Torstar laying off over 50 people, affecting Toronto Star, tablet app
TORONTO—The company that owns the Toronto Star is laying off more than 50 people.
David Holland, Torstar’s acting president and publisher, says in a staff memo that 22 employees, including 19 full-time workers in the Toronto Star newsroom, will be let go. He says another 26 temporary staff, mostly from the newspaper’s tablet app Star Touch, will depart the company over the next couple of months.
Toronto Star spokesman Bob Hepburn says an additional four positions are being eliminated at its Metro newspaper chain.
The layoffs come amid print advertising revenue declines that continue to bite away at Torstar’s bottom line. Torstar reported its second quarter results last month, posting a $23.9-million loss.
RCMP says it halted possible terrorist threat as police comb Strathroy, Ont.
OTTAWA—A police operation took place in the southern Ontario town of Strathroy on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 10, after the RCMP said it had halted a possible terrorist threat.
The lone Caucasian male suspect was linked to ISIS, CTV News reported. The Mounties say they received credible information of a potential terrorist threat earlier Wednesday.
They say the suspect was identified and the “proper course of action has been taken” to ensure that there is no danger to the public.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has spoken to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the events. Ottawa was abuzz with rumours for much of the day about the possibility of a security threat.
Ontario SPCA helping US colleagues with large animal cruelty case
NEWMARKET, Ont.— The Ontario SPCA says it has sent members of its rescue and relief team to Massachusetts to assist American colleagues in handling what it calls the largest-ever farm cruelty case in the northeastern United States.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says more than 1,000 farm animals—including pigs, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, calves, sheep, cows, and fish—were found living in deplorable conditions on a 70-acre property in Westport, Mass., on Aug. 1.
The Ontario SPCA offered to send members of its team and a livestock trailer to provide support and is helping to shelter the animals and care for them.
New law allows Alberta abuse survivors to end leases early without penalty
CALGARY—People fleeing domestic violence in Alberta can now end their leases early without financial penalty.
Calgary MLA Deborah Drever put forward a private member’s bill last fall that aims to break down one of the major hurdles for many fleeing abuse. The legislation passed unanimously late last year and the amendments to the province’s Residential Tenancies Act are now in effect.
In order to break a tenancy agreement early, people must present their landlords with a certificate showing they are at risk.
To get a certificate, they must give the Human Services Ministry an emergency protection order, peace bond, or statement from a certified professional, like a doctor, nurse, social worker, or psychologist.
Saskatchewan urges railways to be ready to transport larger than average crop
REGINA—The Saskatchewan government is urging rail companies to be prepared to deal with a larger than average crop this year.
Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart says the province has advised the federal government as well as Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway of a potential large crop to ensure that the transportation system is prepared to move it in a timely manner.
Stewart says if railways are serious about transporting grain they’ll hire back more employees and get equipment out of storage to get the job done.
The province doesn’t want to see a repeat of 2013-2014, when there was a rail bottleneck that left grain sitting in bins across the Prairies.
With files from The Canadian Press
