Highlights from the news file for Friday, March 31
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MCDONALD'S CANADA WEBSITE HACKED: McDonald's Canadian subsidiary says hackers breached the job section of its website, compromising the personal information of about 95,000 applicants over the last three years. McDonald's said Friday that names, addresses, phone numbers and employment histories were among the information exposed. The company said all applicants directly affected by the privacy breach would be notified by mail.
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BOMBARDIER UNDER PRESSURE OVER EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION: Several Quebec cabinet ministers say transportation giant Bombardier should review the compensation it provides to senior executives. Total compensation for the Montreal-based manufacturer's top five executives and board chairman Pierre Beaudoin was US$32.6 million in 2016, up from US$21.9 million the year before. Quebec gave Bombardier nearly US$1 billion last year while the federal government recently announced a $372.5-million loan package.
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CANADIAN OFFICIALS NOT ALARMED BY U.S. TRADE PROBE: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared unconcerned Friday about word the U.S. will probe some of its major trading partners for anti-competitive practices. U.S. President Trump was to sign an executive order Friday demanding a study within 90 days on whether some 16 of its partners use tactics that keep out American goods while boosting their own exports. Canada is among those on the list but Trudeau says his government will continue to impress on the Americans that the trading relationship means jobs in both countries.
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CANADIAN TROOPS HAVE BIGGER ROLE IN BATTLE FOR MOSUL: The military says Canadian special forces in Iraq have taken a more active role in the battle for Mosul, where the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant continues to hang on. The military says some of the nearly 200 Canadian special forces in northern Iraq have entered east Mosul to help Iraqi government forces secure that part of the city. It represents a significant shift — the Canadians had largely avoided Mosul and spent little time with the Iraqi military, working instead with Kurdish forces to the north and east.
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CANADIAN LOSES FAMILY MEMBERS IN LIBYA: A Canadian who tried to organize an aid shipment to relatives stranded in a conflict-ridden area of Libya says he recently found out most of his family members had died during his fruitless efforts to send them food and water. Ali Hamza of Mississauga, Ont., flew to Turkey with his wife and children last month to try to mobilize relief efforts for a militant-controlled neighbourhood in the city of Benghazi. But two weeks ago he was told that five of the six family members he was trying to help had died.
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NOTLEY TRYING TO DETERMINE BEST WAY TO APOLOGIZE TO INDIGENOUS FAMILIES: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says Alberta can't commit to any formal apology to indigenous families over the '60s Scoop without discussion on the best way to make it meaningful. She says Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Feehan is talking to affected groups, and once that is done Notley says the government will determine the best way forward. An estimated 20,000 aboriginal children were taken by child welfare agents starting in the 1960s and put into the care of non-indigenous families on the premise they would receive better care.
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HALIFAX JUDGE GIVES JAIL TIME TO HUMAN TRAFFICKER: A Halifax court has handed a seven-year prison sentence to a 21-year-old man who pleaded guilty to human trafficking and sexual assault charges last year. Judge Claudine MacDonald told the court Owen Ross Gibson-Skeir would have received a longer sentence had he not pleaded guilty to the most serious charges. The complainant in the case was 14 when she met Gibson-Skeir online.
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MONTREAL TOP COP SAYS CHANGE IN THE FORCE COULD TAKE YEARS: Montreal Police Chief Philippe Pichet says it could take nearly a decade to change the internal culture in his force. He presented a plan Friday to restore public confidence in Montreal law enforcement, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption and wrongdoing within its ranks in recent months. The provincial government announced last month it was broadening its investigation into the force after receiving new information that suggested there were "systemic issues," particularly with the force's internal investigations practices.
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MANITOBA MOUNTIE CHARGED WITH ABUSING HIS CHILDREN: A Manitoba RCMP officer has been accused of abusing his children. The officer, who isn't being named, faces charges of assault and assault with a weapon. Police are releasing few other details, but Manitoba's police watchdog is monitoring the RCMP investigation.
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JUNO AWARDS EXPECTED TO CREATE SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS: This weekend's Juno Awards show is shaping up to have its share of memorable highlights. The event is being held in Ottawa to mark Canada's 150th birthday, raising the likelihood of something special happening. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could put in an appearance and Juno organizers say this year's show will close with a surprise performance from a guest they're not revealing.
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The Canadian Press
