Toronto Mayor’s Chief of Staff no longer in office
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s Chief of Staff has been fired. Mark Towhey was escorted out of city hall by security and told reporters he didn’t resign, Thursday. He did not say why he was no longer Ford’s chief of staff, but said it followed discussions earlier in the day with the mayor. Earl Provost, Deputy Chief of Staff, will assume the role of Acting Chief of Staff until further notice. Reporters have crowed city hall, waiting for a statement from the mayor. This news comes as another councillor says he registered a warning on a roadside alcohol screening test but is not being criminally charged. Paul Ainslie spoke earlier saying he was stopped at a ride check earlier this month, after having “two or three glasses of wine” while out for dinner with friends.
2 more arrests linked to hacking death of British soldier
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
More information is coming out of London … another two people have been arrested after a British soldier was hacked to death on Wednesday. Counter-terrorism officers have arrested two 29-year-olds, man and woman, on conspiracy to murder. A British official says both had been investigated previously and they’re trying to determine if they were part of a wider terror plot. The pair that was shot by police on Wednesday, after running over the 25-year-old soldier then killing him, are in hospital in stable condition.
Via Rail terror plot suspect wants Lawyer to use Qu’ran in his defense
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
A man charged in an alleged plot against via rail passenger train says he wants to be represented by a lawyer who agrees that the Qu’ran should be used as a “reference” in his case. Chiheb Esseghaier appeared in a Toronto court by video link this morning and said he is seeking a legal aid lawyer to defend him against several terrorism-related charges in what the R.C.M.P has called the first known alleged plot in Canada directed by Al-Qaida. Esseghaier has said he does not recognize the authority of criminal code, telling court today, “I don’t want a book written by humans.”
RCMP honoured in Google Doodle sketch
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
Have you seen the Google Doodle? The picture shows a Mountie, saluting in front of mountains, water and forest. Google Canada is marking its 140th anniversary, Thursday, of the North-West Mounted Police, the force that would later merge with the Dominion Police to become the RCMP. Many Canucks weighed in on Twitter, proud and excited to see the sketch that launched midnight.
Oshawa men arrested, charged after robbery in Oshawa
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
A group of Oshawa men are facing charges, after a store was robbed in the city. Police say, Xtreme RC on Wilson Road was broken into overnight on Monday, and several thousand dollars of radio-controlled equipment was taken. Four men have been arrested. 19-year-old Blair Adams, 18-year-old James Abraham and Thomas Thompson, along with 34-year-old Richard Hickey are facing break-and-enter and theft charges.
2nd suspect formally charged with first-degree murder in Tim Bosma case
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
Mark Smich of Oakville has become the second person formally charged with first-degree murder in the death of an Ancaster man, who disappeared after taking two men on a test drive in the truck he was trying to sell online. According to court records, the 25-year-old is known to police, with a rap sheet that includes criminal convictions for possession for the purpose of trafficking and impaired driving. Smich’s lawyer says he will plead not guilty, and will appear in court – along with 27-year-old Dellen Millard who is also facing first-degree murder – on June 13.
Elaborate indoor marijuana grow-op dismantled in Oshawa
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
An elaborate indoor marijuana grow-op has been dismantled in Oshawa. Durham police say last Saturday, officers searched a home on Rockcreek Drive and seized over 600 plants and hydroponic equipment with a street value of over $700,000. 25 year-old Wenwen Li of Scarborough was arrested and charged with several offences including possession for the purpose of trafficking and theft of electricity.
Impaired driver causes over $100,000 in damage after crash in Courtice
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
A 60 year-old Clarington man is facing impaired driving charges after a collision which severed a gas line. According to authorities, just before 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, witnesses reported seeing the lone male driver travelling along Bloor Street East when he crossed over traffic, mounted a boulevard, hit a tree, a residence on Beckett Crescent and a parked car. The collision severed a residential gas meter. Combined damage is estimated in excess of $100,000. No one was injured. David Peltier has been charged.
29 year-old man charged after collision between a vehicle and CN Train in Uxbridge
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
A 29 year-old man has been charged for fleeing the scene of a collision between a vehicle and CN Train in Uxbridge. Durham police say the incident took place on Monday, in the York-Durham Line and Zephyr Road area. Following the crash, the vehicle involved was found demolished and unoccupied further down the tracks. Richard Barbour of Newmarket is facing multiple charges.
Two suspects charged in an alleged plot to bomb a Via Rail train set to appear in a Toronto court
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
A pair of suspects, charged in an alleged terror plot, will appear in a Toronto court on Wednesday morning. Both 35-year-old Raed Jaser and 30-year-old Chiheb Esseghaier are expected to appear by video, charged in an alleged plot to bomb a via rail train that runs between Toronto and New York City. The two men were arrested in late April and the plot is thought to have had backing from Al-Qaeda.
Nikkei index suffers biggest one day drop in years
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
The Tokyo stock market’s main index has suffered its biggest one-day drop in more than two years. The Nikkei Index plunged more than 1,100 points, or 7.3 per cent. Traders point to a jump in Japanese government bond yields and a weakening of China’s manufacturing sector. Even after this morning’s sharp drop, the Nikkei Index is up a healthy 39 per cent so far this year
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford dropped as volunteer coach of high school football team
May 23rd, 2013 | Comments (0)
Things just keep getting worse for Rob Ford. Toronto’s mayor has been let go as volunteer coach of the Don Bosco Eagles football team in a decision made by the Toronto District Catholic School Board. The board simply said that it wanted to go in a new direction and made no mention to the crack cocaine allegations that have made headlines internationally. Ford continues to stay silent about the allegations, while his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, says the mayor would let the media know if and when he had anything to say.