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Four NHL players from the 2018 Canadian world junior team have been charged by London, Ont., police in connection with an alleged 2018 sexual assault. Lawyers representing Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod all released statements yesterday saying their clients are innocent. The players are accused along with former teammate Alex Formenton, who had been playing hockey in Europe and turned himself in to police on Sunday.
The complainant in the case is a young woman who says she was sexually assaulted in a hotel after a 2018 Hockey Canada fundraising gala to celebrate the gold-medal winning team.
All the players involved had been placed on leaves of absence from their teams in recent weeks. The NHL declined to comment on the charges against the players yesterday, but commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to speak to reporters this week during the league’s All-Star break.
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Global Affairs hit by cyberattack, shuts down computer systems to fix
Global Affairs Canada was forced on Jan. 24 to limit remote access to its networks as it investigates a cyberattack, the department announced yesterday.
Hackers gained access to the personal data of users, including employees, the department said in a statement. This is the second time such a breach has occurred in two years. The first came in early 2022.
Employees working within Global Affairs buildings have full access to the network, the department said, while employees working remotely have been given “workarounds” to allow them to keep working.
Global Affairs Canada manages Canada’s foreign affairs, including its overseas embassies, consulates and high commissions.
Cineplex pulls South Indian film screenings after incidents of threats, intimidation and talk of turf war
Cineplex Inc. and other movie theatres across Canada pulled screenings of a South Indian film after individuals fired gunshots at four cinemas in the Greater Toronto Area last week.
In the latest incidents of threats and intimidation related to blockbusters in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam languages, two shootings were seen in videos obtained by The Globe and Mail.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control,” said a Cineplex spokesperson, “we are no longer playing Malaikottai Vaaliban at Cineplex theatres.”
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Also on our radar
Three-stage truce proposal on the table: Hamas said yesterday it was studying a new proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, presented by mediators after talks with Israel, in what appeared to be the most serious peace initiative for months.
Health ministers tell Ottawa to pause MAID expansion: Health ministers from a majority of provinces and all the territories have signed a letter to their federal counterpart urging Ottawa to “indefinitely pause” the implementation of medical assistance in dying for individuals whose underlying medical condition is mental illness.
Bonuses not up to me, says CBC head: Speaking at the House of Commons heritage committee yesterday, Catherine Tait, president of CBC and Radio-Canada, refused to rule out awarding executive bonuses if performance criteria are met, even as the public broadcaster said in December it would be shedding hundreds of jobs.
Morning markets
Fed in focus: European shares eked out gains on Wednesday as investors waited for clues on when the U.S. Federal Reserve may start to cut interest rates, with the U.S. dollar heading for its biggest monthly gain since September. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.01 per cent. Germany’s DAX fell 0.18 per cent while France’s CAC 40 added 0.02 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended up 0.61 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.39 per cent. New York futures were mixed. The Canadian dollar was lower at 74.46 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
The Federal Court’s Emergencies Act ruling isn’t what some Canadians think it is
Andrew Coyne: “The notion that Justice Mosley’s ruling marks a thundering rebuke to the government or a root-and-branch denunciation of its decision to declare a public order emergency is widely shared among people who have not actually read it. It is in fact a cautious and deferential ruling, reached with great reluctance, on narrow, technical and, in places, curiously reasoned grounds. It may survive appeal, but that is by no means certain.”
Wanted: A CEO that can run Quebec’s health care system like a business
Konrad Yakabuski: “While other provinces have undertaken similar restructurings in recent years, Quebec’s reforms appear to be the most ambitious yet. The new arm’s-length superagency will oversee all aspects of health services. More than 1,500 health care institutions, from hospitals to long-term care homes, will fall directly under its umbrella.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Four tips for taking your workout on vacation
When we packed for a five-week road trip, I knew I’d have to leave my usual workout gear at home, but I hadn’t anticipated just how creative I’d have to get to stick to my usual routine. It turned out that with a little improvisation here (a weighted backpack; using a tree branch for pull-ups) and a few questionable choices there (attempting to deadlift a picnic table), I could cobble together enough movements to resemble a decent sweat session.
Moment in time: Jan. 31, 2020
Britain formally leaves the European Union
Jenny Matthews/Getty Images
When British voters stunned the world in 2016 by narrowly voting to leave the European Union, many thought the country would make a quick exit. Instead, it took four years, two prime ministers and countless rounds of trenchant negotiations before Britain finally left at midnight Brussels time on this day in 2020. Then-prime minister Boris Johnson, who led the Brexit campaign in 2016, showed uncharacteristic restraint in marking the occasion. Instead of a massive display of national chest-thumping, Mr. Johnson opted for a low-key commemoration consisting of little more than a countdown to the historic moment. He acknowledged that some Brits saw it as “an astonishing moment of hope,” while others felt “a sense of anxiety and loss.” The fallout from Brexit is still being calculated and opinion polls show the country remains deeply divided over the decision. There has been one notable change; Britons can now buy wine in pints. The government hailed the move as part of the new “Brexit freedoms.” It won’t be reverting back to other imperial measurements such as inches, miles or gallons after a survey of 100,000 people found that 98.7 per cent preferred sticking with metric. Paul Waldie
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Mason Wright