RCMP ask for help in finding 7-year-old girl missing near Burns Lake, B.C.

TORONTO – Experts say rising team valuations and the desire to forge a legacyare likely at the heart of what motivated Rogers Communications Inc. executive chair Edward Rogers to bolster the company’s portfolio of Toronto professional sports teams.

The company’s $4.7-billion deal to acquire rival telecom BCE Inc.’s 37.5 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment will give Rogers a majority control of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC.

It’s a move that plays into Rogers’ long-standing strategy to build out its sports empire, with the company already owning the Toronto Blue Jays and becoming the national NHL television rights holder a decade ago.

Dave Heger, a senior equity analyst at Edward Jones, says there is probably an “ego benefit” to be realized for Rogers that comes from the status and name recognition associated with owning pro sports teams in a major city.

He says that’s on top of the financial attraction of teams like the Leafs and Raptors continuing to increase in value.

In an interview with Sportsnet on Wednesday, Edward Rogers said his company had spent more than $14.5 billion over the last decade on sports. He described it as a “core business for us” while adding that he recognized that “being involved with these teams is a public trust.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:BCE)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

JASPER, ALTA. – CN Rail’s decision to pull operations out of the Rocky Mountain tourist town of Jasper, Alta., will have a devastating impact on local families, says mayor Richard Ireland.

Ireland says CN Rail’s presence in town is a key part of the community’s identity, and he hopes the company will reconsider.

The company announced this week that it aims to transfer its operations from Jasper to Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres east, come September 2025.

A company memo sent to the roughly 200 impacted workers on Monday says the change will improve efficiency by reducing stops between Edmonton and Blue River, B.C. on the western side of the Rocky Mountains.

Ireland says the timing of the move only intensifies the harm felt in Jasper after a wildfire destroyed one-third of the town’s homes and businesses in July.

An estimated 2,000 residents were displaced by the fire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

The wife and sons of Richard Douglas Murray are alleging in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that staff at the jail failed to monitor him properly and ensure he wasn’t spending “unreasonable and unsafe” amounts of time in his cell.

The allegations, described in a Sept. 12 notice of action written by lawyer Devin Maxwell, have yet to be tested in court.

According to letters Murray sent from the jail to his wife, Mary Hendsbee, he seldom was able to leave his cell at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility due to staff shortages.

Murray’s letters describe conditions in the jail as “total cruelty.”

According to an autopsy report, Murray was found by other inmates hanging in his cell on Jan. 15, a bedsheet tied around his neck.

The report said that the day before, Murray had been assessed for suicidal thoughts and was returned to his cell.

At the time, Murray had been awaiting trial for nine months after his arrest on charges of pointing a firearm and uttering threats at his home near Antigonish, N.S. — charges he intended to vigorously contest in court.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, support is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, Canada’s national suicide prevention helpline.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.