Wagner sworn in as Supreme Court chief justice

OTTAWA – Richard Wagner has officially taken the helm at Canada’s highest court.

The Quebec jurist was sworn in Monday as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada at a short ceremony at Rideau Hall. Wagner takes over from Beverley Mclachlin, who retired Friday after serving for 17 years as chief and a total of 28 years on the court. Wagner was also sworn in as a member of the privy council in front of an audience which included his family, Mclachlin, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Appointed to the Supreme Court by former prime minister Stephen Harper, the 60-year-old Wagner could hold the chief justice role for 15 years, should he opt to remain until the mandatory retirement age of 75.

2017 opioid deaths on pace to hit 4,000

TORONTO – The Public Health Agency of Canada says at least 1,460 people died from opioid-related overdoses in the first half of this year.

And that number is expected to rise as additional data becomes available from the provinces and territories. The federal agency expects the number of lives lost due to opioid-related overdoses in 2017 will surpass last year’s figure of 2,861.

PHAC says that if current trends continue, opioid-related deaths could surpass 4,000 by the end of the year. All regions of Canada have been affected, but some have been harder hit than others. The western provinces and territories continue to report higher rates of opioid-related deaths. The data also indicate that illicit fentanyl has played a major role in the crisis, with 74 per cent of deaths involving the opioid, compared to 53 per cent last year.