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Senior Quebec church leader resumes role after six-month leave due to abuse claims

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QUEBEC – Cardinal Gérald Lacroix is resuming his duties today as archbishop of Quebec City after a Vatican-mandated investigation found no evidence tying the senior church leader to sexual misconduct allegations.

Lacroix says he has resumed his role after taking a voluntary six-month absence beginning in late January when the abuse allegations first surfaced as part of a class-action lawsuit against the diocese for historical sexual abuse cases.

In response to the claims, Pope Francis mandated retired Quebec judge André Denis to investigate.

While the alleged victim did not participate, Denis announced in May that his investigation didn’t exonerate Lacroix but failed to uncover any evidence that would justify a canonical trial.

A lawyer representing the alleged victim said in May his client preferred to testify in court and did not wish to take part in the Vatican-mandated investigation because it was an internal church process that lacked credibility.

Lacroix has denied the allegations, which he has described as “unfounded,” and the claims against him have not been tested in court.

In a news release, the archbishop described the past months as a “difficult journey.” He said he’s resuming his duties because Denis’s investigation found no evidence against him and because of the support of those around him. As well, he said he is seeking status to intervene in the class-action lawsuit.

Lacroix’s name was among 15 added to a list in January of perpetrators in a class-action lawsuit, authorized by the Superior Court in 2022, alleging sexual abuse by clergy and staff dating back to 1940. The alleged sexual touching involving Lacroix took place between 1987 and 1988 in Quebec City when the unnamed female plaintiff was 17.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2024.

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One person dead, three injured and power knocked out in Winnipeg bus shelter crash

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WINNIPEG – Police in Winnipeg say one person has died and three more were injured after a pickup truck smashed into a bus shelter on Portage Avenue during the morning commute.

Police say those injured are in stable condition in hospital.

It began after a Ford F150 truck hit a pedestrian and bus shelter on Portage Avenue near Bedson Street before 8 a.m.

Another vehicle, a power pole and a gas station were also damaged before the truck came to a stop.

The crash forced commuters to be rerouted and knocked out power in the area for more than a thousand Manitoba Hydro customers.

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

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Kamloops, B.C., man charged with murder in the death of his mother: RCMP

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KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A 35-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after his mother’s body was found near her Kamloops, B.C., home a year ago.

Mounties say 57-year-old Jo-Anne Donovan was found dead about a week after she had been reported missing.

RCMP says its serious crime unit launched an investigation after the body was found.

Police say they arrested Brandon Donovan on Friday after the BC Prosecution Service approved the charge.

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S&P/TSX gains almost 100 points, U.S. markets also higher ahead of rate decision

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TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.

“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.

While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.

Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.

But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.

Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.

“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.

“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.

A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.

It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.

More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.

“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.

In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.

“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.

The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

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

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

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