Hurricane Kirk could cause dangerous surf conditions along the US East Coast

EDMONTON – Alberta’s nurses could soon find themselves on the picket line as recent talks with the provincial government failed to secure a new agreement.

David Harrigan, with the United Nurses of Alberta, says last month’s informal mediation meetings were productive, but says the gap between the two sides seems too big to bridge.

The union is seeking 30 per cent pay raises spread over two years while the Alberta government’s offer is 7.5 per cent over four years.

Harrigan says the two sides also find themselves far apart on operational issues.

He says while both sides accept that there are serious problems in terms of staffing levels, they can’t agree on what to do about it.

The province says its hopeful an agreement can still be reached.

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

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

WINNIPEG – A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted.

Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.

He was granted parole in 1983 and filed last year for a ministerial review of his conviction.

His lawyers argued a confession Woodhouse supposedly made was in fluent English, although he primarily spoke Saulteaux.

The federal justice minister ordered a new trial earlier this year, and the Crown acknowledged in Winnipeg court on Thursday that the case was a miscarriage of justice.

Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench said systemic discrimination affected the police investigation and the prosecution of the case.

Two other men convicted in the killing, Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, had their convictions quashed last year after a new trial was ordered and the Crown asked for an acquittal.

Anderson served almost 11 years and was given full parole in 1987. Allan Woodhouse served 23 years.

A fourth person, Russell Woodhouse, was also convicted. He died in 2011.

James Lockyer, a lawyer and director with Innocence Canada, has said there needs to be an examination of homicide convictions involving Indigenous people over the last five decades in Manitoba.

Jerome Kennedy, another lawyer with the group, said outside court Thursday that Innocence Canada is also working on cases involving Indigneous men in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario that are moving toward a request for a review by the federal justice minister

He said he’d like to see a national effort to take on wrongful convictions.

“There appears to be a deeper systemic issue that requires a targeted approach,” Kennedy said.

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

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A speeding bus carrying wedding guests plunged into a ravine in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least seven people, officials and rescuers said.

The cause of the accident near Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province, was not immediately known. An investigation was underway.

According to Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the health department, the bodies of the victims and 17 people who were injured in the accident were brought to a local hospital. Some of the injured were said to be in critical condition.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where highways and roads are poorly maintained and traffic laws are widely ignored.

In August, 32 people were killed in two bus accidents, one in Balochistan and the other in eastern Punjab province. Authorities at the time said both accidents were caused by the negligence of the drivers.

And earlier in August, 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed in a bus crash in neighboring Iran while heading to Iraq.

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