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Jacques Chagnon Quebec's new national assembly speaker
Jacques Chagnon was elected as Quebec’s new national assembly speaker. In his opening speech he talked about the need to stop the acrimony in the legislature.
A veteran Liberal MNA, Chagnon was elected after Yvon Vallieres stepped down unexpectedly last week.
Engineers Stop Radioactive Water From Leaking Into Sea
In Fukushima Japan engineers were able to stop radioactive water from leaking into the sea. A spokesperson for Tokyo Electric Power says the leaks were stopped after they injected a mixture of liquid rock and hardening agent.
However, due to a lack of storage space Tokyo Electric says they will still have to pump contaminated water into the sea. The water has low levels of radiation and will continue to be released until Friday.
As well, the Japanese Government is considering putting radioactivity restrictions on seafood. This is after finding contaminated fish in the sea. India is the only country so far to ban food imports from Japan.
Sexual offender blames Hockey Quebec
A Montreal North minor-league hockey coach convicted of sexual abuse is blaming Hockey Quebec for allowing him near children. 55-year-old Gilbert Dubé has been sentenced to five years in jail for sexually abusing four children on his teams.
Dubé was also convicted in 1993 for sexual touching.
He told reporters before his sentence hearing Tuesday that Hockey Quebec should have checked his background before permitting him to coach. Dubé says he's come into contact with over 400 youths during his 20 years of coaching.
Although he's pleaded guilty to six counts, Dubé vows he has protected most of the young players.
Dubé's own son contacted police in 2002 after finding photos of victims on Dubé's computer. It wasn't until another victim came forward that Dubé was charged in 2009. According to the prosecution, he targeted boys from underprivileged families.
News April 5th 2011
Read by Samah Fadil
Produced by Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo
Stories by Aisha Samu, Dominique Daoust, Sofia Gay and Joel Balsam
New Speaker To Be Elected in Quebec National Assembly
Quebec’s next speaker of the house could be veteran Liberal MNA Jacques Chagnon. He is to replace the outgoing speaker Yvon Vallières after a secret ballot is held this week.
Vallières resigned, stating that he could no longer cope with the endless unruly debates at Quebec’s legislature. The debates reached a climax last week when Vallières refused to force a Liberal to apologize for a controversial statement. While the Parti Québécois threatened to remove support for Vallières, the Liberals are accusing the PQ of initiating the crisis.
Although three candidates have come forward, it is expected that the Liberal majority will secure a win for Chagnon.
Timmy's Raises Prices
Prices of Tim Horton's coffee may be going up, but will that deter its most adamant supporters?
The price of your Tim Horton’s Joe will go up slightly next week. Tim Horton’s announced that it will raise prices, but did not say by how much.
Over the years, the Canadian coffee giant has raised prices slightly to keep up with the rising price of sugar. An example: Timbits used to be 17cents and are now 19.
B.C. Teen Killers Given Adult Sentences
Months after pleading guilty, the teen killers behind Kimberly Proctor’s death in BC were sentenced as adults on Monday. Cameron Moffatt and Kruse Wellwood received life sentences, with no chance of parole for 10 years.
The publication ban on the teens’ identities was lifted at the time of the sentencing.
The judge says because the crime was so brutal, the boys should be jailed as long as possible. He says both teens tried laying the blame on each other, so it’s impossible to sort out the truth.
The teens raped and murdered 16-year-old Proctor in a Victoria home last summer. They were 16 and 17 when they committed the crime.
Last fall, they both pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
Proctor’s parents were at the trial and expressed their anger at what the teens did to their daughter.
Carnival Musician Michel Martelly Elected President of Haiti
Results of last month’s Haiti presidential runoff show that carnival musician Michel Martelly has the upper hand over former first lady Mirlande Manigat. According to a spokesman for Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council, Martelly took sixty-seven percent of the vote while Manigat received thirty-one percent.The preliminary results were delayed by a week due to fraud problems.
Martelly used to have a bad boy image as the singer “Sweet Mickey”. But he managed to take care of his family and educate his children during his off-stage time.
The runoff vote was held March twentieth with no major problems occurring. There were initial concerns that the return of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide would disrupt the vote. He arrived in Haiti two days before the vote but has not endorsed a candidate so far.
If no changes occur, Martelly will have multiple challenges to deal with. The impoverished country has had trouble rebuilding after last year’s earthquake and cholera epidemic.
Final results of the vote are scheduled to be announced on April sixteenth.
April 4th 2011
Read by Sofia Gay.
Produced by Gareth Sloan.
Stories by Sarah El Fangary, Chris Hanna and Corentine Rivoire.
Elections 2011: Weekend Round-Up
With less than a month before Canadians head to the polls, party leaders were on the campaign trail this weekend. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was in Ottawa on Sunday. He unveiled his party’s $8 billion plan for Canadian families. The plan includes a $1.2 billion pledge for provinces to create new child care spaces. But Finance Minister Jim Flaherty believes the Liberals’ promises are not affordable.
Conservative leader Stephen Harper promised to extend the fitness tax break. He would double the children’s tax credit to $1,000, and would introduce a $500 tax credit for adults. This plan would go into effect when the budget is expected to balance in 2015.
NDP leader Jack Layton was in Gatineau. He spoke about health care and promised again to hire more doctors and nurses across the country.
Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe is still waiting for a $2 billion payout from the government. Quebec has yet to receive any compensation from Ottawa after harmonizing its sales tax in 1992. Ontario and British Columbia received almost $6 billion for harmonizing their sales taxes.
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