News

Provocative political issues fire up first French-language debate

OTTAWA — Some of the most touchy subjects in Canadian politics — minority rights, climate change and Quebec sovereignty — had their airing during a lively and edgy French-language debate Thursday.

The broadcast, hosted by Radio-Canada and La Presse, featured one of the most heated exchanges of the election so far, on the controversial question of Muslim women who cover their faces.

Overall, the debate featured an ebb and flow of interesting alliances and clashes depending on the policy subject on the floor.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and the Bloc Quebecois' Gilles Duceppe had both run provocative television ads expressing the controversial position that women who wear the veil should be made to remove it during the ceremony.

"We're talking about a fundamental question, it's the question of equality between men and women in our society," said Duceppe, who promised the Bloc's first bill in the Commons would be to extend a ban on the veil to other areas, such as public servants.

Although NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are going head to head for seats in Quebec, they wound up on the same page on the issue — they didn't think a woman should be told how to dress.

"I understand it's a question that makes many people uneasy, but for me, the state is there to defend minority rights, and to defend the rights of women," Trudeau said.

That led to a tense moment during the debate that featured Harper and Mulcair facing each other directly, gesticulating with their hands and nearly yelling.

"Mr. Mulcair, I will never tell my young daughter that a woman should cover her face because she is woman. That's not our Canada, that's not acceptable for me," Harper said.

"Attack the oppressor, don't attack the woman, Mr. Harper ... have the courage to do that," Mulcair said. "But it's not by depriving these women of their citizenship and their rights that you're going to succeed in helping them.

"You're playing a dangerous political game."

Green party Leader Elizabeth May called the issue a "fake debate" that has nothing to do with important questions on climate change, unemployment and the economy.

"For women's rights, where is the inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women?" she asked.

Other lively moments came during a discussion on constitutional issues, where Trudeau challenged Mulcair's position that a simple majority in a referendum would be enough for Quebec to separate from Canada.

"Mr. Trudeau says it will take much more than simple majority, but he refuses to say how much," Mulcair said.

Trudeau said Mulcair's own party constitution would require more than just 50 per cent-plus-one of voters to remove "new" from the name of the New Democratic Party.

"A prime minister should fight for the unity of the country, and it won't surprise anyone that's what I intend to do," said Trudeau.

On climate change, most of the firepower was directed at Harper, whom his rivals slammed for not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gases.

Duceppe also took his shots at Trudeau for not opposing the Energy East pipeline project that will run through the province.

On the pipeline issue, Harper accused his rivals of not being in favour of replacing foreign oil with Canadian oil.

"That's false!" exclaimed Duceppe, who was backed by May. "That oil is neither consumed, nor refined in Quebec."

The leaders also debated the plight of Syrian refugees, and Canada's military mission in the region.

Again, Harper was criticized by the four others for not doing enough to bring in refugees. Duceppe pointed out that the military helped bring thousands of people fleeing Kosovo into Canada in a matter of weeks 15 years ago.

But the Bloc leader agreed with Harper once more, on the military mission.

"There are moments in history when we have to intervene militarily...We can't just knock on the door of the Islamic State and say, 'we're here to bring humanitarian aide,"' said Duceppe.

But that was followed up by a particularly prickly moment between Duceppe and Harper, the two leaders who have spent the most time together in the Commons, over Canada's sale of military vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

Duceppe challenged Harper on why that continued, even while it was believed the Saudis were helping ISIS.

Harper responded that Saudi Arabia was an ally.

"So Saudi Arabia is a big ally. Oh good, I've taken note," shot back Duceppe.

This first French-language debate could be key for Trudeau and Mulcair in particular.

The Conservatives managed to win a majority government in 2011 with only five seats from the province, as they cleaned up in Ontario and held on in their western strongholds.

But for the math to work for Trudeau, his campaign needs to tick off a healthy number of ridings in Quebec on election night.

The stakes are arguably even higher for Mulcair, whose base of support is firmly rooted in the province. In 2011, the NDP vaulted into official opposition status when they swept the province under Jack Layton. The NDP held 54 of the 75 seats in Quebec when Parliament was dissolved.

Three different pollsters suggested Thursday that New Democrat support may be beginning to wane. The party is not yet a force in the critical Greater Toronto Area.

"Overall, it's fragile," pollster Jean-Marc Leger said of NDP support. "It's really fragile in Quebec."

The leaders' debate is the third of the campaign but the first to be nationally televised by the major networks. It is also the first to include five party leaders, adding May of the Greens and the Bloc's Duceppe to the mix.

It also marks the beginning of an intense nine-day period that will see three leaders' debates in all, two in French and one predominantly in English.

Follow @jenditchburn on Twitter.

Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

Lawyer for woman accusing Kane of sexual assault abruptly quits case over evidence bag

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The lawyer of a woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of sexual assault abruptly quit the case Thursday night, saying he's no longer comfortable representing the woman because of how her mother reported finding an evidence bag they believed once held the woman's rape kit.

Thomas Eoannou told reporters he doesn't believe the story he was told about how the bag was found. But he said he's still confident in the woman's allegations against Kane.

"I don't know how that reflects, and I don't think it does, on the night in question," Eoannou said of the confusion over the bag.

The woman's mother did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press. The AP does not identify people who may have been sexually assaulted unless they have come forward and voluntarily identified themselves.

The reversal comes after police said Wednesday that the rape kit and its packaging were handled properly. Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, reached at home after the news conference, declined comment but said he would address the issue on Friday at a previously scheduled news conference.

Eoannou said he confirmed with prosecutors investigating the case that the bag is authentic. But he says he doesn't know what evidence the bag contained.

Eoannou raised questions about the bag on Wednesday, saying the folded up paper bag was found by the woman's mother in between her storm door and her front door.

"I don't know what's true and what's not true," Eoannou said Thursday night.

The case has been the source of intense speculation and rumour since early August, when Kane was accused of assaulting the young woman in his waterfront mansion after they met at a nightclub. He has not been charged. Authorities have said only that they are investigating.

Kane last week said he did nothing wrong and expected to be absolved. He also apologized for the distraction he has caused his family, teammates, the Blackhawks organization and fans.

John Wawrow, The Associated Press

Minority rights, niqab, Senate among hot topics in French leaders’ debate

OTTAWA — The politically charged subject of minority and women's rights created unusual on-stage alliances — and one of the most heated exhanges of the campaign — during the first French-language debate of the federal election.

Health care, the right to die with dignity, the Senate and the economy also came up Thursday during the first half of the debate, hosted by Radio-Canada in Montreal.

But the question of whether Muslim women who wear the face-covering niqab should be required to show their face while taking the citizenship oath was one of the most widely anticipated discussion points.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and the Bloc Quebecois' Gilles Duceppe had both run pointed television ads expressing the controversial position that women who wear the veil should be made to remove it during the ceremony.

"We're talking about fundamental question, it's the question of equality between men and women in our society," said Duceppe, who promised the Bloc's first bill in the Commons would be extend a ban on the veil to other areas, such as public servants.

Although NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are going head to head for seats in Quebec, they wound up on the same page on the issue — they didn't think a woman should be told how to dress.

"I understand it's a question that makes many people uneasy, but for me, the state is there to defend minority rights, and to defend the rights of women," Trudeau said.

That led to a tense moment during the debate that featured Harper and Mulcair facing each other directly, talking loudly over each other.

"Mr. Mulcair, I will never tell my young daughter that a woman should cover her face because she is woman. That's not our Canada, that's not acceptable for me," Harper said.

"Attack the oppressor, don't attack the woman, Mr. Harper ... have the courage to do that," Mulcair said. "But it's not by depriving these women of their citizenship and their rights that you're going to succeed in helping them.

"You're playing a dangerous political game."

Green party Leader Elizabeth May called the issue a "fake debate" that has nothing to do with important questions on climate change, unemployment and the economy.

"For women's rights, where is the inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women?" she asked.

Other lively moments came during a discussion on constitutional issues, where Trudeau challenged Mulcair's position that a simple majority in a referendum would be enough for Quebec to separate from Canada.

"Mr. Trudeau says it will take much more than simple majority, but he refuses to say how much," Mulcair said.

Trudeau said Mulcair's own party constitution would require more than just 50 per cent-plus-one of voters to remove "new" from the name of the New Democratic Party.

"A prime minister should fight for the unity of the country, and it won't surprise anyone that's what I intend to do," said Trudeau.

This first French-language debate could be key for Trudeau and Mulcair in particular.

The Conservatives managed to win a majority government in 2011 with only five seats from the province, as they cleaned up in Ontario and held on in their western strongholds.

But for the math to work for Trudeau, his campaign needs to tick off a healthy number of ridings in Quebec on election night.

The stakes are arguably even higher for Mulcair, whose base of support is firmly rooted in the province. In 2011, the NDP vaulted into official opposition status when they swept the province under Jack Layton. The NDP held 54 of the 75 seats in Quebec when Parliament was dissolved.

Three different pollsters suggested Thursday that New Democrat support may be beginning to wane. The party is not yet a force in the critical Greater Toronto Area.

"Overall, it's fragile," pollster Jean-Marc Leger said of NDP support. "It's really fragile in Quebec."

The leaders' debate is the third of the campaign but the first to be nationally televised by the major networks. It is also the first to include five party leaders, adding May of the Greens and the Bloc's Duceppe to the mix.

It also marks the beginning of an intense nine-day period that will see three leaders' debates in all, two in French and one predominantly in English.

Follow @jenditchburn on Twitter.

Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

Jewish groups ‘astonished’ that NDP candidate not aware of Auschwitz

HALIFAX — Jewish groups said they were astonished that an educated school trustee running for the New Democrats in the federal election reportedly said she was unfamiliar with one of the Nazis' most notorious death camps.

Leaders in the Jewish community reacted with dismay on Thursday after it was revealed that Alex Johnstone, the NDP candidate in Hamilton, Ont., referred to fence posts at Auschwitz as being phallic on Facebook in 2008.

To them and many others, her claim to a local newspaper Tuesday that she didn't know about the infamous concentration camp was more galling than the comments themselves.

"It's disappointing that you still seem to have people who are living in some cocoon of a lack of general knowledge," said Jon Goldberg, executive director of the Atlantic Jewish Council.

"It's just an ignorance that's surprising for someone who's running for office."

Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, was equally incredulous at the admission and said it may signal the need for greater education about the Holocaust.

Both Fogel and Goldberg say they saw no malice in Johnstone's remarks, but stressed the importance of elected officials knowing their history so that they might work to prevent it from being repeated.

"If we can't draw lessons from those experiences that are going to inform the way we respond to crises, then we are just playing into that old cliche of history repeats itself through neglect or ignorance," he said from Ottawa.

"We're more than surprised that that wouldn't be one of the thousands of things that holds a memory chip in a federal candidate's memory bank, which means that some of the onus is on to make sure people are better informed."

Johnstone and her campaign officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for B'nai Brith, a human rights and anti-Semitic advocacy group, said late Thursday that CEO Michael Mostyn had spoken with Johnstone and senior members of the NDP.

"Having had a meaningful conversation with Alex about her comments on Facebook, we feel that she truly appreciates why her Facebook comments were inappropriate," said Mostyn.

For her part, Johnstone promised to work with the organization to raise awareness about anti-semitism.

"I personally pledged to work with their experts to raise awareness about the ever-increasing need to combat racism, discrimination and anti-semitism," she said in the joint statement. "I intend to continue to learn about the Holocaust and speak out against hate in all its forms."

Johnstone had earlier issued an apology on her Facebook page after her comments surfaced via a satirical web-based publication. She conceded that her remarks were inappropriate, but not meant to cause harm.

The Facebook posting from April 2008 featured a friend's photo of part of Auschwitz's electrified fence and its curved, concrete supports at the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

"Ahhh, the infamous Pollish (sic), phallic, hydro posts," Johnstone commented underneath.

"Of course you took pictures of this! It expresses how the curve is normal, natural, and healthy right!"

After the remarks came to light, Johnstone said in an interview with the Hamilton Spectator that, "I didn't know what Auschwitz was, or I didn't up until today."

A social worker by training, Johnstone is vice-chairwoman of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, having been first elected as a school trustee in 2010. She has a Master of Social Work degree, according to her campaign biography.

People commenting on her Facebook page expressed disbelief that someone with a strong background in education might not have known the role Auschwitz played in the decimation of six million Jews in the Second World War.

"How the heck can a person get to your age and not know what Auschwitz was! Your ignorance is mind boggling," wrote one person. 

Another was more direct: "I would submit that you need to visit a Holocaust museum ASAP, otherwise you may need to step down to avoid further issues.

"You seem nice, but...not knowing what Auschwitz was? Wow...I'm sorry, but that's not acceptable in 2015."

Follow @alison_auld on Twitter

Alison Auld, The Canadian Press

B.C. childrens’ advocate says she was misled about teen who died in care

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — British Columbia's representative for children says her trust in the provincial government has been shaken after she claims she was misled into believing that no kids in care were being housed in hotels.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issued a sharp rebuke following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais, an aboriginal teen in care who was killed after falling from a fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel last Friday.

"Very little can assuage my concern today about what has happened to this child," said Turpel-Lafond in an interview on Thursday. "It matters not to me whether it was intentional or not unintentional. There's a boy that's dead."

She said B.C.'s commitment to her to keep children in provincial care safe has been broken.

Turpel-Lafond sent a scathing letter to the childrens' ministry on Wednesday asking for an explanation for the apparent deception. She also demanded written assurance that, effective immediately, no youth would be placed in hotels or in single-room-occupancy living quarters and that youth currently housed in such circumstances would be moved as soon as possible.

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux explained that hotels are used to house children in care only in extreme circumstances and policy requires that the ministry be notified whenever this takes place.

"What we learned when the tragedy happened in Abbotsford was that notification had not occurred, and that's not OK," said Cadieux. "We weren't informed."

Following Gervais' death, the ministry discovered that another child is housed in a hotel, though Cadieux said her child welfare director assured her the situation falls within the ministry's guidelines.

An internal review will be launched to discover why the policy wasn't followed, she added.

Turpel-Lafond stressed that her office has no difficulty interacting with the ministry's front-line workers and directed her condemnation towards upper management.

"Who would actually believe them when they tell you they're adamant no kid will be in a hotel and then a young person is in a hotel in crisis and dies," she said. "Will I take what they tell me at face value ever again? Probably not."

Gervais had been living in a hotel for about two months after the province shut down the group home where he had been living over safety concerns, said Turpel-Lafond.

Turpel-Lafond said the young man was in distress and may have taken his own life. Abbotsford police said Thursday they don't suspect foul play in the death.

A report from Turpel-Lafond's office published in December 2014 describes hotels as costly and non-therapeutic placement options and urged the ministry to publicly report whenever they are used as temporary measures.

B.C. New Democrat Leader John Horgan said he was appalled by the news of Gervais' death and called for Cadieux's resignation

"I'm absolutely horrified that the government seems to have yet again left our most vulnerable in a situation that's led to a fatality," he said. "We need to stop defending the ministry and start defending children."

When asked, Cadieux said she was not willing to comment on whether she would consider resigning.

The NDP critic for children and family development, Doug Donaldson, noted the government cut $100 million from the ministry's budget between 2008 and 2013.

"I think the minister is destroying the credibility of her ministry," he said.

— By Geordon Omand in Vancouver

— Follow @gwomand on Twitter

The Canadian Press

Montreal’s women’s team gets new logo and new name: The Canadiennes

MONTREAL — The Canadian Women's Hockey League team in Montreal will now be called Les Canadiennes.

The CWHL club formerly known as the Montreal Stars unveiled a new name, new logo and new marketing and promotions links to the NHL's Canadiens at a Bell Centre news conference on Thursday.

The Canadiens had announced a partnership with the women's team in March with an eye on finding a new name and look. It started with the Stars wearing jerseys similar to the Canadiens but with Montreal written across the front.

The new jerseys are also in the same red, white and blue as the NHL club, but with a large C with a star in it, which acknowledges the former team nickname.

"It's very exciting," said goalie Charline Labonte, a veteran of Canadian Olympic gold medal teams. "It's like starting a new era.

"It's very flattering to be associated with the Montreal Canadiens with the history they have. To have a similar name, I can't imagine anything bad happening to us."

The Canadiens will help the Canadiennes (the feminine case of Canadians in French) financially and give a boost to promotions and merchandise sales, selling their jerseys alongside those of Canadiens stars like P.K. Subban and Carey Price in their boutiques.  

Canadiennes veteran Caroline Ouellet said that, as a child, she dreamed of playing for the Canadiens one day because no pro women's leagues existed at the time. She hopes that the tie to one of the oldest and most famous teams in hockey will boost the women's game in Quebec.

"The name will be easy for people to remember," said Ouellette. "That's one of our challenges.

"We want people to know we exist. So often I met people who didn't even know we were called the Stars. Being associated with the Canadiens will be huge for our sport. I hope people will give us a chance and come see one of our games."

The Montreal team won Clarkson Cups in 2009, 2011 and 2012, but Quebec, with about 7,000 female players, lags behind Ontario, with more than 35,000, in participation in women's and girl's hockey.

The Canadiennes will not be moved to the Bell Centre, but they hope to draw more than the few hundred who turn out to games at their home rink at the Etienne Desmarteau Centre in the city's east end.

Kevin Gilmour, the Canadiens executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the Canadiennes may eventually move into a new rink expected to open in two years that the NHL club's entertainment branch is building in the suburbs north of Montreal.

The CWHL has worked to build links between its clubs and NHL teams. The Calgary Flames are affiliated with the Calgary Inferno and the Toronto Furies, associated with the Maple Leafs, also have a rebranding planned for this week. The Boston Blades have a loose affiliation with the Bruins. 

CWHL commissioner Branda Andress said the five-team league hopes to expand to six in coming years with more links to NHL clubs.

Les Canadiennes will wear the new jerseys for the first time in their home opener Oct. 17 against the Brampton Thunder.

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press

B.C. bishop says abstinence is the only healthy choice over HPV vaccine

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — A Catholic bishop in British Columbia says a vaccine that protects girls against a sexually transmitted infection isn't inherently wrong, but abstinence is the only healthy choice.

Bishop Stephen Jensen of the Diocese of Prince George also said in a September letter to parents of Grade 6 and Grade 9 girls attending Catholic schools that a legal option known as mature-minor consent won't be an option for students in the human papillomavirus vaccination program. 

Mature-minor consent is defined on the BC Centre for Disease Control's website as the authority given to children under the age of 19 to allow, refuse or revoke their consent to be immunized. The centre said that authority takes precedence over parental authority.

"You need to discern the merits of having your child vaccinated or not," Jensen told parents in the letter posted online.

"While the vaccination program is not inherently wrong, parents need to make an informed decision and communicate it in a way that can serve to strengthen their child in the virtue of chastity and reinforce her appreciation of abstinence as the only truly healthy choice."

He said the church and the parish will support parental rights.

The diocese did not respond to email and phone requests for an interview by publication.

In a posting on its website, the diocese provides a type of mission statement that explains the principles upon which its eight Catholic elementary schools operate.

"Children hear, learn, share and experience Catholic faith and values with and from teachers and staff committed to modeling the words and vision of Christ," it said.

HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, three quarters of sexually active women will get it during their lives and it can become cancerous over time, according to the provincial government website ImmunizeBC.

Northern Health spokesman Jonathon Dyck said in an email that the authority will work with local schools to ensure people make informed choices about vaccinations.

"We want to ensure that the vaccine is offered before people become sexually active as it is a preventative measure, and studies have shown that it does not affect a person's decision about being abstinent," he said.

"It is also an important protection as the person may marry someone who has contracted and carries HPV."

Dyck said the infection is highly contagious and can be spread even without sexual intercourse through skin-to-skin contact.

"The HPV vaccine is safe and up to 99 per cent effective at preventing HPV strains responsible for most HPV related cancers, and genital warts," said Dyck.

Jensen said vaccination teams will visit Catholic schools three times in the coming year and will offer the vaccine on two of those visits. 

The diocese makes no mention in the letter of boys receiving the vaccine.

B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake announced in July that boys and men up to the age of 26 would be eligible for free HPV vaccines in September.

The vaccines are also available at local health units.

-- by Keven Drews

 

The Canadian Press

Guy Turcotte trial hears that he admits to causing children’s deaths

SAINT-JEROME, Que. — Jurors at Guy Turcotte's first-degree murder trial heard Thursday that he admitted to causing the deaths of his two children.

The former cardiologist is charged in the slayings of Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3, in a residence north of Montreal in February 2009.

The admission that Turcotte caused their deaths was read out to the jury two days after he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial also heard from Patrick Bigras, the police officer who eventually arrested Turcotte after discovering the bodies of Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3.

"It was upsetting, very upsetting," he testified in reference to that day's events.

Bigras smashed a window to get into the residence and climbed one floor where he saw blood on a door.

Then he discovered the children's blood-spattered bodies.

Bigras said the two were in their beds lying on their backs, wearing only underwear. Their stomachs and abdomens were covered in wounds.

Turcotte stood in the prisoner's box during that part of the testimony, looking downward with his eyes closed.

"The children were already stiff, pale and cold," Bigras testified. "The little boy's eyes were half-open."

Bigras took the children's pulse and quickly realized they were dead.

The officer then went looking for a suspect because he had heard noise coming from somewhere on the same floor when he entered the house.

He found Turcotte lying under his bed, vomit at the corners of his mouth.

Bigras testified that he called Turcotte an imbecile and that the accused answered, "Yes, I know."

Earlier on Thursday, jurors saw two knives that were found near where Olivier and Anne-Sophie were found.

The longer one — at 32 centimetres — was found underneath Olivier with blood on the blade. The other one was located on the side of a bathtub in a bathroom adjacent to Turcotte's bedroom.

The Crown has said it intends to prove that Olivier was stabbed 27 times and Anne-Sophie 19 times.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Andre Vincent has ordered that witnesses not be allowed in the courtroom before they testify. They will after they have taken the stand.

The Crown has said the children's mother, Isabelle Gaston, will testify early in the proceedings.

The trial resumes Monday.

 

The Canadian Press

A healthy quarterback becoming an increasingly rare sight in the CFL

WINNIPEG — Bo Levi Mitchell hasn't resorted to tucking a four-leaf clover in his shoe or clipping a lucky rabbit's foot to his uniform.

Heading into Friday's game against the Blue Bombers, the Calgary Stampeders quarterback is one of only three pivots who has avoided injury and started every game for his team this season.

Despite his counterparts falling like dominoes across the CFL, Mitchell said Thursday he's not about to change his style.

"I just go out there and play the way I play football," he said, noting he missed three games last year because of injury.

"I'm not going to change anything up. I'm not going to tell myself not to run more or anything like that."

Ottawa's Henry Burris has also stayed healthy this season, while backup Trevor Harris has had the reins from the get-go in Toronto with No. 1 Ricky Ray recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. Ray is back practising.

The number of injured quarterbacks has climbed every year since 2011, according to CFL statistician Steve Daniel.

Going into this weekend's action, the nine clubs have started 19 different quarterbacks because of injuries or performance, Daniel said, adding Bomber Matt Nichols is counted twice as he's started for Edmonton and Winnipeg.

That number will climb to 20 after B.C. plays this weekend, with Jonathon Jennings expected to start for the Lions in place of recently injured John Beck. It moves to 21 when Hamilton finishes its bye week and has to use a new starter for Zach Collaros, who's out for the season with a knee injury.

Daniel said in a phone interview he dug up stats going back to 2000 and a high of 22 different quarterbacks were used in 2007.

He also calculated the number of quarterbacks who specifically missed playing time because of injury and it's been rising the past five years.

Five quarterbacks were injured in 2011 (the lowest in the past 15 years), six in 2012, eight in 2013, 11 last year and it's up to 12 this season, including Ray.

"Since I've been up here, it's always been you need two quarterbacks to win a championship," said Nichols, a six-year veteran acquired Sept. 2 in a trade with Edmonton.

"It's a long season, take a lot of hits. I think I took we counted 18 hits last week. As a quarterback, you take your punishment. Things are going to happen, you just need to be able to have someone there that can be the next man up."

Nichols is a league-high fourth starting QB for Winnipeg this season after No. 1 Drew Willy went down with a knee injury on Aug. 9.

"As an offensive lineman, it's always frustrating to see those guys go down, even if they're not on your team," Bombers 10-year centre Dominic Picard said. "We take pride in protecting the quarterback so it's tough to see, especially our guys."

Stampeders head coach and general John Hufnagel is thankful he's still fielding his No. 1 pivot, but sympathized with the plight of his coaching peers.

"Some teams are down to their third and fourth quarterbacks, and no matter how much you plan you're not going to have that much depth at the position," Hufnagel said.

"It's very, very unfortunate. We need our star players on the field."

The defending Grey Cup champions are 24-5 when Mitchell starts and have kept him healthy despite starting eight different offensive linemen this season.

Calgary goes into Friday's game as heavy favourites, having defeated the Bombers twice this season and 12 of the past 13 meetings.

Winnipeg is also playing in a short week and had only one full practice since last Sunday's 35-14 loss in Montreal. Its record in games with only four days between is 1-1 this season and 1-8 since 2012.

Notes — Calgary receiver Joe West returns after missing four games with a turf-toe injury … Winnipeg receiver Nick Moore is back after missing one game … Linebacker Ian Wild rejoined the Bombers this week and should play at least on special teams.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press

Rugby Canada sponsor DHL showcases employees at Rugby World Cup via jersey numbers

TORONTO — Rugby Canada sponsor DHL is making sure every one of its 1,158 Canadian employees is part of the Rugby World Cup.

Photos of the DHL workers have been imprinted in a mosaic on the jersey numbers of the 23 players who dress for each of Canada's games at the 20-country tournament. All of the DHL employees will appear on at least one of the Canada jerseys.

"DHL will take every Canadian employee to the Rugby World Cup … What better way to get our team excited than by making them a part of Team Canada on the pitch," Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Canada, said in a statement.

DHL usually appears on the front of Canadian team jerseys, but such advertising is not allowed during the World Cup. 

The U.S. Eagles are also wearing jerseys that feature a mosaic of fan photos in their jersey numbers with supporters making a donation to be part of the program.

MLS teams did something similar this season to honour their fans.

In another rugby sponsorship move, World Rugby — formerly known as the International Rugby Board —announced Thursday that DHL has extended its partnership with the men's and women's HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Vancouver joins the men's sevens circuit in March.

Rugby Canada, meanwhile, announced Thursday that the women's sevens circuit will return to Langford, B.C., next April. The debut event earlier this year drew some 6,000 as New Zealand won the Cup competition.

As an "official logistics partner" of the Rugby World Cup, DHL says its global arm will transport more than 48 tons of equipment for all 20 participating teams — from match uniforms and scrum machines to tackle bags and ice baths — across 89 team base locations and 13 match venues.

 

The Canadian Press

Dawson Creek’s Automated Residential Waste Collection to start in October

RCMP file terrorism charges against man believed to be fighting overseas

CALGARY — RCMP have laid terrorism charges in absentia against a Calgary man who was seen burning his Canadian passport and threatening U.S. President Barack Obama in an Islamic State propaganda video.

Farah Mohamed Shirdon, 22, faces several offences, including participation in the activity of a terrorist group and instructing others to carry out terrorist activity.

Mounties said Thursday the charges are being laid in absentia because they believe Shirdon remains overseas. A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued and a notice was to be issued via Interpol.

Police said their investigation — part of what they call Project Staccato — determined that Shirdon left Canada on March 14, 2014, to fight with the Islamic State in Syria. He was last known to be in the city of Raqqa.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Marlin DeGrand said it's believed Shirdon served in various roles with the organization.

"Our investigation showed that Shirdon served in a combat role and performed other functions for ISIS such as recruiting, fundraising, encouraging others to commit violence and spreading propaganda — all designed to enhance the activities of the ISIS," DeGrand said in a release.

There were reports he had been killed, but RCMP said that wasn't the case.

Shirdon has featured prominently in western media's coverage of North Americans travelling overseas to fight with the militant group.

Last year, the CBC aired the propaganda video of Shirdon burning his passport and threatening Obama.

"We are coming and we will destroy you," he said, surrounded by several men with guns.

One of the terrorism charges relates to that video.

Another charge relates to threats Shirdon allegedly made in a video interview with media outlet Vice last September. In the video of that interview, a man calling himself Abu Usamah promised there was going to be a "brilliant" attack in New York and the Islamic State's flag would fly over the White House.

"I'm Canadian, well, I was Canadian," he told Vice's online magazine, Motherboard, a few months earlier.

He said he had talked to a Canadian intelligence agent a few days before leaving Canada and that the "poor girl" who interviewed him probably lost her job.

He told the magazine that he was active on Twitter and using social media as a recruitment tool. A search Thursday for the Twitter account he reportedly used, @MuhajirSumalee, showed it has been suspended.

Other media have said Shirdon, a nephew of a former prime minister of Somalia, used to work at a Calgary movie theatre.

Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada didn't know Shirdon, but had seen him at some Calgary events in the past. He worried that Shirdon's actions would inspire other radicalized youth to head overseas.

He said the charges will hopefully act as a deterrent to other youth thinking about heading overseas. But he also wants police to work more on preventing recruitment that he believes is happening at home.

"I think it's a very good step but government has the responsibility, our RCMP and police have the responsibility, to go to the bottom of this thing and find out who are the recruiters and go after them. I strongly believe these are local people."

Calgary police recently announced a partnership with RCMP and other agencies to create a prevention program, with a dedicated hotline, to address radicalization in the city.

Mounties said they are working to bring Shirdon back to Canada so he can be arrested. No officials were available to comment on how likely that may be.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said in a news release that the charges are important to discourage others.

"These charges not only demonstrate that the RCMP is taking active measures to investigate and pursue criminal charges against high-risk travellers, but also serve as a powerful deterrent message to individuals seeking to travel abroad for terrorist purposes and those already engaged in such activity."

Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press

Loge your complaint: Some Winnipeg NHL fans upset with new obstructed views

WINNIPEG — Ron Wersch got a surprise when he walked up to his usual seat for the first NHL exhibition game in Winnipeg this season: a wall of Plexiglas and metal to his front and side that blocks his view of a good portion of the ice.

"In my wildest dreams, I never imagined it would be this bad. Never, ever," Wersch said Thursday.

He is one of many Winnipeg Jets fans who have found their view of the ice obstructed this year thanks to a new section of pricier loge seats that has been added to the upper deck.

Wersch's two season tickets used to be in the front row of the upper deck, with Plexiglas in front of him. Now, there are loge seats in front of him, a staircase beside him, and thick metal rails to keep everything in place.

He can't see one of the faceoff circles and he has to lean forward to see the net closest to him. That creates tension with people behind him, who then have to lean forward to see past him.

"We start a domino effect going up behind us. If we lean forward, now we're obstructing the people's view behind us."

True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Jets and the 15,000-seat MTS Centre, didn't advise fans that their views were going to be obstructed, according to Wersch and several other fans who took to social media to vent their frustration.

A True North spokesman said fewer than 200 seats have had their sightlines directly affected by the renovations, and efforts are underway to address concerns, although he would offer no details.

"We are now in a better position to identify the location of those seats whose sightlines have been negatively impacted by the addition of the loge seating," Scott Brown wrote in an email after declining an interview request.

"We are currently reviewing the specific locations and are working on a plan to address the concerns. As you might appreciate, a number of factors must be taken into consideration as we navigate next steps, including compliance with building codes to ensure the safety of our customers."

Given that Jets games sell out, it's unlikely that Wersch and other fans can be moved to different seats.

Uunless the guard rails, stairs and Plexiglas can be removed, Wersch feels the only option is a partial refund on his tickets.

Prices in the upper deck start at about $80 a game, although season-ticket holders get a discount. The loge seats run about $100 more.

"You pay based on your location in the arena. And now that the location is the same — but the view is dramatically affected — I'm not sure how they cannot say, 'Well, we're going to offer you a discounted price.'"

 

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

Eleven days in, Canada’s veteran ‘keeper LeBlanc “doing good” in retirement

TORONTO — The moment every athlete dreads came just 11 days ago for Karina LeBlanc, when she walked off the pitch as a player for the last time.

The 35-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., officially retired when her Chicago Red Stars were eliminated in the semifinals of the National Women's Soccer League semifinals, and said Thursday, so far so good.

"You never know how you're going to handle it, you never know what it's going to feel like. I know I'm doing well now, But I know there will be moments when it won't be easy," LeBlanc said. 

The veteran goalkeeper was in Toronto for the Canadian Olympic Committee's announcement of Game Plan, an initiative to help athletes transition through to successful post-athletic careers. LeBlanc, who made her debut for Canada at 18, also had meetings scheduled for potential work — including in broadcasting — while in Toronto, and also in New York.

"I think it's like with any athlete, you just want to do the next steps," she said. "Trying to figure out the next step, but at the same time I'm excited about what's next, because I was able to prepare a bit. It wasn't an injury that pushed me out, or I didn't go because I wasn't good enough, and as an athlete I think that's a big thing too, I left feeling good enough.

"That's huge. I know so many of my colleagues have had different ways of exiting."

LeBlanc, who played in two Olympics, retired from the international game at what would be her fifth World Cup last summer in Vancouver, announcing her plans prior to Canada's opening game. Canada was ousted in the quarter-finals by England.

"It's been bittersweet. . .Getting to that last lap in Vancouver on home soil and doing it front of the Canadians, it was what I always wanted. I wanted it in the final, but it was emotional. It's hard as an athlete to say this, but I was actually proud," she said.

"Then I went to Chicago and ended my professional career. It's interesting because exactly what Game Plan is about, that preparation, I think I've had some time to prepare. I'm a week out, and I'm doing good."

LeBlanc has done sideline commentary work for Fox TV. She's also done a great deal of work with young players.  

"It goes back to the greater purpose, I want to impact for the positive, and I think that's my clear vision," she said of her future. "Hopefully that's on television, and I get to express myself on camera, which I kind of like.

"But it's also even a bigger purpose and bigger picture. The future athletes who are going to retire, the future generation, the young kids, that's still a huge passion of mine. And I don't want to leave that. Literally every day I wake up ready to be inspired by something new and it's not just going to be one thing now. The world is my oyster, and it sounds like such a huge cliche, but that's really my mentality, I'm thinking 'Wow, it's going to be exciting.'"

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

U-17 ticket packages 90 per cent sold

A look at some of the charges in absentia that Mounties have laid in 2015

CALGARY — RCMP in Alberta have laid terrorism charges in absentia against a Calgary man they believe has gone overseas to fight with the Islamic State. Here's a look as some other absentia charges the RCMP have laid this year.

Ahma Waseem: The 27-year-old from Windsor, Ont., was charged in June with facilitating a terrorist activity, participating in terrorist activity and leaving Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group. RCMP allege he used a reported lost passport to travel to Syria in November 2013 to fight for the Islamic State. There have been reports he died while fighting in Syria, but the RCMP have been unable to confirm the information.

George Salloum: The former Syrian military intelligence officer believed to be in his mid fifties, was charged in February with the torture of Canadian Maher Arar. Arar gave false confessions under torture in Syria about supposed involvement with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. A federal inquiry later concluded that the faulty information the RCMP passed to the United States very probably led to Arar's ordeal.

Khadar Khalib: The 23-year-old from Ottawa was charged in February with leaving Canada to participate in a terrorist group, participating in terrorist activity and counselling a person to participate in terrorist activity. RCMP allege he travelled to Syria in March 2014 to join the Islamic State. 

John Douglas Maguire: The 24-year-old from Ottawa was also charged in February with the same offences, as well as with facilitating an activity for a terrorist group. RCMP allege he travelled to Turkey in December 2012. There have been reports of his death, but RCMP say they can't confirm it. Maguire gained notoriety last year when he appeared in an extremist recruiting video that urged Muslims to launch attacks against Canadians.

The Canadian Press

Tourism business seminars just around the corner in October

B.C. childrens’ advocate says she was deceived about teen who died in care

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — British Columbia's representative for children says her trust in the provincial government has been shaken after she claims she was misled into believing that no children in care were being housed in hotels.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issued a sharp rebuke following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais, a First Nations teen in care who was killed after falling from the fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel last Friday.

Turpel-Lafond says Gervais had been living in a hotel for about two months after the province shut down the group home where he was living over safety concerns.

She says Gervais moved 16 times before taking up residence in the hotel.

Turpel-Lafond says the young man was in distress and may have taken his own life.

Abbotsford police say they don't suspect foul play in the death.

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux has issued a statement saying information recently brought to light has caused her great concern but she declined to comment on specific cases.

The Canadian Press

Delay in approval of settlement fund for victims of Lac-Megantic rail disaster

PORTLAND, Maine — Final approval of a massive settlement for victims of the 2013 train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., has been delayed.

The delay is to provide time for the only party that's opposed to the fund to either join in the settlement or negotiate terms to withdraw its objection.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge ordered the parties Thursday to reconvene Oct. 5, and Robert Keach, the court-appointed monitor for Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway's bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, is confident the settlement will be confirmed.

MMA is the railway that was at the heart of the disaster that killed 47 people when a runaway train with 72 oil tankers derailed on July 6, 2013 and wiped out much of downtown Lac-Megantic.

Keach said the settlement was worth $450 million as of Wednesday but that the figure would fluctuate over the next few weeks.

The agreement was the issue of negotiations with about two dozen companies.

The only party with potential liability that declined to participate is Canadian Pacific, which contends it wasn't treated fairly under the deal.

At a court hearing in Canada earlier this year, a lawyer for CP said the disaster did not involve the company's tracks, rail cars, products or employees.

MMA, train driver Tom Harding, railway traffic controller Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre, the manager of train operations, have all been charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death.

Harding's lawyer has said he doesn't expect a trial to begin before the fall of 2016.

The case is proceeding under a preferred indictment, with no preliminary hearing.

A charge of criminal negligence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison upon conviction.

The charges were laid in May 2014 following a Quebec provincial police investigation into the derailment.

 

The Associated Press