Closing arguments begin in ex-Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard’s sexual assault trial

CHARLOTTETOWN – A federal official has confirmed that a parasite threatening Prince Edward Island’s world-renowned oyster industry has likely spread to a majority of the bays and rivers around the province.

Kathy Brewer-Dalton, a director with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, told a provincial legislative committee today that testing of the Island’s waterways has yet to be completed.

But she says the extensive spread of the MSX parasite was not a big surprise, based on previous scientific studies.

Still, the agency’s regional veterinarian officer, Danielle Williams, says that when MSX was detected for the first time in July in Badeque Bay, she was hopeful the disease could be contained.

Those hopes were dashed when officials started detecting MSX in other places, most notably a remote waterway far from Badeque Bay, where oysters are already dying from the disease.

The two officials stressed that the full impact of the parasite remains unknown because the disease and the way it spreads are not that well understood.

Williams says the Island’s wild and farmed oysters have yet to experience a “generalized mortality spike,” but that could change in the months and years ahead.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s premier says he is willing to sit down with the province’s wine industry to discuss more financial aid.

Tim Houston made the comments following a cabinet meeting today, after grape growers last week rejected the government’s offer of an extra $1.6 million in support.

The wineries maintain the government’s offer is unfair because it also includes help for commercial bottlers, who import cheap grape juice to make wine that is less expensive than locally produced wines.

Houston says Nova Scotia’s wine industry is important and has “lots of potential” so he’s open to more discussions because the government wants to help.

Both opposition leaders say the government has to reach a deal that addresses concerns that wineries will be subject to unfair competition if the province also supports commercial bottlers.

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill says there is no economic reason for the province to be supporting commercial wine bottlers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has requested bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions in Toronto and the prison sentence he received last month.

The Ontario Court of Appeal says a motion to grant bail pending the appeal was heard Wednesday but the judge’s decision has yet to be released.

The notice of appeal Nygard’s lawyers filed in court last month argues that the trial judge made several errors, including admitting the testimony of clinical psychologist Lori Haskell on the effects of trauma.

The court filing also argues that Nygard’s 11-year sentence is excessive considering the 83-year-old’s “severe” frailty.

Nygard was convicted of four counts of sexual assault last year after multiple women came forward with allegations dating from the 1980s until the mid-2000s.

Even though he was sentenced to 11 years, the trial judge said Nygard’s time behind bars would work out to a little less than seven years after accounting for time already spent in custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.