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New information suggests N.S. killer had 'tremendous fire power' and other possible targets – CTV News Atlantic

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HALIFAX —
New information released by court order now reveals the types of firearms the perpetrator of Canada’s worst mass murder had with him when he was shot and killed by RCMP after his 13-hour killing rampage.

On the night of April 18, the killer set fire to several homes and killed 13 people in Portapique, N.S., before evading police later that night. Gabriel Wortman carried out his crimes while dressed as a Mountie and driving a vehicle made to look like an RCMP cruiser.

He went on to kill nine more people at locations throughout Colchester County the next morning. One of the victims was pregnant when she was shot and killed in her vehicle.

RCMP investigators had indicated earlier that the guns used by Gabriel Wortman in the killings were obtained illegally.

On Wednesday, new details revealed in RCMP search warrant applications, list the exact firearms found in the vehicle he was using shortly before he was killed by police at the Irving Big Stop gas station in Enfield, N.S. April 19.

Those details confirm the guns were illegally obtained in both Canada and the United States.

According to information provided by RCMP Sgt. Larry Peyton, two semi-automatic rifles were found in the vehicle. A Colt’s Law Enforcement Carbine rifle was engaged in the “fire” position, loaded with a full over-capacity magazine. There were three other over-capacity magazines present, designed to hold thirty rounds each.  Sgt. Peyton sourced the firearm to a gun shop in California.

The second rifle was a Ruger Mini 14, also loaded with an over-capacity magazine. There was also three other such magazines present, each capable of holding forty rounds. That firearm was traced back to a gun store in Winnipeg.

The killer did not have a firearms licence.  Over-capacity magazines for semi-automatic firearms are illegal in Canada.  

“He had tremendous firepower,” says CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis, a former Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner. “He had as much firepower as the responding police officers had in terms of the semi-automatic rifles, with large magazine capacities, and handguns. The magazines alone were illegal, let alone the fact he wasn’t allowed to have any firearms in his possession.”

The new information also indicates the shooter had two pistols with him: a Glock 23 and a Ruger P89. Both were equipped with laser sights. The RCMP tracked both guns back to an unnamed gun shop in Maine.

The fifth gun in the shooter’s possession at the time of his death, was the Smith and Wesson 9mm issued to RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson. The officer was shot and killed by the gunman during the intensive police manhunt.

Documents also indicate that Sgt. Peyton found a business card for a gun store in Maine while executing a search warrant at the shooter’s dental practice in Dartmouth. The card for Bob and Tom’s Gun Shop in Mattawamkeag, Maine, included the name, Bob Berg.

CTV News called the number listed for the gun shop. A woman who identified herself as Robert Berg Sr.’s spouse told CTV News she didn’t recognize the shooter’s name, nor had she heard about the mass shooting in Nova Scotia. She told CTV the shop closed down after her husband had a stroke several years ago. When pressed further, she hung up.            

Last Friday, investigators charged three people – including the shooter’s common law partner and her brother – with unlawfully transferring ammunition to Gabriel Wortman.

Lisa Diana Banfield, 52, and James Blair Banfield, 64, both of Dartmouth, and Brian Brewster, 60, of Sackville, are accused of providing the shooter with .223-calibre Remington and .40-calibre Smith and Wesson cartridges between March 17 and March 18.

The allegations have not been tested in court. Police have said there is no indication the three had any prior knowledge of the gunman’s actions.

The newly released information does suggest the gunman behind the April mass shooting in Nova Scotia had planned to “get” someone in Halifax during his murderous rampage. Those details are included in a partially redacted statement from Lisa Banfield.

The documents describe how police in Halifax went to a residence, located her and another unknown individual, and “provided them security as Gabriel Wortman had not been located.

The details released Tuesday also include a statement from a witness described as a friend of the shooter, who first met him in 2011. That statement suggests the shooter had two crates of grenades “that he got from the U.S.”

The lawyer representing the families of those killed says there is some evidence to support that.

“Actually one of the family members found wooden ammunition cases at the Portapique site,” says Robert Pineo. “Of course that evidence has been preserved, but it was wooden containers, which most people understand, explosive devices are packed in wooden containers.”

Pineo says the families of those killed have a long list of questions they would like answered. He says so far, it seems those answers may only come through the courts, or in the forthcoming joint public inquiry.

“The really pressing ones, they would like to know more information regarding the killer’s escape from Portapique, more information about the lack of public alerts by some medium other than social, and more information regarding the days leading up to the massacre starting.”

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Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

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TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Transat AT reports $39.9M Q3 loss compared with $57.3M profit a year earlier

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MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.

The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.

The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.

Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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