National News

Ontario Const. Vu Pham remembered at his funeral as modern day hero
WINGHAM, Ont. - The widow of a provincial police officer who died after being shot on a rural southwestern Ontario road says she has had visions and nightmares of being at his funeral. Heather Pham spoke to the thousands of police officers from Canada and the United States gathered in Wingham to honour her husband, Const. Vu Pham, Friday.
      

Red and White House: Olympic bet has Obama spokesman donning Canada’s colours
WASHINGTON - Welcome to the Red and White House. U.S. press secretary Robert Gibbs wore Team Canada's colours to kick off Friday's daily briefing after losing a double-or-nothing Olympic bet to Canadian counterpart Dimitri Soudas, spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
      

Police confirm two dead, one injured in Edmonton car dealership shooting
EDMONTON - Employees and customers of an Edmonton car dealership were struggling to deal with a shooting Friday morning in which two men were killed and a third man sent to hospital. Police said shots rang out at Great West Chrysler Jeep, in the city's west end, shortly before 8 a.m. as customers were dropping off their vehicles to be serviced.
      

Mom, teen daughter killed in eastern Ontario; teen faces murder charges
BELLEVILLE, Ont. - Police say a teenager will be charged with killing a mother and her daughter in the small eastern Ontario community of Mountain View. They say the 18-year-old suspect from nearby Belleville, Ont., will appear in court Saturday.
      

Loonie races towards parity, touches 20-month high on back of labour report
TORONTO - The Canadian dollar is racing towards parity faster than even the most daring economists predicted, but the surge could have longer term effects as more manufacturers weigh whether they can afford a higher loonie and vacationers look to sunny U.S. destinations for deals. The loonie touched a 20-month high on Friday, briefly tapping 98.47 cents, its highest level since July 2008, on the back of an optimistic labour market report.
      

Dollar jumps almost a cent as Canada adds another 20,900 jobs
OTTAWA - The Canadian economy created thousands of full-time jobs last month, but most of the hiring came in the public sector, while private employers continued to shed positions as they recover slowly from recession. Nearly 21,000 full-time jobs were added, pushing the national unemployment rate down to 8.2 per cent from 8.3 per cent, its lowest level in nearly a year.
      

N.L. premier calls offshore chopper crash sad day in province's history
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Premier Danny Williams said Friday was a sad day in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador as people mark the first anniversary of a fatal helicopter crash. Seventeen people died when Cougar Flight 491 slammed into the ocean off the province's east coast on March 12, 2009.
      

Nova Scotia Liberal quits politics, but few reasons given for departure
HALIFAX, N.S. - A popular provincial Liberal abruptly resigned his Nova Scotia seat Friday under somewhat mysterious circumstances, saying only that he could no longer fulfil his duties and responsibilities in the legislature. While it isn't known if they are linked, shortly after Dave Wilson's resignation it was revealed the province's auditor general - who is conducting an audit into politicians' spending - had requested a meeting with him in late February.
      

Paralympics return to roots helping injured soldiers on final day of torch relay
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Paralympics are returning to their roots of helping injured soldiers Friday, the day the torch relay ends and the opening ceremonies mark the opening of the Games. The final day of the Paralympic relay will see the flame taken aboard a Canadian Forces helicopter and naval ship, and several injured soldiers have already carried the torch.
      

Free news on Net fails as business model for traditional news outlets: nsiders
MONTREAL - Media industry insiders are acknowledging that offering free news on the Internet has failed as a business model for traditional journalism outlets. Karen Dunlap, head of the Poynter Institute, says advertisers are not buying spots on news sites in the way newspapers and broadcasters once hoped.
      

Dennis Skulsky stepping down as head of Canwest's publishing division
TORONTO - Dennis Skulsky is stepping down as head of the publishing division of Canwest Global Communications Corp. in what he described Friday as a "very personal decision" that does not signal any change in strategic direction for the company, which is up for sale. Skulsky, president and CEO of Canwest Limited Partnership since 2006, said in an emotional memorandum to staff that he wanted to spend more time with his family as well as pursue opportunities closer to his home in British Columbia.
      

B.C. cop killer denied parole even after three decades behind bars
VANCOUVER, B.C. - A man who shot and killed four people, including a Richmond, B.C., Mountie, 30 years ago won't be getting out of prison. A National Parole Board panel has rejected Steven LeClair's request for full parole, day parole or even unescorted temporary absences.
      

RCMP say they couldn't urge Halifax police to speed up probe of officer
HALIFAX, N.S. - A Nova Scotia RCMP superintendent says the force couldn't ask another police agency to speed up an investigation into one of its officers because of potential interference. Chief Supt. Blair McKnight says they couldn't urge Halifax police to complete a probe within the required year because they didn't want to appear to be influencing the investigation.
      

Good luck getting your paws in these mitts: Paralympic mittens a rare souvenir
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Good luck getting your hands in these mitts. The red mittens that became the must-have memento of the Vancouver Games have been given an update for the Paralympics, with the unique Paralympic logo replacing the iconic Olympic rings.
      

Finance Minister Flaherty calls modest jobs growth in Canada ’encouraging’
TORONTO - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty calls the latest Canadian job numbers encouraging. Flaherty says the country's economy remains fragile, but calls the modest improvement in the unemployment rate a sign conditions are moving in the right direction.
      

Plea by two N.S. brothers charged with hate crimes expected in April
WINDSOR, N.S. - Two brothers charged with hate crimes after a cross was burned in the yard of an interracial couple in Nova Scotia are scheduled to enter pleas on April 19. Nathan Rehberg, 20, and Justin Rehberg, 19, appeared briefly in court in Windsor on Friday.
      

Inspection agency issues 2 food recalls over listeria, salmonella concerns
TORONTO - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a pair of food recalls because of concerns about Listeria monocytogenes and salmonella. The agency and Siena Foods Ltd. say a brand of Prosciutto Cotto Cooked Ham may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The product was sold to food stores in large packages for further slicing bearing "best before" dates of March 8 and March 22, 2010.
      

'We have set our tiny miracle free;' Baby Isaiah taken off life support in Alta
EDMONTON - Surrounded by family, a brain-injured baby died in the arms of his loving parents in an Edmonton hospital after they had spent months trying everything in their power to keep him alive. Rebecka and Isaac May went to court in January seeking to prevent doctors from unhooking their son Isaiah from a ventilator until they could get a second independent medical opinion. When those experts told them there was no hope their boy would ever recover, they made a decision no parent should ever face.
      

Nunavut man guilty of 1st-degree murder in shooting of northern Mountie
IQALUIT, Nunavut - Jury members broke into tears Thursday after finding a Nunavut man guilty of first-degree murder for shooting a Mountie in the head while the officer sat in his police truck. Pingoatuk Kolola, a 39-year-old father of six, was charged after RCMP Const. Doug Scott was shot at close range on the night of Nov. 5, 2007, in Kimmirut on Baffin Island.
      

Federal bill would create up to 45,000 new status Indians
OTTAWA - The federal government has introduced legislation to extend formal Indian status to the grandchildren of aboriginal women who married non-natives - a change that could add as many as 45,000 people to the Indian registry. The bill, introduced in the Commons on Thursday by Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, is in response to a 2009 B.C. court judgment which ruled that a law denying Indian status to the grandchildren was discriminatory.