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Shehroze Chaudhry, 25, gained notoriety from the podcast, Caliphate, but his account of grisly murders for Isis has been questioned Police in Canada have arrested a man for lying about his participation with the Islamic State, while charging another for joining the terror group in Syria.Police announced on Friday charges against Shehroze Chaudhry, 25, who operated under the name Abu Huzayfah al-Kanadi. He was charged under the country’s terrorism hoax laws, which carry a maximum sentence of five years.In 2016 Chaudhry had claimed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State, alleging he was a member of the terror group’s religious police. On social media, he claimed to have conducted at least two executions on the group’s behalf. Continue reading...

PM says government will invest billions in housing, health and jobs, but dismissals from rival parties prompt election speculationJustin Trudeau’s government has announced ambitious plans to spend billions on childcare, housing and healthcare – partly financed by taxing “extreme wealth inequality” – as Canada braces for an economically devastating second wave of coronavirus. Related: 'It's like night and day': Trudeau's and Trump's Covid-19 responses fuel wildly different outcomes Continue reading...

Mountain Equipment Co-op had announced last week it would be acquired by US private equity firm in a ‘backroom deal’Members of Canada’s largest retail cooperative have mounted a long-shot bid to block the sale of the popular outdoors supply company to an American private equity group.Last week, Mountain Equipment Co-op announced it would be acquired by the Los Angeles-based private investment firm Kingswood Capital Management – a move that blindsided many of the co-op’s five million members. Continue reading...

Woman is also suspected of sending five similar poisoned envelopes to law enforcement agencies in TexasA woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin to the White House, has been arrested at the New York-Canada border and is also suspected of sending five similar poisoned envelopes to law enforcement agencies in Texas.The letter was intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House. Continue reading...

Victory for Chloé Zhao’s drama starring Frances McDormand means it now looks certain to get a best picture Oscar nominationNomadland, the recession-era retirees study starring Frances McDormand, has won the Toronto film festival people’s choice award, adding the influential prize to the Venice Golden Lion it was awarded a week ago.The Toronto award is much prized in the industry, as it counts a significant number of Oscar best picture awards and nominees among its recent winners, including Green Book (2018), Room (2015) and 12 Years a Slave (2013). Nomadland’s director Chloé Zhao is also the first woman to win the award since 2011, when Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? triumphed. Nomadland would now appear to be a major contender for end-of-year awards, with a best picture Oscar nomination a virtual certainty Continue reading...

The dashing lawyer, who lost the top job after just 79 days in 1988, caused a stir when he danced with the British royalJohn Turner, a Liberal party politician who served stints as Canada’s justice and finance ministers before a very brief turn as prime minister, has died at age 91.Marc Kealey, a former aide speaking on behalf of the family, said Turner died peacefully in his sleep at home in Toronto on Friday night. Continue reading...

Envelope with poison was believed to have come from Canada and was intercepted before reaching mail roomAn envelope containing the poison ricin was sent to the White House, the New York Times reported on Saturday.The newspaper said law enforcement believed the envelope, which was intercepted before reaching the White House mail room, was sent from Canada. Continue reading...

Test, which is only offered to children in British Columbia, involves gargling saline solution and spitting it into a tubeAuthorities in Canada have unveiled a new non-invasive coronavirus test which avoids the need for intrusive nasal swabs, in a development which they hope will making testing easier and more accessible for students as they return to schools.The new testing method, unveiled Thursday, is a significant departure from the standard – and often painful – nasopharyngeal swab which remains the most common method of detecting Covid-19. Continue reading...

Premier Doug Ford to limit size of indoor gatherings to 10, down from 50, saying ‘crisis is far from over’Canada’s most populous province has announced new restrictions and steep fines amid a surge of Covid-19 infections that has prompted concerns the country is losing control of the virus.Ontario premier Doug Ford on Thursday announced plans to limit the size of gatherings, reversing course on previous steps to reopen the province’s economy. The new rules reduce the size of indoor gatherings to 10, down from 50, and outdoor gatherings to 25, down from 100. Continue reading...

Man charged after car discovered speeding on Alberta highwayPolice say ‘both front seats [were] completely reclined’Police in Canada have charged a man with speeding and dangerous driving after he was found asleep at the wheel of his self-driving car as it travelled at 150km/h down a highway in the province of Alberta. Related: Elon Musk becomes world's fourth richest man on Tesla boom Continue reading...

The Canadian province, facing an epidemic of overdoses, is expanding ‘safer supply’ guidelines to let nurses prescribe opioidsIn a North American first, Canada’s westernmost province has announced plans to provide more legal alternatives to street drugs like fentanyl for people at risk of an overdose, and will allow nurses to start prescribing them.The new policies, announced on Wednesday, are aimed at providing greater access to pharmaceutical drugs like hydromorphone amid the worst spate of overdoses British Columbia has ever seen. Continue reading...

Sale of Mountain Equipment Co-op, outdoor retailer with over 5m members, comes as bitter blow but follows dip in performance Canada’s best-known outdoor supplies retailer has been sold to a US private equity firm, in a move which has shocked members and former staff of the country’s largest cooperative. Related: Groundhogs to blame for scattered human bones in Canadian cemetery Continue reading...

Seven cases linked to Club Paradise, which had been attended by hundreds of patrons in recent weeksOfficials in Canada’s largest city are calling for strip clubs to be shut down after a second Covid-19 outbreak linked to such an establishment in less than a month.Over the weekend, Toronto’s public health unit identified seven cases linked to Club Paradise, a venue which had been attended by hundreds of patrons in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Handmaid’s Tale author honoured for reminding readers that ‘anything can happen anywhere given the right circumstances’Margaret Atwood, whose sweeping body of work includes The Handmaid’s Tale, a depiction of a nightmarish totalitarian future for the US, has won a lifetime achievement award that celebrates literature’s power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding.The Canadian writer will receive the Richard C Holbrooke distinguished achievement award, officials of the Dayton literary peace prize officials announced on Monday. The award is named for the late American diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnian peace accords reached in the Ohio city. Continue reading...

Brothers who founded influential organisation will also stand down, blaming Covid and damage to its brandThe charity at the centre of a political firestorm in Canada has announced it will shutter its operations in the country, the latest in a scandal that has placed prime Justin Trudeau at the centre of a parliamentary and ethics investigation.Citing sustained damage to its brand, as well as the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger announced plans to scale down the operations of the WE Charity in Canada. The brothers, who co-founded the charity, also announced they would leave the organization. Continue reading...

Concern grows over proposal to open three mines along Nova Scotia’s longest single waterway that supports both endangered species and ecosystems The extractive industries have their sights set on Nova Scotia as a literal goldmine, and decades of conservation efforts – as well the future of a beloved river – hang in the balance.Three years after Atlantic Gold opened a gold mine north-east of Halifax, the mining company intends to open three more across Nova Scotia. One of the mines has been proposed alongside the St Mary’s River, Nova Scotia’s longest single waterway – and in the opinions of many, its wildest, supporting both endangered species and ecosystems. This, the so-called Cochrane Hill Gold Mine, has become the focal point of mounting public opposition to gold mining in Nova Scotia. Continue reading...

Stephanie Blais had called her father due to problems with water supply at remote Saskatchewan cabinThe father of a Canadian woman who was killed by black bear has said that he was on the phone with her at the time of the attack.Stephanie Blais, 44, was with her husband, Curtis, and two young children at the family’s remote cabin in the province of Saskatchewan. But problems with the water supply prompted her to call her father on a satellite phone. Continue reading...

Move to ‘reset’ government due to coronavirus comes amid committee investigations into WE charity affair Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is facing accusations that his decision to prorogue parliament is little more than an attempt to cover up an ethics scandal – and walk away from his duties during a pivotal moment in the pandemic.On Tuesday afternoon, Trudeau asked Julie Payette, governor general, to prematurely end the current parliamentary session. He vowed to resume on 23 September with a speech from the throne, followed by a confidence vote. Continue reading...