Busted! Canadian Nursing Home Worker Charged with Eight Murders

A 49-year-old nursing home worker in Ontario has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder spanning several years.

Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer of Woodstock, Ontario, appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
The victims were residents in two long-term care facilities where Ms Wettlaufer worked and were between 75 and 96 years old.

Police said seven of the victims were given a fatal dose of a drug.

The victims were five women and three men and were all residents of Caressant Care in Woodstock and Meadow Park in London, Ontario.

Canadian Police Force RCMP Shoot Dead Terror Suspect During an Anti-terror Operation

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) today shot dead a suspect in an anti-terror operation in the Canadian province of Ontario, according to several media reports.

Canadian media reports say police had raided a property in Strathroy, about 225km (140 miles) south-west of Toronto and the 'terrorist suspect' named  as Aaron Driver, 24,  was arrested last year for openly supporting ISIS on social media.

RCMP said in a statement  it had received "credible information of a potential terrorist threat".
"A suspect was identified and the proper course of action has been taken to ensure that there is no danger to the public's safety," it added.

Awareness: Ontario farms under bird flu quarantine

Canadian Press
Twenty-nine poultry farms in Ontario were under quarantine on Sunday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency established an avian influenza control zone in the wake of the disease being found on a turkey farm in the province earlier this month.

The agency had said last week that H5 avian influenza was found on a farm in Woodstock, Ont. It had placed the infected premises and eight other farms under a quarantine.

That quarantine was broadened over the weekend as a new control zone — stretching out in a 10 kilometre radius from the infected farm in southwestern Ontario — was established.

19 yrs Old Canadian Student Missing For Weeks, Located

A York University student who went missing on her 19th birthday in late March has been found and is safe, police are reporting.

Amina Lawal went missing on March 20 after going to meet a study group for school. Lawal is a student at York's Schulich School of Business.

Canadian Teacher In Indonesia Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse

 The Canadian Press
An Ontario teacher found guilty Thursday of sexually abusing three children at an Indonesian school said he will appeal the decision.

A three-judge panel sentenced Neil Bantleman, of Burlington, Ont., to 10 years in prison.

"Today is completely a miscarriage of justice," Bantleman told The Associated Press. "I'll keep fighting."

The court also ordered Bantleman, 45, to pay a fine of nearly $10,000 or serve six additional months in jail.

"The defendant has deliberately committed violence and obscene acts," the judges said in their verdict.

Ontario: Sisters stole $1,600 worth of baby formula from Walmart

CBC
Three sisters are accused of stealing more than $1,600 worth of baby formula from a Walmart store on Valentine's Day and police allege they attempted to take more of the product from other locations.

Durham Regional Police say the alleged incidents began at a Walmart on Baldwin Street South in Whitby, where two women tried to leave the store without paying for more than $1,200 worth of baby formula on Saturday. An alarm went off and they fled to a car, which was being driven by a third woman. The formula was left behind, police say.

Ontario FirstNations Girl Who Refused Chemo For Traditional Therapy Dies

 Connie Walker, CBC News
Makayla Sault, the 11-year-old Ontario First Nation girl who refused chemotherapy to pursue traditional indigenous medicine and other alternative treatments, has died.

The girl died Monday after suffering a stroke Sunday.

"Surrounded by the love and support of her family, her community and her nation … Makayla completed her course. She is now safely in the arms of Jesus," her family said in a statement published by the Two Row Times.

The girl’s case made national headlines and ignited a debate about the validity of indigenous medicine and the rights of children to choose their own treatment. The Saults are from the New Credit First Nation near Caledonia, Ont.

0 to 100 real quick! Waterloo, Ontario woman ticketed for speeding twice in 20 minutes

A Waterloo woman apparently had a clear need for speed on Saturday night after the Ontario Provincial Police says she was pulled over and ticketed twice in twenty minutes in Oxford County.

Police say the woman was first pulled over for going 100 km/hr in a 60 km/hr zone at about 8:40 p.m. as she was heading north on Broadway Street in Tillsonburg.

Two Hamilton, Ontario employees fired for bringing pot-laced brownies to work

Smaller-dose pot-infused brownies are divided and packaged at The Growing Kitchen, in Boulder, Colo., Sept. 26, 2014. (AP / Brennan Linsley

The Canadian Press 
Bringing pot-laced brownies to work has led to the firing of two public works employees in Hamilton.

The employees were suspended following the incident that occurred at a public works yard prior to the Christmas holidays and were fired at noon on Wednesday.

A public works spokeswoman said a third employee had required medical attention for an adverse reaction after "unknowingly" consuming a brownie that contained a substance later determined to be cannabis.

GO transit bus crash on Highway 407 leaves 1 dead in Vaughan, Ontario

CBC News
One woman is dead and three people were sent to hospital after a GO bus rollover near Weston Road in Vaughan, Ont., on Wednesday.

The single-vehicle crash happened at about 10 p.m.

The bus was travelling east on GO route 47 from Hamilton to York University, according to a tweet from GO.

The Ontario Provincial Police, with cooperation from Metrolinx, the agency responsible for GO Transit, will be investigating what caused the bus to veer off the highway.

"The vehicle actually went through a pretty big portion of steel guardrail just before the concrete guardrail began," said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of OPP's Highway Safety Division.

Federal Government Boost Ontario Auto Parts With $101m For Business Expansion

Conchita Villena removes, for measurment and testing, a camshaft for General Motors' GEN4 V8 engines, bound for GM sport utility vehicles, May 12, 2006 at Linamar Corp.'s Camcor manufacturing plant in Guelph, Ontario. The federal and Ontario governments are handing over $101 million to a Guelph-based Linamar, which is promising to create 1,200 "high-quality" local jobs over the next decade. | Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Canadian Press
The federal and Ontario governments are handing over $101 million to a Guelph-based auto parts manufacturer that is promising to create 1,200 "high-quality" local jobs over the next decade.

Linamar Corp. (TSX:LNR) announced Tuesday a $500-million expansion to its Ontario operations, with the Ontario government providing a $50.25-million grant and Ottawa contributing $50.7 million in the form of a repayable loan.

"There's no shortage of regions that are willing to offer all kinds of incentives to companies," Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz said at an announcement ceremony. "And I think it's wonderful to see our governments stepping up and being competitive."

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said the federal loan will support the project to ensure that Linamar's total investment of over half a billion dollars stays in Canada.

Serious crime offenders among inmates mistakenly released in Ontario

In 2009, a prisoner at the Toronto (Don) Jail managed to escape by passing himself off as another prisoner who was supposed to be released.

Torstar News Service
Prisoners who were supposed to be locked up on charges of attempted murder, sexual assault, armed robbery and assault with a weapon were mistakenly released from Ontario jails during the last six years.

In total, 98 prisoners were freed prematurely between 2009 and 2013, mostly because of clerical errors. Four of these prisoners committed new offences while they should have been behind bars, the government acknowledged for the first time in December.

Mistaken releases have caused public alarm and political controversy in several American states and the provinces of Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. In Ontario, there has been little discussion of the issue: the releases have been shrouded in secrecy even when a serious offender has been allowed back on the streets.

Comedian Bill Cosby shows to go ahead in Canada despite opposition

In this Nov. 6, 2013, file photo, comedian Bill Cosby performs at the Stand Up for Heroes event at Madison Square Garden in New York. AP

Diana Mehta The Canadian PressMaureen Dragasevich still has fond memories of gathering with her family to listen to Bill Cosby’s jokes as a kid. When she heard the comedian would be performing in Ontario, she and her siblings bought tickets to a show as a birthday present for their father, all in an attempt to relive what was once a family tradition.

But after a flood of sexual abuse allegations against Cosby in recent weeks, Dragasevich and her family have decided not to attend the performance, joining a growing number who are speaking out against his three scheduled appearances in Canada.

“Given the fact that he’s played Mr. Jell-O Pudding and Dr. Huxtable, I think we kind of find it harder to believe,” said the 59-year-old Aurora, Ont., resident. “But we hold him accountable for his behaviour and his behaviour is disgusting.”

Excuseme! Ottawa, Ontario at odds over Rouge Park

Jim Robb, walking through Toronto’s Rouge Park in November, says the park tours that he – as manager of Friends of the Rouge Watershed – leads school children on may be the only exposure to real nature they have all year.

Dave Pearce stands atop a steeply eroding slope in farthest-east Toronto. Dozens of metres below, the Rouge River sweeps west through the sedimentary hills before continuing south to Lake Ontario.

The forest conservationist with the Wildlands League takes in the scene of water, rocks, trees and unobstructed sky. It’s a view not normally enjoyed in a city. He sees the deep slice of green as an invaluable part of a growing region.

“Our urban and new Canadians are increasingly separated from the natural world,” he says. “This valley is easy and affordable to get to. It can be further restored and protected to be an entry point to show people what nature can be in Canada.”

Read Full on globeandmail

New Year, New Law: Patio Smoking Now Banned In Ontario

The Canadian Press
Tough new rules making it illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios have taken effect in Ontario.

Smoking on playgrounds and public sports fields is also prohibited.

The new rules also ban the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses.

The Ministry of Health has said the changes to the Smoke Free Ontario Act replace a patchwork of municipal regulations governing smoking on restaurant and bar patios, and will not hurt their businesses.

The measures were first announced in November.

The province says tobacco kills 13,000 people in the province each year and causes an estimated $2.2 billion in direct healthcare costs.

Snowy owl 'epidemic' sweeps across Ontario

CBC

Snowy owls have flocked to Ontario in huge, rare numbers for the second consecutive year, creating a boon for bird watching and a bane for airport managers.

Last year marked the largest invasion of snowy owls ever recorded in eastern Ontario, and similar numbers are expected this year.

In southern Ontario, Staff at Windsor International Airport expect to trap, band and release 35 snowy owls this winter. That's about the same amount as last year.

At least a dozen snowy owls showed up in the month of December alone, airport manager Phil Roberts said.

"At the very end of December, we've had four to five [banded] in the course of a couple days and still two to three birds that are loafing around," Roberts said.

Once a bird is trapped, the airport keeps it for 24 hours, bands and measures it, then drives it 50 km away to either to Belle River or Holiday Beach.

Snowy owls typically weigh between 3.5 and 5.5 kilograms – or up to 12 pounds.

Canadian man shot by US border guards

The Ambassador Bridge spans the Detroit River dividing Canada and the U.S., is shown on Friday June 15, 2012. Mark Spowart

The Canadian Press
The U.S. border agency says a Canadian man was shot after pointing what appeared to be a gun at guards at the Ambassador Bridge crossing between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says in a statement that the man stopped his car before the U.S. inspection booth around 3 a.m. Sunday and starting walking towards border officers while waving what turned out to be a replica handgun.

It says the CBP officers ordered him to drop the weapon but he then pointed it in their direction, prompting one officer to fire three shots and a second officer to fire a single round.

In an updated statement released Sunday evening CBP spokesman Kris Grogan said one round hit the man in the arm.

RCMP Says Liberals Paid Expert $10K To Wipe Hard Drives On Ontario Gas Plant Scandal

Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press
The Ontario Liberal caucus paid the spouse of a top aide to Dalton McGuinty $10,000 to wipe computer hard drives in the premier's office, police alleged in court documents released Thursday.

The information used by Ontario Provincial Police to obtain a search warrant that was executed in November at a provincial government cyber security office in Toronto was made public after media lawyers requested it be unsealed.

The warrant is part of an OPP investigation into deleted documents on the Liberals' decision to cancel two gas plants prior to the 2011 election, at a cost to taxpayers of up to $1.1 billion.

Computer expert Peter Faist was asked by his spouse, Laura Miller, "to wipe off personal data on approximately 20 desktop computers in the premier's office," alleges Det.-Const. Andre Duval in his application for the warrant.

Ontario duo charged with theft after tweeting selfie with stolen liquor

CTVNews
Two people who snuck into a private room at a bar and stole several bottles of liquor were caught after they shared selfies on social media that showed off their bounty, police say.

The thefts happened Tuesday in Barrie, Ont., located about 100 kilometres north of Toronto.

The suspects helped themselves to hard liquor and started doing shots while taking selfies, Barrie Police say. They then took five to seven bottles and continued drinking on a back patio.

When staff found out, they approached the pair, who then fled, police say.

Ontario man charged in alleged US$70m Ponzi scheme

The Canadian Press
 An Ontario man charged by American authorities four years ago in an alleged US$70 million Ponzi scheme has been arrested after arriving at Toronto’s Pearson International airport.

Ontario Provincial Police say Nicholas Smirnow, of Lake of Bays, and his wife Dianna were arrested Friday night on outstanding warrants after getting off a plane from the Philippines.

Police have charged Nicholas Smirnow with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and one of possession of property obtained by crime in what a U.S. district attorney alleges was a scheme defrauding more than 40,000 people in upwards of 120 countries.

The Southern District of Illinois attorney charged Smirnow in absentia back in 2010 with 10 counts including mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering.