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Charged with with two counts of Theft Under $5,000 and two counts of Fraud Under $5,000 is Tyler Stewart, 23 yrs of North Bay, ON. Stewart was charged after an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police, Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission relating to problems with lottery ticket redemptions.

A North Bay convenience store was where customers who had purchased winning scratch and win tickets were denied payment of their winnings when they attempted to redeem the tickets at the store. The customers were told that the winning tickets they were trying to redeem were already registered as having been paid out.

Tyler Stewart was employed at the convenience store at the time of the incidents. The Ontario Provincial Police say that the investigation is ongoing. Stewart is currently scheduled to appear in North Bay Court on 18th of March 2008.

The latest release of the annual United Nations Development Program's Report for 2007-8 on Climate Change and Human Development has Canada sitting at number four on the development index. Last year the UN ranked Canada at sixth overall.

John Baird the minister in charge of the environment in Canada has responded to the report by saying, "Canada will continue to work hard within the UN-led process this December in Indonesia, to ensure that the world heeds the warnings on climate change. Our Government shares the United Nations' belief that the upcoming conference in Indonesia will start the process towards a post-2012 agreement. We will work constructively with our international partners to establish a way forward on an agreement that is global, balanced and achievable."

Clearly wanting Canadians to think that the Conservative government has delivered on the environment while being only one of two Western industrialized nations to stall on all recent climate change agreements, of which Baird says, "This report reinforces what our Government has been saying again and again - that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today."

The UN report is conducted by rating most of the countries in the world on educational, economic and health indicators. This data is correlated into their human development index.

There is a $2000 reward being offered by the TransLink transit operators union for information on a man who brutally assaulted a bus driver on July 26 in Vancouver at 6th and Main Street. The assault took place in mid-afternoon.

The Vancouver Police Department did initially detain a suspect, but the suspect was allowed to go free when any witnesses who came forward at the time could make no positive id. An accomplice was also briefly detained and released.

Jim Houlahan who is the Vice-President of CAW 111, says that as of today there have already been 123 assaults against transit staff in 2007. In 2006, there were a recorded 241 assaults on transit staff in Greater Vancouver.

"The bus driver was punched in the head 10 times, then kicked in the head when he was knocked to the ground - all for simply asking the rider to see proof of fare purchase. We are determined as a union to put a stop to these vicious and cowardly assaults on our members - assaults which not only seriously injure bus drivers but put all passengers at risk as well." Sutherland said.

Hubris in the North is a new report from The Fraser Institute and according to the findings within, the Canadian Firearms Registry has not improved overall public safety.

Citing the rise in the homicide rate and the recent high number of gang-related murders, Gary Mauser, the author of the report, says, "In 1995, the government promised Canadians that the gun registry would reduce total criminal violence, suicide and domestic abuse, not just gun violence. But the legislation has failed to do that, primarily because it relies upon public-health research to justify a moralistic approach to firearms that exaggerates the danger of citizens owning firearms through pseudoscientific research methods."

Introduced in 1995 by the federal Liberal government, the gun registry and supporting legislation were passed to help reduce gun violence and accidents with firearms. The report by Mauser though contends that public safety has not improved.

Project P has snared another man with possession of child pornography. Project P is the Ontario Provincial Police Child Pornography Section. Project P working with Kawartha Lakes Police Service have laid charges against 33 year old Luke Gassien of Lindsay Ontario.

The arrest follows a Child Pornography investigation. Police executed a Criminal Code search warrant on a Lindsay residence on April 4. Inside police officers found and seized a desktop computer and CDs that they believe contains evidence of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Ontario Provincial Police note that the investigation is ongoing. Luke Gassien is scheduled for a bail hearing before the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay on April 4, 2007.

The Canadian Islamic Congress is urging Quebec’s prison guards union and provincial correctional authorities to reconsider a recent ruling that caused a Montreal Muslim woman to be dismissed as a guard trainee on grounds that her hijab compromises her safety.

The incident follows only weeks after the furor over a young Muslim girl from Nepean, Ont. who was ejected from a Quebec soccer tournament for similar reasons. With her teammates’ support, she has continued playing the game while wearing her sports-appropriate hijab.

"Unfortunately, it appears that the media and certain segments of society are homing in on the hijab as a convenient political football. This does nothing to address the deeper social and ethical issues of according genuine respect to anyone choosing to wear religious garb," said CIC.

One of the largest methamphetamine labs ever discovered is being currently investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Section.

The clandestine meth lab was discovered by chance at a rental cottage property in Gooderham, Ontario. The OPP were called to the property to investigate an attempted murder incident early Monday morning.

The resulting drug investigation ended with the seizure of approximately 21 pounds of suspected powdered methamphetamine. The estimated street value is over $950,000. Further to that, there was 1.75 pounds of suspected crystal methamphetamine which has an estimated street value of over $148,000.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, along with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, Frank Work, will jointly investigate how the database of TJX Companies Inc. was breached, and how it affects Canadians who shopped at Winners Merchants Inc. and HomeSense, which are owned by parent company TJX.

The federal Commissioner decided to launch an investigation of TJX to ascertain whether there has been a contravention of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. She will also investigate Winners and HomeSense following a complaint recently received by her Office.

"I am profoundly concerned about incidents of this nature that put at risk individuals' personal information," said Ms. Stoddart. "I look forward to once again working with Commissioner Work and his Office on a joint investigation, and to identifying corrective measures to ensure this kind of major privacy breach does not reoccur."

A new trend in generational wealth transfer promises to change the way Canadians look at inheritance, and how they plan for retirement. New research released by Investors Group shows that Canadians are looking at inheritance in a whole new way-in fact, the majority of Canadians -63 per cent believe it is best to give children financial gifts while the giftor is alive.

"Whether they want to lend their children a helping hand as they're getting their feet on the ground, or they want to watch their children enjoy the gift, Canadians are telling us that they believe its best to give financial gifts to their children during their lifetime," said Debbie Ammeter, Vice President of Advanced Financial Planning Support with Investors Group.

"This represents a significant change from the traditional practice of leaving an inheritance to children in a will, and it has significant implications for tax and estate planning."

A new City of Toronto Act was proclaimed thus providing Canada's largest city with broad powers and significant legislative freedoms.

"Today is historic not only for the City of Toronto, but for the whole province," said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Gerretsen. "Through this legislation, the McGuinty government has launched a new era by giving Ontario's capital city new powers and more autonomy commensurate with Toronto's size, responsibilities and significance."

"This legislation is the most important and significant change for the City of Toronto in the past century. It recognizes Toronto as a mature government and provides it with much-needed tools to meet its responsibilities to residents," said Toronto Mayor David Miller.

The City of Toronto Act, 2006 recognizes Toronto as a responsible, accountable government. The city is now better able to determine the appropriate mechanisms for delivering municipal services, determine the appropriate levels of municipal spending, and use new fiscal tools to support the city's activities.

With the Holiday season in full swing, gift cards are becoming a popular choice for consumers as they try to finish up their shopping lists.

Currently, governments in Ontario and Manitoba are moving towards regulating gift cards and are proposing to eliminate expiry dates, however, these new regulations will not be in place for this holiday season. While Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is actively working with these governments to develop and implement regulations, we encourage consumers to keep the following tips in mind when purchasing a gift card:

Premier Gordon Campbell, the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, and five Chiefs representing the Maa-nulth First Nations on Vancouver Island witnessed the joint initialling of the third Final Agreement reached under the British Columbia treaty process.

"I want to thank the Maa-nulth First Nations for the dedication and commitment they have shown in working with us to complete a final agreement that will increase certainty for the region, strengthen their respective communities and help close the social and economic gap between First Nations and non-First Nations on Vancouver Island," said Campbell. "This final agreement will define the rights and title of the Maa-nulth and provide them with the tools to become active participants in the economy. The benefits of this agreement will be felt throughout the region for generations to come."

"Every Canadian woman, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, daughter and granddaughter who is not already suffering from the reign of cuts to social programs and health care is about to feel the sting of those cuts," says Donalda MacDonald, CUPE Regional Vice-President from Prince Edward Island.

MacDonald is referring to the latest federal government wave of cuts to resources for women and children by Canada's Federal Conservative Government.

The Regional Vice-President of Canada's largest union representing hundreds of thousands of Canada's working women will join representatives of leading women's and human rights organizations, representatives of the private sector and key Parliamentarians at a roundtable on women's human rights taking place in Ottawa on Monday, December 11th 2006.

Today the former admitted terrorist Walid Shoebat was been refused entry into Canada by Immigration authorities. Shoebat was scheduled to speak at the Simon Weisenthal Center at 7:30 p.m. in Ottawa tonight and in Montreal tomorrow.

Walid Shoebat is often invited to speak about his life as a terrorist and about his transformation from extremist to peacemaker and activist against terrorism.

"The refusal by the Canadian authorities to let Walid Shoebat in the country shows the absurd policies of immigration officials," says Keith Davies, director of the Walid Shoebat Foundation. "Mr. Shoebat is trying to educate people about the dangers of terrorism, but is refused entry because he has admitted to his involvement in terror over 20 years ago. Why should the Canadian authorities want to silence his important message?"