COVID-19 outbreak linked to parties

REGINA — Officials have declared a community outbreak of COVID-19 in Saskatoon after two family gatherings were held that went over 10 people.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority said Wednesday one person had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and another was a presumptive positive.

It said the infections were detected within the last week or so and are linked to gatherings earlier this month.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said different households are affected and contact tracing has so far involved about 60 people, but it’s believed the spread is contained.

The health authority said close contacts were isolating at home.

Shahab also reported three new cases of COVID-19 — two of them from around Regina.

“What this underscores is that we cannot go back to business as usual even though summer is beckoning,” he said.

“We still need to minimize transmission risk where we can, and we already know that getting together around food is high-risk.”

The province also announced two more residents in the far north had died from COVID-19.That brought the death toll from the illness to 10.

Of Saskatchewan’s 637 total cases, 68 were active and 559 patients had recovered. Four people remained in hospital.

3-year search for missing woman ends

ABBOTSFORD — Discovery of human remains on a rural property east of Vancouver has ended a search that began more than three years ago.

A statement from Abbotsford police says bones were found on March 19.

It confirms the remains are those of 38-year-old Marie Stuart.

Stuart was reported missing in the Fraser Valley city on Dec. 27, 2016.

The cause of Stuart’s death is under investigation, but police say foul play is not suspected.

Police issue warning

of animal cruelty

CALGARY — Police in Calgary say they’re investigating whether a hot dog found with a pin in it was an attempt at animal cruelty.

Officers were called to Fish Creek Provincial Park in the city’s southwest on Monday after a woman walking her dog found the item.

They found several other hot-dog bits scattered nearby, but only the one piece had a pin. Police are warning anyone in the area with dogs or children to supervise them closely.

Officers have not determined where the hot dog came from.

Remains, wreckage of helicopter found

OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces has located the remains of some of the military members who died last month when the helicopter they were in crashed in the Mediterranean.

A Canadian search and recovery team working with the United States Navy discovered the remains early Wednesday morning, not far from where they also located a large piece of the helicopter’s fuselage, the military said in a written statement.

The CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, known as Stalker 22, crashed in the Ionian Sea on April 29, killing four members of the air force and two from the navy. The helicopter was returning to HMCS Fredericton after a training flight and crashed within full view of the ship, which was in the Mediterranean participating in a NATO mission.

Firearm-rights group challenges gun ban

OTTAWA — A firearm-rights group is heading to Federal Court to challenge the constitutionality — and basic logic — of the Liberal government’s recent ban of many assault-style guns.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights says the rifles are obviously suitable for hunting and sporting purposes since shooters have been using them this way for decades.

The coalition is asking the court to strike down new regulations as unlawful and beyond the scope of the powers delegated to the federal cabinet.

The Liberals outlawed a wide range of firearms by cabinet order early this month, saying the guns were designed for the battlefield, not hunting or sport shooting.

The ban covers some 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style weapons, meaning they can no longer be legally used, sold or imported.

The move was generally applauded by gun-control advocates as a first step toward removing guns used in mass shootings from circulation.

In its application to the court, the coalition says there is “no persuasive evidence” that reclassification of the guns as prohibited firearms will achieve the desired purpose of decreasing mass shootings or otherwise increasing public safety.