Aboriginal people and alcohol: Not a genetic predisposition

The stereotype that aboriginal people have a genetic intolerance to alcohol persists in Canada and around the world, but a Manitoba medical expert says studies show a possible predisposition to alcoholism really boils down to social conditions such as poverty — and that, says Dr. Joel Kettner, is what people should focus on addressing.

A Manitoba fishing lodge sparked a storm of controversy this week when one of its brochures advised clients against giving First Nations guides alcohol because they have a "basic intolerance for alcohol."

But there is no scientific evidence that supports a genetic predisposition for alcohol intolerance in the aboriginal population, said Kettner, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba's faculty of medicine and the province's former chief public health officer.

There is no scientific evidence that supports a genetic predisposition for alcohol intolerance in the aboriginal population, says Dr. Joel Kettner. (CBC)

​The owner of Laurie River Lodge has apologized and removed the brochure in question from its website, but the stereotype seems to persist. CBC News has heard from readers who suggested that aboriginal people are missing an enzyme or are genetically predisposed to addiction.

"There will always be theories and research that will try and explain some of this in the way of genetics, as was the case in Germany in the '30s and the case in the U.S. comparing Negro brains and white brains," Kettner said in an interview Friday.

Kettner points out that there have been studies examining differences in alcohol tolerance for different ethnic groups, taking into account cultural, geographic and racial factors.

But when it comes to possible predisposition for alcoholism, "what those really boil down to, in almost all scientific analysis, is the social circumstances and social conditions — whether experiences with family, community or at a larger level, in society," he said.

"There are many indigenous populations around the world that have been colonized and oppressed by settlers where we have seen the same patterns of poverty, of poor housing, disenfranchisement," he added.

"There is increasing evidence that these are the factors that lead to poor individual health, poor social health, poor community health, and these are what we need to focus our attention on."

Kettner said there are also studies that show high rates of alcohol-related diseases and injuries in some communities, both urban and rural, where there is a large aboriginal population.

'Maybe we should be doing genetic analysis on people who continue to perpetuate stereotypical and racist myths.'— Dr. Joel Kettner

But he noted that "those trends are there with other populations, including Caucasian populations, in similar circumstances of disadvantage, or poverty or inter-generational experience."

For Kettner, the persistence of the genetic stereotype is evidence that there is still much work to do in combating racism.

From a public health perspective, he said, it is an indication that there are educational, social and political issues that need to be addressed.

"Maybe we should turn the question around," Kettner said.

"I know it might sound facetious, but maybe we should be doing genetic analysis on people who continue to perpetuate stereotypical and racist myths."

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London, Ont., boy rescued from 'squalid' house wants to go to school

Police say a 10-year old boy they rescued from horrific living conditions in London, Ontario, told them there were two things he really wanted — some regular food, and to go school.

The boy, who police say had been locked in a squalid bedroom for at least 18-months and was wearing urine soaked pyjamas when they found him yesterday, is now with the Children's Aid Society.

They say he was malnourished after living on fast food in the garbage-strewn home. 

London police update public on the 10-year-old child locked in a room for 18-24 months. (Michelle Cheung/CBC)

The boy's aunt and uncle are now charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life and forcible confinement.

The two also have a nine-year-old daughter who`s now in the care of the Children's Aid Society as well.

Their names are being withheld to protect the identity of the children.

Police say the boy had lived with his aunt an uncle since coming to Canada in 2010.

They say his parents live outside the country and they`ve been unable to contact them.

The boy was discovered after an anonymous tip to Children's Aid. An aid worker visited the house, but no one was home. She saw the silhouette of the boy through the curtain and called police.

Police said the boy has never been to school and speaks minimal English. He was not born in Canada, they believe. His

Police in London, Ontario say the boy, found locked in a bedroom in his aunt and uncle's home, was living in squalid conditions. (CBC News)

biological parents are not in Canada at the moment. Police are not releasing the boy's country of origin because it might identify him.

The couple facing charges have a biological child, a nine-year-old girl, who was also living in the house at the time. That child is also now in the care of Children's Aid. Police said there is no evidence that the couple's biological child was confined inside the house.

Police said the boy had access to a toilet and shower, but that the entire house was "filthy."

"In the bedroom there was feces, urine. The bed was soaked in urine, as was the child's pyjamas when he was found," said London Police Det. Insp. Kevin Heslop.

The boy was fed fast food twice a day, but not usually permitted to leave the room. Police suspect the boy may have been let out of the room briefly in 2013.

In a news release, police said they've had no previous dealings with the occupants of the house. However, in 2007 the Children's Aid Society of London and Middlesex had "brief contact" with the family regarding another child who no longer lives in the home.

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Canadian air travel changes: New planes, full flights, less service

The federal government recently announced two new rules that are set to change the way Canadians experience the evolving world of air travel.

Even for frequent flyers, there often seems to be something new at the airport on every trip — from check-in machines to baggage charges.

Here are five recent changes that have affected the airline industry, and five more that are on the horizon.

Change is in the air

1. Bigger, better jets

Here's a look inside the flight deck of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Air Canada has purchased 37 of the planes. (Aaron Harris/Reuters)

Air Canada recently showed off the first of the 37 Boeing 787 Dreamliners it purchased to great fanfare. The state-of-the-art jet is said to be quieter, lighter and 20 per cent more fuel efficient than its predecessors, while still carrying more cargo and providing a smoother ride for the some 300 passengers on board.

Porter Airlines, meanwhile, is hoping to fly the Bombardier CS100 (dubbed the whisper jet) in and out of the Toronto Island airport. 

Add the gigantic Airbus A380 — currently only flying between Toronto and Dubai — and a host of smaller, sleeker jets and turboprops and you have a Canadian market served by some expensive new machines.

2. Fuller flights

If you think your odds of sitting next to an empty seat have gotten worse, you're right. Rick Seaney, CEO of the Texas-based air travel site farecompare.com, says that in the last decade most airlines have gone from passenger load averages of 70 per cent to over 90 per cent.

What goes up but not down? Likely your airfare

Airfare in Canada isn't likely to get cheaper, says McGill professor and aviation expert Karl Moore.

"The airline industry doesn't make a lot of money … they're always scratching for profitability," Moore said.

The only things that could make airfare cheaper, Moore said, are more carriers on a select route (unlikely for many flights within Canada), cheaper aviation fuel (also unlikely) or if booming economies like Alberta, which demand a lot of air travel, begin to cool. 

Airlines once had a "grow or die" mentality, Seaney says, which led them to add as many routes and flights as possible, regardless of load. Today airlines are trying to maximize profits by squeezing passengers onto fewer flights. The partially full plane? "They're done with that."

3. Service goes slack

Bruce Cran, the president of the Consumers' Association of Canada (CAC) and a frequent flyer himself, says the service on airplanes is getting "less and less acceptable," for many Canadians.

"Airlines seem to be going for the absolute bare bones of what they can offer passengers," Cran says.

The consumers' group fields a steady stream of complaints from flyers about everything from access to meals and drinks, to the abundance of passenger announcements. Cran says the group has even received complaints from people who fly business class.

4. Credit cards on flights

It might seem obvious, but the ability to pay with plastic while in the sky has changed the culture in the cabin.

"The role of the flight attendant has changed," says Karl Moore, an aviation expert and professor at the Desautels faculty of management at McGill University.

As airlines try everything they can to make money, Moore says, flight attendants are increasingly tasked with selling both meals and duty free goods.

The ability to pay anywhere has also opened up what Seaney calls the "sushi menu" of flight amenities — like the ability to pay for an emergency aisle seat. 

5. Paperless world

Mobile phones are driving change in the aviation world. Most airlines now email flight itineraries with embedded QR codes that can be scanned at the gate.

Meanwhile, a range of apps can provide instant updates on your flight status.

Even the customs areas have turned to self-serve terminals in some airports, forcing travellers to enter their passport and other data before ever stepping foot in front of an actual border security agent.

Changes on the horizon

Under new Transport Canada rules, passengers will be able to use their electronic devices throughout takeoff and landing (while keeping them in flight mode). (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

1. Fewer flight attendants

Transport Canada plans to change its rules governing how many flight attendants must be on each flight from one flight attendant for every 40 passengers to one for every 50.

Flight attendants say the move puts passengers at risk in the event of an emergency, but federal officials say the change matches U.S. and European requirements. WestJet and Sunwing have already been granted exemptions to use the 1:50 ratio by Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt.

2. Electronic devices OK'd

Transport Canada also wants to eliminate that brief period of time you're asked to stow electronic devices for takeoff and landing.

The transport minister called it "good news for air passengers and it's good news for the federal aviation industry."

Passengers will still have to switch their phones to flight mode, which turns off transmitting functions, but could theoretically type throughout takeoff if they like. It's now up to airlines to change their cabin rules, something WestJet said it hopes to do by early summer.

3. Wi-Fi-enabled flights?

'You don't want to be offering an antiquated service, because people won't want to fly with you.'—Matt Nicholls, Editor of Wings magazine

The technology ruling likely foreshadows the addition of in-cabin Wi-Fi, something that's already commonplace on major U.S. airlines. Matt Nicholls, the editor of Canadian aviation magazine Wings, says it's about time this country's airliners caught up.

"You don't want to be offering an antiquated service, because people won't want to fly with you," Nicholls says. 

"I think this is a good thing for the Canadian airline industry." 

4. Onboard rules

Though Nicholls says the new rules surrounding technology will likely be well-received by Canadians, he cautioned they could be a "double-edged sword" for flight crews, who will have to change their procedures to deal with passengers more focused on their phones than important safety details.

The work of flight crews, he says, is "way more complicated than the general public even knows."

Nicholls adds that Canadian airlines will have to be more proactive with their public relations if passengers are able to post on social media platforms mid-flight 

5. Airports of the future

Many people dread airports. They're expensive, full of lines and can be a nightmare to navigate. But some of the world's most advanced airports might leave you pleasantly surprised.

Copenhagen Airport lets you plan your route through the airport using an online map featuring 360-degree views, and is hoping to use Google Glass to guide passengers to their gates in the future.

At major airports in Japan and South Korea they're aiming to automate the flow of passengers to the point where there's no longer a need for airport staff at all. 

And in London's Gatwick Airport, you can use a virtual grocery store run by Tesco supermarket to have food delivered to your home when you return. 

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Veteran's wife wants Julian Fantino to give support to spouses

Jenifer Migneault says she chased after Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino on Thursday in an attempt to convince him to provide more training to veterans' spouses and recognize them as caregivers to support injured soldiers.

The veteran's spouse demanded to speak with Fantino following his appearance at the House committee on veterans' affairs, accusing him of forgetting about spouses as he walked through a throng of reporters — a scene that was caught on camera and reminiscent of Fantino's testy encounter earlier this year with veterans angry about the closure of federal offices.

"The only thing I can tell you," she said to Rosemary Barton on CBC News Network's Power & Politics, "is that while I was waiting for him outside for him to come out, suddenly all my friends I talked to everyday — the one that lives the same situation as I do — like they all came up in my mind and I needed to talk to him."

Migneault said there are schools to train social workers and psychologists, so why not offer that training to veterans' spouses who effectively fulfil the same roles for their loved ones? She said it would have a huge benefit to the lives of families, as well as the wounded.

"They need us to intervene in an appropriate way which, sometimes, we don't know how to. Unfortunately, you know, it leads up to divorces and a lot of pain and suffering and loneliness," she said.

"This leads to suicide, right?" 

'Completely disassociated'

Jenifer Migneault comforts her husband, veteran Claude Rainville, after she tried to speak with Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino following a Commons veterans committee in Ottawa on Thursday. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

Migneault recalled the first time she realized the seriousness of post-traumatic stress disorder. Her husband, Claude Rainville, had gotten "really mad" after a disagreement and disappeared into the woods for four hours. Migneault said Rainville, who was diagnosed with PTSD eight years ago, walked 25 kilometres with a camera as his weapon, thinking he was still in the military and convinced the nearby farmers were out to kill him.

"He was completely disassociated," she said. "Let me tell you, when we found him, 4½​ hours later, the man I hugged wasn't my husband."

"Do you realize that night I made love to him because I didn't know how to reach him?" she said

"You want to know more, Mr. Fantino? You need to hear more? Listen to us, we'll give you plenty of stories to convince you that we, as spouses, as caregivers, are your best secret weapon."

Latest controversy, no apologies

The incident with Migneault is the latest controversy for Fantino.

The Official Opposition called on the minister to apologize during Friday's question period in the House of Commons.  

"All veterans and their families want is to be listened to and respected — something the minister was unable to do yesterday," said NDP House leader Peter Julian. 

Parliamentary secretary to the veterans affairs minister Parm Gill responded by saying the department couldn't elaborate on any assistance that might have been provided to Migneault's husband owing to "respect of the veteran's privacy."

"As reported several weeks ago, Veterans Affairs has been in touch with this individual and his family at the minister's directions," Gill said.

He offered no apologies. 

'Just give us the tools'

Parliamentary secretary to the prime minister Paul Calandra defended Fantino.

"Let's be a touch fair to the minister," Calandra said to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons.

"He was over in the Promenade and we had votes that had to be undertaken," he said, referring to the location of a parliamentary office a few blocks away from Parliament, where votes are tallied. 

"When a vote is taken, the bells ring and you rush to give those votes and then you come back to committee."

In response to a CBC News query, Fantino's office told CBC News he was busy in his riding and would not be doing any interviews. His staff also said they have no record of Migneault asking to meet with the minister, but that they "reached out to this veteran two weeks ago to ensure they are aware of all the programs available to them."

"Yes, they did call and yes they did verify," Migneault said. "They just don't get what we're saying." 

"We are not asking for the end of the world here. Just give us the tools and we'll give you results. Real results."

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Saskatoon police believe woman abducted, asking for help

Saskatoon police say they are extremely concerned about the safety of a 26-year-old woman believed to have been abducted Friday afternoon.

Police have released a photo of the suspect they believe may have abducted a Saskatoon woman. (Saskatoon Police)

Mariana Cracogna stands at 5'8" and weighs approximately 145 lbs. She has shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. 

Police believe she was taken from the 1100 block of 7th Street at approximately 4:00 p.m. CT.

Police say she may be with a man named Clinton McLaughlin and that people should consider him armed and dangerous. McLaughlin is described as a 36-year-old white man who is 6'6" tall, weighing 230 lbs. They also say he has access to guns.

Mariana Cracogna (Saskatoon Police Service)

Investigators are hoping someone will spot one or both of them. They say they may be in one of the following vehicles:

• A pearl white 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT, with a Saskatchewan Roughriders personalized licence plate reading MARES.
• A blue 2000 two-door Honda Civic with a carbon fibre hood and the Saskatchewan plate 277 ICI.

Officers are asking people to not approach McLaughlin, but if they see him or Cracogna to call police. 

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Teens sent home from school in bra-strap furor are 'scapegoats,' prof says

A professor at Memorial University in St. John's says the teenage girls who were sent home from school for wearing clothing considered contrary to the dress code are scapegoats, and that the male students and teachers they apparently were distracting should be the ones under the microscope.

Patricia Dold, head of the department of gender studies, said there's a fine line in dictating what teenagers should and shouldn't wear.

On Thursday, CBC News reported on a group of students at Menihek High School in Labrador City who were sent home for violating the school's dress code. Some of the 28 girls sent home were wearing tank tops that revealed bra straps.

'If you're distracted, who's fault is that? Instead of addressing the people who are distracted, they're doing something to other people'- Patricia Dold, professor at Memorial University

Two male students were also sent home for wearing sleeveless shirts that exposed their shoulders.

According to Dold, the English School District of Newfoundland and Labrador is placing the blame on the wrong group.

"The school seems to be saying these young women are presenting themselves in a way that's sexual, and also unacceptably sexual and yet ... [the students] said, 'No, it's just a warm day,'" said Dold.

"In punishing the female students, or restricting their dress, you are, I guess, kind of making them a scapegoat. If you're distracted, whose fault is that? Instead of addressing the people who are distracted, they're doing something to other people."

Not about exclusion

Darrin Pike, CEO of the provincewide English school board, said the goal of the dress code implemented by any school isn't to exclude any group, but to make an environment as comfortable as possible for everyone.

Darrin Pike, CEO of the province's English school board, says the dress code is meant to create a learning environment that allows everyone to be comfortable. (CBC)

"There is no intention here to draw attention to the boys versus the girls. Certainly, we wouldn't accept that or tolerate that," said Pike.

"It's about encouraging appropriate dress for the school environment, for a learning environment. What we try to do is teach the students that for different occasions, you wear different types of clothing."

Pike said it's part of a school's task to show students how to present themselves appropriately in their environment.

"Our focus would be around wearing clothes that's appropriate for a learning environment, making sure that we help students learn that as you transition through school and onto the workplace that the clothes that you wear respects the values of people around you, respects the diversity of the community that we live in ... so it's really about respecting others, as well as respecting yourself," said Pike.

Students say time for change

Students at high schools in St. John's said now might be the time for the province's school board to revisit the dress code.

"I guess if there's a cute girl you're going to look, obviously, but it's not like you're just going to stand there and stare at the person," said Oisin Hogan.

Exposed bra straps are considered a no-no at Menihek High School in Labrador City. Thirty students, including some wearing tops that exposed their bra straps, were sent home Wednesday for violating the dress code. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

Student Casia Parsons said the issue is being looked at from the wrong angle.

"That shouldn't be something that we have to change, it should be taught differently that they shouldn't be distracted by it," she said.

Dold said there's more to be considered if distraction is really a problem.

"I can't say whether or not male students and male teachers are being distracted, but I don't really buy it because it seems to me if they're distracted by a tank top that reveals bra straps ... then what about a pair of tight-fitting jeans or a skirt that shows a bit of leg?" she said.

"There are all kinds of things about the way many young women — and older women, too — choose to dress that a school might declare to be distracting, so I don't fully buy it."

Dold said that the school open conversation with students about the issue.

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Canadian economy's surprise weak start to 2014 blamed on bad winter

The Canadian economy had an unexpectedly weak start to 2014, with unusually severe winter weather hampering spending across the board. 

According to Statistics Canada, the gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.2 per cent in the first quarter. That falls short of analysts' expectations of 1.8 per cent, and is a significant slowdown from the 2.7 per cent growth seen in the fourth quarter of 2013. It's also the smallest increase in over a year.

Winter cast a chill over nearly ever sector.

Business spending, government spending and household consumption all shrank. Consumer spending registered its slowest pace in a year. Housing construction posted its biggest quarterly decline since the recession. There was also a significant drop of 3.4 per cent in the arts and entertainment sector, largely because of the NHL shutdown during the Sochi Winter Olympics. 

The resource sector was one of the few in the green, with mining, and oil and gas extraction jumping 2.4 per cent from the previous quarter.

Although sluggish, Canada bore the storm better than its neighbour to the south. The U.S. economy shrank for the first time in three years by a one per cent annualized rate, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. 

Still, the Canadian figure is "nothing to write home about," according to Scotiabank vice-president Derek Holt.

At first glance, trade appears strong.

Although exports fell 2.4 per cent, imports were down 7.2 per cent, which translates into GDP growth.

But as BMO chief economist Douglas Porter notes, stripping out that addition from imports "yields a 0.3 per cent annualized drop in final domestic demand — the first such drop since the recession."

The slump suggests Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz will remain dovish in his interest rate announcement next week, and indicate to Canadians borrowing rates aren't going up anytime soon. 

"Slack remains in the Canadian economy and it doesn't appear to be improving much in the first half of 2014, giving the Bank of Canada plenty of time before it needs to raise rates," says TD economist Leslie Preston.

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Filipina nanny heartbroken over 4-year attempt to bring deaf daughter to Canada

A Filipina woman living in Canada says she's heartbroken that an application she filed four years ago to bring her daughter here is on hold for a medical review, blaming it on the fact her child is deaf.

Karen Talosig was a widow when she came to Canada seven years ago on the Live-in Caregiver Program when her daughter, Jazmine, was six years old. She lives in Vancouver, and is still employed as a nanny, supporting her daughter from overseas.

Talosig, 38, applied for permanent residency in 2010, both for herself and Jazmine, who has been deaf since birth. But their application is now stalled under a medical review, with no sign of a decision.

"It's really hard to be apart from her. It's so frustrating that I've been waiting for this long already," said Talosig.

"It's heartbreaking, to be honest. But I have to deal with it because I came here for her, for her future. It's really, really hard, but I have to be tough for her."

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act says under the Live-in Caregiver Program, a foreign national cannot be given permanent residency if he or she "might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services."

Helene Whitfield, Karen Talosig's former employer, says she would be embarrassed as a Canadian if Talosig's application to bring her deaf daughter to Canada from the Philippines is rejected. (CBC)

But Talosig, who currently works three jobs in a 12-hour day and ​sends $1,000 back to her daughter every month, pledges Jazmine will never be a cost to Canadian taxpayers. 

"She is my daughter and I will support her," she said. "I know she's deaf but she's very smart and by the time she's an adult, she'll take care of herself. She won't be a burden at all."

Jazmine, who lives with her grandmother, has already been accepted at a school for the deaf in Burnaby, B.C., based on her marks as an honour student at the school she attends in the Philippines.

'Striving for appropriate balance'

According to Sonia Lesage​, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the federal department sent Talosig a request for results of immigration medical exams for her and her daughter in October 2013.

"The results of the medical exams are currently still being assessed, so we can't speculate on potential results," she said in a statement.

Lesage says due to privacy laws, they cannot provide details of Jazmine's medical exam results, but the CIC is striving to strike a balance.

"Canada's immigration law strives to find the appropriate balance between those wanting to immigrate to Canada, and the limited medical resources that are paid for by Canadian taxpayers."

Susan Masters, with the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, says people with disabilities should not be excluded. (CBC)

Helene Whitfield, one of Talosig's former employers, has tried to help her and Jazmine get permanent residency status. She can't believe the application has been delayed so long.

"I'm absolutely outraged, and I'm sad and I'm frustrated, because Karen effectively gave up raising her child to raise my child," she said.

Whitfield says she would be embarrassed as a Canadian if the application were rejected on these grounds.

"As Canadians we pride ourselves on being advocates for people with challenges, and making disabilities, abilities," she said.

"It wouldn't have even dawned on me that being deaf or being born deaf would be an issue... and it shouldn't be a blanket rejection simply because a person is deaf."

Whitfield ​describes Jazmine as a normal, sociable 13-year-old girl who goes to school and hangs around with her friends.

"All it is, is adapting differently, and this child demonstrates that she can adapt and function completely normally in society."

Looking beyond someone's disability 

Susan Masters, executive director at the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, says Canada signed the UN declaration respecting the rights of people with disabilities, and to possibly reject a deaf girl with a supportive mother is wrong.

Immigration lawyer Catherine Sas says Karen Talosig's case is heartbreaking, but not surprising. (CBC)

"What this says to me is that we are not looking at it as a disability, we are not looking at it as something that we need accommodations for," she said.

Masters says it is a short-sighted approach and Canada could be losing a lot when they don't look beyond a person's disability.

"I'd hate to think if Beethoven came, and asked to be an immigrant, would we deny him because he's gonna cost our system?"

But immigration lawyer Catherine Sas says potential permanent residents do not have the benefit of protection under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"It's heartbreaking," said Sas of Talosig's case. "But realistically it's not surprising. I have lots of applicants like that. It took my own nanny about five years to get her family here."

Sas says any disability has the potential to add an extra cost to the taxpayer. In Jazmine's case, it would be an issue of providing extra education services and calculating the likely cost of those services.

"I wish that we had a softer, gentler kind of world but it doesn't work like that," she said.

"There's only so much we can do, if we have everybody bringing in their family members that have an illness or handicap that we have to cover, that means you have to work a little harder to generate a few more dollars to cover this expense."

Nevertheless, says Sas, there is still hope for Talosig, if she can demonstrate to immigration officials that she will bear any education or social services costs for her daughter.

Everything is decided on a case-by-case basis, she says.

'She's all I have'

Karen Talosig, speaks with her daughter Jazmine over Skype using sign language. (Karen Talosig)

Talosig says hearing-impaired individuals are not treated fairly in the Philippines and are commonly discriminated against. She simply wants to give Jazmine a fair future in Canada, she says.

"I missed most of her childhood...When she's sick, I want to go home but I can't. Now she's a teenager and she really needs my guidance as her mother."

If Jazmine is refused permanent residency, Talosig's application will be rejected too. However, Talosig says, she will try to stay in Canada so she can continue to support her daughter and give her a future.

Her work permit runs out in August 2015. Nevertheless, she still holds out hope their application for permanent residency will be successful. 

"I would ask them to please accept my daughter to come here to Canada, because I believe she wouldn't be a burden for the government at all — and I am here for her. I will support her."

"It hurts me a lot. I just want to hold her, I just want to be with her," she said. "She's all I've got."

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What would a 2% mortgage hike do to the housing market?

Canada's housing market would be more than able to withstand a modest two per cent increase in mortgage rates as long as it's implemented slowly, over a year or two, BMO economist Robert Kavcic says.

In a report Friday, Kavcic runs some numbers trying to gauge the impact of what would happen if Canadian mortgage rates increased by about two per cent.

The housing market has been pumping out strong gains for more than a decade, which has caused policymakers and many private-sector observers to worry that prices are too high, and think a correction has to be coming — especially once mortgage rates return to more normal levels.

But there isn't necessarily anything to worry about in a modest, two per cent hike, Kavcic finds — depending on how it's implemented.

Most first-time homebuyers in Canada choose a five-year fixed-rate mortgage amortized over 25 years, so that's the baseline that Kavcic works from. (Currently, the average posted mortgage rate for that type of mortgage is something around three per cent.)

In order to gauge affordability, Kavcic looks at the same metric that financial planners say buyers should pay attention to when buying a home — the percentage of the buyer's income that gets eaten up by housing. (A healthy level is when 25 to 30  per cent of one's income is spent on housing. Borrowers historically run into trouble when that ratio hits 35 per cent or higher.)

Kavcic says if mortgage rates jumped by two percentage points overnight (say, to an average of around five per cent) the impact on the housing market would be dramatic, as people would suddenly finding themselves paying a dangerously high percentage of their income on housing.

"If we were to get that increase overnight, housing valuations … would be stretched to levels that preceded significant corrections in the past," Kavcic says.

But if that two-percentage-point increase gets implemented a little more slowly, giving incomes times to catch up, the impact is much less dramatic. If the hike is implemented gradually, until 2016, the income ratio doesn't go into the danger zone, he says.

As well, if the hike is even smaller, something around one per cent, there could actually plenty of room for prices to go up further. "If that increase happens gradually over the next two years, if at all, it's a much different story," Kavcic said.

His assumptions are based on incomes rising by a modest three per cent per year over that time, a reasonable assumption based on the 3.1 per cent pace that Statistics Canada says they're increasing by right now.

The latest data from the Canadian Real Estate Association shows the average Canadian home price hit $409,708 in April, up more than 7.6 per cent in the past year.

Most experts think the days of outsized gains have to come to an end some day soon, but as Kavcic's analysis shows, mortgage rates ticking higher but slowly should be no reason to spark a major sell-off.

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Royal York, Hotel Vancouver up for sale

Two of Canada's historic railway hotels — Toronto's Royal York and Vancouver's Hotel Vancouver — are up for sale as Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec moves to get out of the hotel business.

The Quebec pension fund has scaled down ownership of hotels over the past three years from about 70 to fewer than a dozen. A Caisse spokesman said Friday the hotels were now a "non-strategic asset class."

Last year, it sold Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Laurier to an affiliate of Vancouver's Larco Investments. Among the hotels the Caisse owns are the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City and Queen Elizabeth in downtown Montreal.

Both the Royal York and Hotel Vancouver are managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and have prominent locations opposite city railway stations.

Royal York was built by CP Railway in 1929 on Toronto's Front Street and was for many years the tallest building in Toronto.

Hotel Vancouver, also part of the CP hotel chain, was built in 1939 on Burrard Street in Vancouver, replacing a hotel of the same name a block away that operated under the same name.

Queen Elizabeth is one of many distinguished guests who has stayed at both the Royal York and Hotel Vancouver.

The Caisse has not revealed how much it expects to get for the properties, which it bought in 2007.

The Caisse is Canada's second-largest pension fund, after the Canada Pension Plan, and has $200 billion under management.

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U.S. bear hunter shot dead on guided trip in B.C.

An American hunter was shot dead while on a guided bear hunt in northwestern B.C. earlier this week, RCMP say.

Cpl. Dave Tyreman says the 59-year-old Washington state man was shot on Tuesday afternoon while hunting in the Tahsta Reach Forest Service area around 112 kilometres south of Houston, B.C.

But police are still investigating, and won't say if they believe the shooting was accidental, or suspicious.

"Basically it's too early in the investigation. And that is what we're investigating, is the circumstances, or the cause of this shooting," said Tyreman.

The B.C. Coroners Service and the Conservation Officer Service are also looking into the shooting.

Tyreman says the hunter's family in Washington have been notified. However, police aren't releasing the hunter's name.

Google maps: Houston, B.C.

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Quebec climber saved from mountain spent night on edge of death

A Quebec man is lucky to be alive and be on his way home after a dramatic rescue from the side of a Colorado mountain.

Samuel Frappier, 19, was rescued Wednesday from Broadway Ledge on Longs Peak, the highest mountain in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.

Frappier was on a climb Tuesday with a friend when they got separated during their descent.

Samuel Frappier says it was "terrible" waiting on the ledge of a Colorado mountain, and he wasn't certain he would make it out alive before rescuers saved him. (Courtesy of CBS)

That's when Frappier tried a shortcut and ended up stranded on a small ledge — with a steep 4,000-metre drop.

"I spent all night shivering on a small rock," Frappier said. "If I slipped just one foot more, then I would have fallen to my death."

He called park rangers with his cellphone on Tuesday night and directed them to his location, about 120 kilometres northwest of Denver.

However, the 28 rescue workers it took to save Frappier were only able to reach him on Wednesday, and so he spent the night in a T-shirt and tennis shoes, with just a few granola bars to eat.

Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said the spot where Frappier was is exceptionally dangerous.

"It's quite amazing that he was able to come down in that terrain because it's sheer rock wall," Patterson said.

Frappier said he knew a helicopter was on its way to rescue him, but there were moments when he lost hope.

"It was terrible because at first I thought that it was just turning around and around and never coming back," he said.

Frappier's father, Denis Frappier, said he was taken aback when he saw a photo of his son clinging to the ledge.

"First I didn't realize how bad the situation was until I saw the picture of the mountain where he was, when i saw how steep the mountain," the father said. "It was quite difficult."

Denis Frappier said his son called their home several times from the side of the mountain, until he told him to stop calling to preserve his cellphone battery.

He said he never believed those would be the last times he spoke to his son.

"I have a lot of faith in him, and trust, because he's so strong mentally that I thought he would get through [it]," he said.

Frappier said his son in good enough condition to make the 30-hour drive back home from Colorado.

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Girls with bra straps exposed among 30 sent home from N.L. school

About 30 students at Menihek High School in Labrador City, N.L., were sent home because of attire deemed to have violated the school's dress code — including wearing sleeveless shirts and having bra straps exposed.

The students — a couple of males and the rest females — were told by school officials that their clothing had violated the dress code. The boys were in sleeveless shirts, and the girls were wearing tanks that could reveal their bra straps.

Emily Connors, one of the students who was sent home, said she didn't plan to be a distraction to anyone — she just wanted to be comfortable during an unseasonably warm day at school..

"This is the first time I've ever been sent home from school," Connors said. 

She said the school told girls who were sent home that it was "because of our bra straps, and that it was inappropriate because some of the male teachers, and male students found it distracting for them." 

Gary Connors, Emily's father, said his daughter was not the problem, and called the school's reasoning "outrageous."

"I mean, as far as I'm concerned, what a woman wears doesn't give a guy a right to do anything to them, [or] say anything to them. If they can't control themselves, then there's something wrong with them, you know? It's just — it's just pathetic," he told CBC.

Amber Michelin-Jones, left, and Rebecca Lynn Kelly were dressed in tops that Menihek High School deemed inappropriate for class. Thirty students were sent home. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

In a statement issued to CBC News, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District said it was not the school's intent to infringe on the rights of students.

"The latest version of the code was implemented in May 2012 and was approved by the school council and the Labrador School District. A summary of this dress code is available on the school's website and the full version is available from the school, " the statement said.

Emily Connors was also sent home from Menihek High on Wednesday. She calls the school's reasoning "outrageous." (Chris Ensing/CBC)

​"In essence, the dress code strives to provide an appropriate learning environment for students. As educators we want our students to dress for the occasion. Every person in the school must feel safe and comfortable and attire does play a role. The issue of student dress must always be approached with a balanced concern for the health, safety and well being of the entire learning community and the rights and privileges of individuals and groups as outlined by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

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Auction of Canadian works totals $9.7 million in sales

'Lake Superior Sketch LXI' by Group of 7 artist Lawren Harris fetched just under $1 million surpassing the pre-auction estimate of between $500,000 and $700,000. (The Canadian Press)

A painting by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris fetched just under $1 million Wednesday at the Heffel Fine Art auction in Vancouver.

Harris' work, entitled Lake Superior Sketch LXI, sold for $973,500 to surpass the pre-auction estimate of between $500,000 and $700,000. Another painting by the Brantford, Ont., native, The Old Stump, sold for more than $3.5 million at a Heffel auction in 2009.

One painting topped the $1 million mark. Pleine saison by Jean Paul Riopelle was auctioned for $1.3 million, more than double the pre-sale estimate.

Eight Emily Carr lots, which included rare, early illustrations, sold for a combined $1.5 million at the Vancouver Convention Centre. One of her paintings, entitled Trees in Swirling Sky, was expected to sell in the $225,000 range, but sold for $590,000.

Other highlights included Jack Bush's Temple selling for $438,750 — well above the pre-sale maximum estimate of $175,000.

Michael Snow's Solar more than doubled its pre-auction estimate of up to $60,000 by selling for $129,800, a record for the artist.

Two lots by Quebec artist Jean Paul Lemieux collected $494,325, led by La Quebecoise, which sold for $442,500.

E.J. Hughes' painting called Looking South Over Sooke Harbour beat the high end of the pre-sale estimate of $150,000 and sold for $212,400.

And there was one oil painting by Edwin Holgate, titled Grand Manan, which sold for a modest $12,000. It was recently bought at a garage sale for just $2.

The Heffel Fine Art Auction House says the $9.7 million in sales Wednesday night surpassed pre-sale estimates of $6 to $8 million. Sales figures include an 18 per cent buyer's premium.

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CBC unveils expanded 2014-2015 programming slate

A politics and spy thriller starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, a ballet about k.d. lang, Donald Sutherland's animated pirate film, shows that dig into historical events and comedy programs that travel across Canada are among the latest offerings joining the CBC's television and radio lineup for the 2014-2015 season.

The public broadcaster unveiled a slate of programming in Toronto today that expands on an earlier announcement about new and returning series.

"I'm really impressed with the level of creativity brought to the new shows we're rolling out next season – we're trying different ideas in all of our content areas," said Heather Conway, executive vice-president, CBC English Services.

"I'm also optimistic about where CBC is headed, and excited about our prospects of what I believe can make for a compelling future."

Today's programming announcement spans news, current affairs and scripted and unscripted series for CBC-TV as well as details about fresh offerings on CBC Radio, CBCMusic.ca and CBC News Network.

TV offers drama, comedy and sports

The new dramatic programming includes two major, international miniseries: the anticipated, star-studded The Book of Negroes (based on the acclaimed Lawrence Hill novel) and The Honourable Woman, a fast-paced thriller set in the world of intelligence and politics.

Aunjanue Ellis stars in the miniseries The Book of Negroes as Aminata Diallo, who is taken by slave traders to the U.S. The story follows her life through the American Revolution, escape to Canada and her ultimate freedom in England. (CBC)

The latter stars Oscar-nominee Gyllenhaal as a high-tech executive working towards reconciliation projects in the Middle East who suddenly faces intense scrutiny after the murder of a Palestinian businessman.

Also joining the schedule are:

• The ensemble show Camp X, described as a Second World War-era "emotionally driven character drama" set against the backdrop of espionage and covert operations.
• Psychological thriller Secrets and Lies, about a family man who must clear his name after he becomes a prime murder suspect.
• The dark, 1860s period tale Strange Empire, a female-led western about a caravan of women who must survive in an Alberta-Montana frontier town when most of the men in their group vanish.
• Balletlujah, a revealing look behind the scenes at the Alberta Ballet's recent contemporary dance production based on the life and music of singer k.d.lang.
• Pirate's Passage, an animated TV movie based on the William Gilkerson novel about the friendship between a 12-year-old and a ship captain, produced, co-written and featuring the voice of veteran actor Sutherland.
• Schitt's Creek, Eugene and Dan Levy's half-hour, single-camera comedy about a wealthy family that finds itself suddenly penniless and forced to live in the titular town purchased as a joke.
• Hidden-camera show Fool Canada, which will feature Canadian improv artists travelling across the country playing pranks on an unsuspecting public.
• Of All Places, in which comedian Jonny Harris ventures into small communities across Canada to immerse himself in local life and gather material for a stand-up routine designed to entertain the town.
• Intelligence competition series Canada's Smartest Person, hosted by Jessi Cruickshank and Jeff Douglas.
• CBC Selects, a showcase for top dramatic, comedic and documentary programs created by public broadcasters around the globe.
• Daytime children's shows You & Me, Chirp and The Moblees.
• Coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, ISU figure skating, FIS alpine skiing, long & short track speed skating and other sports.
• Live events such as the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Canadian Screen Awards and the Canadian Country Music Awards.

Shows returning to the CBC-TV schedule include:

• Dragons' Den.
• Mr. D.
• Murdoch Mysteries
• Republic of Doyle.
• Heartland.
• Rick Mercer Report.
• This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
• Marketplace.
• the fifth estate.
• The Nature of Things.
• Doc Zone.
• The National.
• Steven and Chris.

Allan Hawco, creator and star of Republic of Doyle, says this will be the show's last season.

Returning programming on CBC News Network includes CBC News Now, Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, The Lang & O'Leary Exchange, Mansbridge One on One and The Passionate Eye.

Comedy, history and a quiz show on CBC Radio

CBC's radio news programming continues next season with World Report, World at Six, The World This Hour, The World This Weekend and The House with Evan Solomon.

Newcomers joining current affairs shows Q, The Current, As It Happens and other favourites on the dial include:

• As It Happened - The Archive Edition, which revisits some of the veteran programs' most memorable interviews.
• Grown-Ups Read Things They Wrote as Kids, which tours Canada to invite Canadians to read their childhood writing aloud before an audience.
• The new quiz show Newshounds.
• Project Money, featuring the best of The Current's yearlong series about money.
• Live Through This, a spotlight on extraordinary tales of survival.
• Wachtel on the Arts, featuring CBC host Eleanor Wachtel's in-depth interviews with 10 of the world's most important artists.
• The Bugle and the Passing Bell, highlighting voices and stories from veterans of the First World War.
• What a Waste, a scientific exploration of what can be done with our waste, from leftover food to nuclear detritus.
• Head to Toe, a historical and social look at clothing and what we wear.
• The Moth Radio Hour, a raconteur series featuring true stories told live, from Public Broadcasting Exchange.

Online portal CBC Books will continue to host literary content, including specials such as Canada Reads, The Massey Lectures and Canada Writes.

Joining its dozens of web radio stations, web communities and online content, highlights from digital music service CBCMusic.ca include Sonica, a space featuring adult alternative bands from Canada and abroad, a 2014 edition of the CBCMusic.ca Festival in June in Vancouver and the performance and profiles show CBC Music Backstage Pass, hosted by Garvia Bailey and broadcast on web and TV.

Thursday's programming announcement comes amid a time of turbulence and turmoil for Canada's public broadcaster.

The CBC has been forced to lay off hundreds of employees and slash $82 million from its budget this year in the wake of funding shortfalls, losing the rights to broadcast Hockey Night in Canada and a loss of advertising revenue.

Balletlujah will take an intimate look into the recent Alberta Ballet production inspired by the life and music of k.d. lang. (Paul McGrath/Canadian Press)

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Sexual assault not part of military culture, says top commander

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Chief of defence staff appearing at House defence committee this morning

The Canadian Press Posted: May 27, 2014 10:46 AM ET Last Updated: May 27, 2014 11:29 AM ET

The country's top military commander has been called on the parliamentary carpet to answer questions about reports of sexual violence in the military.

Gen. Tom Lawson, the chief of defence staff, is being grilled by the Commons defence committee about a recent magazine report that claimed sex assaults within the ranks are at an epidemic level.

CBCNews.ca will carry the meeting live starting at 11 a.m. ET.

The story, published by Maclean's and L'actualite magazines, interviewed several victims and examined a decade's worth of statistics documenting reported attacks.

It said military police get as many as 200 complaints of sexual assault each year, with many more cases going unreported because the victims fear the consequences within the military hierarchy of coming forward.

Lawson says he was disturbed by the allegations and acknowledges the courage of those victims who spoke out.

But he says he does not accept the notion that sexual violence and harassment are part of military culture.

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4 Facebook friends who saw alert help find baby abducted from hospital

Day-old Victoria is back with her family this morning, thanks to four friends who went hunting for the baby after they saw a Facebook alert about her abduction last night from a hospital in Trois-Rivières, Que.

In a Facebook post also thanking the three women and one man for their help, Victoria's mother, Mélissa McMahon, on Tuesday expressed the family's horror of having the newborn taken from the maternity ward at the Sainte-Marie pavillion of the Centre hospitalier régional de Trois-Rivières (CHRTR) the night before.

"Yesterday we experienced the worst time of our lives. It was a feeling that nobody should have to live through. The helplessness in this situation was difficult to accept," wrote McMahon. 

Quebec provincial police said that just before 7 p.m. ET Monday, a woman dressed as a nurse showed up at the hospital and entered the maternity ward.

Police said the woman took the baby from the mother, and left the room with the newborn wrapped in a blue blanket.

"She walked calmly down the hall, wearing a nurse's uniform. No one asked any questions about who she was," a hospital employee told Radio-Canada.

Police issued an Amber Alert around 7 p.m., looking for a red Toyota Yaris hatchback with a "Bébé à bord" ("Baby on Board") sticker.

Sgt. Martine Asselin with provincial police says many people were contacting police with tips after the Amber Alert went out.

Four young adults say they saw the Amber Alert on Facebook, and later recognized a woman fitting the suspect's description. (Mathieu Papillon)

"The media really helped us put out the picture and the description fast. We could see on the TV, on the media, on Facebook, everything we needed and very fast... the public was able to call us and give us information," said Asselin.

The baby was found three hours later after the four young adults learned of the abduction through Facebook. Police had shared a photo on social networks of the woman police were seeking.

The four say they went looking for the vehicle of the woman at the centre of the hunt, and found one that fit the description — then called police.

One-day-old Victoria was taken from a Trois-Rivières, Que., hospital Monday night but is back with her family. (Twitter)

"We saw [the alert] on Facebook, and decided to go looking for red cars, and we saw the woman. We recognized her," said 20-year-old Mélisane Bergeron.

Police say they arrested a 21-year-old woman at her home.

They found baby Victoria, and returned her to hospital.  

On Tuesday, Victoria was taken home to her family. 

McMahon said in her Facebook post that it was social media that helped save the baby:

"Thousands of people shared the photo of the woman on social networks," McMahon wrote. "Know that this is what has saved our little Victoria. Each click, each share made ​​the difference. Four wonderful people, who we had the chance to meet, identified the woman through Facebook."

The 21-year-old woman picked up by police is in hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, they say. She may appear in court later Tuesday.

Asselin said it is not yet known if there was any previous connection between the baby's mother and the suspect.

The head of health services in the region says the hospital is co-operating with the police investigation and will also conduct its own internal review.     

Health Minister Gaétan Barrette says he has sent letters to all Quebec hospitals with obstetrics units, asking them to review security protocols.

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Woman pees in Tim Hortons cup on flight to Labrador

Another traveller in Labrador had to resort to extreme measures during a flight, this time using an empty Tim Hortons cup to urinate in because there were no available washroom facilities on the plane or at the airports.

Johanna Tuglavina was travelling on an Air Labrador flight from Hopedale to Nain on Monday on a plane without a toilet, and the washrooms at the two airstrips her flight stopped at were out of order.

Tuglavina said she went outside to urinate before leaving Hopedale because the washroom wasn't working, and she asked to use the washroom during a stop in Natuashish, but it was also out of order.

"I said [to the pilot], 'Gee, boy, I'm going to have to use that empty Tim Hortons cup back there because I really gotta use the washroom,' and he had a little smile on his face and he said, 'Well, there's a little bag out there too if you need to use it,' so I used both of it," Tuglavina said.

Tuglavina's flight was unable to land in Nain, and had to circle back around to Happy Valley-Goose Bay. She said that was when she had to use the empty coffee cup and a plastic bag to urinate in.

"I had to wake up a passenger in order to hold on to my jacket while I used the washroom on the plane where there's other people sitting down, right, as cover to have a little bit of privacy, at least," she said.

Tuglavina said it was an embarrassing situation, but she had no other option.

"It was a choice between peeing in my pants, or peeing in a Tim Hortons cup."

Last week, CBC News reported about a man who had to pee in a plastic bag on board an Air Canada Express flight travelling to Labrador that left other passengers disgusted.

Torngat Mountains Liberal MHA Randy Edmunds says a lack of functioning washroom facilities in coastal Labrador airports is unacceptable. (CBC)

Shortly after the report, residents in small coastal communities said it isn't just the planes that have no washroom, but the airports, as well.

Liberal MHA Randy Edmunds says it's time for the province to figure out a way to keep toilets flushing in small Labrador airports to avoid the horror stories making the news.

Edmunds, who represents Torngat Mountains, said coastal Labrador airports still need access to adequate washroom facilities, even though they're relatively small.

"This winter we've had cases of 40, 45 C below where passengers have to duck out behind the building to use the bathroom [outside]. In this day and age, it's not necessary and I don't think it's that hard with the technology these days to go and assess the situation and install a system," he said.

According to Edmunds, this is a problem that should be familiar to government.

"I know this winter, the past minister of Works, Services and Transportation with some of his people passed through, and one of his staff actually wanted to use the bathroom and couldn't do it, so they know about it," he said.

Edmunds said these out-of-order washrooms have been the status quo for a while, but it's time to make a change.

"I think it takes a story like the one about the passenger on the plane … a lot of people just take it for granted the toilets are going to freeze up, it's a common thing, but people are just starting to realize that, 'Hey, this is not good enough,'" he said. "We should be able to have the same as everyone else in the province in their airports."

He added that portable toilets may be a simple solution to the problem, allowing people the necessary facilities without having to urinate in a snowbank.

Edmunds said the issue hadn't been brought up in the House of Assembly before, but it's something he'll be bringing up in future.

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Customers upset after discounted laptops blamed on website glitch

Computer manufacturer Lenovo is in hot water with some of its customers for refusing to live up to a deal — laptops at extremely low prices — that was erroneously posted on its website.

On the weekend, Lenovo's website offered a "door-crasher" special for the Y410P laptop of $279 — the regular price is $1,389.

Consumers were asked to enter the rebate code "DOORCRASHER" to access the deal. Many did, and received emails confirming their orders and processing payment, only to receive another email from the company the next day informing them that the deal had been offered in error.

'Not only did Lenovo charge people's credit cards, but [they] have baited consumers.'- Emilio Lutchman, customer

"Due to a pricing error on our website, we will have to cancel your order," the email reads. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused, and would like to help you place a new order."

But customers are upset about feeling duped, and insist that the company must live up to the bargain it had promised — especially since there are reports that the offer was still online for new customers, even after customers who'd already signed up were advised it wouldn't be honoured.

"Even upwards to 12 hours afterwards, the website was still fully functional and allowing more orders to be placed," customer Calvin Leung told CBC News.

"We believe that Lenovo should honour their pricing advertisement since they have already taken our money and kept the advertisement up for longer than an acceptable amount of time considering it occurred on business days," Leung added.

"Not only did Lenovo charge people's credit cards, but [they] have baited consumers to get their credit card and personal information," customer Emilio Lutchman said.

More than 2,700 people have signed an online petition asking Lenovo to live up to its end of the bargain. Many customers have complained to Canada's Competition Bureau — under Sec. 74.05 of Canada's Competition Act, companies are liable for a fine of up to $10 million for failing to prohibit "the sale or rent of a product at a price higher than its advertised price."

But the act specifies the provision does not apply if the advertised price was a mistake and the error was immediately corrected.

The Competition Bureau confirmed in an email to CBC News that it has received multiple complaints about the glitch, but stopped short of confirming or denying whether an investigation is underway. "We cannot speculate on whether or not the Competition Act has been violated, as we have a responsibility to do a thorough and complete examination prior to drawing any conclusions," a spokesman for the watchdog says.

Lenovo Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CBC News.

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First Nations leaders start search to replace Shawn Atleo as chief

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CBC News Posted: May 27, 2014 10:27 AM ET Last Updated: May 27, 2014 10:48 AM ET

Aboriginal leaders are gathering in Ottawa today to figure out where to take their fight over education, and to start
the process of finding a new leader.

The Special Chiefs Assembly has been called to decide on the timing and location for an election to replace Shawn Atleo, who resigned as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations earlier this month.

Atleo stepped down after being heavily criticized for supporting a Harper government bill aimed at reforming aboriginal education,saying he didn't want to be a "lightning rod" in the debate over Bill C-33.

Aboriginal chiefs from several provinces want Ottawa to scrap the First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act (FNEA), saying it has failed to meet conditions set out by aboriginal leaders.

But some First Nations are stating support for the FNEA.

In a press release issued Monday, Saskatchewan First Nations and Tribal Councils say Bill C-33 should be reintroduced in the House of Commons.

"There is a need to have the proposed legislation reintroduced and a willingness to assess areas that the legislation can be improved upon through constructive dialogue and not political posturing and rhetoric," said Chief Lance Byhette of Buffalo River.

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Ontario man charged in slaying of B.C. hockey mom

A 27-year-old Ontario man has been charged with second-degree murder in the December 2013 attack that killed 53-year-old Surrey hockey mom Julie Paskall.

Supt. Kevin Hackett, speaking on behalf of the Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), said Yosef Jomo Gopaul was arrested in Surrey at 3:15 p.m. PT Friday afternoon.

"I personally met with and spoke with Julie's husband, Al, yesterday and let him know of this development," Hackett said, addressing a press conference Saturday afternoon. "We must now prepare for the court process."

Hockey mom Julie Paskall, 53, was brutally beaten in Surrey's Newton Arena parking lot while waiting for her son. She died of her injuries just days later on New Year's Eve 2013. (Family photo)

Paskall was brutally assaulted in the parking lot of the Newton Arena while waiting to pick up her teenage son, Cailean, who was refereeing a hockey game the night of Dec. 29 last year.

She was taken to hospital where she was put on life support but she died days later, on New Year's Eve.

At the time, police described the attack as a robbery gone wrong.

Hackett confirmed that Gopaul has a previous criminal record outside British Columbia, and that he moved to Surrey from Ontario approximately eight weeks before Paskall's death.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team's Supt. Kevin Hackett said Yosef Gopaul was identified as a potential suspect approximately one month after Julie Paskall's death. (CBC)

IHIT identified Gopaul as a potential suspect approximately one month after the attack, Hackett said.

Gopaul is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday in Surrey.

Al Paskall expressed gratitude for the assistance everyone in the community has provided to the investigation, and to the family, but said the family is still deeply hurting.

"We do truly appreciate that an individual has been charged with Julie's death," he said. "While this is very important, it does not bring her back. She is deeply missed, and this has been an extremely difficult time for our family."

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Justin Trudeau says Liberal culture has changed

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the party's drop in support in the last 10 years or so can be put down to too much navel-gazing.

Trudeau said Saturday the Liberals were more concerned during that time with their own fate rather than that of Canadians.

He said that attitude illustrates why the party went from 172 seats in 2000 to its current 35-member caucus.

"The biggest problem was that we...started thinking more about ourselves than we did about Canadians," Trudeau said at a meeting of the party's Quebec wing in Victoriaville, Que.

He told reporters he believes he has changed that culture since becoming leader in April 2013.

"Despite all the media, the social media, the advertising, it's the work on the ground and the human contact that count," he said.

Trudeau refused to criticize his predecessors' policies over the last decade.

The Liberals have only eight of the 75 seats in Quebec and Trudeau acknowledged they have bridges to rebuild in the province.

"Not only will Quebecers be present in my government, they will be listened to.

"It won't just be a prime minister from Quebec but there will be ministers from Quebec in strong positions."

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Dimitri Soudas would 'breach any contract' for fiancée Eve Adams

Ah, the things you'll do for love.

Dimitri Soudas says it was his loyalty to his fiancée Eve Adams and his support for her nomination battle in the Ontario riding of Oakville North-Burlington that led him to leave his post in the Conservative Party.

"You know what? I'll rip up any contract that says I can't help my family. I will breach any contract that says I can't help my family," he said to Evan Solomon on CBC Radio's The House.

"If there's one thing about me, it's my loyalty. For decades, I was extremely loyal to the prime minister. And in this case, I could no longer do my job as executive director of the party — recusing myself from anything to do with the nomination," he said.

Soudas was forced out from his top staff position with the party at the end of March, after it was made known that he tried to interfere with his fiancée's Conservative nomination battle. 

Sources had told CBC News that Soudas angered many in the party — including some Conservative MPs ​— by getting involved. Longtime party organizers expressed frustration with the situation in Oakville-North Burlington, pointing out that Soudas was their ultimate boss.

When asked about why he left his position with the party he served for the past 20 years of his life, Soudas said he chose his "family over politics."

"I chose to give my loyalty to the woman that I love and I came in a moment where she was incapacitated. I sure hope you would do exactly the same thing for your wife and I'm sure your wife would do the exact same thing for you," Soudas said to Solomon. 

Adams has been recovering from a concussion from a fall earlier this year. 

Adams is the MP for the Mississauga-Brampton South riding, which is to be split among several new ridings in 2015 when Elections Canada adds another 30 electoral districts to the Canadian map.

She is seeking the nomination for the nearby, newly created riding of Oakville North-Burlington, a race that has seen its fair share of mudslinging and accusations of wrongdoing — including allegations that the Adams campaign paid for the party memberships of some of their supporters in the new federal riding. 

Adams's team also allege that Lishchyna's campaign made illegal calls badgering constituents without divulging on whose behalf those calls were being made.

However, Adams said that "the mud does not go back and forth."

"I've sat here and taken the high road. What I've done is I've gone out and met with voters on their doorsteps in the snow, in the rain, and I talk to them about issues," she said to Solomon.

Both the Adams and Lishchyna camps have filed a number of complaints to the party, the CRTC and Elections Canada.

The nomination vote was originally set for Sunday, but the Conservative Party announced the vote would be delayed indefinitely while it investigates the complaints. 

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War veteran, 92, takes 1st jump after paratrooper training 70 years ago

92-year-old Ralph Mayville trained as a paratrooper and finally took his first jump on Saturday, 70 years after the war. (CBC)

A World War II veteran finally completed a mission he has waited 70 years to complete.

Ralph Mayville, age 92, trained as a paratrooper in the Second World War, but the war ended before he had the chance to make his inaugural jump.

Mayville was awarded with a set of "wings" and was part of an elite unit of paratroopers called the Black Devils.

"He's never been, in his mind, entitled to wear the jump wings, either the American or Canadian ones. And now this fulfills his dream, that he can wear the wings as part of his uniform," said family friend, Paul Chaytor.

Mayville, who's from Windsor, gathered up his courage to finally make his first jump at a skydiving school in Wainfleet, Ont., near Niagara Falls on Saturday.

The veteran and his instructor climbed to 14,000 feet in a plane and leapt out of the plane in a tandem jump.

"It was so beautiful," said Mayville.

Generations of Mayville's family joined him at the school to be there for his big moment. Watch his amazing story here.

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Knowlton Nash, longtime anchor of CBC's The National, dead at 86

Knowlton Nash, a decorated Canadian journalist who went from selling newspapers as a boy in Toronto to serving a decade as anchor of CBC's The National, has died at age 86.

Born Cyril Knowlton Nash in Toronto in 1927, it didn't take him long to find his calling. At eight years old, he put together his own newspaper. At 10, he operated his own newsstand. Later, during his first big journalism job as night editor with the British United Press, a Toronto-based wire service, he wrote an estimated 4,000 articles.

"Journalism has been the love of my life," Nash told The Canadian Press in 2006.

Journalism loved him back.

Shortly after taking a job in Washington with the International Federation of Agricultural Producers — during which he moonlighted as a freelance writer filing stories for a range of Canadian publications — Nash landed a job as Washington correspondent for CBC's Newsmagazine. The high-profile role and his legendary work ethic thrust him into the spotlight.

During the post, he tracked down Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara for an exclusive interview. He was one of the last reporters to interview Robert F. Kennedy before the New York senator's assassination in 1968. Nash also dodged gunfire in the Dominican Republic as U.S. forces fought with rebels, something he later had some fun with on the program Front Page Challenge.   

"I don't put myself first. I put work first," Nash said, during a CBC Life and Times documentary released in 2001.

Move to management

In Washington, Nash went on to cover the Cuban missile crisis, space launches at Cape Canaveral and the riots surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. But in 1969, he took a management role at the CBC, a career move that surprised many of his colleagues.

It didn't go well. In 1970, just one year after Nash had begun his new role, then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau blasted the CBC for its coverage of the October Crisis, calling it a propaganda vehicle for the FLQ. Nash reacted by sending a directive to limit coverage of the crisis.

Nash later owned up to the error, saying: "It was my fault. We went too far — farther than we should have."

Nash's management work did, however, give him a rare understanding of the CBC's history and culture, something he would write about in several well-received books, including The Microphone Wars: A History of Triumph and Betrayal at the CBC and Cue The Elephant!  Backstage Tales at the CBC.

Birth of an anchor

In 1978, Nash returned to the screen as chief correspondent and anchor at The National.

His return upset some, but Nash's steady presence won over. While critics said he had an unemotional delivery, he was beloved by Canadian audiences.

Queen Elizabeth smiles as Knowlton Nash looks on from right at the CBC in Toronto in 2002. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)

As the face of The National, Nash covered all the major stories, from the collapse of Joe Clark's government to the 1980 Quebec referendum on the sovereignty question, and Trudeau's 1984 "walk in the snow" resignation.

Nash's look also left an impression on TV viewers — wearing thick-rimmed glasses and in bold attire such as a pink shirt under a suit jacket — although management eventually forced him to give up the colour, according to CBC archives.

On screen, Nash's voice was engaging and amiable, but he believed in a straight-faced style of news presentation so as to not distort a story.

"It's inconceivable to him to actually contaminate a report with his own view. I think he'd probably blow up if he tried," said longtime CBC producer Mark Starowicz.

Nash officially retired from CBC News after hosting The National on Nov. 28, 1992, handing over the reins to Peter Mansbridge, with whom he had been sharing hosting duties since 1988.

Defender of the CBC

Nash hosted several more programs at the CBC after his retirement, and continued to have a close connection to the public broadcaster.

After dramatic cuts to the CBC's budget in 1996, Nash spoke out in an interview with TVO.

"These cuts are really into the bone … it's fundamentally hurting the whole concept of public broadcasting," he told host Steve Paikin.

"People are thinking about money and jobs and the future rather than what they should be doing: thinking creatively about how we can create a better program."

In 2006, Nash criticized the CBC for choosing to push back The National so it could air a popular ABC reality show in the 10 p.m. ET slot.

Awards and accolades

Nash was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1989, became a member of the Order of Ontario in 1998, and was given honorary degrees from several Canadian universities, including the University of Toronto.

He is a member of the Canadian News Hall of Fame, and was given the President's Award of the Radio and Television News Directors' Association in 1990.

Along with his books on the CBC, Nash also wrote his memoir, History on the Run, about his time as a foreign correspondent, as well as history books like Kennedy and Diefenbaker: The Feud that Helped Topple a Government.

In 2002, Nash was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. "There are a lot worse things that could be happening to you … with Parkinson's, you just have to cope with it and get on with it," Nash told the Hill Times in 2010.

Nash spent his final years in Florida, alongside his wife of four decades, Lorraine Thomson, who also worked as a host with the CBC.

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Suspect arrested in homicide of B.C. hockey mom

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of Surrey, B.C., hockey mom Julie Paskall, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed late Friday.

No charges have been laid, but an IHIT email says more details will be provided at a news conference at 2 p.m. PT. Saturday, May 24.

"You are forever in our hearts." Tributes to Julie Paskall still adorn the Newton arena nearly half a year after her death. (CBC)

Paskall, a 53-year-old mother of three was brutally assaulted in the parking lot of the Newton Arena while waiting to pick up her teenage son, Cailean, who was refereeing a hockey game the night of  Dec. 29 last year.

She was taken to hospital where she was put on life-support, but she died days later on New Year's Eve.

Police at the time described the attack as a robbery gone wrong.

Parents bringing their children to the Newton Arena Friday afternoon expressed relief.

Dana Wood said she feels a little safer.

Jenn Evans says she's relieved to hear about an arrest, but the additional police presence and work that's been done to clean up the area around the arena is just as important. (CBC)

"Coming here with my son, knowing that something like that could happen to somebody... it's scary. So it's awesome that they've caught him," she said.

Jenn Evans says it's nice to have an arrest, but the increased police presence and work that's been done around the arena since Paskall's murder is just as important.

Everything has been cleaned up," she said. "The trees have been cleaned up. We can see what's going on."

"It's a lot harder for people to lurk around. We come here often with the kids. Just making an arrest is important, but Just being here all the time, cleaning up the neighbourhood [is also important]."

Following Paskall's death, Central Surrey residents came forward with a litany of safety complaints.

A crime task force convened by Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts later recommended the hiring of an additional 24 police officers.

Google Map: Newton Arena

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Retired teacher calls for return of traditional math skills

Declining math scores concern Hamilton retired teacher 1:29

Declining math scores concern Hamilton retired teacher1:29

One Hamilton retired teacher is part of a growing movement across Canada asking for a review of math curricula. They argue students need 'traditional' math skills such as automatic recall of standard algorithms and number facts.

Declining math scores concern Hamilton retired teacher 1:29

A Hamilton retired teacher is concerned that the declining math scores in the province and across Canada is frustrating for students and financially costly for parents.

Teresa Murray, 58, says the performance results are being kept artificially high since parents are paying out-of-pocket for private tutoring. She is now leading a campaign across Ontario petitioning the Minister of Education for a review of the curriculum.

"A lot of parents are struggling because their children don't know fundamentals of math. They're paying hundreds of dollars for a tutor and many parents can't afford it," Murray said.

"These are real people. I go at it from that point of view, not the test scores. I've had people cry on my shoulder. Real people are getting hurt financially and their children are frustrated."

For nine years, math results across Ontario have followed a downward trend. Scores went down by 16 points from an average score of 530 points in 2003 to 514 points in 2012, according to the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results.

The latest Education Quality and Accountability (EQAO) results show only 59 per cent of Grade 3 students in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board performed at or above the provincial standard in math testing. Grade six students fared even worse, with only 48 per cent scoring at or above the provincial standard.

Math scores declining

Students in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board did slightly better on the standardized tests, with 67 per cent of Grade 3 math students performing at or above the provincial standard. Among Grade 6 students, 54 per cent performed at or above the average.

As a whole, in Ontario, 67 per cent of math students performed at or above the provincial standard in the subject. Ontario students' math achievement matched the Canadian average (which is also on the decline), both overall and in the mathematical sub-skills that were evaluated.

Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for the province's Ministry of Education, says that despite the drop in performance, Ontario continues to be "among the top jurisdictions in math... But there is always room for improvement ­— and we need to help students who are struggling in math."

'Grade six is like a culmination of all the grades before that. Students can get a B plus doing this but when they get to grade nine or university, they don't know what to do.'- Teresa Murray

The province is now promising more training and support for math teachers as a way to tackle this problem. Liz Sandals, Ontario's minister of education, announced on Jan. 8 that $4 million would be invested in creating more opportunities for teachers to gain additional qualifications in mathematics.

"We are reaching out to more educators with professional learning opportunities and resources that focus on key areas, such as the mathematical concepts that underlie fractions and ratios, algebra and geometry," Wheeler said. "Increased teacher expertise allows educators to make math more relevant to students' lives."

Many teachers and parents learned mathematics the old way, says Manny Figueiredo, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board's executive superintendent. The HWDSB initiated a new math strategy in 2012 that will help teachers and parents understand math concepts and how to teach it to children.

'If English is not your first language you are pretty lost,' retired teacher says

"Sometimes, there is a belief that the new curriculum is just about problem solving and math concepts, but the curriculum does have a balance of both," Figueiredo said. "We need to understand that there's more than one way to teach math. Some students might learn using concepts like borrowing and carrying over, while some might learn better using pictures and language."

Ontario introduced a new math curriculum in 1999 and revised it in 2005. Murray retired a year and half ago after teaching in Hamilton for 32 years. She has seen the changes in the teaching methods and disagrees with Figueiredo and the province.

"There is not much of a balance right now. I'm not saying '[Go] back to the 1950s,' but you have to have a very solid foundation," Murray said. "All this was supposed to make it fun and engaging and interesting. The problem is the new textbooks are complicated. And if English is not your first language, you are pretty lost."

Many younger children have difficulty understanding the questions because their reading and comprehension level may not be high enough, she says. Formerly, students were required to memorize timetables and algorithms; now, the focus has shifted to more language-based math problems and math concepts.

"You have to know how to multiply, add subtract… you need to understand fractions and you need to have it in your brain automatically."

Murray's other concern is that without a solid foundation, students will experience problems later on.

"The Grade 6 test is very challenging. Also, Grade 4 is like a culmination of all the grades before that," she said. "Students can get a B-plus doing this, but when they get to Grade 9 or university, they don't know what to do."

Not surprisingly, EQAO statistics show that student achievement in math drops between Grade 4 and Grade 6. In the last five years, an increasing number of students who met the provincial standard in Grade 3 failed to do so in Grade 6. The figure dropped from 28 per cent who improved between Grade 4 to Grade 6 to 17 per cent.

Parents lobbying across Canada

The idea that elementary school students need to have standard algorithms and times tables memorized seems to touch  a nerve with lots of parents. Murray is just one of the many parents across Canada lobbying for the same thing.

'There's more than one way to teach math. Some students might learn using concepts like borrowing and carrying over, while some might learn better using pictures and language.'- Manny Figueiredo, HWDSB executive superintendent

The Western Initiative for Strengthening Education in Math (WISE Math) in Manitoba and Saskatchewan want to see skills like "borrowing, carrying over and long division" back in the curriculum.

Murray has collected more than 1,000 signatures and says she will continue because many parents are unhappy.

"The math curriculum, method of teaching and resources need to be reviewed. It is our children who are suffering. We are the ones who see that on a daily basis. We are the ones paying out of our own pockets."

Here are some responses Murray received on her petition:

"It is time to do away with the experiment the children of Ontario have been subjected to in learning the "new math". It is time to start teaching basic adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and times tables in a manner that is understandable to the children and their parents."

Gerald Roach, Hamilton, Ont.

"It is beyond frustrating to be told to teach higher order thinking, reasoning and multi-step problem-solving when 75% of the students in the class can't perform basic operations, don't know their times-tables and can't remember basic formulas."

Sonia C. Caledon, Ont.

"My Gr 4 child's public school curriculum is finally reaching division, but not in any practical form. Yesterday, his math lesson instructed him to "Draw 100 squares and divide them into 10 equal groups to complete the equation '10 x __ = 100.'"

Marianne Hu, Toronto, Ont.

Does Ontario's math curriculum need to change?

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