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Former National Hockey League player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police in London, Ont., on Sunday morning to face a charge of sexual assault in connection with allegations that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team attacked a woman in a hotel.
Mr. Formenton, who had been playing in Switzerland until he took a leave of absence from his club last week for “personal reasons,” arrived at police headquarters flanked by high-profile criminal defence lawyers Daniel Brown and Lindsay Board.
The Globe and Mail reported last week that, according to two sources, London police have instructed five members of the 2018 junior team to surrender to them in advance of criminal charges stemming from an alleged group sexual assault five and a half years ago. The Globe did not identify the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
Read more:
- Five members of 2018 Canadian junior hockey team to face sexual assault charges
- Why police allow suspects to surrender ahead of criminal charges
Hockey player Alex Formenton, who faces sexual assault charges, walks into the London Police Headquarters, with lawyers Daniel Brown and Lindsay Board in London, Ont., Jan. 28, 2024.Nicole Osborne/The Globe and Mail
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Human-rights groups threaten to withdraw from the foreign-interference inquiry
A coalition of human-rights groups representing ethnic communities targeted by China are poised to boycott the public inquiry into foreign interference that begins Monday if Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue allows politicians with alleged ties to Beijing to cross-examine them and gain access to confidential testimony.
Justice Hogue, a judge on the Quebec Court of Appeal who heads the inquiry, granted standing to former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Michael Chan, now deputy mayor of Markham, Ont., and Independent MP Han Dong. Standing means they can cross-examine witnesses and gain access to all evidence collected, including whatever is presented to the inquiry outside of hearings. Justice Hogue also granted intervenor status to Independent Senator Yuen Pau Woo, which allows him to participate in the hearings examining foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
The Human Rights Coalition, an umbrella body of Canadian groups that have spoken out against China’s foreign interference and human-rights abuses, says the three politicians have long had ties to Chinese diplomats and expressed pro-Beijing views.
Read more:
- The road to the foreign-interference inquiry, from The Globe’s reporting
- Conservative Party voices criticism of foreign-interference inquiry
The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is shown from Gatineau, Que., on March 12, 2020.Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press
Former top diplomats criticize Canada’s funding freeze for UN agency in Gaza
More than a dozen countries – including Canada, the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy – have suspended their funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) after allegations surfaced that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Canada’s decision to suspend its funding has prompted a wave of criticism from human-rights advocates and several former high-ranking Canadian diplomats.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced on Friday that the federal government has “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA” while the UN investigates the allegations. He said the government was alarmed by the reports and is taking them “extremely seriously.”
Read more:
- Analysis: ICJ ruling on Gaza sparks clashing views as UN Security Council prepares to meet
- Israel notes ‘significant gaps’ after ceasefire talks with U.S., Qatar, Egypt
- Biden says U.S. ‘shall respond’ after drone strike by Iran-backed group kills three U.S. troops in Jordan
Israeli flags flutter as Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis, due to the Israeli ground operation, move towards Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 28, 2024.IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/Reuters
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Also on our radar
Jump in illegal crossings causes speculation among residents of Canada-U.S. border states: U.S. politicians are calling for a wall across the Canada-U. S. border as unauthorized migrants surge throughout North America, but not everyone’s on board.
Leon’s Furniture plans to build new Toronto neighbourhood with nearly 4,000 housing units: Furniture empire Leon’s Furniture Ltd., with brands such as Leon’s, The Brick, The Brick Mattress Store and Appliance Canada, plans on turning one of its large plots of lands on the outskirts of Toronto into nearly 4,000 apartments, single-family homes, condos and other types of housing.
AI companies face growing competition, slower technology gains: Performance gains in large language models, which can produce and summarize text, could be starting to slow down. The technology developed by leaders in the space, such as OpenAI, Google, Cohere and Anthropic, may not ultimately be that unique either, suggesting competition is going to become a lot more intense.
Online bank Koho Financial moves to next stage of approval toward gaining a banking license: Mobile banking provider Koho Financial Inc. is one step closer to obtaining a banking licence in Canada, a process that has taken more than two years of discussions with regulators.
Flair Airlines agrees to pay $67-million in unpaid taxes after court order: The federal government has obtained a court order that allows it to direct the seizure and sale of Flair Airlines Ltd. property in Alberta to recoup more than $67-million in unpaid taxes.
Morning markets
Markets await Fed, key data: Europe’s broad STOXX 600 index nudged slightly higher helped by strength across the energy sector, reaching fresh two-year highs after its biggest weekly gain in more than two months last week. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.12 per cent. France’s CAC 40 added 0.03 per cent while Germany’s DAX slid 0.51 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.77 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.78 per cent. New York futures were mixed. The Canadian dollar was higher at 74.42 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
When extremist activists drive the left to oblivion, what will remain?
“The foundation of Canadian multiculturalism rests on a basic piece of common sense: Leave your shoes at the door. Importing the world’s geopolitical nightmares into our country would end multiculturalism, and right quick. If the police and the courts allowed Ukrainian Canadians to vandalize the businesses of Russian Canadians who support Vladimir Putin, or if Sikhs were allowed to vandalize the businesses of Narendra Modi’s supporters, the result would be chaos, despite the entirely justifiable rage of those communities. But common sense, as usual, doesn’t apply when it comes to the Jews.” – Stephen Marche
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
The wild world of biohacking is unproven and expensive, and arguably worth the price
How much money would you pay to have the muscles, metabolism and energy of a 20-year-old? It’s the kind of question that used to be reserved for underperforming philosophy students or the expository monologue at the end of an action flick. But in the past few years, tech giants, supplement companies and wellness gurus have been working to make folks physically younger, selling the idea that with the right gadgets, pills and routines your body can reverse its biological age.
Moment in time: Jan. 26, 2014
Icy protest in Kyiv
A Protester in Kiev takes bags filled with ice and snow to reinforce their makeshift barricade, Jan. 26, 2014.John Lehmann /The Globe and Mail
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re showcasing snow scenes.
Mass demonstrations in Ukraine’s capital began in late 2013 when activists rallied against president Viktor Yanukovych’s move to scrap a trade pact with the European Union and instead form a closer economic alliance with Russia. The protesters built a network of barricades around Kyiv’s Independence Square, which cut off the central area of the city. Thousands occupied the protest camp, whose amenities included a kitchen and a makeshift medical clinic. When Globe and Mail photographer John Lehmann snapped this photo in the square in late January, 2014, he realized its gravity. He shows a demonstrator carrying bags filled with ice and snow to reinforce the barricades. As protesters took shelter, Mr. Lehmann said it was “reminiscent of the iconic images from the two world wars.” Rolling protests continued in Kyiv until their violent conclusion, when Mr. Yanukovych ordered riot police to end the demonstrations. More than 100 people were killed, and Mr. Yanukovych fled the country. Philip King.
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