Ottawa resumes suspensions for overdue student vaccine records after two-year pause

MAYERTHORPE, Alta. – RCMP say they have not been able to find two armed robbery suspects last seen west of Edmonton.

They say it’s believed the men are no longer in the Mayerthorpe area and that there is not an imminent risk to the community.

An emergency alert was issued earlier in the day after Mounties responded to a report of a stolen vehicle.

They say the vehicle was found abandoned and officers received information that the occupants had fled on foot with weapons.

RCMP say the public should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.

One suspect is described as white, about 30 years old, five feet 11 inches tall, 205 pounds with dark hair and dark eyes, who was last seen wearing a cowboy hat and black sweater.

The other man is six feet tall, about 220 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a black flat brim hat with red letters.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is standing by his government’s decision to turf backbencher and defence lawyer Mark Wasyliw from caucus because a partner at the firm he works at represented convicted sex offender Peter Nygard.

The NDP removed Wasyliw on Monday saying the legislature member for Fort Garry failed to demonstrate “good judgment” by continuing to work at the law firm.

Kinew said that in the days leading up to the dismissal, caucus told Wasyliw he would have to give up his job as a lawyer if he wanted to stay with caucus.

Wasyliw declined, said Kinew.

“You can be affiliated with the NDP or you can be affiliated with Peter Nygard. But you can’t do both,” Kinew told reporters Tuesday.

“The caucus leadership made the decision to ask him to leave, and I support that decision 100 per cent.”

Kinew wouldn’t say whether caucus voted on the decision.

“We don’t talk about family business in public,” the premier said.

Following his dismissal, Wasyliw accused Kinew of being a micromanaging bully and called him a “toxic and dysfunctional leader.”

Wasyliw said he believes he was turfed because he has butted heads with the premier on some issues. He alleged the premier ignores caucus and cabinet concerns.

Kinew denied the allegations and said he has never bullied anyone on the job, yelled at any of his staff or dismissed opposing views.

“I’m more than comfortable to entertain opinions, because I think the consensus is stronger at the end of the day,” said Kinew.

Wasyliw has said he will continue to sit in the legislature as an Independent and speak for constituents who feel the NDP has strayed from its traditional values.

The Criminal Defence Lawyer Association of Manitoba has condemned the rational for Wasyliw’s ouster, arguing it sends a message that defence lawyers can be punished for having unpopular clients.

Nygard, who founded his fashion empire in Winnipeg, was sentenced earlier this month to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women at his company’s headquarters in Toronto. The 83-year-old continues to face charges in Manitoba, Quebec and the United States.

The NDP defended Wasyliw in 2019, when the Progressive Conservatives criticized him for representing impaired drivers. At the time, the NDP caucus said defence lawyers play an important role in ensuring the constitutional rights of Canadians to a fair trial.

Kinew said individuals have the right to be defended, but a sitting MLA shouldn’t be the one to do that.

“I have a huge amount of respect for the independence of the judiciary and respect for the administration of justice in Manitoba,” the premier said.

“But there is no correlation between the role of government and the political decision makers who sit around the government table. It’s completely separate.”

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have called for a third-party investigation into the bullying allegation.

“This isn’t about politics and the fallout between Wab Kinew and Mark Wasyliw,” said Tory Leader Wayne Ewasko.

“This is about civil servants and staff at the legislative assembly. Protecting the respectful workplace they deserve and ensuring that people feel safe coming forward to report any misconduct by the premier and his senior staff.”

Wasyliw was first elected in 2019. Before the NDP formed government in 2023, he served as the party’s finance critic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index slipped lower Tuesday despite strength in energy stocks, while U.S. markets were mixed but more or less flat one day before an interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Markets were in a holding pattern ahead of a much-anticipated interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday, said Anish Chopra, managing director with Portfolio Management Corp.

The central bank is expected to cut its key rate for the first time since it hiked rates to fight inflation.

But markets are undecided on whether the Fed will cut by a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point. They’re leaning toward the latter, according to data from CME Group.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 15.90 points at 41,606.18. The S&P 500 index was up 1.49 points at 5,634.58, while the Nasdaq composite was up 35.93 points at 17,628.06.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 24.37 points at 23,677.70.

After a couple of weaker-than-expected jobs reports in the U.S., bets for a larger cut grew over fears the central bank had waited too long to start cutting rates.

The market believes the data shows enough of a slowdown in the economy and inflation for the Fed to make a bigger cut, said Chopra.

However, a larger rate cut could send a worrying signal, he said.

“If the Fed started out with a bigger rate cut, it’s just a more concerning sign that they are behind the curve on cutting interest rates,” he said.

New data on U.S. retail sales Tuesday didn’t move the needle, added Chopra, showing a mixed bag: shoppers spent more last month than expected, but less than expected when removing automobiles and fuel from the occasion.

The Fed is more concerned with continuing to fight inflation while avoiding too much softness in the job market, Chopra said.

“When you look at the retail sales data … it may just be an indication that the economy just isn’t slowing as quickly as some people had forecasted.”

In Canada, the Consumer Price Index reached the central bank’s target of two per cent in August.

“Gasoline prices coming down have had a big impact on inflation,” said Chopra.

The Bank of Canada has already cut rates three times this year as the Canadian economy softened faster under interest rate hikes than the U.S. economy.

The Bank of Canada has two more rate decisions in 2024, said Chopra, and some market watchers are looking at whether a half-point cut could be in the cards.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.57 cents US on Monday.

The November crude oil contract was up 94 cents at US$69.96 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$16.50 at US$2,592.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was essentially unchanged at US$4.27 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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