Manitoba RCMP looking for Ontario trucker following fatal highway crash

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – A former Saskatchewan Party legislature member has been sentenced to 12 months probation after pleading guilty to assault. 

Gregory Lawrence also faced a charge of assault by choking but it was dropped following the plea in court Wednesday in Moose Jaw, Sask.

A court document says Lawrence shoved and choked a woman during an argument in 2019.

As part of his probation, Lawrence is barred from contacting the victim and going within 50 metres of her home or workplace.

Lawrence resigned from the governing Saskatchewan Party caucus in January as police investigated complaints against him.

He represented the constituency of Moose Jaw Wakamow until October and did not seek re-election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Ontario Premier Doug Ford says eligible businesses will be getting a share of $2 billion that the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is returning due to a surplus.

This marks the second time the WSIB has given a surplus back to employers, having distributed $1.2 billion in 2022.

Businesses are eligible if they have not been convicted more than once under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act or the Occupational Health and Safety Act since 2020.

As well, the WSIB is cutting the average premium rate employers pay from $1.30 to $1.25 per $100 of insurable payroll.

A new WSIB Health and Safety Excellence program will also give $1,000 to employers that create a new health and safety action plan through the program.

Ford also announced that the province is removing a $150 fee for apprentices taking their first Certificate of Qualification exam, which he says will make it easier for people to start careers in the trades.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – The Alberta government is forecasting a $4.6-billion surplus this fiscal year, but Finance Minister Nate Horner says Alberta’s in for a “challenging” future.

The government’s second-quarter fiscal update says just $2.9 billion of that surplus is expected to be cash, which would be split between paying down debt and the Heritage Savings Trust Fund.

It says the surplus is largely the result of higher-than-expected income tax revenue thanks to Alberta’s sharp population growth and oil and gas royalties.

But the fiscal update also says “global economic conditions” are presenting risks for the province’s finances.

As such the government has dropped its revenue expectations for the average price of its benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil for the remainder of the fiscal year by US$2.50 per barrel from the US$76.50 price point expected in the first-quarter update.

The government also says it’s planning for population growth to drop significantly next year, and the provincial unemployment rate is expected to grow.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.