Ottawa whistleblower plot thickens
Counterfeiters were making Canadian passports
Alberta leader defends oilsands
TORONTO: WHISTLEBLOWER SENT REPORTS ON AFGHAN PRISONERS TO MINISTER
The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that the office of Canada's foreign affairs minister received reports concerning Afghan prisoners handed over by the Canadian military to the Afghan authorities. According to the newspaper, there is evidence that reports about the situation landed on important political desks in Ottawa. Last week, diplomat Richard Colvin told a parliamentary committee that he had sent his political and military superiors reports in 2006 and 2007 alleging that the prisoners were being tortured. The diplomat said he couldn't remember whether he had sent them to ministers. But The Globe obtained a letter sent by his lawyer to the lawmakers saying that Mr. Colvin after checking his files discovered that he had in fact written to the foreign minister's office. The minister for most of Mr. Colvin's tour of duty in Kabul was Peter MacKay, who is now defence minister. In still another development, Mr. MacKay's present department has informed Mr. Colvin's lawyer that he is forbidden to turn over documents to the committee by the Canada Evidence Act.
MONTREAL: COUNTERFEITERS WERE FABRICATING PASSPORTS
Four hundred police officers in Quebec and Ontario on Wednesday took part in dozens of raids to break up a counterfeiting ring that was producing high-quality Canadian passports. Twenty-nine arrests were made. Federal police say the gang was reproducing documents that normally are difficult to counterfeit, such as passports and drivers' licences. The RCMP says an unknown number of the documents are still in circulation.
OTTAWA: HEALTH WORKERS GETTING FLU SHOTS
There has been a high demand for the H1N1 vaccine among Canada's health-care workers. The Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada says the development is a welcome surprise to hospital administrators and health organizations that traditionally have had a hard time convincing health-care workers to become vaccinated. It has been strongly recommended that they get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus, but it's not mandatory. Canada is in the midst of a massive inoculation program against the virus. There have been more than 200 flu-related deaths in Canada.
OTTAWA: AIRPORTS GET HIGH-TECH SECURITY UPGRADE
Some major airports across Canada will have new high-tech X-ray scanners in place by February. Officials say the devices could speed up the trip through security and make it easier to spot potential threats. The new machines are being installed at the airports in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Next year, they will be in service at the airports of Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.
WASHINGTON: HUMAN TRAFFICKING A CONCERN FOR OLYMPICS
The Canadian government says human trafficking is a major security priority surrounding the 2011 Vancouver's Olympic Games to be held in Canada's west coast province of British Columbia in February. Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan says he's not aware of any specific plans by organized crime but it's a focus of attention. Mr. Van Loan made the comment after meeting in Washington with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Human rights groups have warned women could be forced into prostitution by criminals eager to profit from the large numbers of Olympic visitors.
VANCOUVER: MAKER DEEMS RECALLED CRIBS DEEMED SAFE
The CEO of the Vancouver-based company that made the 2.1 million baby cribs that have been recalled for safety reasons in Canada and the U.S. says the product is safe. Jim Moore, CEO and president of Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., says the drop-side cribs are safe, provided the assembly instructions are followed correctly and warnings are respected. Mr. Moore says problems can arise when the cribs are bought second-hand or installed incorrectly. At least 15 infants, including three in Canada, have died after being trapped in the drop-side part of the crib. Mr. Moore says his company stopped making the cribs last month because of increased safety concerns.
SAUDI ARABIA
The heaviest rain on Islam's annual hajj pilgrimage in years soaked the faithful and flooded the road to Mecca, snarling traffic as millions of Muslims headed for the holy sites. The rain added an extra hazard on top of intense concerns about the spread of swine flu. Pilgrims in white robes holding umbrellas, some wearing face masks, circled the black cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, the opening rite for the hajj. But the shrine and the nearby, rain-soaked streets did not see the usual massive, pushing crowds, because many tried to stay inside nearby hotels or were caught in
the traffic jams heading into the city.
CONGO
The UN says its assistance to the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo hasn't help the country's army to halt advances in the east of the country by Rwandan insurgents. UN experts have concluded a report on the UN mission in Congo and it's to be debated later Wednesday by the Security Council. The report says there's a possible contradiction between the world body's mandate to protect civilians and the provision of logistical support to the Congolese army when some of its officers are connected to outrages. The experts say the main rebel group continues to recruit ethnic Hutu in both Congo and Rwanda.
CHINA
A New York-based human rights group says Wal-Mart supplier factories in China feature abusive conditions in violation of the retailer's own "basic" standards. China Labor Watch says its investigation of five Wal-Mart supplier factories reveals illegal and degrading conditions especially among workers making shoes, Christmas lights, tools, curtains and paper boxes. Wal-Mart has persistently faced charges of rights abuses relating to its workers in China. The company procures billions of dollars worth of goods from China and has maintained its position as the world's largest retailer for years.
EDMONTON: PREMIER DEFENDS OILSANDS
The premier of the western Canadian province of Alberta, Ed Stelmach, is dismissing comments by ex-U.S. Vice-president Al Gore, who says extracting oil from the Alberta oilsands threatens humanity. Mr. Stelmach suggests Mr. Gore is just trying to deflect attention from the U.S.'s own carbon gas emission problems. Mr. Stelmach says the top environmental issue facing Americans is emissions by coal-fired electricity plants.
TORONTO: NEWSPAPER TO CUT 121 JOBS
The Toronto Star newspaper has filed notice of a plan to cut as many as 121 jobs and to contract out newsroom production to save $4 million a year. Star Editor Michael Cooke says in a letter to employees that the newspaper and industry are facing "unprecedented business nightmares" and that there are sound business reasons for the decision. Seventy-eight of the cuts affect full- and part-time editorial jobs. The Star's editorial staff currently employees 390. The Newspaper Guild has a month in which to propose alternatives to avoid or alter either the contracting-out of work or eventual layoffs.
QUEBEC CITY: STRUGGLE OVER AD FIRM RAGES ON
Directors of advertising and communications firm Cossette Inc. have again advised shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid by Canadian rival Cosmos Capital Inc. The latest Cosmos bid matches a friendly offer from the U.S. private equity investor Mill Road Capital LP, an offer valued at $131.5 million. But Cossette's directors say the Cosmos offer comes attached with a due diligence condition that cannot be satisfied. The directors explained to the shareholders that Cosmos wants access to all non-public information about Cossette, which would violate its merger agreement with Mill Road. However, discussions continue between the two Canadian firms about a possible sweetened offer by Cosmos.
MARKETS
TMS on Wednesday: 11,636, up 96. Canadian dollar: US96. Euro: C$1.58. Oil: $77.87, down $1.85.
FOOTBALL
The Canadian Football League teams competing in Sunday's Grey Cup took to the practice field on Wednesday in Calgary. The Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders arrived in the city Tuesday. They have never met in the league's championship game.
Weather
British Columbia on Thursday: rain south, cloud north, high C10 Vancouver. Yukon, Northwest Territories: snow. Nunavut: sun. Whitehorse -5, Yellowknife -2, Iqaluit -15. Alberta: rain south, mix sun cloud north. Saskatchewan, Manitoba: sun. Edmonton 7, Regina 8, Winnipeg -1. Ontario: rain south, snow north. Quebec: rain south, mix sun cloud north. Toronto, Ottawa 10, Montreal 9. Atlantic Canada: rain. Fredericton 10, Halifax, St. John's 11, Charlottetown 8.
