Portal:Current events/Canada/Archive/2007

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December 1, 2007 (Saturday) edit

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December 2, 2007 (Sunday) edit

November 1, 2007 (Thursday) edit

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November 2, 2007 (Friday) edit

September 20, 2007 (Thursday) edit

Canada - Canadian Dollar reaches parity against the U.S. Dollar for the first time in 30 years. The dollar reached $1.0003 US just before 11am EDT which hasn't happened since November 25, 1976. Ultimately the exchange rate closed at 99.87c US. (CBC News) (Financial Post) (CTV News) (CNN) (WikiNews)

September 18, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

Montreal - President of Concordia University, Claude Lajeunesse, resigns after two years. Previously he was President of Ryerson University for 10 years. (Concordia News) (The Eye Opener (Ryerson University)) (Maclean's)

September 9, 2007 (Sunday) edit

Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the APEC summit in Sydney stated he wanted to see the completion of the Afghanistan mission before withdrawing Canadian armed forces. Harper has been determined to veto a parliamentary vote on the matter unless an end to the mission is with in the works. (CBC Canada)

August 24, 2007 (Friday) edit

Montreal - A large crack appears in The Bay Downtown Montreal's basement tunnel, a part of the Underground city, Montreal. Fearing the collapse of the slab holding up Maisonneuve Boulevard, a 15 block portion of Downtown Montreal is evacuated. The tunnel is part of the basement shopping area, and connects to the McGill metro station on the Green Line. (WikiNews)

July 11, 2007 (Wednesday) edit history watch

British Columbia reports a record surplus of $4.1 billion. CBC News Air Canada's application to stop transporting pets as checked baggage on international flights is suspended by the Canadian Transportation Agency. (Canada.com) Gary Merasty, the Liberal MP for Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, announces his intentions to resign in August. (Canada.com) Alberta nurses approve a three-year contract, making them the highest paid in the country. CBC News

July 10, 2007 (Tuesday) edit history watch

The Bank of Canada hikes its key interest rate a quarter point to 4.5 percent. (CBC News) Television personality David Onley is named the next Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. (Canada.com) War in Afghanistan - 2 Canadian soldiers are injured in a roadside bomb attack. (CBC News)

July 9, 2007 (Monday) edit history watch

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces eight new Arctic patrol vessels. (CanWest) Canada is eliminated from the first round of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. (Canada.com)

July 8, 2007 (Sunday) edit history watch

Two Alberta men are charged with first-degree murder for the fatal shootings of four RCMP officers in the Mayerthorpe Incident. (CBC News)

July 7, 2007 (Saturday) edit history watch

Four Canadian soldiers are injured in a suicide attack near Kandahar. (CBC News) Friends of Live Earth concerts occur in Montreal, Vancouver, St. John's and Toronto. (CTV)

July 6, 2007 (Friday) edit history watch

The Calgary Stampede, an annual 10 day rodeo festival, begins. (CBC News) The Ontario Human Rights Commission seeks provincial assistance in its backlog of over 1200 unadressed cases. (CBC News)

July 5, 2007 (Thursday) edit history watch

Shawn Brant, a Mohawk protestor who led the blockade of of a railway line and several highways near Deseronto, Ontario, surrenders himself to the Ontario Provincial Police. (CTV News)

July 4, 2007 (Wednesday) edit history watch

War in Afghanistan - Six Canadian soldiers are killed by a roadside bomb in the Panjwaii district.(Reuters Canada)

July 3, 2007 (Tuesday) edit history watch

A United States army report reveals that friendly fire killed Pte. Robert Costall in Afghanistan in March 2006. CBC News A group of aboriginal parents plan to file a complaint with the RCMP after a community celebration ended in the use of pepper spray, requiring medical treatment for 15 adults and children (including two under two years old). CBC News The federal government announces intentions to invest $30 million into Afghanistan's justice system. (Canada.com)

July 3, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

Afghanistan - A U.S. Army reports that a Canadian soldier and a United States soldier were killed by friendly fire in Helmand, March 2006. Private Robert Costall, age 22, was shot by U.S. special forces from behind in a battle with Taliban insurgents. (CBC World) Canada - A group of aboriginal people from Sechelt, British Columbia plan to file a complaint with the RCMP after a community celebration which ended in the use of pepper spray. Notably among the victims were two infants. In all, 15 adults and children, including the two infants (under two years old,) were treated at St. Mary's Hospital for exposure to pepper spray. (CBC Canada)

April 27, 2007 (Friday) edit

Montreal - Jean Lafleur pleads guilty to 28 fraud charges for actions during the sponsorship scandal. (The Globe and Mail) Ottawa - The Conservative government faces a continued barrage of questions a day after a series of wildly conflicting answers regarding the possible abuse of detainees captured by Canadian Forces and given into Afghan custody. (The Globe and Mail)

April 8, 2007 (Sunday) edit

Afghanistan - Six Canadian NATO soldiers are killed and two injured as a result of car bombings in southern Afghanistan as they conduct an offensive against the Taliban. This results in the worst single-day loss of life for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. (CBC News)

March 19, 2007 (Monday) edit

Ottawa - The Conservative Government releases their proposed 2007 Federal Budget. This includes 39 billion dollars in fiscal balancing, which has attracted criticism from Eastern Canada. (CBC News)

March 8, 2007 (Thursday) edit

Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced plans granting Alberta a total of C$155.9 million towards making its energy industry more environment friendly. The majority of the funding will go towards research in ways to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the Athabasca Oil Sands. (CBC News)

March 7, 2007 (Wednesday) edit

Afganistan - The death of Cpl. Kevin Megeney, 25, at Kandahar Airfield continues to be investigated by a probe as his body makes the return trip home to Nova Scotia. Megeney, a reservist with the 1st Battalion Nova Scotia Highlanders from Stellarton, died Tuesday evening in what is being suggested as an accident. Since 2005, Megeney is the 45th Canadian to be killed in Afghanistan. (CBC News)

March 6, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

Texas - A nine-year-old Canadian citizen and his Iranian parents are forcibly being detained in a Texas detention centre after being stopped by United States officials. The plane bound for Toronto had to make an emergency stop in Puerto Rico where the family was found to be using stolen Greek passports. (CBC News)

March 3, 2007 (Saturday) edit

Atlantic Canada - The first lunar eclipse in 2½ years was visible to the Atlantic provinces in Canada. It was also visible to the eastern United States, Africa, Europe and much of Asia. As sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere a dim copper 'hue' illuminated on the surface of the Moon. (CBC News)

March 2, 2007 (Friday) edit

Canada - After a week of significant drops, the Toronto Stock Exchange experienced yet another 'triple-digit' loss, wiping out all the gains the market has made this year. The S&P/TSX Composite Index fell another 117.86 points closing at 12,863.27 making it almost 37 points lower than where it was last year, 12,908. Leading the fall was gold which dropped by 2.7% following a US$20-an-ounce in bullion prices. In an unusual trend, gold has been largely affected by these sell-offs. Over the past week, gold dropped US$42-an-ounce as investors quickly liquidated their shares. Energy stocks and oil futures have also been largely affected. (CBC News)

March 1, 2007 (Thursday) edit

Canada and the United States - Stocks continued to plummet as 'bargain hunting' began at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In the first 15 minutes of trading the S&P/TSX Composite Index fell another 249 points resting at 12,794, causing wide spread losses across all sectors. In what is being called a fourth stock market correction, at 3:00pm ET the benchmark index recovered 204 points, making it only off by 0.4% or 45 points. The NYSE experienced an even more 'pronounced' bounce-back. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of its blue chip stocks fell 209 points, but again at 3:00pm ET, recovered with losses of only 2 points. (CBC News)

February 27, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

Ottawa - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to pledge C$200 million in aid to Afganistan. This new contribution will be the latest addition to a C$1 billion aid and development package Canada has committed over the next 10 years. The World Bank will distribute this latest contribution. (The Chronicle Herald)

February 26, 2007 (Monday) edit

Toronto - A gasoline shortage this weekend left many pumps dry as petroleum companies scrambled to meet public demand. Petro-Canada reported that 20 of their 'outlets in the Toronto area were left without supplies over the weekend' result in rotating shortages. A limit of 75 litres per customer was implemented but still failed to completely combat the problem. (CBC News)

February 25, 2007 (Sunday) edit

Supreme Court of Canada - In a 9 to 0 decision, the federal government's security certificate system used to detain and deport foreign-born terrorist suspects was rejected. The court found that the system, that was supposed to be for national security, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Canadian Parliament has one year to re-write the law that's keeping three men at the centre of this case in legal limbo. (CBC News)

February 23, 2007 (Friday) edit

Ottawa - Friday, the Conservative government legisted a back-to-work order ending a CN Rail of 2,800 conductors and yard workers. The strike began on Feb. 10 where management works were forced to fill in. (CBC News)

February 20, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

Afghanistan - Canadian Forces accidentally shot an Afghan civilian during a surprise attack made by the Taliban. The only casualty to friendly forces was an Afghan police officer. (WikiNews)

February 19, 2007 (Monday) edit

Canada - A CBC report found that the mercury levels in Canadian albacore canned tuna exceeded the new guidelines released Monday by Health Canada. The lab sampled 60 cans of tuna with their labels removed in a blind test. The report shows that tuna routinely exceeds the mercury guideline but until Monday, the warnings to consumers about the potential dangers, have never been widely released. (CBC News)

February 18, 2007 (Sunday) edit

Burnaby, British Columbia - What began as a drug case on the North Shore has led to the arrest of Larry Crocker, 48, in B.C's largest counterfeit bust. In a raid of his apartment they found 'large quantit[ies] of marijuana, equipment for a grow-op, a rifle, and stacks of fake cash totalling more than C$140,000. (CBC News)

February 14, 2007 (Wednesday) edit

United Nations - A report Wednesday, the seventh by UNICEF's Innocenti Research Centre, ranked Canada (tying with Greece) 12th overall for child well-being among 21 developed countries. It compared countries in 'six categories' and averages the results. It found that the European countries ranked among the highest taking up the top half of the list except for the United Kingdom, which came in last. Just above the UK was the United States. (CBC News)

February 13, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

A Canadian Senate report urges for more NATO support in the Canadian-Afghanistan mission. The report states that if unless more support is sent with in 12 months, Canada should re-examine its commitments to the mission. The report not only requests more NATO troop involvement but increased financial aid to the rebuilding of the country. (CBC News) A tentative agreement on the initial steps towards North Korea's nuclear disarmament was reached in the Six-party talks on Tuesday. Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy to the talks, made the announced. The agreement contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with "initial actions" to be taken by certain deadlines. (CBC News)

February 12, 2007 (Monday) edit

Ontario Health Minister/Deputy Premier George Smitherman, 43, and his long time partner Christopher Peloso, 33, will wed in August, 2007. Smitherman is the first openly gay cabinet minister in Ontario and the majority of other Canadian provinces. (WikiNews)

February 8, 2007 (Thursday) edit

Crown lawyers in the Steven Truscott case were intensely grilled by judges at the Ontario Court of Appeal Thursday. The Crown argued that long-hidden witness statements pointing to Truscott’s innocence do not undermine the 1959 guilty verdict in his case. (Canada.com)

February 3, 2007 (Saturday) edit

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Tories to take steps to counter climate change before the federal budget, expected in March. Layton, speaking to about 600 delegates at the Manitoba NDP's annual convention in Winnipeg, said Harper and his Conservatives should waste no time in taking action, warning that their government would be in a more precarious position after the budget expected on March 20. (CBC News)

January 23, 2007 (Tuesday) edit

The murder trial of Robert William Pickton continues Tuesday as Crown prosecutor, Derrill Prevett presents the jury with Pickton's interogation tapes where he admits to having killed "49 women and wanting to make it an even 50". (CBC News)

January 18, 2007 (Thursday) edit

Ronald Neumann, the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, told reporters in a press conference that he expects heavy fighting with the Taliban in the upcoming year. However, he remains optimistic as the Karzai government continues to make headway. (The Globe and Mail)

January 18, 2007 (Thursday) edit

According to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, no new evidence has come up that would justify keeping Maher Arar on a terrorist watch list. The U.S. administration has suggested that an explanation will be coming soon. (The Globe and Mail)

January 17, 2007 (Wednesday) edit

The US is urging Canada to expand its oil exports from the Athabasca oil sands. A two day oil summit in Houston, Texas in January 2006 made plans for a "fivefold expansion" in the production/extraction process. The meeting was hosted by Natural Resources Canada and the US Department of Energy. A fivefold increase would result in Alberta supplying a quarter of the current United States consumption making it 50% of all US imports. (CBC News)

January 15, 2007 (Monday) edit

Despite a month-long delay in a psychological screening program, Ottawa maintains it will have some armed border officers on duty before the end of the summer. (CBC News)

January 5, 2007 (Friday) edit

Canada defeats Russia in the gold medal game to win the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. (CBC News) The domed roof of BC Place Stadium collapsed with a loud bang in Vancouver on Friday afternoon, leaving the torn fabric hanging over the huge facility. There have been no reports of injuries. (CBC News)