New Brunswick premier-designate Susan Holt announces 19-member cabinet

EDMONTON – Alberta’s top court has dismissed a Crown appeal of the sentence handed to an Ontario truck driver convicted in the 2011 death of a woman found in an Edmonton hotel bathtub.

Cindy Gladue, a 36-year-old Métis and Cree woman, bled to death in the tub in 2011.

A jury found Bradley Barton not guilty in 2015 of first-degree murder, but the Alberta Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial.

He was then convicted of manslaughter and handed a 12 1/2-year sentence.

The Crown argued that sentence was “demonstrably unfit” and recommended 18 to 20 years, saying Gladue’s vulnerability as an Indigenous woman and the sexual nature of the offence should have been given more weight.

Three Appeal Court justices unanimously ruled the sentence was not so inadequate that it would justify interference.

“The panel recognizes that no sentence imposed will adequately address the pain inflicted on Ms. Gladue’s family and community,” the judges wrote in the decision published Friday.

“We recognize, too, that the legal proceedings have endured for more than a decade. With the disposition of this appeal, we hope that some measure of peace and healing can begin.”

In August, the Supreme Court declined to hear Barton’s appeal of his conviction.

Barton’s initial acquittal sparked rallies and calls for justice for Indigenous women across the country.

There was outrage because Gladue was repeatedly referred to as a “native” and a “prostitute” during the trial. Her vaginal tissue was also presented as evidence.

Court heard Barton, from Mississauga, Ont., hired Gladue for two nights of sex and she suffered a severe wound to her vagina.

Barton testified the sex was consensual and he was shocked when he woke the next morning to find her dead in the tub.

The Crown argued Barton performed a sex act on Gladue while she was passed out, causing the wound. Prosecutors said he dumped her in the tub and left her to bleed to death.

A jury in the second trial in 2021 convicted Barton of manslaughter.

Barton’s bid for a third trial was dismissed in January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.

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TORONTO – Magna International Inc. cut its guidance for its full year after seeing its sales decrease last quarter amid a global production slump of light vehicles.

In its outlook, the Ontario-based auto parts company said Friday it now expects total sales for 2024 between US$42.2 billion and US$43.2 billion, compared with earlier expectations for between US$42.5 billion and US$44.1 billion

The projections came as Magna, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported net income attributable to the company of US$484 million for its third quarter, up from US$394 million a year earlier.

It said the profit amounted to US$1.68 per diluted share for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with US$1.37 per diluted share a year earlier.

But on an adjusted basis, Magna said it earned US$1.28 per diluted share, down from an adjusted profit of US$1.46 per diluted share a year earlier.

Sales for the quarter totalled US$10.28 billion, down from US$10.69 billion in the same quarter last year.

Magna chief executive Swamy Kotagiri said sales in the quarter were negatively affected by softer than anticipated light vehicle production in North America and Europe, in particular, amid a four per cent decrease globally.

While overall North American production fell six per cent in the quarter, production by Magna’s Detroit-based customers declined 12 per cent.

Light vehicle production in China also fell six per cent, while Europe saw a two per cent decrease.

The company said sales were also hurt by the end of production of certain programs, as well as divestitures, offset in part by the launch of new programs and customer price increases.

The company, which reduced its expectations for light vehicle production around the world, also said it now expects adjusted net income attributable to Magna of US$1.45 billion to US$1.55 billion for 2024, down from earlier guidance for between US$1.5 billion and US$1.7 billion.

“We are responding to the volatile operating environment and are focused on margin expansion, free cash flow generation and increasing return of capital,” Kotagiri told analysts on a conference call Friday to discuss its results.

Chief financial officer Patrick McCann also cautioned that the third quarter “does tend to be a low production period.”

Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau said that despite constrained production hurting sales, primarily due to supply chain disruptions and labour strikes, Magna’s future growth opportunities look strong.

He highlighted the company’s products supporting the development of electric and autonomous vehicles, such as sensors and software that help Magna typically earn more money per vehicle “given the increased content of technology added.”

“While volatility could remain in the near term, we believe growth will resume as depleted car inventories will take time to be replaced,” Windau said in a note.

“Magna is a supplier to top auto manufacturers and should benefit from increasing production.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.

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NEW DELHI (AP) — A thick layer of toxic smog cloaked India’s capital on Friday as smoke from firecrackers used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

New Delhi’s air quality index plunged into the “severe” category, according to SAFAR, India’s main environmental monitoring agency. In many areas, levels of deadly particulate matter reached seven times the World Health Organization’s safety limit.

Authorities in the capital have banned the use and sale of traditional firecrackers since 2017, asking people to opt for environmentally friendly ones or light shows instead, but the rule is often flouted.

New Delhi, home to more than 33 million people, is regularly ranked one of the most polluted cities in the world.

The air pollution crisis deepens particularly in the winter when the burning of crop residue in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke. That smoke travels to New Delhi, leading to a surge in pollution and worsening the public health crisis.

Emissions from industries without pollution controls and the use of coal, which produces most of the country’s electricity, are also linked to poor air quality in urban areas.

“We may not realize it now, but later we will face lung problems,” said Manoj Kumar, a New Delhi resident who does his morning runs around the capital’s iconic India Gate monument.

Several studies have estimated that more than a million Indians die each year from air pollution-related diseases. Tiny particulate matter in polluted air can lodge deep in the lungs and cause a variety of major health problems.

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