Reports: Former star Vince Carter to become first Raptor to have number retired

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he told a congressional committee Tuesday.

Favre made the disclosure as part of his testimony about a welfare misspending scandal in Mississippi. Favre, who does not face criminal charges, has repaid just over $1 million in speaking fees funded by a welfare program in the state and was also an investor in a biotech company with ties to the case. The biotech firm has said it was developing concussion treatments.

The former football star told the committee that he lost his investment in the company “that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others.”

“As I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me — I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s — this is also a cause dear to my heart,” Favre said.

What causes Parkinson’s disease is unknown, and it is unclear if Favre’s disease is connected to his football career or head injuries. He said in 2022 that he estimates he experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.

Favre appeared at the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee hearing to advocate reform of the federal welfare system to better prevent fraud.

“The challenges my family and I have faced over the last three years—because certain government officials in Mississippi failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse, and are unjustifiably trying to blame me, those challenges have hurt my good name and are worse than anything I faced in football,” Favre said.

House Republicans have said a Mississippi welfare misspending scandal involving Favre and others points to the need for an overhaul in the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Favre has said he didn’t know the payments he received came from welfare funds and has noted his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor kids in his home state of Mississippi and in Wisconsin, where he played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

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VANCOUVER – The union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver has voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with TransDev, which says it aims for full service to resume by the end of the week.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 voted Monday to ratify the deal, giving workers a “significant” wage increase, that the union says would address the staffing shortages.

TransDev says it’s pleased the three-week strike is coming to an end.

About 600 HandyDART employees started strike action on Sept. 3, pausing service except for essential medical trips.

ATU Local 1724 President Joe McCann says the strike showed the power of the union, and ratifying the contract is great for union members.

The union also says the new contract with TransDev pushes back on the use of taxis through creative language on shift scheduling and reporting.

Transdev is the contracted operator of HandyDART, which serves people who are unable to navigate the conventional transit system.

The company says in a statement that service “will resume progressively this week,” with the goal of normal service levels by Friday.

It says customers looking for information about particular trips can phone the HandyDART call centre.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

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OTTAWA – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for holding a fundraising last year in Banff, Alta., with oil and gas sector executives.

An Elections Canada filing shared by the Liberals shows that a number of executives, including one from a major oil and gas company, attended a Conservative fundraiser advertised as “An Evening with Pierre Poilievre” on April 11, 2023.

Records show Alexander Pourbaix, executive chair of the board of directors at Cenovus, donated $1,600 to Conservative Party of Canada the next day.

Guilbeault says Poilievre’s pledge to do away with carbon pricing is about helping his “rich friends.”

Poilievre has promised to “axe” the consumer carbon price, which was brought in by the Liberals to encourage consumers and small businesses to reduce carbon-emitting consumption.

The Conservative leader has not made his position clear on the industrial carbon pricing system, which makes big polluters pay on a portion of their emissions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

Note to readers: A previous version of this story identified Alexander Pourbaix as the CEO of Cenovus. He now holds the title of executive chair of the board of directors.

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