Gaza deaths more than numbers: UNICEF worker
OTTAWA — When Genevieve Boutin and her colleagues at the United Nations Children’s Fund were finished verifying the aftermath of last week’s carnage at the Gaza-Israel fence, they added seven more to their tally of dead children.
That included a statistical first — a girl — the first female killed among the 13 children shot since protests erupted at the fence on March 30, a burning fuse that exploded Monday into the bloodiest day between Gaza and Israel in four years.
Experts question design of ‘Alert Ready’ tech
TORONTO — The technology exists to fix some of the design flaws in Canada’s mobile emergency alert system that was tested last week for an Amber Alert issued in Ontario, some experts say.The “Alert Ready” program — which sounds an alarm on LTE-connected smart phones during a crisis — could be more effective at alerting people to emergencies, they said.
Crews remain at Brandon, Man., fire
BRANDON — Firefighters are still at the scene of a massive blaze in Brandon, Man., that damaged or destroyed several buildings in the city’s downtown.
Fears that the flames could continue spreading to other nearby buildings diminished by late yesterday afternoon, but the city tweeted this morning that crews were still at one of the affected buildings.
Nova Scotia Supreme Court finds man guilty
A Nova Scotia man has been found guilty of sexual assault, though the victim had little recollection of the assault. Supreme Court Justice N.M. Scaravelli said in a written decision released Thursday that the assailant was evasive under questioning and that his testimony contradicted evidence from other witnesses.
Don’t harass wildlife for Instagram shots
MONTREAL — While some wildlife photographers dream of that perfect shot of a majestic moose or a swooping snowy owl, some observers say more and more people are stooping to unethical practices to get a great photo.Parks Ontario ecologist David Legros says there has been a spike in the number of people trampling through sensitive habitat, blocking roads, laying down food or chasing wild animals in the quest for a photo — and he believes social media platforms such as Instagram are partly to blame.
Scars of Waterton Lakes fire still visible
WATERTON — Parks Canada officials and businesses in Waterton say there will be a different type of beauty in the national park, which was devastated by a wildfire last September. The blaze consumed more than 190 square kilometres within the park, including about 80 per cent of its popular hiking trails. The flames made it all the way to the edge of the village.
Horwath pledges end to gas pump ‘gouging’
OTTAWA — The leader of Ontario’s New Democrats pledged in vague terms on Sunday to tackle long-weekend spikes in gasoline prices, alleging that opportunistic gas companies are gouging hard-pressed motorists at the pumps.
Campaigning in Ottawa ahead of the June 7 provincial election, Andrea Horwath took aim at a trend she said was the result of corporate greed.