Highlights from the news file for Thursday, March 16
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DUTCH COURT SENTENCES MAN WANTED BY CANADIAN AUTHORITIES: A Dutch court has handed an 11-year prison sentence to a man wanted in Canada in connection with the Amanda Todd case. Dutch authorities say the court convicted Aydin Coban, 38, for fraud and blackmail via the Internet. Under Dutch privacy laws the man on trial is only identified as Aydin C, but the Associated Press is reporting he is the same person who faces cyberbullying allegations in the case of Todd, who took her own life weeks after posting a video about the bullying she suffered.
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LAWYER OF SUSPECT IN YAHOO HACKING SAYS CHARGES MAY BE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED: The lawyer for a Canadian arrested in connection with a massive hack of Yahoo emails says the charges against his client may be politically motivated. Jag Virk suggested that his client, 22-year-old Karim Baratov, is being used as a scapegoat by American authorities. Virk says U.S. President Trump may be using the case to make it appear as though he is going after Russian hackers, noting the allegations are three years old. Virk said Baratov maintains his innocence. A grand jury in California has indicted Baratov and three others in the hacking, which Yahoo says affected at least 500 million user accounts.
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COUSIN OF TINA FONTAINE IDENTIFIED AS WOMAN KILLED IN WINNIPEG: Family members say a woman found shot in the back of the head in Winnipeg this week is the cousin of Tina Fontaine, the teenage girl whose death fuelled calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. Rhonda Flett, the aunt of Jeanenne Fontaine, said her 29-year-old niece was discovered Tuesday after a fire at the younger woman’s home. Police confirm she was shot before the fire was deliberately set but autopsy results are pending.
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CANADA GOOSE SHARES FLYING HIGH: Canada Goose shares soared in an initial public offering as the head of the luxury parka manufacturer defended the company’s decision to use animal fur. The company says it won’t change its plans to use fur over what it calls a loud minority. The company has long used duck down feathers and coyote fur in its jackets. Canada Goose has been targeted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for its use of fur, but its shares jumped from their IPO price of $17 to $23.86 on the Toronto Stock Exchange Thursday.
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TRUDEAU BELIEVES TRUMP PROMISE ON NAFTA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he accepts U.S. President Donald Trump’s assurance that Canada won’t face upheaval in upcoming negotiations on the North American Free Trade Deal. Trump has spoken of making only minor tweaks in the trading relationship with Canada but bigger ones with Mexico. In an interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw, Trudeau pointed out that NAFTA has been tweaked about a dozen times over the past 20 years.
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CROWN DEMANDS STIFF SENTENCE AGAINST EX-MOUNTIE: A Crown prosecutor is asking for a 23-year prison sentence for a former Mountie who tortured and starved his young son in the basement of the family’s suburban Ottawa home. Marie Dufort told an Ottawa court Thursday that the mental and physical injuries the man inflicted on his son were of the worst magnitude and such a sentence would be in step with what society demands. The man, who cannot be identified under a court order protecting his son’s identity, was charged shortly after his emaciated and injured 11-year-old was found wandering his west Ottawa neighbourhood in 2013.
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NEW RULES REGARDING DRONES WELCOMED BY AIRPORT OFFICIALS: Municipal airport officials across the country are welcoming new federal restrictions announced Thursday aimed at preventing recreational drones from hitting local air traffic. Drones are no longer allowed to fly higher than 90 metres, within 75 metres of any buildings, vehicles or people, or within nine kilometres of any airport. Kamloops airport officials note the new rules mean recreational drones are now grounded in most of their city.
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CANADA GETS FAILING GRADE ON SEAFOOD LABELLING: A report card from environmental groups is putting Canada behind the U.S. and Europe when it comes to seafood labelling standards. A coalition of environmental groups has issued Canada an F, pointing to a lack of detail on its labels compared to American and European standards. Advocates are calling for seafood labels to list the species’ scientific name, along with where and how it was caught. They also claim inadequate seafood labelling means consumers don’t have the health and environmental information they should have about the products.
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‘FRIENDS’ STAR WASN’T SO FRIENDLY TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Former “Friends” star Matthew Perry says he once beat up Justin Trudeau in grade school over “pure jealousy” of his athletic abilities. The actor reminisced about the Grade 5 scuffle on Wednesday when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show. Perry was raised in Ottawa and attended Rockcliffe Park Public School, where former prime minister Pierre Trudeau sent his sons. The actor’s mother, Suzanne Perry, was once the elder Trudeau’s press secretary.
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TEN INJURED IN FRENCH SCHOOL SHOOTING: A 16-year-old student who had troubled relations with his peers opened fire at a high school in southern France on Thursday, wounding at least two other students and the principal who tried to intervene. Police quickly arrested the suspect in the school in the town of Grasse. A prosecutor said some of the victims were suffering from “emotional shock.” None of the injuries was considered life threatening.
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