RCMP start interviewing witnesses in Greenbelt probe, Ford’s office says

FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.

Born: March 1, 1954.

Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.

Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.

Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.

Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.

Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.

Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.

The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.

The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.

Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.

Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.

The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.

The move, retroactive to Wednesday, essentially ends an injury-plagued season for Bichette.

He had two hits and one RBI in a 13-8 loss to Texas on Tuesday in his return from a 52-game stint on the IL with a right calf strain.

Bichette also missed nine games due to the calf issue in June.

His latest injury was suffered Wednesday during infield practice. Bichette was a late scratch in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers.

Bichette hit four homers with 31 RBIs in 81 games this season. He posted a .225 batting average and a .322 slugging percentage.

The Blue Jays also recalled outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo. He was active for the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon, the team said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.