Court orders mental health assessment for woman accused of killing 3 people in 3 days

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Three men convicted of helping lead and co-ordinate the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 are to be sentenced next year.

In April, a jury found Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000.

The sentencing was originally scheduled for late September, but it has been rescheduled for Jan. 9 and 10 in Lethbridge Court of King’s Bench to give Van Huigenbos time to find a new lawyer.

The three were charged for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.

The Crown said the evidence showed the men were key players and became faces of the blockade.

The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5,000 is 10 years in prison.

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

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index rose more than 100 points Thursday, led by gains in energy stocks, while U.S. markets were mixed.

Tech stocks in the U.S. got a boost earlier in the day after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported stronger earnings than expected.

The positive news helped offset a recent disappointing report from Dutch chip supplier ASML, said Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth.

“Taiwan Semi was the biggest factor to the markets to start the day,” he said, adding that large tech names will start reporting in earnest next week.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 129.28 points at 24,690.48.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 161.35 points at 43,239.05, adding to its record. The S&P 500 index was down one point at 5,841.47, while the Nasdaq composite was up 6.53 points at 18,373.61.

Economic data in the U.S. continues to come in stronger than expected, said Small, like the retail sales report released on Thursday.

Retail sales grew in September from August, with underlying growth trends looking better than anticipated.

It’s not often that the U.S. Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates when markets are at all-time highs, said Small.

However, he said he thinks the artificial intelligence frenzy that led a narrow tech-driven rally over the past year and a half is boosting economic data.

This makes the Fed’s job a little more difficult, Small said.

“I think it’s hard to figure out what the next move is for the Fed,” he said, after the central bank started its easing cycle with a larger half-percentage-point cut. Small expects the Fed to announce a smaller cut in November but said “it’s not as clear-cut.”

Meanwhile, other jurisdictions like Canada are on a more certain path, said Small, adding that he thinks the Bank of Canada will announce another quarter-percentage-point cut.

“We are in an interest-rate cutting cycle now,” said Small.

“We don’t have a lot of tech up here, so our economy hasn’t done as well, therefore the Bank of Canada can take on more of an aggressive path with interest rates, can cut quicker,” he said.

Canadian consumers are also much more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations because mortgage terms are significantly shorter than they are in the U.S.

The European Central Bank announced a rate cut on Thursday, helping boost stock indexes overseas.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.52 cents US compared with 72.62 cents US on Wednesday.

The December crude oil contract was up 27 cents at US$70.09 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.35 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$16.20 at US$2,707.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.33 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

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

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – With a simmering mutiny plot in the backbenches and four more cabinet ministers deciding not to seek re-election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempt to right the Liberal ship and stay on as captain is becoming more challenging.

Trudeau is expected to shuffle his cabinet again after the ministers informed the Prime Minister’s Office they won’t be running in the next election.

Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced Thursday she won’t be running for personal reasons.

Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough also issued a statement that she won’t be seeking re-election. She offered few details except to say that it is time for her to move on and she is excited to see what comes next. She also thanked her family and the prime minister.

A senior government source confirmed a report from Radio-Canada Thursday that National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal also won’t be on the ballot.

It’s not clear yet when the shuffle will happen.

It won’t happen before all Liberal caucus members are expected to meet on Parliament Hill on Oct. 23, a meeting that could be quite tense as several Liberal MPs are expected to push Trudeau to resign.

While the loss of several cabinet ministers isn’t good news for Trudeau, Liberal strategist Andrew Perez says the cabinet shuffle may be an opportunity to take the wind out of the sails of the caucus revolt.

“In terms of morale, if he does promote a couple or even four members from the backbench, that could be good,” said Perez, a principal at Perez Strategies.

Trudeau’s leadership has been under fire for months as the government’s polling numbers tanked alongside his approval ratings.

Trudeau has so far been steadfast in his plans to stay on as Liberal leader for the next campaign, which must happen before next October but could happen far sooner with a minority government.

Several media reports have outlined plans by several Liberal MPs to band together in an attempt to convince Trudeau to step down as leader.

It’s not clear how many MPs have signed onto the effort, or how many of those who have signed on plan to run in the next election.

There is no way for caucus to force Trudeau to step aside, but one MP told The Canadian Press on background that some MPs are discussing the possibility of calling for a secret ballot vote on his leadership at Wednesday’s caucus meeting.

Holding a leadership race with the precariousness of parliament at the moment would be risky, but if Trudeau did decide to step down he could take the controversial step of proroguing parliament in order to give the Liberals time to elect a new leader, Perez said.

In a statement on social media, Tassi expressed her support for the prime minister.

“I wish him the very best now and in the future. I believed in him in 2015 and I believe in him now,” she said.

Tassi, who was procurement minister in 2022, asked the prime minister to shuffle her into a smaller portfolio at the time for family reasons.

Since then, Trudeau has held three shuffles, including a major shakeup in the summer of 2023 that saw seven ministers leave the cabinet table.

Most of the ministers who were dropped in that shuffle had announced they wouldn’t run again, with the exception of then public safety minister Marco Mendicino and justice minister David Lametti.

Lametti resigned his seat months later, and the NDP won it from the Liberals in the following byelection.

Former labour minister Seamus O’Regan resigned from cabinet in July for family reasons, and former transport minister Pablo Rodriguez left last month to seek the Quebec Liberal leadership.

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

— With files from David Cummings

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.