Maritimes snow, ice pellets causing flight delays, slick roads

A winter storm is passing through the Maritimes right now and is resulting in disruptions to travel plans.

Quite a bit of snow and ice pellets have been dumped over much of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The storm is moving northeast and has reached P.E.I. It is expected to track over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence tonight.

Weather warnings

Environment Canada has issued weather warnings for almost the entire Maritime region.

In New Brunswick, more snow and high winds are expected for the province. Total snowfall amounts are expected to be between 15 and 35 centimetres.

In northern Nova Scotia, the snow is forecast to change to freezing rain.

Along the Atlantic coast, there are rain and freezing rain warnings in effect.

In P.E.I., up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected before it changes to rain.

Disrupted travel plans

In Moncton, all but two departing flights have been cancelled Saturday.

In Saint John, Sgt. Steve Wilson of the Saint John Police Department said that officers coming in for the morning shift have found the roads to be very slick.

So far, there have not been any reports of any accidents in Saint John and Fredericton.

In Halifax, there are only a few delays at the airport, but both Air Canada and WestJet are warning things could get worse at most of the region's airports.

The roads in Halifax are slippery. A Halifax Transit bus ended up partially on its side on the St. Margarets Bay Road.

Interprovincial ferry service is being disrupted. The Port Aux Basques, N.L., to North Sydney, N.S., run is delayed by 12 hours, while the route between Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S., is cancelled for the day.

Maritime Bus is also warning of delays and that service can also be affected by what's happening on the Confederation Bridge. Officials say restrictions may be imposed later this morning.

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Fracking called likely cause of earthquakes in northern Alberta

Alberta's provincial energy regulator says a significant earthquake in northern Alberta was likely caused by hydraulic fracturing.

If fracturing is confirmed as the cause, scientists say, it will have been the largest earthquake ever to result from an industrial operation.

Residents in the town of Fox Creek noticed the earthquake a week ago on Jan. 22. It was of 4.4 magnitude, severe enough to cause minor damage.

"It felt like a big gust of wind hit the house. The door flew open and the couch moved," said Kelli Mcphee, who was at home watching a scary movie in her living room at the time.

B.C. has a policy that requires operations to stop after an earthquake that ranks higher than 4.0 in magnitude. Alberta has no such rule. (CBC)

"My husband grabbed a bat and started walking around the house because we didn't know what it was."

Fox Creek, a town of about 2,000 people, is largely sustained by oil and gas development.

That work often uses hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a process that injects a high-pressure mixture of water and chemicals into the earth to break through rock.

In an emailed statement to CBC, the Alberta Energy Regulator said its monitoring system picked up strong evidence that fracking caused this recent earthquake and likely triggered others too, although it is "impossible to definitively state that it was not a naturally occurring event."

The link between fracking and earthquakes is a phenomenon that several scientists are now studying.

"We have been seeing earthquakes for about the last year in that area, starting with events just above magnitude 3," said David Eaton, a professor of geophysics at the University of Calgary.

"In most cases, those earthquakes have occurred in association with industry activity such as hydraulic fracturing."

Eaton and Gail Atkinson, a scientist at Western University, said if the quake is proved to be caused by fracking it would be the largest one in the world caused by fracking. 

British Columbia has a policy that requires operations to halt if they trigger an earthquake greater than a 4.0 magnitude.

Alberta does not have a similar rule.

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Prison bus initiative helps bring inmates, family together

A prison inmate who stays connected with family and gets to see them while in jail has a better chance of turning their life around once they get out, but for some whose loved-ones are incarcerated, significant challenges stand in the way of visits.

Research has shown that getting to see family can be very beneficial for prisoners. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, for example, says the chances of an inmate re-offending dropped 31 per cent among those who received visits during the year prior to their release.

The number of visits also had a notable impact - each visit reduced their odds of re-offending after release by about 4 per cent.

"People outside, they probably just see us as criminals," says Nathan Trudeau, who is serving time in Ontario's Warkworth institution for armed robbery.

"They don't look at us like human beings. They think that our lives don't matter and we change as soon as the door's locked, but we're people too. We're convicts, we've done bad things, but some of us plan to change."

And while visits can help bolster that desire to change, they can also help the families of inmates in return.

'We're convicts, we've done bad things, but some of us plan to change,' says Ontario inmate Nathan Trudeau. (Nick Purdon/CBC)

​

"If a child loses a parent to divorce or to death, the community typically rallies around - but with prison that's not that case," says Jessica Reid, co-founder of Foster, Empowering and Advocating Together (FEAT), a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting inmates with their families.

"People seem to turn their backs and forget about these kids. Yet if we don't support them, they are at risk for so many bad outcomes, poor mental health, dropping out of school and then following in the footsteps. It's very important that we support them."

However, for some families, institutions are simply difficult places to get to - many inmates are incarcerated hours away from where their loved ones live. For others, the very idea of visiting a penitentiary is overwhelming.

Reid co-founded FEAT to help families and inmates deal with challenges that keep them apart.

Since 2011, more than 250 children and 400 families have climbed on the special FEAT-sponsored bus and been driven to penitentiaries across southern Ontario.

Reid says it's a simple idea, but that the stakes are high for everyone involved.

"The hardest part is knowing that they have to leave at a certain time," says Trudeau. "They can only stay her for so long, right, and after that they have to leave. And I have to stay here. It's sad letting them go."

The CBC's Nick Purdon (@cbcnickpurdon) went on a bus trip recently to the Warkworth institution in Ontario where Trudeau is serving time for armed robbery. Trudeau's sons Thian and Cash, along with his wife Eve and his mother Rose, came to visit. Watch the video of the visit, and Purdon's video documentary about FEAT and prison visits.

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'Agent of radicalization' blocked from setting up community centre in Montreal

Controversial imam Hamza Chaoui will be denied a permit to establish his Islamic community centre in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, a borough in Montreal's east end.

Chaoui is a Moroccan-born imam in Montreal with controversial views on sharia law and ties to suspected radicals. 

Borough mayor Réal Ménard, who spoke at Montreal City Hall along with Mayor Denis Coderre on Saturday morning, said Chaoui was never given a certificate of occupation to begin holding meetings at his community centre.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said Hamza Chaoui is an 'agent of radicalization' on Jan. 31, 2015. (CBC)

Chaoui did apply for a transformation permit in January to renovate the building in question, Ménard said. However, he began promoting his community centre on Facebook before ever being granted a permit.

Ménard said it was part of his job as borough mayor to prevent Chaoui from carrying out his activities, a position Coderre agreed with.

"I don't want to stigmatize the Muslim community. This is the work of one person," Coderre said. "This man is an agent of radicalization."

Coderre used the news conference on Saturday as an opportunity to voice his support for Bill C-51, the federal government's new proposed anti-terrorism legislation. He said he asked the federal government to expedite its passage.

The anti-terrorism bill unveiled Friday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper includes a section that gives his government the power "to order the removal of terrorist propaganda" from the internet.

Hamza Chaoui's east-end Montreal Islamic community centre will not be granted the permits needed to open it, according to the city. (CBC)

​Chaoui has connections to radical Islamists.

He has preached at the St-Jean-sur-Richelieu mosque attended by Martin Couture-Rouleau, the Muslim convert who killed warrant officer Patrice Vincent in October.

Chaoui was also the leader of a Muslim association at Laval University. One of that association's member, Chiheb Esseghaier, is about to be tried on charges related to a plot to derail a Via Rail train travelling between Toronto and New York two years ago.

Chaoui uses social media to share his fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. He has posted to YouTube and Facebook his views sympathetic to sharia law, and he advocates that women should have designated guardians.

"There are non-Muslims who come to our home and tell us, 'Really, you cut off heads, you cut off hands?' But that's religion. It's our religion in our own country. We decide how we implement it," he said in a YouTube video which has since been made private.

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School covers up student art featuring gay couple kiss

A school northeast of Edmonton is deciding what to do next after a student's mural featuring two young men kissing was covered up.

The mural was approved in advance by both by the principal and the art teacher at Onoway Jr/Sr High School before it went up in the hallway about one week ago.

The school says it soon received complaints. When students arrived on Thursday morning, the mural was eclipsed by a bulletin board.

Sixteen-year-old Kaela Wilton said she designed the mural to show support for people who are gay, or who are in the closet and scared to come out. (CBC)

"At the time we should have put more thought into the bigger picture," said principal James Trodden.

He said the school does not allow kissing in the hallways, therefore a mural that depicts kissing should not be allowed.

"There are a bunch of issues … What is appropriate? Should it be in a school, should you allow kissing?" he asked.

"Should you allow same sex couples to have a picture of kissing?"

Kaela Wilton, 16, said she designed the mural to show support for people who are gay, or people who are in the closet and scared to come out.

"Parents kiss and people on the street. It's just natural," she said.

"I think it's because they are two guys that it's such an impact. We're not used to seeing people of the same sex kissing."

Students ripped the bulletin board down to reveal the mural by midday on Thursday.

They did not return to school on Friday because of a scheduled holiday.

The mural remains uncovered for now, but the principal says he and his colleagues have not decided yet if it will stay that way when class is back in session on Monday.  

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2 families chased by rabid wolf escape 'absolute disaster'

Two families had a frightening run-in with a rabid wolf while snowmobiling in Labrador.

Shortly after the confrontation on a trail between Wabush and Labrador City last Sunday, the wolf was found and killed by wildlife officers. It was later determined the animal had rabies.

The incident happened last Sunday, but wildlife officials commented only Thursday on what they say is the first case of rabies in the region since July.

In an interview via Skype, Michelle Sexton and Jennifer Patey said they were snowmobiling with their husbands and children when the ordeal began.

About 20 minutes into the snowmobile trip, they came upon the wolf in the middle of the trail.

'I screamed in my helmet, but no one could hear me.'- Jennifer Patey

The animal began to charge at them, and started attacking the skis on their snowmobiles.

"There was nowhere you could put your kids safe enough or get away fast enough because he was right behind you," said Sexton.

"He came directly at the Ski-Doo, right for us, showing his teeth."

She said the wolf began lunging at both snowmobiles, standing up on its hind legs near the children. 

Michelle Sexton feared for the safety of her children during Sunday's encounter with the rabid wolf while they were snowmobiling in Labrador. (Sexton family)

"I screamed in my helmet, but no one could hear me," said Patey.

When she tried to get her family away from the animal, she flipped her snowmobile.

"When I turned to look back, the wolf was right behind me.

"I put my hand out to stop it from coming to me and at the same, I hit my gas and I lost control of my snow machine again. I didn't stop, and in my head all I could think of was Gemma, Gemma, Gemma, my daughter."

Feat of strength 

Patey said she managed to find the strength to right-side the snowmobile.

Jennifer Patey said the wolf seemed to come out of nowhere, and was aggressive toward her family. (Patey family)

"On a regular day, I'd never be able to lift that machine," she said. 

"I don't know where my strength came from, but I lifted that machine up and I turned her around. When I turned to look back, the wolf was right behind me."

Once the machine was back upright, she hit the gas and didn't stop until she tracked down wildlife officers, who sprung into action after she told them about the wolf.

"Two young wildlife officers, right away, they didn't even hesitate, they took off," she said. 

"They didn't even have any weapons. They just took off after [the wolf]."

Follows officers on chase

The families eventually took shelter in a cabin, watching as the officers chased the wolf into the woods.

Patey said she jumped on one of the wildlife officer's snowmobiles and followed them.

The 25-minute hunt ended when one of the wildlife officers ran down and killed the animal with his snowmobile.

"As soon as I pulled up next to them, he had driven over the wolf with his snow machine," said Patey.

"It wasn't long after it took its last breath."

According to Patey, the wildlife officers just happened to be in the area doing routine checks of trail passes.

"It was a blessing they were on that trail that day," she said. "It could have turned into an absolute disaster."

CFIA confirms rabies

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources said in a statement Thursday that while there's no confirmation of any human or domestic animal making contact with the wolf, officials are asking the general public to report any possible contact with the animal before the Jan. 25 incident.

Samples from the animal were sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lab in Ottawa to confirm it had rabies.

Officials said residents should:

• Keep domestic animals under observation.
• Avoid wild animals.
• Ensure pets are up to date on vaccinations.

Wildlife officials are also urging anyone in Western Labrador who has seen any wild animals acting strangely to contact them.

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How should health-care workers decide which patients get organ transplants?

With organs a scarce commodity for the many patients needing transplants, doctors are forced into making tough decisions that sometimes determine who gets to live.

"Telling someone that they're not a candidate for a transplant is, in some cases, is denying them a life-saving therapy," says Steven Paraskevas, president  of the Canadian Society of Transplantation and a transplant surgeon at McGill University Health Centre. "And that is one of the most difficult issues, I think, that physicians have to wrestle with in our field."

Each year, more than 1,600 Canadians' names are added to transplant wait lists, according to the Canadian Transplant Society. One-third of those who need a new organ never receive one, according to Canadian Blood Services.

Wait-list obstacles

With not enough organs for patients, doctors must make tough decisions about who even makes it onto a waiting list.

Mark Selkirk, a long-term alcoholic, died in 2010, two weeks after being diagnosed with acute alcoholic hepatitis. Doctors told him he would die without a transplant, but Ontarians in need of a new liver must abstain from alcohol for six months before being eligible for surgery.

'Telling someone that they're not a candidate for a transplant is, in some cases, is denying them a life-saving therapy.'- Dr. Steven Paraskevas

Debra Selkirk, his widow, is preparing a constitutional challenge of that policy, arguing it violates Canadians' right to universal health care.

Paraskevas says doctors invoke the six-month principle frequently across most North American transplant centres. 

Part of the reason, he explains, is that patients need to follow strict guidelines for medication and taking care of themselves after surgery. If they don't adhere to these rules, their body could reject the liver and they could die.

Alcoholism can make someone less likely to follow through with doctor's orders, he says — and alcohol can damage the new liver.

There are other conditions where doctors may suggest similar tactics for potential transplant candidates, he said, including asking morbidly obese people to lose weight or smokers to quit.

'Doctors aren't priests'

But, doctors shouldn't dole out medical services based on a value judgment of a patient's virtues and vices, says Arthur Schafer, a philosophy professor and director of the University of Manitoba's centre for professional and applied ethics.

"Doctors aren't priests, ministers, rabbis and they're not moral judges," he says.

A patient's age, gender, religion, beauty, income, contribution to society or any other extraneous factor should not be tied to whether they receive an organ, he says. Someone who injured an organ while robbing a bank should receive the same consideration as a young teenager with cancer, on one condition: that they will benefit from the surgery.

Debra Selkirk, whose husband died of liver failure in 2010, plans to launch a legal challenge of a policy that requires alcoholics to be sober for six months before they are eligible for a liver transplant. (CBC)

In the case of an alcoholic, Schafer says it doesn't matter if a liver transplant would extend their life by 20 years if they abstain from drinking and only 10 years if the fall off the wagon. It only matters that the patient's life will be extended with the procedure.

But, if alcoholism prevents them from completing the necessary post-surgical procedures and the person's life expectancy will not be improved, doctors can't justify giving the patient a new organ, he says.

That decision needs to be backed by strong evidence.

"If you're going to deny someone a life-saving treatment, you'd better have good evidence," Schafer says.

Paraskevas says determining whether evidence supports the six-month policy remains a challenge for the medical community.

"That's a question that's not been answered," he says, explaining one study recently found that some candidates who had strong social support but did not adhere to the six-month abstinence period and received liver transplants did quite well.

Once a patient's name is on the waiting list, organs often go to the best match at the top of the list.

There are exceptions, though. If a patient's situation deteriorates and their need becomes increasingly urgent, they can be bumped ahead of others. Family members or friends can donate directly to a loved one in need.

That's what adoptive father Michael Wagner is set to do for one of his twin daughters, three-year-old Binh and Phuoc, who suffer from Alagille syndrome.

But the father can only donate to one daughter, and both girls need a liver transplant to extend their lives. The family has turned to the public to encourage potential donors to be tested to see if they're a match.

It's a controversial tactic. The twins are beautiful little girls with media-savvy parents, says Schafer.

"Do we want to have a health-care system where beautiful, handsome, attractive and media-skillful people of families get donations whereas others don't?" he asks. "Others are allowed to die because ... they're not as sale-able — they don't tug the heartstrings of the public in quite the same way."

That's only one way to look at the situation, he explains. It can also be argued that no one else would have received that donation because it would have not happened without the empathy elicited from a public appeal.

'Terrible decision' for twins' doctors

Unless the family's campaign finds a second donor, the girls' doctors will be forced to choose which twin receives her father's donation.

"If you have only one organ, you'd make the terrible decision — but inevitable — to give it to the child who is most likely to survive," says Schafer.

If both twins are likely to die within the same time without a transplant, Schafer explains, it would be tempting to give the transplant to the girl for whom it would have a higher chance of success.

If one twin needs the transplant more urgently, Schafer and Paraskevas agree one option would be to offer her the transplant and wait to see if another donor is found for the second twin.

However, if all urgency and health factors between the girls are identical, Schafer offers a grim solution:

"If their health status is the same, if their chance of benefit is the same, then they'll flip a coin," he says. "It'll be chance, I'm guessing. That's what they will do. And, hey, what other options are there?"

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Illustrations tell story of Marlene Bird, homeless woman beaten and set on fire

Marlene Bird was beaten, assaulted and set on fire six months ago. The 47-year-old Cree woman, a homeless residential school survivor, barely survived the horrific attack.

These illustrations, created by graphic journalist Dan Archer, look at the circumstances that contributed to Marlene's attack and her struggle to recover.

 

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Winter storm, freezing rain warnings to blanket Maritimes on Saturday

Another wintry mix of weather is on its way to the Maritimes.

Environment Canada is warning  anyone with plans to travel in the Maritimes on Saturday that Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island can expect hazardous road conditions. 

"Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve," says the warning. "Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas."

CBC meteorologist Peter Coade notes: "An area of low pressure will develop to our southwest this evening and track to the northeast to cross over Nova Scotia Saturday night and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to be centred in the northern Gulf by Sunday afternoon."

The national weather service has issued winter storm warnings and freezing rain warnings for much of mainland Nova Scotia, the northern half of Cape Breton, southern and eastern New Brunswick, and all of P.E.I.

"This feature will spread its snow across the Maritimes beginning in northwestern New Brunswick this afternoon and spreading to the rest of the region by tomorrow morning," says Coade.

"However, as the centre approaches the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia overnight, milder temperatures will change the snow to rain before morning along the coast with the risk of freezing rain with ice pellets developing and becoming mixed with the snow in much of the rest of the mainland."

Winter storm warnings are in place for Digby, Annapolis and Kings counties, as well as the Cobequid Pass and most counties in the northern half of Nova Scotia.

Winter storm warnings are also in place for the southern half of New Brunswick, as well as northeastern New Brunswick and all of Prince Edward Island. Those areas are expected to receive between 10 and 35 centimetres Saturday, with conditions gradually improving Saturday night.

In Nova Scotia, Halifax counties, southern Colchester County, as well as Antigonish, Guysborough, Hants, Inverness, Pictou and Victoria counties are all under freezing rain warnings for Saturday. Across these areas, snow will change over to freezing rain and ice pellets Saturday morning and into Saturday afternoon. 

Northwestern New Bruswick remains under a storm watch, with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow expected by Saturday evening. 

Sunday should see a return to more fair weather across the region, says Coade, but that may not last long. 

"There are indications of another nor'easter developing for the beginning of the week, but at this time it looks like the cold air returning on Sunday will fend much of that storm off, staying far enough to the south to produce no more than some light snow for Nova Scotia," he says.

"However, that could all change."

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Supreme Court strikes down Saskatchewan law that prevents right to strike

The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down as unconstitutional a Saskatchewan law that prevents public sector employees from striking.

By a 5-2 majority, the high court granted an appeal by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour of the province's controversial essential services law that restricts who can strike.

The ruling will affect public service unions in provinces across the country. Last April, Nova Scotia enacted its own essential services law for health care workers, joining Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia as provinces that have essential services laws.

The Supreme Court also gave Saskatchewan one year to enact new legislation.

After winning power in 2007, the Saskatchewan Party introduced the new law, which says employers and unions must agree on which workers are deemed essential and cannot legally strike.

If the two sides can't agree, the government gets to decide who is an essential worker.

Writing for the majority, Justice Rosalie Abella said that power violated section 2(d) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects freedom of association.

The two dissenting justices, Richard Wagner and Marshall Rothstein, said that enshrining the right to strike restricts the government's flexibility in labour relations.

The Saskatchewan law came after some high-profile labour unrest in Saskatchewan, including a strike by thousands of nurses in 1999 and another by highway workers and correctional officers in late 2006 and early 2007.

Court challenges began in 2008 after the law was enacted, and the Regina Court of Queen's Bench struck it down as unconstitutional in February 2012.

The court did uphold the principle of essential services and gave the government 12 months to fix the law.

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned the lower court ruling in 2013, so the labour federation appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has now reversed that appeal.

"Given the breadth of essential services that the employer is entitled to designate unilaterally without an independent review process, and the absence of an adequate, impartial and effective alternative mechanism for resolving collective bargaining impasses," wrote Abella, "there can be little doubt that the trial judge was right to conclude that the scheme was not minimally impairing."

Wagner and Rothstein disagreed.

"The statutory right to strike, along with other statutory protections for workers, reflects a complex balance struck by legislatures between the interests of employers, employees, and the public," they wrote in their dissent.

"Providing for a constitutional right to strike not only upsets this delicate balance, but also restricts legislatures by denying them the flexibility needed to ensure the balance of interests can be maintained."

Today's ruling comes after just two weeks after the Supreme Court's landmark labour relations ruling in a case involving rank and file officers of the RCMP.

The Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling of its own from the 1990s which upheld an exclusion that barred the Mounties from forming unions like federal public servants, who gained the right to collective bargaining in the late 1960s.

The ruling did not explicitly state that RCMP members have the right to form a union, but the justices effectively cleared a path to that possibility. As with today's ruling, the high court gave the federal government one year to create a new labour relations framework with the RCMP.

The RCMP ruling did not address the right to strike. 

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Woman who lost both legs after being attacked finally finds home

Marlene Bird, who has had trouble finding appropriate housing in Prince Albert, Sask., since losing both her legs after a violent attack last summer, has finally found a home.

The Cree woman and her partner, Patrick Lavallee, recently moved into a three-bedroom house in the Métis community of Timber Bay, a 90-minute drive north of Prince Albert. The couple had been unable to find appropriate housing since Bird was released from hospital last fall.

The 47-year-old woman was homeless when she was discovered in a downtown Prince Albert parking lot last June. She'd been badly beaten and set on fire. She suffered severe burns to her body and both her legs had to be amputated.

Leslie Black, 29, was charged a month later with attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault in connection with the attack. Black has yet to appear in court to enter a plea. Bird asked the court to lift the standard publication ban on her name. The ban is intended to protect victims in cases of sexual assault.

"I wanted to show him [Black] what he did to me," says Bird. "That's all I want to say to him. Why would you do that to a woman? That's where you come from, a woman. Why would you want to try to kill me?"

Difficult recovery

Recovery has been difficult for Bird. After being released from a Saskatoon hospital, she was moved to Prince Albert in a taxi. She landed at the YWCA homeless shelter, with nothing but her belongings, a wheelchair and a donated electric scooter.

She started drinking again, which she says is her way of coping with depression.

"I don't mean to have self-pity, but I miss my legs," says Bird, a survivor of residential school sexual abuse and domestic abuse at the hands of a former partner. "I hate depending on other people, but I have to now."

A bright spot in Marlene Bird's efforts to heal has been the support of her partner, Patrick Lavallee. The pair have been a couple, on and off, for 15 years. (Dan Archer)

Bird's alcoholism made it a challenge to find housing. She and Lavallee were living unhappily in a seniors' home, which could accommodate her wheelchair but charged extremely high monthly rent.

"Her normal was ripped away from her," says Donna Brooks, executive director of the Prince Albert YWCA. "She was able to survive that life for 47 years. But because of her disabilities, her ability to survive that lifestyle has now been ripped away from her."

A bright spot in Bird's efforts to heal has been the support of Lavallee. The pair have been a couple, on and off, for 15 years. Lavallee was also homeless in Prince Albert and an alcoholic, but soon after Bird's attack, he resolved to sober up and care for her.

"If it wasn't for Marlene, I'd still be drinking. I'd be on the streets," he says. "That's why I decided to quit drinking, because I can't take care of Marlene and the bottle at the same time, eh?"

Unwelcome spotlight for Prince Albert

Following the attack, marches were held in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, calling on federal and provincial governments to do more to tackle violence against aboriginal women. Bird's vulnerability also shone an unwelcome spotlight on the problems of alcohol abuse and homelessness facing Prince Albert.

A recent study of alcohol consumption in the city found residents spent $1,249 per person on alcohol in 2011, almost twice the provincial average. Arrests for public intoxication between 2009-12 consumed over $2.5 million of the Prince Albert police service's budget.

Talks are ongoing about launching a regional alcohol strategy, but many Prince Albert service providers, police included, say the alcohol problem is exacerbated by homelessness.

Marlene Bird's healing journey continues to be bumpy. She needs to travel to Prince Albert for medical appointments and transportation is proving difficult. (Courtesy of Marlene Bird)

"If you don't have a home or shelter, how are you able to truly get hold of your addiction and get on the right path?" asks Const. Lisa Simonson, a Prince Albert police officer who often works to connect chronic alcoholics with housing and health providers.

Bird's new home

Several advocates teamed up to get Bird a house.

"I love this place," says Bird, though she and Lavallee feel a bit isolated in Timber Bay because they have no vehicle to visit family or travel to medical appointments.

Full health-care services aren't available locally, so Bird needs to find rides to Prince Albert and Saskatoon. Transportation is proving difficult, and her electric scooter is still in Prince Albert.

The couple's home in Timber Bay is a social housing rental. Retrofits to make it wheelchair accessible were paid for from the trust fund set up to manage donations for Bird's care

Tune in to The National tonight to watch Duncan McCue's feature documentary. 

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Spy agencies 'drowning in data' and unable to follow leads: security expert

Mass trolling of internet data — as done by Canada's electronic spy agency in a project dubbed Levitation — can impede cyber spies in the hunt for extremists more than it helps, some security experts argue.

"We've focused too much on bulk collection just because there's a capacity to survey broad swaths of digital communication and collect it and store it, potentially indefinitely," says Adam Molnar, a Canadian security expert teaching at an Australian university.

But that collection may not only be harmful to privacy and civil liberties concerns, but ineffective as well, the Deakin University lecturer argues.

"Even in instances where we see an attack occur, these agencies are drowning in data and they're not even able to follow up on specific leads."

Molnar cites the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the recent Paris attacks as cases where information was gathered on suspects, "but it made very little difference."

In light of Canada's own attacks on soldiers, U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald said Canadians should be asking tough questions.

"It raises a real question about why these Western intelligence agencies that are spending so much money on these very sophisticated means of surveillance can't find individuals who are planning attacks like that?" asks Greenwald.

The constitutional lawyer and author is famous for helping publish a trove of top-secret documents obtained by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden over the past two years. Revelations from the Snowden files have prompted debates about privacy and security around the world.

Greenwald was part of a team from the U.S.-based news site The Intercept who worked in collaboration with CBC News to analyze Canada-related Snowden files.

Those files included a 2012 presentation by a team at Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which is taxed with electronically monitoring security threats abroad. The presentation revealed CSE's sweeping access to videos, music and documents shared on free file-hosting websites through a project it codenamed Levitation.

Under Levitation, the electronic spy agency was sifting through up to 15 million uploads or downloads each day from around the world as part of a counterterrorism effort. But, according to the presentation, only 350 downloads each month triggered any kind of follow-up — an extremely small portion of the indiscriminately collected data.

The way the program worked was that the CSE tapped into collected metadata on those downloads. It then used the  computer's IP addresses to cross-reference that through at least two wide-reaching databases of metadata held by Canada's spying partners to try to figure out a suspect's identity and to further monitor that person's online activity.

New legislation coming

Questions about the effectiveness of mass surveillance are being raised as the Canadian government plans to introduce new legislation Friday to give security agencies broader powers. The new rules come in the wake of two attacks on Canadian soldiers last year as well as a growing number of extremist incidents around the world.

Wesley Wark, a national security expert, says that no matter how many "interesting needles" come out of the haystack of online data, spy agencies still need to translate that to "usable intelligence" – meaning something they can act on.

"At the end of the day, one piece of good intelligence might be worth it all," says Wark, who is currently at the University of Ottawa.

In its 2012 presentation to its "Five Eyes" spying partners — the group that includes the U.S., U.K., New Zealand and Australia — the CSE mentioned two important successes from the Levitation project.

The first involved the discovery of an uploaded document that outlined the hostage strategy of AQIM, the North African branch of al-Qaeda. That strategy was "disseminated widely," including by the CIA to its overseas counterparts, the CSE presentation says.

U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald says Canadians need to ask tough questions about how effective mass surveillance is in light of two attacks on soldiers. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Cyber analysts also unearthed a video of a German hostage from a previously unknown target. That hostage died in late May 2012, months after spies came across the video.

Edgar Fritz Raupach, an engineer working in Nigeria, was killed by his hostage-takers when local soldiers — who were unaware of Raupach's presence — attacked the captors' hideout in an unrelated operation.

Wark cautions that the document — as a presentation by CSE to its spying partners — is inevitably biased toward touting the most favourable results. Ultimately, he says, success in this business depends on whether the findings were timely, didn't consume too many resources and were useful.

"These Canadian documents suggest it can pay off," says Wark. "So, does it pay off? Is it proportionate to the resources we're putting into it? Are there different ways to do it?"

Vital role

It is not known whether the Levitation project is still ongoing. CSE says it can't comment on details of the program, citing the Security of Information Act.

Julian Fantino, the associate minister of national defence, told CBC News in a statement that CSE's foreign signals intelligence have "played a vital role in uncovering foreign-based extremists' efforts to attract, radicalize and train individuals to carry out attacks in Canada and abroad."

"Our government will not sit idly by while terrorists use websites to attract, radicalize and train individuals who threaten our values and freedom."

Julian Fantino, the associate minister of national defence, says the government will "not sit idly by while terrorists use websites to attract, radicalize and train individuals who threaten our values and freedom." (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

As for the new bill coming Friday, Employment Minister Jason Kenney said the objective is to stop attacks before they happen by targeting what's being called incitement to terrorism.

Sources told CBC News that the legislation will give security agencies the ability to obtain and share information now subject to privacy limits, and make it easier for police to detain suspected extremists.

However, Liberal MP Joyce Murray says while there's been calls for the government to tighten up security, privacy concerns must not be forgotten.

"They need to also look at the provisions to protect individual privacy," said Murray. "And the government has failed to do that."

Murray says laws governing the CSE are 14 years out of date and don't touch on metadata.

The so-called data about data — which for email can include information such as recipients, subject lines and dates — falls outside the old laws because it isn't considered "private communication." Only the contents of an email or a conversation during a phone call are considered a communication.

Big topic in U.S.

While there has been relatively little debate in Canada weighing privacy concerns in the face of security fears, it's been a hot topic in the U.S. since most of the Snowden revelations involve CSE's counterpart, the National Security Agency.

Last year, a Washington-based non-profit analyzed 225 terrorism cases inside the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and found that bulk collection of phone records by NSA had "no discernible impact" on preventing acts of terrorism.

The non-profit New America Foundation said the bulk collection of phone metadata — which includes phones called and call duration — had, in its view, only marginal impacts on preventing terrorist-related activities.

The organization said in most cases it was traditional law enforcement and investigative methods involving a tip or evidence that resulted in initiating action against an individual or group.

That finding came on the heels of a White House-appointed review committee that drew a similar conclusion. It said that much of the evidence that NSA turned up from tracking phone calls could have "readily been obtained" using standard court orders. It found that the phone metadata collection program was "not essential to preventing attacks."

For Molnar, the lessons from the U.S. are clear. "It tells us that [bulk collection] actually does very little in terms of identifying unknown suspects or actually detecting and preventing attacks before they occur."

Similar analyses on the effectiveness of gathering so much online metadata haven't been done since much less is known about the programs collecting them, says Tamir Israel, a lawyer with the University of Ottawa's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

Ultimately, the invasion of privacy is disproportionate to the benefit, he says.

Earlier this week, a report by Europe's top rights body said that mass surveillance programs are endangering fundamental human rights, including the rights to privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said it is"deeply worried" about the use of secrecy laws and secrecy courts — all of which is "very poorly scrutinized."

"In the long term, this type of unfettered surveillance is a really insidious thing that can really have very serious negative impacts on the way democratic institutions work," says Israel.

On mobile? Click here for a look at the step-by-step Levitation process

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'What's a Tim Hortons' voter? New dictionary explains

A new online dictionary is seeking to demystify obscure Canadian parliamentary terms and phrases for the average civilian — or should we say the "Tim Hortons' voter?"

If you've ever wanted to know who "Premier Dad" is, or what the name of a popular orange carbonated beverage has to do with Canadian politics, look no further.

Parli is a dictionary of Canadian politics started by Campbell Strategies, a public affairs consultancy firm. It was launched earlier this week.

"I think there are a number [of entries] that are amusing," says Barry Campbell, a former Liberal MP and president of the firm.

"This is also serious history, but I think top of the list of most amusing and almost forgotten might be 'Salmon-Arm Salute,' which was a rather crude gesture that prime minister [Pierre] Trudeau made from a train car."

Here are a few other entries you can find in the dictionary:

Do you know any other terms that the dictionary is missing? Leave a comment below. To submit terms directly to Parli, head to their website or send a tweet to @parlidotca.

"This will live and keep on going," Campbell says. "We're adding as we go. We will of course, in a very Canadian way, try to be very serious about the definitions but have a little bit of fun, too."

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Target's $8K cheque for student contest bounces - and organizer pays $5 penalty

Adam Normand was pleased when Target put up an $8,000 sponsorship for the student business competition he was organizing.

Target had given the Canadian Association of Business Students some money before to sponsor its central case competition, a venue for students to put their business skills to the test and make valuable connections with more established people in their fields.

So Normand, who manages CABS from Montreal, was disappointed when Target's $8,000 cheque bounced, even if he wasn't entirely surprised.

After all, organizers had tried to cash it on Jan. 15 — the same day the news broke that Target was pulling out of Canada.

"Their accounts were frozen," Normand said.

He also had to pay a $5 penalty for the bounced cheque.

Normand said the lost sponsorship money meant a lot of last-minute scrambling to shed expenses from the budget for the case competition, which is underway in Toronto.

He said the loss would mean less money for audiovisuals and online streaming, as well as less money for food, but that the conference would go on as scheduled.

Target would not answer CBC Daybreak's questions about the failed attempt at sponsorship.

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Harper's Tories tout tax cuts but taxman nabs $3.4B more

Numbers released in response to query filed by Liberal MP Ralph Goodale

The Canadian Press Posted: Jan 29, 2015 9:30 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 29, 2015 9:30 AM ET

Many Canadians may be looking forward to new federal tax measures helping their finances, but newly released figures show the government's own bottom line is getting a boost, thanks to a number of quiet tax and tariff changes.

Data introduced in the House of Commons this week shows the government will make an additional $3.4 billion in 2015-16 as a result of various tax changes it has implemented.

And those numbers don't include what the government is making on recently increased user fees for services like passports and immigration.

Deputy Liberal leader Ralph Goodale received the figures after he asked the government for a breakdown last year.

He says the numbers run contrary to the Conservative government's repeated narrative that they don't raise taxes.

In its response, the Department of Finance says the overall federal tax burden to Canadians is at its lowest level in more than 50 years.

CBC is not responsible for 3rd party content

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Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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54% of Lac-Mégantic residents had depression, PTSD after explosion: health report

Quebec health authorities' report into the health effects of the Lac-Mégantic, Que., train derailment and explosion and oil spill indicates nearly two-thirds of 800 people studied suffered human loss, and over half experienced negative feelings such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In July 2013, a freight train carrying 72 cars of oil derailed and exploded in the centre of Lac-Mégantic.

The explosion led to the deaths of 47 people, and an estimated 100,000 litres of oil spilled into the Chaudière River as a consequence of the derailment.

Estrie public health director Dr. Mélissa Généreux, public health specialist Dr. Geneviève Petit and Danielle Maltais, an expert on the health consequences of major disasters, presented their findings Wednesday in Sherbrooke.  

Interviews with the 800 residents of the Granit MRC (regional county municipality) found:

• 64 per cent had a human loss (fear for their lives or that of a loved one, was injured, etc.)
• 23 per cent had a material loss.
• 54 per cent had a negative perception (depression, post-traumatic stress, etc.)
• 17 per cent of people had an "intense exposure" (e.g. experienced all three of the above.)

Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche will react to the findings Wednesday afternoon. 

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Student hurt as school bus slides off road, Maritimes cleans up after blizzard

School cancellations and icy road conditions are plaguing the Maritimes for the second day in a row. 

Several school boards across the Maritimes have cancelled classes Wednesday, and treacherous road conditions have forced other cancellations and delays. 

In Eastern Passage, just outside Halifax, a school bus slid off the road and into a ditch. One student suffered minor injuries, say RCMP. (Catharine Tunney/CBC)

Freezing rain warnings across the Maritimes were lifted later on Wednesday morning, though icy spots on roads were still a problem in many areas. In Eastern Passage, just outside Halifax, a school bus slid off the road and into a ditch. One student suffered minor injuries, say RCMP.

The centre of Wednesday's nor'easter will continue to progress slowly, says CBC meteorologist Peter Coade, travelling the length of mainland Nova Scotia during the day and moving into the Gulf of St. Lawrence by early evening. It's expected to cross to Newfoundland and Labrador overnight.

"With the wind becoming strong northerly, in its wake, temperatures will be falling during the day today," says Coade. "A ridge of high pressure will build into the Maritimes overnight tonight with a clearing sky and make for a sunny Thursday.

"Next up, a disturbance moving in from the northwest to bring more snow, developing in northwestern New Brunswick Friday morning and slipping down to bring snow to the rest of the region before daybreak on Saturday."

Coade says there is a chance Nova Scotia could be mild enough on Saturday for the snow to change to rain.

This disturbance will move out before daybreak Sunday, and it will become sunny, but another snowy disturbance is expected for Monday.

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PayPal Canada freezes gardener’s account over Cuba connection

Two avid gardeners from Alberta have run afoul of Washington's Cold War sanctions against Cuba.

Brian and Jan Ficht, who live near Edson, had their PayPal Canada account frozen after they used it to pay for a three-week educational tour of Cuba's urban agriculture practices.

'I thought these were pretty simple processes. To me it was funny this little hiccup could come into a gardening course.'- Jan Ficht, gardener

Ficht said he had no idea he was conducting a transaction with an American company and would be subject to American laws.

"I'm one Canadian, dealing with another Canadian, through what I believe is a Canadian organization – PayPal.ca," he said.

"But in fact it's falling under the shadow of U.S. foreign policy."

Ficht and the tour operator he was trying to pay have both cancelled their PayPal accounts because of the experience, which Ficht describes as "economic imperialism."

Ficht said he wasn't sure what PayPal meant at first when it told him it was holding, then reversing his payment, because of its "acceptable use policy."

"If you try and call on the telephone, it's one of these half-hour phone queues where you wait and wait and wait. And when someone finally does pick up the line, they don't have anything to offer. It was quite frustrating," Ficht said.

Brian Ficht said he was unaware that PayPal was a U.S. company, as its website uses a .ca domain. (CBC)

PayPal Canada eventually responded by email telling Ficht it was restricting his account because of "activity that may be in violation of United States regulations administered by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)."

The company said while screening his account, it found that he "may be buying or selling goods or services that are regulated or prohibited by the U.S. government."

PayPal told Ficht that before reinstating his account he had to "agree to no longer undertake activities in violation of laws, regulations, and rules outlined in PayPal's user agreement."

Jan Ficht said she was surprised her interest in organic and sustainable vegetable growing would be red-flagged by the American government. Canada has always maintained trade relations with Cuba.

"It certainly made me feel like a bumpkin all of a sudden," she said.

"I thought these were pretty simple processes. To me it was funny this little hiccup could come into a gardening course."

Her husband tried reasoning with PayPal but all he got was a series of boilerplate emails, each of which began with, "As part of our security measures we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system," he said.

"Their response is totally unswerving. They're maintaining that I have contravened U.S. foreign policy and as such my account is frozen now," he said.

PayPal Canada subject to U.S. laws

In a statement, PayPal Canada spokeswoman Malini Mitra said the company is bound by American law.

"As a U.S. company, PayPal and all its foreign subsidiaries have to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions regulations. With respect to Cuba, payments involving non­-U.S. customers have to be declined as per OFAC regulations."

Despite recent signs of a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations, Washington continues to enforce a near-total embargo on trade with the Caribbean nation using a range of laws – including the Trading with the Enemy Act.

Ficht said he had used PayPal about 20 times previously and always assumed he was dealing with a Canadian company because he was using their Canadian website.

"It almost seems to be slightly deceptive," he said.

PayPal is one of many major companies, including Amazon and Google, which use the .ca internet domain name to "masquerade" as Canadian companies, according to Tom Keenan, a research fellow at the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute.

Despite a recent thaw in relations, America still maintains a trade embargo with Cuba. (CBC)

Despite being an American company, PayPal Canada is allowed to use .ca because it has registered its trademark in Canada and maintains an address in Toronto.

Keenan said such companies should be required to declare that transactions are being processed in the U.S. and will be subject to its laws.

"They don't have to go into all the details of the Patriot Act, [but] at least tell us that this transaction is going to be processed in another country. That seems only fair," said Keenan, the author of the book Technocreep: The Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy.

Customer, tour operator cancel accounts

Both Ficht and the tour company say they are through with PayPal.

"I will never use PayPal again until that has changed," said Ron Berezan, owner of the Urban Farmer in Powell River, B.C.

"To tell me this is unacceptable is an infringement on my own personal freedoms and the values of Canada, which of course vis-a-vis Cuba, are very different," Berezan said.

"It was a fairly easy conclusion on my part," Ficht said.

"I don't really need [PayPal] that badly that I have to be further involved in something that doesn't apply."

Jan Ficht will still get to go on the Cuban garden tour – the Fichts paid Berezan the old-fashioned way, with a cheque.

Statement from PayPal Canada spokeswoman Malini Mitra

"As a U.S. company, PayPal and all its foreign subsidiaries have to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions regulations. With respect to Cuba, payments involving non­-US customers, have to be declined as per OFAC regulations.

We have taken steps to improve the way we handle payments that may potentially violate U.S. sanction rules by placing them under review for a 72­-hour period instead of automatically declining these payments. Our goal is to deliver a seamless payment experience for all our customers. As part of the review process, we sometimes ask questions related to a customer's business and recent transaction history. The intent there is to clarify and help process the payment rather than decline it, in the event that it does not fall under U.S. sanction rules.

We are sorry for upsetting this customer. We will take your feedback into serious consideration as we take a closer look at our payment review process for Cuba-­related transactions."

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Wednesdays with @Kady: ISIS mission creep & budget date dragging

Live Chat Coming Up

Join our live chat with blogger Kady O'Malley at noon ET

By Kady O'Malley, Janyce McGregor, CBC News Posted: Jan 28, 2015 9:25 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 28, 2015 9:25 AM ET

The MPs are back in the House of Commons this week, and the CBC Politics team is back at the keyboard and ready to hear from you.

Today on our Wednesdays with @Kady live chat:

• Last week, the words "mission creep" started finding their way into opposition talking points, after military leaders disclosing not just one but now three occasions where Canadian Forces on the ground "training" Iraqi soldiers have had to return fire in defence against ISIS fighters. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his pride in this work, saying more than once that Canadian soldiers will shoot to kill when confronted by the enemy. And yet other allies (including the U.S. and the U.K.) doing similar work training Iraqis on the ground are not disclosing any firefights they've been in — only Canada. What's driving all this?
• Two pieces of anti-terrorism legislation are topping the Commons agenda as MPs return: a bill introduced last fall to give CSIS more powers is set for time allocation as the government seeks to speed its passage, while a new bill will be introduced Friday, the Harper government says, to give police and security forces more powers for surveillance and preventative detention of terror suspects. How essential are the new powers? Has the government found the right balance between Canadians' rights and security? Should the latest revealations from the Snowden document leak about Canadian surveillance activities give legislators pause?
• Since MPs last gathered, world oil prices and the Canadian dollar have taken a synchronized dive. Finance Minister Joe Oliver postponed the federal budget until at least April, as non-synchronized messaging emerged from the Harper cabinet and caucus room about whether program spending should be cut or the $3 billion contingency fund be drawn, in an effort to keep the Conservatives' balanced budget promises. What do you make of the Tories' messaging and response to the fast-changing fiscal circumstances they now find themselves in, with only months to go before the next election? 

Join us at noon ET. You can also talk to us on Twitter using the hashtag #WwK.

On mobile? Join the live chat here 

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Canadian workforce at lowest level in 14 years in 2014

Just 121,000 more Canadians found jobs in 2014 and the number of people in the workforce has fallen to the lowest level in 14 years, according to Statistics Canada.

That's because the growth in the number of Canadians of working age, which rose 1.1 per cent, outstripped the growth of jobs in the economy, which grew by 0.7 per cent.

The labour participation rate, a key measure of whether Canadians are working or looking for work, fell 0.6 percentage points to 65.7 per cent in December 2014 — the lowest since 2000.

Part of the decline is due to an aging population, as Canadians over 55 are less likely to participate in the workforce.

But a low labour participation rate also indicates many Canadians have lost confidence they can find work. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high.

Compared with December 2013, full-time employment increased by 158,000 jobs, while part-time employment didn't change much. The total number of hours worked increased by 0.6 per cent over the period.

Employment growth in the year was concentrated among men  25 and older. Most new employment was in the private sector, with little change from the previous year in the number of public-sector and self-employed workers.

Employment grew in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario in 2014, but declined in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as New Brunswick.

At the end of the year, the unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent, down 0.5 percentage points from December 2013 — revised from the previous estimate of 6.6 per cent unemployment.

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Schools closed, flights cancelled as blizzard bears down on Maritimes

Blizzard warnings have been issued for almost every county in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick as a winter storm hits the Maritimes.

Snow started in the Halifax region just after 5 a.m. AT, and strong winds continue to build in the region.

Many schools, businesses and city services are closed for the day.

Dozens of flights into and out of the Maritimes — at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, as well as airports across New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island — have been delayed or cancelled in the wake of the storm.

Travellers are advised to check their flight's status before heading out to the airport.

A low pressure system is continuing to intensify as it makes its way from the eastern U.S. up the Atlantic seaboard to the Maritimes. 

Heavy snow over the southwest Maritimes is forecast to spread northeastward over the rest of the region by Tuesday afternoon. 

Strong winds, gusting to 100 km/h or more, will produce blizzard-like conditions with near-zero visibility, Environment Canada warns.

N.S. blizzard: Storm chips2:19

24 hours of snow, wind

The storm is expected to dump as much as 15 to 30 cm of snow throughout the region, though snowfall totals could be higher in some areas.

"Over parts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, snow will mix with or change to ice pellets and freezing rain later this afternoon, then rain in the evening. Elsewhere the snow will taper off overnight or Wednesday," Environment Canada said.

CBC Meteorologist Peter Coade says this storm is slow-moving. 

"This feature will track to the east-northeast to be centred over Yarmouth just after daybreak [Wednesday] morning and then slowly track the length of Nova Scotia to move off the northern tip of Cape Breton by mid-evening Wednesday," he said. 

"This is one of the reasons for the blizzard warnings — the slow motion of the storm centre over the region — maintaining the snow and wind for about 24 hours in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island."

Coade said the snow should let up Wednesday evening on New Brunswick and P.E.I.

In Nova Scotia, the snow is forecast to change to rain and freezing rain Tuesday afternoon. In Nova Scotia, winds are expected to taper off by Tuesday afternoon, but are forecast to stay strong for the rest of the Maritimes until later Wednesday. 

Snowstorm vs. blizzard: What's the difference?

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for a huge swath of the U.S.'s Northeast corridor, from New Jersey up to Massachusetts, meaning potential white-out conditions as heavy snow swirls amid gusting wind

The weather service says a blizzard includes sustained or frequent wind gusts of 35 m.p.h. (56 km/h) or greater and considerable falling snow that lasts for at least three hours.

This storm is expected to last up to 36 hours in some locations, forecasters said. But another storm could be looming ahead of next weekend.

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Alleged Regina identity fraudsters face similar charges in Alberta

One of 23 alleged victims of identity fraud in Regina wonders why the man who was charged, and has a long history of fraud convictions, was released on bail just two weeks before the Saskatchewan incidents. 

Marino Vecchioli spoke to CBC's iTeam about the case involving James Donald Provost, of no fixed address, who faces 58 charges related to mail theft, forgery, impersonation and identity fraud.

Vecchioli said that in mid-November, a credit check was done on him as part of his efforts to buy a car.

James Donald Provost faces 58 charges related to mail theft and forging personal identification like health cards and driver's licenses in Regina. (CBC)

"I noticed that there were four or five inquiries that I didn't do. So I was like, 'What the hell is this?'" Vecchioli recalled. 

He learned someone had applied for a variety of credit cards, using his information, without his knowledge. 

"And I didn't know how they got my [information], so we looked into it a little further and I found out they must have got some of my mail," Vecchioli said. 

He said mail addressed to him had been delivered to a condo he owns that had been vacant for a few months, and he was shocked to learn perpetrators got two credit cards approved, using only his name and address, while making up the rest of the information.

According to court documents, Provost allegedly had a Saskatchewan driver's licence and an Ontario birth certificate bearing Vecchioli's name. Police allege the documents were, or appeared to be, forged. 

However, Provost has not been charged for offences related to credit card applications made in Vecchioloi's name.

Vecchioli said that now he's working with a credit agency to repair the damage caused by what he calls "a pretty big ordeal." 

"They're still actually working on it, like on fixing the credit report. It's still not even fixed yet. It's been over a month now."

Regina police allege Vecchioli and 22 other people were victimized by Provost between Nov. 16 and Dec.18. 

They said Provost targeted people and businesses from Prince of Wales Drive in east-end Regina to Hanbidge Crescent in the northwest. 

Police said Provost targeted people on Hanbidge Crescent in the northwest area of Regina. (CBC)

Provost was arrested in a Harbour Landing hotel room where police said they found equipment used to forge identity documents. 

They say he stole mail and forged correctional service inmate cards, health cards, Indian status cards and driver's licences. 

Provost is now on remand and set to appear in court Tuesday morning. 

Criminal record dates back to 1990s

Provost has a lengthy criminal record dating back to the 1990s. 

He faces more than 70 charges in Alberta, where it's alleged he forged documents, stole mail, impersonated people and possessed identity documents belonging to dozens of people. 

His Alberta court date is set for later this year.

Despite the long list of charges, Provost was released on $5,000 bail on Oct. 31, just days before he is alleged to have begun a crime spree in Saskatchewan. 

"It's crazy to me," Vecchioli told CBC's iTeam, "You know they're going to do it again. Why would you give them $5,000 bail? Why would you give them bail at all?" 

"Keep the guy locked up and that way he can't do what he is doing." 

Sergeant Bob Koroluk, head of commercial crime for the Regina Police Service, leads the team investigating the forgery cases. (CBC)

CBC's iTeam asked the head of commercial crime for the Regina Police Service, Sgt. Bob Koroluk, about Provost's previous record. 

"Any police officer would be disturbed when that happens, when criminals come from other provinces, come here to Regina and commit the same offences that they've committed somewhere else," Koroluk said.

"Everybody's disturbed." 

But Koroluk said he's not necessarily surprised. 

"We see it all the time," Koroluk explained. "There [are] criminals that never learn."

2nd Regina ID fraud ring linked to Provost

The same day warrants were issued for Provost's arrest, police were rounding up another group of suspects in Regina who were accused of identity fraud and theft. 

One of the accused, Brad Waselenchuk, appears to have been an associate of Provost's in Alberta. 

In Regina, he was charged with identity fraud and theft, possession of stolen mail, possession of forged documents and fraud over $5,000. 

Last March, in Alberta, Waselenchuk and Provost faced similar allegations when they were charged together with theft of mail and various fraud offences.

They were both released on bail on Oct. 31. Waselenchuk was let go on a promise to pay $2,000 if he violated his bail conditions.

Like Provost, Waselenchuk also has a lengthy record of fraud convictions dating back to the 1990s. 

Koroluk said police have no evidence to suggest the two men were working together in Saskatchewan. He said the incidents are being investigated separately. 

Ex-RCMP head wants tougher white-collar crime penalties

Police say Provost stole mail and forged correctional service inmate cards, health cards, indian status cards and driver's licences. (CBC)

The former director of the RCMP's proceeds of crime unit, Garry Clement, said this story highlights a problem with the way Canada treats fraud. 

"Canada has to start treating white-collar criminals with some severity because the unfortunate part is there isn't any respect of the damage they are doing to these individuals [victims] and in some cases, it's life changing for some of these people," he said.

Clement, who now runs a private security firm, said sentences in this country for fraud and other financial crimes are "a borderline joke." 

"The trend has been in the last few years that you are seeing more and more organized crime groups moving into the white-collar crime arena," Clement said. 

"The returns are pretty good and the risks are absolutely minimal. We've been known for a long time to be very soft on white-collar crime."

Clement said frauds are difficult to investigate and prosecute, yet the criminals often end up serving just a few months before getting back out on the street. 

He said Canada should consider more severe penalties, such as five to 10 years in prison, for habitual white-collar criminals. 

"They'd probably think twice of it. I am not saying it is going to eliminate it, but at least there's consequences for being a serial white-collar criminal."

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60 millionaire immigrant investors to be offered permanent residency

Canada will start accepting applications from millionaire immigrant investors and their families on Wednesday under a revamped version of a program critics once denounced as "cash for citizenship."

The government announced in December it would give permanent residency to international investors who can invest $2 million in Canada, in an effort to attract experienced business people who could give the Canadian economy a boost.

The new Immigrant Investor Venture Capital program will open on Jan. 28 to Feb. 11 or until a maximum of 500 applications are received, the government quietly announced before MPs returned to Ottawa this week.

"This pilot program is designed to attract immigrant investors who will significantly benefit the Canadian economy and better integrate into our society, which will contribute to our long-term prosperity and economic growth," Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said in a written statement.

No more than 60 principal applicants will receive permanent resident visas under the pilot program, even though the government says it will accept up to 500 applications.

Each investor will be required to make a non-guaranteed investment of $2 million over approximately 15 years into a fund managed principally by BDC Capital, the investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada.

The government said the fund "will invest in innovative Canadian startups with high growth potential."

"Proceeds from the IIVC fund will be distributed to the immigrant investors periodically… based on the performance of the investments," a spokesman for Alexander said in an email to CBC News.

The details of the program along with the selection criteria to apply appear in the latest ministerial instructions published in a government publication over the weekend.

The government is hoping to have better luck with this program than it did with the last one.

"Under the former Immigrant Investor Program (IIP), immigrant investors had to invest $800,000 in Canada's economy in the form of a repayable loan, without meeting skills and abilities requirements of most of Canada's economic immigration programs," the government acknowledged in a public statement before MPs returned to Ottawa this week.

"Research indicated that immigrant investors under the previous program were less likely than other immigrants to stay in Canada over the medium to long term. Also, they contributed relatively little to the Canadian economy, earning very little income and paying very little tax."

The pilot immigrant investor program comes after the government said it scrapped the old program — which critics had described as "cash for citizenship — because it had been riddled with fraud.

The program had also been put on hold in 2012 because of a huge backlog of applications. 

Thousands of millionaires who had been waiting for permanent residency under the program sued the federal government after it wiped out the backlog of applications.

A Federal Court judge ruled against the more than 1,000 would-be investor immigrants last June.

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Ottawa's David Shentow survived 'hell on earth' at Auschwitz

At 17, David Shentow didn't know he had arrived at the Nazis' most notorious camp when he was ordered off a train outside Auschwitz at 4 o'clock in the morning in the fall of 1942.​

He recalled a "bad feeling" when told to leave his luggage on the train but the horror of the camp was revealed minutes later — even before he heard of the gas chambers.

David Shentow says the year he spent at Auschwitz was "hell on earth." (CBC)

One man asked the SS if he could take a picture, Shentow told CBC News more than 70 years later.

"They let the dogs loose. And a German Shepherd jumped on that man, straight on his neck. The moaning, the crying, the yelling — heartbreaking. And this was just in front of me," he said. "Blood gushing out of his neck and from his mouth and from his ears. I knew he was dead. 'My god, where am I?'"

Nearby, he said a young woman stepped off the train with a crying baby in her arms.

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WATCH | David Shentow's full story on CBC TV News starting at 5 p.m.

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"The SS walked over to her and pointed, 'Keep it quiet,'" he said. "No matter how hard she was trying to keep the baby quiet, the baby started to cry louder. He ran over to her, grabbed the baby by the legs and threw it against the train. Then I knew, I'm in hell."

Shentow watched those perceived as weak and old get triaged to the left but he was ordered to the right. 

"I knew right there and then, I was given another lease on life," he said.

In the years that followed, Shentow doubted he would survive.

"There are no words. It was hell on earth. As a matter of fact when they ask me, 'Was it really that bad?' I say, 'No. It was 100 per cent worse," he said.

Auschwitz was liberated on January 27, 1945. By then, Shentow had been relocated to Dachau concentration camp. He would not be liberated until April 29, 1945 — his 20th birthday.

Shentow was tattooed as prisoner 72585 at Auschwitz — a mark that remains on his arm to this day.

He remembers passing under the camp's gates that read, "Arbeit macht frei" (one translation reads "Work will set you free"). He worked 10-hour days but soon came to realize that labour was not the camp's main goal.

More than 70 years have passed since David Shentow was tattooed as prisoner 72585 at Auschwitz. (CBC)

"We had to carry heavy stones. Then I saw other prisoners carrying the same heavy stones back to where I picked them up in the first place. So, I knew it was a death camp  — this was not a working camp," he said. "We always had to carry back the dead ones because quite a few died during work."

Once a day, prisoners would be fed a small ration of bread and soup — even during the cold winter months after long days of work, he said.

"That question comes out often: How did I survive? When I was liberated, after three years of hell, I couldn't find the right words. I just don't know how I made it. And even today, 70 years later, and I'm still here. Maybe God is watching over me," he says.

He said 17 of his family members, including his parents, sisters, uncles and aunts, did not survive the camps.

"I felt guilty to survive," he said.

Originally from Antwerp, Belgium, Shentow moved to Canada in 1949. 

"I felt it's time to start a new life," he says. Shentow lives in Ottawa.

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Watch the 2015 Juno Award nominations LIVE at 11 a.m. ET

New

Watch the announcement being livestreamed here from Toronto, starting at 11 a.m. ET

CBC News Posted: Jan 27, 2015 9:53 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 27, 2015 10:15 AM ET

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is revealing today from Toronto the artists in the running for the 44th annual Juno Awards.

Tuesday's announcement by CARAS will be part of a special presentation from The Danforth Music Hall starting, at 11 a.m. ET.

Watch a livestream of the announcement here or on mobile here.

The Junos recognizes excellence in popular Canadian music in 41 categories, including best songwriter, album and single of the year.

Calgary's Kiesza is one of four performers announced to play the 2015 Juno Awards ceremony in Hamilton, Ont. in March. (Adam Gasson/MTV Europe/Getty Images)

The awards will be handed out in a a star-studded gala on March 15 from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.

A number of big Canadian acts are slated to perform, including:

More announcements on Juno performers and hosts are expected in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the 2015 awards gala range from $39 to $149, and can be purchased at FirstOntario Centre, by phone at 1-855-872-5000 and online at Ticketmaster.ca.

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Made-in-Canada video games to watch for in 2015

Link, Batman, Nathan Drake and Lara Croft are all scheduled to reprise their roles in 2015's high-profile games. With few exceptions, the most anticipated video games slated for release this year reveal few surprises.

But the games coming out of Canada's development scene show something different. Big budget sequels share the spotlight with independent studios showing off their creativity and pushing the boundaries of the medium.

Here's a look at some of the most promising video games which are in the works and made in Canada we hope to see released in 2015 (release dates for these games aren't yet finalized).

Below: Toronto-based independent studio Capy has earned accolades worldwide with their quirky humour, punctuated by last year's shooter Super Time Force which includes, among other oddities, the ability to play as Sony CEO Shuhei Yoshida blasting enemies with weaponized tweets.

Capy's next game, Below, takes a slower, more deliberate pace. You play an unnamed warrior exploring a giant, mysterious island with unknown horrors hidden in a randomly generated maze. Composer Jim Guthrie's ethereal soundtrack sets the tone for a grown-up, haunted-house take on The Legend of Zelda. (for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One)

The Long Dark: The debut game from Vancouver Island-based Hinterland Studios has already sold more than 250,000 copies and amassed rave reviews – and it isn't even finished yet.

Hinterland launched an 'early access' version of the game in September. It earned praise for its take on the survival horror genre, replacing supernatural threats like zombies with a more realistic enemy: nature.

The full version of The Long Dark will feature Edmonton's Mark Meer voicing a bush pilot named William McKenzie (a shout-out to Canada's 10th prime minister) who faces brutal Canadian conditions with only his wits and supplies scavenged from his surroundings. (for Microsoft Windows and Mac)

Assassin's Creed Victory: Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series is one of the giants of gaming today, but it's had a rough time of late. Last year's Assassin's Creed Unity, set in a meticulously recreated Revolutionary Era France, was panned for an uninspired storyline and game breaking technical glitches. Ubisoft's Quebec City studio is taking the lead in the next game, throwing the player in a conspiracy-ridden Victorian London setting.

We're not sure if Victory will satisfy where Unity disappointed, but the Creed games manage to do something new with its formula every instalment. So we're interested in how this one will turn out, if only out of curiosity (for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows). 

Knight and Damsel: Let's say you're a gallant knight on his way to save a princess. But what if she doesn't want to be saved? That's the idea behind Knight and Damsel, "a two player feminist puzzle platformer." Each player takes half the screen, and can impede the progress of each other: the knight throws obstacles into the princess's path slowing her down so that he can rescue her. The princess, meanwhile, does the same to keep him away allowing her to rescue herself.

The concept for Knight and Damsel was built in three days at the Toronto Game Jam in 2014 and a full release is expected this spring. (for Ouya)

Severed: DrinkBox Studio flexed its creative art-house style with 2012's Guacamelee, where you played a Lucha Libre wrestler-slash-superhero who battles against villains based on Mexican folklore. Their signature style—dipped in deep purple and green tones and full of angular, surreal imagery—is unmistakable in their next game,​ Severed.

In Severed, you play as a one-armed heroine who fights demons and monsters while trying to piece together her fractured memories. Sword slashes with the use of the PlayStation Vita's touch screen feature prominently in trailers. Severed could be the game to revitalize the lagging sales of Sony's portable system. (For PS Vita)

Cuphead: Studio MDHR, a tiny independent team headed by Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, two brothers from Regina, have been working on their debut game Cuphead since 2010. Taking after the surrealistic, pre-Steamboat Willie cartoons of the 1930s, the team is hand-drawing every single frame of animation and background art that will appear in the game.

The titular Cuphead, a wide-eyed cross between Mickey Mouse and the Kool-Aid Man, is the product of a painstakingly hardcore approach to making a game with retro sensibilities. (for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows).

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'One-sided' realtor representation contract leaves homebuyer with $12K of debt

Ajit Bains says he was tricked into signing a representation contract with a Homelife Superstars realtor — leaving him  with a lien on his home and $12,280 in debt.

The 45-year-old Ontario man, who immigrated to Canada from India in 1990, predominantly speaks Punjabi and has limited English skills.

When he decided to buy a house for his family in 2011, he trusted word of mouth for a recommendation on a real estate agent.

That led him to Charandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who goes by the name D.P. Dhaliwal, an agent with Homelife Superstars Real Estate in Brampton, Ont.

With his 17-year-old son Dalraj helping to translate, Bains told Go Public that Dhaliwal showed him a few houses, and in April 2011, he put a written offer on two homes.

Bains said those offers fell through and soon after his relationship with the real estate agent changed. He says Dhaliwal became too busy to show him more houses when asked and eventually there was no contact at all.

In August 2011, Bains met Re/Max realtor Aamir Yaqoob, who showed Bains one house. 

Bains bought it, the deal closed and Yaqoob and the seller's agent, Ravinder Toor, who coincidentally worked for Homelife Superstars Real Estate, collected $20,000 in commissions.

Bains said he was happy with the deal until he got a letter informing him he had signed a representation agreement with Dhaliwal and now owed him $12,280.

Representation Agreement - Ajit Bains - D.P. Dhaliwal (PDF)
Representation Agreement - Ajit Bains - D.P. Dhaliwal (Text)

On mobile? Click here to see the representation agreement

Bains told Go Public he was confused. He hadn't spoken to Dhaliwal in months and had no recollection of signing a representation agreement. He only remembers signing the offers that fell through.

Bains says he pointed out that Dhaliwal had no role in the purchase of his new house and his business with him had ended months ago, but to no avail.

He asked Dhaliwal for the original contract, but Bains says he only provided a copy, which showed Bains's signature on a year-long buyer representation agreement.

Charandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who goes by the name D.P. Dhaliwal, an agent with Homelife Superstars Real Estate in Brampton, Ont. This image is taken from an un-related real estate website. (condoandhomes.ca)

The agreement also included a 90-day "holdover" period, which stated, even after the contract expired, Bains would still have to pay Homelife Superstars Real Estate a commission if he purchased a home with another agent during that period.

Bains says he was stunned.

Dalraj Bains told Go Public he and his father don't know for sure when the representation agreement was signed, but they suspect it may have been slipped in with the offer for the first house.

"The contract was signed on a certain date my Dad put the offer on the house, so we believe the papers were signed within the offer papers, without my dad knowing," he said.

The teen believes his father was taken advantage of, pointing to an English progress report from 2007 which put his father's comprehension and vocabulary skills at a Grade 3/4 level.

English language progress report - Ajit Bains - 2007 (PDF)
English language progress report - Ajit Bains - 2007 (Text)

On mobile? Click here to see the English progress report

"His English and his reading skills aren't that good ... He also had trust in his new friend basically and he didn't think someone of the same religion would do something like that to him."

In broken English, Ajit Bains told Go Public he specifically asked Dhaliwal what he was signing and was told it was just the offer, nothing more.

"And he suggest just for this house. I asked again. I say, 'Is just for this house?' That's what he say."

Dhaliwal and Homelife awarded money

The issue went to small claims court in January 2013.

Court transcripts show Dhaliwal said he explained the agreement to Bains in English, not Punjabi, believing Bains understood.

Ajit Bains's 17-year-old son Dalraj helped to translate his father's comments for Go Public. (CBC)

Dhaliwal also told the court the two men were the only ones in the room when the papers were signed. 

In the end, a judge awarded Dhaliwal and Homelife Superstars Real Estate the money they were seeking. 

"I have no reason to believe that fraud was committed on Mr. Bains by Mr. Dhaliwal. Nor do I have reason to believe that he misrepresented anything. The document was there for him [Bains] to read and sign, " Judge Marvin Kurz wrote in his judgment.

The judge also wrote:

"Let me say as an aside and in some ways truly I suppose is obiter dictum [an observation by a judge on a point of law not directly at issue] in what makes this decision particularly difficult is I do not think this agreement is fair. I think it is very one sided … But there are many one-sided agreements the courts have to uphold."

Dhaliwal's lawyer then put a lien on Bains's new home until the debt was paid. 

Dhaliwal asked Go Public to direct our questions to his lawyer, Balwinder Sran. Both men told Go Public the issue was settled in court and they have nothing more to say. Homelife Superstars Real Estate failed to answer any questions.

'That is seriously not right,' says analyst

Situations like Bains's have some calling for tougher rules when it comes to representation agreements. 

Don Campbell, author and senior analyst at the Real Estate Investment Network, says representation agreements are designed to protect buyers, sellers and agents. But they can be prone to abuse. 

"If these agreements are used unscrupulously ... it's like walking into a car lot and before they'll even show you a car, asking you to sign an agreement [saying] if you ever buy a car anywhere in this city we get paid. You see the ridiculousness in that," Campbell says.

For more than 20 years, the Real Estate Investment Network has been analyzing real estate markets across Canada and Campbell says something's got to give.

Don Campbell, author and senior analyst at the Real Estate Investment Network, says representation agreements are designed to protect buyers, sellers and agents. (CBC)

"Does it need to change? Yes. does it need to be more specific? Yes. From the real estate boards across the country they have to find a way to make it more fair for the consumer.

"If the realtor on the other side, all they did was get that document signed, they are going to get paid whether you buy a house tomorrow or 15 months from now. That is seriously not right."

Campbell says the contracts are often included in the early paperwork. He suggests anyone buying or selling real estate refuse to sign a representation agreement that early in the client-realtor relationship.

"If you are forced to sign a buyer's representative agreement before you've done any work with them, I would put the brakes on."

When clients do sign, Campbell says they need to know any part of the agreement can be changed.

Realtors not expected to assess competence

When all other avenues failed for Bains, he and his son turned to the Real Estate Council of Ontario, filing a complaint against Dhaliwal with RECO in early 2014. 

That too was unsuccessful.

Bruce Matthews, deputy registrar, regulatory compliance with RECO, told Go Public he can't speak about specific cases, but says the onus is solely on buyers when it comes to real estate deals. 

"Generally speaking if you are able to … write your signature, we don't expect our real estate professionals to be assessing competence," he says. 

Individual provinces are responsible for regulating how real estate is bought and sold. But none impose limits on the length of time an agent can lock a client into a contract.

Bruce Matthews, deputy registrar, regulatory compliance with RECO, told Go Public he can't speak about specific cases, but says the onus is solely on buyers when it comes to real estate deals. (CBC)

There also seem to be no databases in Canada where agents are obligated to check on existing agreements before signing a new client.

"The best protection consumers can have is information. The more educated they become about the process, the more educated they become about the sorts of things they will be signing in the course of the real estate transaction, the better protected they are going to be," Matthews says.

Debt will take more than 3 years to pay off

Bains is now paying Dhaliwal, through his lawyer, $300 a month until the debt is paid off. Bains says that's all he can afford.  

His son says the family has asked the lawyer for a terms of agreement, but Sran has yet to provide one.  

"What the lawyer said was, 'You have my trust – just keep on paying the $300 money and really after that I'll take off the lien on the house that was placed. You don't need to worry about anything else.'"

At $300 a month, the debt will take 3½ years to pay off and Bains says his family is worried, because they are saddled with a debt they can't afford and another agreement that they worry could lead to more trouble.

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Unconscionable advantage? 

Go Public asked University of Calgary associate law professor Evaristus Oshionebo under what circumstances a contract could be thrown out in court. He points to two possibilities:

• The consumer has to prove not only that the misrepresentation was made to him, he also has to prove that the misrepresentation induced him to sign the contract.
• Then there's the issue of what's called unconscionable advantage. In legal terms, it refers to a contract where there is an unfair balance of power – and one party has taken advantage of another. 

Bains's lawyer failed to raise unconscionable advantage as a possible defence in court.

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