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Verdict delayed in sexual assault trial for former head of military HR

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OTTAWA – The verdict in the sexual assault trial for former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has been delayed until Sept. 16 after the judge said he needed more time to finish his decision.

Justice Matthew Webber was set to deliver a verdict in the case on Wednesday. Instead, he sombrely told the courtroom his decision wasn’t ready yet.

“There’s a lot of moving parts,” Webber said, adding that he knows the lack of a decision is probably looming over Edmundson.

Edmundson looked back at his family and shook his head.

The two-week trial was held in February with closing arguments in April, and the verdict has been delayed twice.

Edmundson was the head of military personnel in 2021 when he was accused of raping a woman on board a navy ship in 1991.

His lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said Webber has a lot going on and that he shouldn’t be criticized for the verdict’s delay.

“Certainly this is a very hard-working and very experienced judge who has been trying to put this together,” he said as court recessed.

“I would be wrong to criticize him.”

At trial, the complainant testified that she was 19 years old at the time of the alleged assault, and in the navy’s lowest rank. Edmundson was an officer and several years older than her.

Stephanie Viau’s identity was protected by a publication ban during the trial but that has since been lifted.

Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and during his own testimony he denied having any sexual contact with the woman.

The case was among a series of high-profile accusations made against senior military leaders in 2021.

Edmundson stepped down from his position as head of military personnel when the accusation against him was made public in 2021. The charges were laid months later, in December 2021.

Edmundson testified that in February 2022, he was directed by the chief of the defence staff to retire from the Armed Forces.

The crisis stemming from the series of accusations led to an external review by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour in May 2022, whose report called for sweeping changes to reform the toxic culture of the Armed Forces.

Edmundson left the courtroom with his supporters and family members shortly after the recess, and is set to be back in mid-September to hear his fate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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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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