N.S. minister fears deposit won’t cover removal of bankrupt tidal firm’s moorings

MONTREAL – An SUV was torched Thursday in the suburban driveway of a lawyer who owns two Old Montreal buildings that have burned down in the past two years and left nine people dead.

Police did not identify the owner of the home, but city property records show that the residence in the Montreal suburb of Dorval belongs to Emile Benamor.

The vandalism to the vehicle is the third criminal incident reported this month involving property owned by Benamor, and the fourth since March 2023.

Police have not said if the events are linked. Attempts to reach Benamor on Thursday were unsuccessful, but Montreal police said last week that he has been co-operating with the investigation into the Old Montreal fires.

Benamor owns a century-old Notre-Dame Street East building that went up in flames on Oct. 4, claiming the lives of a mother and daughter from France.

Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter Vérane Reynaud Geraudie had been staying at a hostel in the three-storey building that had a restaurant on the ground floor.

Justin Fortier-Trahan, 20, and Juventino Hernandez Pelaez, 18, were charged with second-degree murder and arson over the weekend. They were also charged with arson causing bodily harm in connection to another man injured in the fire, and recklessly endangering life by damaging a property by fire or explosion.

The case is due back in court on Friday.

Benamor also owns a heritage property on nearby Place D’Youville that was allegedly set on fire in March 2023, leading to the deaths of seven people. Investigators have classified the deaths as homicides.

The victims in that blaze were identified as Camille Maheux, 76; An Wu, 31; Dania Zafar, 31; Saniya Khan, 31; Nathan Sears, 35; Charlie Lacroix and Walid Belkahla, both 18.

No arrests have been made in the 2023 blaze, but police have said they have submitted the results of their investigation to the Crown to determine if charges will be laid. A coroner’s inquest has been ordered into the fatal fires.

On Oct. 8, a building owned by Benamor that houses his law office was hit by gunfire, with Montreal police arresting three suspects — aged 17, 19 and 20 — shortly after.

On Thursday, police said emergency services were called at around 3 a.m. about a vehicle on fire in the driveway of a residence on Whitehead Crescent.

Police say a gas canister was found at the scene.

“The suspect fled on foot before the police arrived,” said Const. Véronique Dubuc, a police spokeswoman.

A Montreal fire department spokeswoman says no one was injured and the flames did not spread to the home, but the vehicle is a total loss.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her plan to “Uber-ize” and replace the province’s online continuing care directory is aimed at making it easier for patients to navigate, and the analogy shouldn’t be taken too far.

It comes a day after Smith announced at a continuing care conference she aims to create a new platform that works much like the ride-hailing and food delivery service.

It’s part of the provincial government’s health-care system overhaul that will see the responsibility for continuing care shift from the Health Ministry to Seniors and Social Services.

Smith’s Uber analogy sparked concern from public health care advocates and the Opposition NDP that further privatization plans are afoot.

Smith says there are no plans to change the current provision model.

Alberta Health Services currently offers an online directory that allows Albertans to search for spaces by name, location and type of care, but Smith says there’s a demand for more transparency to make sure all vacant spaces are posted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

RICHMOND, B.C. – The Transportation Safety Board says a mistake by a Canadian Pacific Railway supervisor set off a crash between a freight train and a railway work vehicle in Cache Creek, B.C.

The board’s report says the supervisor was inspecting the main tracks on Dec. 29, 2022, in a vehicle that can operate on both roads and rail when he noticed a defect that needed repair.

It says that while the man was repairing the track, an eastbound freight train crashed into the unoccupied vehicle, but no one was hurt.

The board says that its investigation found when the supervisor noticed the problem, he requested a second permit allowing him to be on the tracks, but he cancelled the wrong permission, leaving the track he was working on unprotected.

The board says it issued a safety advisory to CP Rail, saying its verification procedures for cancelling electronic track occupancy permits were “less rigorous” than using their radio to cancel a permit.

The board says the railway has confirmed it had implemented safety changes, including enhancing its electronic application for such permits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.