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Freeland introduces bill to remove GST off rental developments, amend competition law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced legislation this morning that would remove GST charges from new rental developments and update the country’s competition law. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised the new legislation earlier this month to address the housing crisis and affordability crunch.Experts have called on the federal government to remove GST charges off new purpose-built rentals to help spur construction of these kinds of homes.The bill is also supposed to strengthen the Competition Bureau by giving it the power to compel information from companies to conduct studies, tighten up merger laws and go after collaborations that stifle competition.The changes to the Competition Act follow a promise from the Liberals to review the law. Freeland, along with several other cabinet ministers, are to hold a news conference this afternoon about the new legislation.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Side hustles take center stage in paying bills for Hollywood workers on strike

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Lighting for the entertainment industry is Ryan Meyer’s lifeblood.Before the Hollywood strikes, he worked 40 hours a week or more as a gaffer or director of photography. He also has a company that usually earns more than a million dollars a year in production support.Most of that is gone, for now, dried up in the contract disputes that have led to months of picket lines by writers and actors. One day recently, the 50-year-old Meyer, who lives in Los Angeles, lit an actor’s home foyer, “so when she opens the door,” he said, “she looks good.”While waiting out the strikes, Meyer and many thousands of others in the business are taking most any paycheck they can get, from Trader Joe’s to teaching to hitting up friends for writing gigs. Some are turning hobbies into money. Most anything to pay the bills.“We’ve become handymen,” Meyer said. “My neighbor needed help with his Jacuzzi so we powered that up for him. Somebody else bought a trailer with a ...

Pickering crash sends female to hospital with life-threatening injuries

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

Durham Regional Police say a female has suffered life-threatening injuries in a Pickering crash on Thursday morning.It happened near Taunton and Whites roads.It’s not yet clear how many vehicles were involved and the age of the victim is not currently known.Police say an Ornge air ambulance was summoned and roads in the area are closed.Drivers are being advised to avoid the area.Female has suffered life-threatening injuries. @Ornge is attending.The area will be shut down for an extended period of time. https://t.co/MDkdrbW7TW— Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) September 21, 2023More to come

Ottawa gives Food Banks Canada $17.9M for pilot to provide period products

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government has tasked Food Banks Canada with handing out free menstrual products to members of marginalized low-income communities.Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien announced the pilot program Thursday.She says the government is injecting $17.9 million into the initiative. Through the project, Food Banks Canada will distribute free period products to community organizations across Canada.It is also going to partner with existing organizations that deal in period education to scale up their operations.The Menstrual Equity project is part of a broader push from the government to reduce the cost of menstruation. The feds have already launched a program to provide free menstrual products in First Nations schools on reserves, as well as making sure they’re offered at federally regulated workplaces. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Mississippi auditor says several college majors indoctrinate students and should be defunded

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Calling numerous social science and humanities degree programs “indoctrination factories,” Mississippi’s auditor says the state should defund several college majors and invest in subjects that match the state’s workforce needs. In a report published Tuesday, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, a Republican, argued that the state should change its approach to funding its public universities. He proposed tying public investment to workforce needs instead of providing funds without regard for the degree programs, as has traditionally been the case. Too many college graduates are leaving Mississippi, and aligning degree programs with labor market demand might stem the tide, White said. In numerous statements on social media leading up to the report’s publication, White said there should be no taxpayer funding for “useless degrees” in “garbage fields” like Urban Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, German Literature, African Studies, Gender St...

A serial killer pleads guilty in Rwanda to killing 14 people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A serial killer in Rwanda pleaded guilty at a court Thursday, saying he killed 14 people. Most of the victims were women.Denis Kazungu, 34, admitted guilt to charges that included murder, rape and robbery. He appeared at the Kicukiro Court in the capital, Kigali.Kazungu smiled as police led him into the courtroom, but he didn’t appear to show any other emotion during the hearing. Police discovered 12 bodies at this home, but he said that he killed an additional two people whose bodies haven’t been found.The victims include 11 women and one man, authorities said. The sex of the other two people Kazungu said he killed wasn’t immediately clear.Kazungu didn’t have a lawyer at the hearing and he’s expected to appear in court again on Tuesday.Police alleged that the suspect lured people from bars to his home in a suburb of Kigali.Though identities of his victims haven’t been officially released, a woman has appeared in local media interv...

VIDEO: 78-year-old man robbed and battered on North Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

CHICAGO -- Nine armed robberies were committed within an hour on the city's North Side overnight, police said.In the first incident reported by police around 12:50 a.m., a 78-year-old man was walking near the 1900 block of West Wolfram Street when he was approached by six male offenders. The individuals demanded the man to hand over his belongings and he complied. One of the individuals struck the man before fleeing in a dark colored sedan.The man was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital and is listed in good condition.A home security video shared with WGN shows the incident below: According to police, three armed robberies took place close to 1:00 a.m. In all incidents, victims were approached by four individuals, demanding their belongings. Two individuals were armed. Romeoville suspect dead after shooting in Oklahoma Police said a 32-year-old woman was walking near the 2800 North Lincoln Avenue when she was approached by the individuals who de...

Romeoville murders: What we know after suspect, person of interest dead in Oklahoma

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — New details have emerged after the man suspected of killing a family of four in Romeoville died in Oklahoma.Nathaniel Huey Jr., of Streamwood, was suspected in the deaths of 38-year-old Alberto Rolon, 32-year-old Zoraida Bartolomei and their two sons, ages 7 and 9. A female with a relationship to Huey Jr. was also identified as a person of interest in connection to the shootings.Rolon-Bartolomei family (GoFundMe)Attorney John Paul Ivec has identified the female person of interest as Ermalinda Palomo, a mother of five and grandmother of five. He went on to say that she had no criminal history and was a victim of a murder-suicide.The family of four were believed to have been fatally shot between Saturday night and early Sunday in their home on the 500 block of Concord Avenue. The family's three dogs were also killed. Romeoville suspect dead after shooting in Oklahoma Palomo had been reported missing by her family after the attorney said she stopped texting them. T...

Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, 'concerned' about dress code change

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) says he is “concerned” about a decision to loosen the Senate’s dress code to allow senators to wear whatever they want on the chamber floor, arguing “we need to have standards.”  Durbin, the No. 2-ranking Senate Democrat and chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, signaled he’s not ready to let hoodies, blue jeans or shorts become the norm on the Senate floor, which has been the venue of many important historic moments over the years. “Well, I’m concerned about it,” Durbin told “The Briefing with Steve Scully” on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel, when asked about the recent change in the rules of decorum.  Durbin acknowledged that changing the Senate’s dress code would accommodate his colleague, first-term Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who’s well-known for wearing a hoodie and shorts instead of a business suit like most senators, but suggested the issue is bigger than one senator.  “The senator in question from Pennsylvania is a ...

Throwback 'Dean's A-List Interview' with Leslie Jones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:05 GMT

In a throwback Thursday A-List Interview, Dean spoke to Leslie Jones about anti-woman sentiment when 'Ghostbusters' came out in 2015. In her new released memoir, she reflects on her experience while filming the movie.