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TORONTO – Losses in the energy and base metal sectors led Canada’s main stock index lower in late-morning trading on Friday, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 138.12 points at 24,707.81.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 310.62 points at 44,039.96. The S&P 500 index was up 22.25 points at 5,995.35, while the Nasdaq composite was down 16.30 points at 19,253.16.

The Canadian dollar traded for 71.91 cents US compared with 72.12 cents US on Thursday.

The December crude oil contract was down US$2.08 at US$70.28 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up two cents at US$2.72 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$11.70 at US$2,694.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down 12 cents at US$4.32 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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HALIFAX – A new study says persistent organic pollutants in waters off Canada’s East Coast are “dangerously high” for killer whales and put them at an elevated risk for serious immune-system and reproductive problems.

The study led by McGill University scientists, which looked at levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and pesticides in skin samples collected from six species of whales and dolphins, found that toxin levels in killer whales are double the threshold that scientists believe causes reproductive failure.

The samples collected south of Newfoundland between 2015 and 2022 showed that humpback, minke and fin whales, as well as dolphins, had lower levels of persistent pollutants than did killer whales.

Lead researcher Anaïs Remili says toxins attach themselves to fatty issue, such as the blubber of whales and dolphins.

“These molecules … will stick to fat and aquatic organisms that have a lot of fat in them,” she said in an interview Thursday, adding that chemicals transfer from animal to animal as they move throughout the food chain. Killer whales are particularly vulnerable to heightened toxin levels because they are apex predators.

Increased toxins are just one of several environmental threats killer whales face, including net entanglements, vessel strikes and difficulty finding food because of changing ocean temperatures. Remili said its difficult to come up with a hierarchy of the different threats for the killer whale specifically, adding that many other whale species face similar challenges.

Though there is no data available on toxin levels in killer whales, Remili said there is still some hope contaminants in the species can decrease over time. Her study cites data monitoring of toxin levels in beluga whales over several decades, which indicated a downward trend in toxin concentration. That study, she said, gives her some optimism for the future of killer whales.

“We hypothesized in the study that because (toxin levels) have been going down in all these cetacean species, it has probably gone down (in killer whales) … but there is hope these contaminants will decrease with further efforts,” Remili said.

Though their use has long been banned in Canada, the chemicals linger in both the environment and living tissue, and in aquatic ecosystems where carnivorous marine species are more likely to be exposed.

Remili cited the important of strong regulations to prevent more toxins from entering the water.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia RCMP are investigating another fatal case of intimate partner violence, this time in the southwestern corner of the province.

On Thursday, the Mounties reported two suspicious deaths in the coastal community of Yarmouth, saying that on Nov. 1 officers found the remains of a 58-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman inside a home on Placid Court.

Police say an investigation determined the man killed himself after he killed the woman in an act of intimate partner violence.

On Tuesday, the RCMP and Halifax Regional Police confirmed they were investigating the killing of a 71-year-old woman by her 72-year-old male partner in Cole Harbour, a suburb northeast of Halifax. The Mounties said they responded on Monday morning to a report of sudden deaths inside a home on Poplar Drive.

As was the case in Yarmouth, police determined the man killed himself after he killed his partner.

On Oct. 22, the RCMP reported the suspicious deaths of a 59-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man, whose bodies were found on Oct. 18 in a home in Enfield, N.S., north of Halifax. At the time, the Mounties said the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service had determined the man had died from self-inflicted injuries and the woman was the victim of a homicide.

No other details were released at the time and the RCMP did not respond to a request on Thursday for more information.

In September, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic in the province. The bill, introduced by the opposition NDP, was tabled in response to a recommendation from the commission of inquiry that investigated the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives.

The federal-provincial inquiry heard that the lone gunman responsible for Canada’s worst mass shooting had a history of domestic violence and had brutally assaulted his spouse moments before he began a 13-hour killing rampage across northern and central Nova Scotia.

When the bill was passed, the New Democrats noted that Nova Scotia had the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any province in Canada, with over 30 per cent of women and 22.5 per cent of men who have been in a relationship reporting being physically or sexually assaulted by their partner.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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