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Military officer retires, heads to Ukraine amid sex misconduct investigation

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OTTAWA — A senior leader in the Canadian Armed Forces has retired and travelled to Ukraine to help defend the country from Russia’s invasion while still under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct.

The Department of National Defence confirmed Thursday that lieutenant-general Trevor Cadieu retired on April 5 after more than 30 years in uniform, even as military police continue their investigation into his conduct.

“His release was done in accordance with proper procedures and in accordance with his legal rights to release from the CAF,” Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in a statement.

“There has been no CAF support, material or otherwise, given to Cadieu since his departure as it pertains to his personal endeavours.”

Several defence sources say Cadieu has since headed to Ukraine to volunteer to help fight back against a Russian invasion that is about to enter its third month. The sources were not authorized to comment publicly on his whereabouts.

Cadieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, could not be reached for comment on Thursday while the Defence Department declined to confirm his whereabouts.

“As he is now a private citizen, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on his personal plans,” Le Bouthillier said.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service said in a statement that its investigation is ongoing, adding: “A member’s release has no bearing on investigative work, nor does their personal travel.”

Defence officials have previously said Armed Forces members can be charged for crimes allegedly committed while in uniform even after they retire.

Cadieu’s sudden retirement and departure come more than six months after the popular officer was slated to take command of the Canadian Army, with some military insiders predicting his eventual appointment as chief of the defence staff.

Defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre instead quietly suspended Cadieu’s installation as army commander in September after he was informed of what the CFNIS has described as “historical allegations” of sexual misconduct.

Following news of Cadieu’s departure, Eyre on Thursday announced that he had tapped Lt.-Gen. Jocelyn (Joe) Paul to become the next commander of the Canadian Army.

The army had been without a permanent commander since February 2021, when Eyre was tapped to serve as acting chief of the defence staff while then-defence chief Admiral Art McDonald was being investigated for alleged sexual behaviour.

While McDonald was not charged, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opted to replace him on a permanent basis with Eyre. Maj.-Gen. Michel-Henri St-Louis has served as acting army commander since April 2021.

Eyre also announced the pending retirement of Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines, who came under fire last July for golfing with retired defence chief Jonathan Vance while Vance was under police investigation.

Baines, who apologized and was kept on as navy commander, promising to make the most of his second chance, will be replaced by Rear-Admiral Angus Topshee.

Cadieu is one of several senior commanders to be investigated by military police for alleged sexual misconduct in the past year.

Those allegations have forced a reckoning within the military over its failure to address inappropriate behaviour. They also sparked criticism of the Liberal government’s handling of the issue and calls for more external oversight of the military.

Cadieu strenuously denied any wrongdoing in a statement last fall, saying: “The allegations are false, but they must be investigated thoroughly to expose the truth.” He said he had provided information to investigators to prove his innocence.

The retired officer also said at the time that he had asked Eyre to select someone else to serve as Canadian Army commander, adding: “I know that these false claims will, as intended, create doubts about my ability to lead in this environment.”

Cadieu’s decision to travel to Ukraine follows an order from Eyre banning serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces from joining the thousands of foreigners who have flocked to the country in recent weeks to help fight Russia’s invasion.

Russia has reportedly threatened criminal prosecutions against any foreigners captured fighting in Ukraine while a senior Canadian officer last month raised the spectre of Moscow attempting to use captured foreign fighters for propaganda purposes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2022.

 

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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