didn't know if he'd be in the lineup opening night against the Montreal Canadiens, and he was lucky to already be in the area. Once Vancouver waived him, he flew home so he could prepare to get his car to drive to of the AHL if he wasn't claimed and wound up sticking around.

After a "roller-coaster" 24 hours, now he hopes to show the Leafs they made the right call and the Canucks the wrong one. He described himself as a "mobile, smart, two-way defencemen who's defence first" but knows it'll be on the coaching staff and management to judge.

"It's my job to show you with my play," Corrado said.

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Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press

Harvest likely to continue for October, despite rainfall

Site C and Northern Gateway projects face more backlash from protestors