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Poilievre calls on Ottawa to block RBC’s $13.5B takeover of HSBC Canada

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for the federal government to block Royal Bank of Canada’s $13.5-billion takeover of HSBC Canada as a way to help with housing affordability.Poilievre says in a statement that Canada’s banking sector is overly concentrated, and that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland should stop the deal to improve competition in areas such as mortgage rates. RBC spokesman Andrew McGrath says in a statement that the takeover is in the best interest of HSBC Canada clients and that the Competition Bureau’s review did not identify Competition Act concerns with the deal.In its review, the federal regulator said the takeover wouldn’t likely result in a substantial lessening of competition.The deal must still be approved by Freeland, whose decision will be informed by the regulatory review processes, says Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokeswoman for the minister.Critics have been pushing to block the deal since it was announced in...

Premiers ask Ottawa for COVID-19 small business loan extension

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

VICTORIA — Canada’s premiers have sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking the federal government to extend the repayment period for a year for interest-free loans given to small businesses and non-profits during the pandemic.The federal government’s Canada Emergency Business Account offered interest-free loans of up to $60,000 to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. B.C. Premier David Eby says in a letter to the prime minister that small businesses, like most other Canadians, are feeling squeezed by the rising cost of housing, groceries and other daily essentials, and just when they are starting to recover after the pandemic they are facing higher inflation and interest rates.The repayment deadline for CEBA loans to qualify for partial loan forgiveness is Jan. 18, 2024.The emergency business program approved $49.2 billion in loans to small businesses and not-for-profits during the pandemic. The letter follows the recent request by premiers D...

Woman’s body found in wooded area in Newmarket; homicide investigation underway

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

A homicide investigation is underway in Newmarket after a woman’s body was found in a wooded area on Thursday afternoon.York Regional Police say they were called to the area of Davis Drive and Prospect Street around 4 p.m. after getting reports that someone discovered human remains.Investigators say the remains of a woman were located in a forested area behind a medical building’s parking lot at the intersection of Davis and Bayview Parkway.The death has been deemed suspicious and the York Regional Police Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation. Police will remain in the area gathering evidence and canvassing witnesses.Anyone with information, including surveillance or dashcam footage of the area, are being asked to come forward to police.

Affordable Care Act provisions codified under Michigan law by Gov. Whitmer as a hedge against repeal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Federal law that prohibits insurers from denying healthcare based on preexisting conditions, or kicking dependents off their parent’s coverage until age 26, is now codified separately into Michigan law.Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Thursday that attempts to duplicate the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” into state law. The second-term governor said earlier this year that the proactive move was necessary to ensure Michigan residents “aren’t at risk of losing coverage,” due to future Supreme Court rulings.Under the package, insurers must provide no-cost essential services, including preventive, mental health and emergency services. They can’t deny or limit coverage based on gender identity or sexual orientation, or cap coverage in a given year or across a person’s lifetime. While “Obamacare” already includes those regulations, it has faced numerous legal challenges in its 13-year history, including several that have mad...

Baltimore to pay $48 million to 3 men wrongly imprisoned for decades in ‘Georgetown jacket’ killing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

Baltimore will pay $48 million to three Black men who each spent 36 years in prison for a high-profile killing they did not commit after police wrongly arrested them as teenagers, according to an agreement.The largest settlement in Maryland history was unanimously approved this week by the Baltimore City Board of Estimates, closing a federal lawsuit brought by the trio after their 2019 exoneration. The men alleged that detectives had a pattern of coercing witnesses, not just in their nearly 40-year-old case. The State’s Attorney for Baltimore City had found them innocent after a reinvestigation. Eyewitnesses renounced previous testimony that had contributed to the wrongful convictions.“These are men who went to jail as teens and came out as young grandfathers in their fifties,” Justin Conroy, the chief legal counsel for the Baltimore Police Department, told the board on Wednesday in a meeting shared on YouTube.Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins — known to...

Pro-Palestinian rally outside of Freeland’s office briefly shuts down section of Bloor Street

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

A pro-Palestinian rally outside the constituency office of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland briefly blocked Bloor Street in both directions at Spadina on Friday.The protesters are calling on Freeland and the federal government to do more to help the people in Gaza.Just after 1 p.m. the protesters cleared and the lanes reopened. A second protest is reportedly being planned for 3 p.m. in the Yonge and Gould streets area.DEMONSTRATIONBloor Street West/Spadina– taken over the roadway– traffic blocked in all direction#GO2436061 ^vkhttps://t.co/ORS2Y3hd55— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) October 20, 2023Police say no arrests have been made.

15-year-old, man shot Friday morning in Niles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

NILES, Ill. — A 15-year-old boy and a man were shot Friday morning in Niles.Officers responded to the area of Lyons and Woodland just before 10:35 a.m. on the report of shots fired.Police at the scene discovered a 15-year-old boy and a 33-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds.The boy was transported to a local hospital with a wound to an upper extremity. The man was transported with multiple wounds to the torso.No conditions were provided and it's unknown if anyone is in custody.Anyone with information can call police at 847-588-6570.

Police union & city near deal on raises, new homicide teams

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

CHICAGO — Despite pre-election fears that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson would “defund the police,” Chicago police officers would receive raises, retention bonuses and stipends for specialized training under a tentative deal reached with the police union and mediated by the Illinois Labor Board.Highlights of the agreement, per the union, include:16%-20% raises over four yearsRetention bonus for every officer of $2,500Stipends for officers with specialized crisis intervention, medical triage and bicycle unit training New Chicago police boss wants cops to be more aggressive Even police union president John Catanzara, who has criticized the Mayor's approach to crime, seemed pleased they’ve come to terms. “I want to thank the Johnson administration for their commitment to getting this deal done,” Catanzara told WGN Investigates. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The City Council would also need to approve the agreement, which comes after an e...

Hamas says it is releasing two U.S hostages

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

JERUSALEM — Hamas said Friday it was releasing two American citizens they were holding captive in Gaza since their Oct. 7 raid on Israel.The Palestinian militant group said in a statement that in an agreement with the Qatari government it was freeing a mother and daughter for humanitarian reasons.U.S. and Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the statement.Israel says Hamas has taken 203 people from Israel into Gaza.More on this story as it develops.

Bridgeview school, mosque in high alert after threats to Muslim community

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:01 GMT

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Muslim institutions around the Chicagoland area have been in high alert in response to the increasing number of threats. A father attending morning prayers with his children confirmed to WGN that parents received a letter notifying them that Asqa school had received a threat.According to the Sun-Times, Aqsa school in Bridgeview had been on a soft lockdown all week and middle school students were given homework packets and highschoolers will be attending classes virtually. Oussama Jamal, from the Mosque Foundation, told WGN their community has not seen such threats since 9/11. Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview also received a threat that said, "All Muslims must leave Bridgeview by Friday, Oct. 20 or die," with Fridays being the busiest day for mosques. "The person who made this threat knows exactly what goes on in this area, Friday is our big day," Jamal said. FBI warning Chicago residents about growing threat of hate crimes This week a Lombard man was charged f...