Quebec truck attack suspect due in court : In The News for April 5

Gagnon has been in custody since the March 13 crash, when several groups of pedestrians were struck on a main street in Amqui, Que., in what police have described as an intentional act.

The appearance is set to take place at the courthouse in Amqui, about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.

Gagnon, 38, was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, but the prosecutor had indicated more charges were expected, and a third victim has died since the accused’s initial court appearance.

The three people killed were Gérald Charest, 65; Jean Lafrenière, 73; and Simon-Guillaume Bourget, 41.

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Also this …

France’s ambassador to Canada says Ottawa must choose between tying itself entirely to Washington or broadening its links to partner more with Europe — while also calling out Canada’s “weak” military engagement.

“This nagging question of the future American commitment offers, in any case more than ever, the opportunity for Europe, France and Canada to play a role together,” Michel Miraillet said in a French-language speech Tuesday to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.

Miraillet argued that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year was the culmination of a decade of Moscow and Beijing working to weaken democracies.

He said both Russia and China have sold their citizens a narrative of patriotic nationalism, while building up their military capabilities and involvement in developing countries, in anticipation of an inevitable decline of a faltering western world.

Miraillet noted France’s recent boost in military spending and proposals for deeper continental military integration. He noted France, which is a major arms producer, is pushing for more military manufacturing on the continent.

He suggested that Ottawa needs to demonstrate a similar commitment to global security.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected as Chicago’s next mayor Tuesday in a major victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as the heavily blue city grapples with high crime and financial challenges.

Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the city’s mayor.

Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest.

Johnson’s victory in the nation’s third-largest city capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race last year. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

Suspected Israeli airstrikes in Syria in recent weeks have killed two Iranian military advisers, temporarily put the country’s two largest airports out of service, and raised fears of regional escalation.

While Israel has fought a shadow war with Iran in Syria for years, it has intensified recently, with near-daily airstrikes attributed to Israel by Syrian officials over the past week.

The escalation of attacks comes after what appears to be a rare infiltration by an armed man from Lebanon into Israel and Iran’s reconciliation with regional rival Saudi Arabia last month. It also comes against the backdrop of a major domestic crisis in Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in neighboring Syria, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of that country in recent years _ but rarely acknowledges them. Since the beginning of 2023, Syrian officials have attributed 10 strikes on Syrian territory to Israel, including four airstrikes within five days as of Tuesday.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has had its own recent run-ins with Iranian forces in Syria. In late March, U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard following a suspected Iran-linked drone attack that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other Americans in northeast Syria. An official with an Iranian-backed group in Iraq said the U.S. strikes killed seven Iranians.

The flareup between the U.S. and Iran did not escalate, but some fear the back-and-forth between Israel and Iran could.

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On this day in 1875 …

An Act of Parliament created the Supreme Court of Canada. The court sat for the first time on Jan. 17, 1876.

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In entertainment …

Klaus Teuber, creator of the beloved Catan board game in which players compete to establish settlements on a fictional island, has died after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family. He was 70. The board game, originally called The Settlers of Catan when introduced in 1995 and based on a set of hexagonal tiles, has sold millions of copies and is available in more than 40 languages. It also has spawned dozens of spinoffs and new editions, including electronic versions and hundreds of products related to the game.

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Did you see this?

When a lumber baron first built a home for his wife at 24 Sussex Drive, he described it as a place of peace. Now, it has become a place of rodents.

A rodent infestation in the official residence of Canada’s prime minister is so severe that the walls, attic and basement are filled with carcasses and excrement, the National Capital Commission details in internal documents.

The issues were first reported by the National Post newspaper, which obtained the documents through access-to-information law. The commission has now published them.

The rodent problem is a health hazard, but it cannot be addressed until issues with the building’s exterior walls, foundation, roof and windows are fixed, the agency said.

“In the meantime, we use bait to control the situation, but that leaves us with excrements and carcasses between the walls and in attic and basement spaces,” said a report dated June 23, 2022 regarding actions required to repair 24 Sussex Drive.

“This leads to real concerns with air quality.”

The report also highlighted other areas of critical concern, including water damage, the flaking of walls, rusting pipes that would be “catastrophic” should they collapse and electrical issues that resulted in the property being deemed a fire hazard.

“If last summer’s incident had occurred at night, with no one to report it, devastating and irreparable damage would have ensued,” the report said in reference to an electrical spark incident.

The agency also raised concerns following a garden party last year on the grounds of 24 Sussex, which was attended by 1,500 people and took place during a tornado warning.

“If a meteorological event would have occurred, human nature could have led to hundreds of guests rushing into this uninhabitable building, which is a risk we can’t accept,” the report said.

All these concerns _ the build-up of 60 years of mounting repairs _ ultimately led to the commission moving the final group of eight staff out of the building last year for health and safety reasons.

Due to the building’s deterioration, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family took up residence in Rideau Cottage on the nearby Rideau Hall grounds.

The residence was first built in 1867 by lumber manufacturer Joseph Merrill Currier, and it was owned by several others before the federal government took it over in 1947.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Quebec truck attack suspect due in court : In The News for April 5

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