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Heart and Stroke foundation praises vape tax, some say it could grow illegal market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

Heart and Stroke Ontario is praising the Ontario government for implementing a new tax on vaping, saying they have been advocating for the measure for years. The province said in it’s fall economic statement that the federal tax on vaping products will double with the additional revenue going to the province of Ontario.Lesley James, Director of Health Policy and Systems for Heart and Stroke Ontario, said they have seen this type of tax help reduce the rates of vape use amongst young Ontarians.“We’ve seen about a hundred jurisdictions around the world introduce a vape tax to date and the preliminary results from these jurisdictions are similar to what we saw with tobacco, that rates go down after taxes implemented and youth are among the most price sensitive,” said James. “So because they have less disposable income, they feel the impact of a price increase that much more, and they’re more likely to be discouraged to use these products.”Stati...

‘We don’t feel safe’: Brampton residents terrified after string of break and enters caught on camera

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

Residents of a south Brampton neighbourhood say they’re distressed and concerned for their safety as thieves have been breaking into homes at all hours of the day and stealing vehicles.Concerned residents have been contacting CityNews to share security video of the alleged criminals in action. One such video shows two men wearing masks and hoodies aggressively trying to bust through the front doors of a home in the Streetsville Glen area in the Churchville neighbourhood. The suspects fail to gain access and flee on foot. In another incident three days ago, a different home was broken into, with security footage in that instance showing two suspects aggressively kicking and lunging towards a side door to gain access to the inside of the home.“It’s been several months now. We have had several break-ins. We have had a lot of cars stolen,” said Kiren, a woman who lives in the neighbourhood. “They come in, they scurry around and look for keys,” said St...

Supporters march in solidarity after arrests of Vancouver safe drug supply advocates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

VANCOUVER — Advocates for a safe drug supply gathered in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to denounce the recent arrests of the founders of the Drug User Liberation Front. The Vancouver Police Department raided the group’s office and arrested its co-founders, Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum, last week, saying the organization had publicly admitted to trafficking illegal drugs. Those at the rally and march say the group’s work saved lives by supporting drug users with safe substances instead of forcing them into the illicit market that has claimed thousands of lives in B.C. Leslie McBain with the group Moms Stop the Harm says the group was doing work that should be done by government, but it had to resort to civil disobedience as people continue to die from toxic drug consumption. McBain, who lost her only child to an overdose, says policymakers have been slow to take the kind of action needed to keep parents like her from losing more loved ones. Before the mass of hundred...

Man grabbed officer’s gun before deadly shooting in Saskatchewan: police watchdog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

ESTEVAN, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says a 19-year-old man grabbed an officer’s gun while he was getting his arrest photo taken, and an officer was shot and wounded.The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team says another officer then shot the man, who later died.Police had responded to a call Wednesday morning and found a woman suffering from serious upper body injuries in a home in Estevan, about 200 kilometres southeast of Regina.Karie Ann Guillas, who was 46, died in hospital.Her son was arrested and taken to police headquarters, where the shooting happened.Both the suspect and officer were flown to a hospital in Regina, where the injured officer was listed in stable condition.The response team, which investigates incidents involving police, said Friday it will examine the actions of police, and the RCMP are investigating the injuries sustained by the officer. Estevan police are investigating the homicide of the woman.This report by The Canadian Press...

Toyota is not advising people to park recalled RAV4 SUVs outdoors despite reports of engine fires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Toyota isn’t telling owners of 1.9 million recalled RAV4 SUVs to park them outdoors even though U.S. safety investigators have four complaints about engine fires that can start with the vehicles’ ignitions turned off.The recall, announced Wednesday by the company, came as the regulators were investigating engine fires caused by replacement battery problems in RAV4s, the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. that isn’t a pickup truck.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents detailing the probe that it received nine reports that the 12-volt batteries may have caused fires, loss of electrical power or engine stalling. In addition, the agency has eight reports of fires that started on the driver’s side of the engine compartment where the battery is located. Four reports said “thermal events” happened with the ignition off, indicating that it may be wise for owners to park the SUVs outdoors until they can be repaired. But Toyota spok...

Speaker Johnson led House passage of Israel aid. But the hard part comes next in confronting Biden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As new Speaker Mike Johnson grabbed hold of the House gavel, he made a plea for Americans to “give me a chance” before making up their minds about the newcomer’s ability to lead the far-right House Republican majority that elected him to power.What Johnson has shown in his first big test as the House passed a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package to Israel is that the easy-going social conservative is more than eager to lift up the priorities of his right flank rather than reach toward the political center in the name of compromise. By seeking to force the Israel-Hamas war package to be paid for with government spending cuts, something rarely required in emergencies of war or natural disasters, Johnson turned what’s normally an overwhelming bipartisan issue, support for Israel, into one that bitterly split Democrats from Republicans. President Joe Biden threatened a veto. It’s a stark example of what may come — or not. The looming government s...

Israel deports thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza’s war zone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Friday deported thousands of Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip back to the besieged territory, Palestinian authorities said, capping what many described as harrowing weeks trapped in legal limbo since their detention when the Israel-Hamas war erupted.Some workers, streaming by foot through an Israeli crossing that had been sealed shut since Hamas unleashed its brutal attack on southern Israel Oct. 7, told of violent mistreatment by Israeli authorities in detention centers. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations. “We sacrificed and they treated us like livestock over there,” one of the workers, Wael al-Sajda, said from the border, pointing to his ankle fitted with an identification bracelet.Al-Sajda was among the roughly 18,000 Palestinians from Gaza allowed to work in menial jobs in Israel. The permits have been coveted in Gaza, which has an unemployment rate approaching 50%. Israel began issuing ...

City investigating after building reportedly allowed residents into construction area where ceiling collapsed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

Multiple investigations have been launched looking into why the ceiling of a fitness space in a newly built condo suddenly collapsed, amid evidence the developer allowed residents into the restricted area without permission from the City of Toronto.The ceiling of the small gym area at 1808 St. Clair Ave. West collapsed early Thursday morning when two residents were reportedly inside. Debris could be seen scattered across the fitness room in photos and video shared with CityNews.Many residents had only just moved in to the building this past May and were given notice on Sept. 11 that the gym was open and their key fobs could be used to access the area.According to the city, the celling collapsed in an area of the building that it had not yet approved for the public to occupy and it should not have been accessible by those who lived in the building.However, Diamond Kilmer Developments said they are “in discussions with their construction manager, engineers, architects and city officia...

Burbank woman says father kidnapped, tortured while family escaped bombings in Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

CHICAGO — A Burbank woman spoke out on concerns for her family in Gaza amid constant bombardment. Her father who was also taken hostage by Israeli soldiers on Oct. 7, was released from captivity just Friday morning.Ghada Shuraab, born and raised in Southern Gaza, came to Chicago to pursue her education in 2018, but has lived her days in worry for her loved ones in Khan Younis, Gaza — especially after the initial attacks early October."My mom had asked my sister to take a different route to the store because the main street had been bombed. Right after she left, that street had been bombed. Luckily, she took a different route," Shuraab said. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, 32,000 wounded, and 2.3 million people have been displaced from their homes due to Israeli bombings since Oct.7. Trapped in hell: Palestinian civilians try to survive in northern Gaza, focus of Israel’s offensive More than 3,700 Palestinian children have also been killed in 25 days of bombardment. Tho...

Suspect in custody after teen shot 25 times at Joliet playground

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

JOLIET -- A 17-year-old will be tried as an adult after he allegedly shot a Joliet teen 25 times at a playground in May.According to the Joliet Police Department, officers were dispatched to the Warren Sharpe Playground on the 400 block of South Joliet Street on reports of a person shot around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30. Chicago vet shot, killed in 2021 still under investigation Antoine ShropshirePolice identified the person shot as 16-year-old Antoine Shropshire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Shropshire, who just finished his sophomore year at Joliet West High School, was initially shot in the head and then sustained around 25 gunshot wounds.Upon further investigation, the Joliet Police Department later identified Jaquan Blalock, 17, of Markham, as a suspect in the murder of Shropshire.On Thursday, the U.S. Marshals and Will County Fugitive Task Force arrested Blalock at a Hazel Crest residence two weeks after Joliet detectives secured an arrest warrant.Blalock has been cha...