March 2005 in Canada

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Deaths 27 – Gérard Filion, Journalist, 95 12 – Bill Cameron, Journalist, 62 3 – Cst. Anthony Gordon, 28 3 – Cst. Leo Johnston, 33 3 – Cst. Brock Myrol, 29 3 – Cst. Peter Schiemann, 25 Ongoing events 2005 Quebec student strike Rochfort Bridge massacre Equalization payments National Hockey League labour dispute Same-sex marriage debate Judy Sgro controversy/"Strippergate" Sponsorship scandal Curling: Men's World Championship Hockey: Women's World Championship

Events in Canada

This page deals with current events in Canada, of interest to Canada and/or involving Canadians.

March 31, 2005

• The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of Anglophones and immigrants in Quebec, making more of them eligible for English-language schooling. However, the court rejected the claim that francophones have a right, under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to place their children in English-language schools. The decisions did not strike down Bill 101. (CBC) (National Post)
• A massive fire ravages a plastics factory in Toronto's industrial west end, closing part of a major highway and keeping 150 firefighters and 45 vehicles from six fire stations on the scene throughout the night. (CBC)
• The Royal Air Force pulls out of CFB Goose Bay, ending a permanent presence it has had in Canada since the end of the Second World War. Defence planners in the United Kingdom say they cannot afford to maintain barracks and hangars in a foreign country while closing bases at home. (CBC)
• The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has ordered Montreal's CKAC-AM station to make a full apology after Psychiatrist Pierre Mailloux, host of the Doc Mailloux phone-in show referred to the Sikh people as a "gang of bozos", however, they stated that when he said "You cultural communities come from a wacko country. You live a wacko culture. Don't bring it with you. That's the message to convey" he was acting within the boundreis of "freedom of expression". (BBC)

March 30, 2005

• It was revealed by her doctor that Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was severely beaten and probably tortured and raped in Iran. (Globe&Mail)
• Canada fell to the number two spot on The Economist's 'best places in the world to do business'. Denmark is now number one, while the US is tied for third. (Globe&Mail)
• All three levels of government in cooperation with the private sector, will build a 52 house community in the Town of Okotoks, south of Calgary. It will be North America's first large-scale solar heating system. (Federal Government)
• The head of Interpol, an American, claims that Canada is not a 'superway' for terrorists like the US claims and that Canada is, in fact, a leader in cooperation with international policing. (Globe&Mail)
• The federal government will move the Canadian Tourism Commission, an 80-man, $80 million crown corporation, from Ottawa to Vancouver. It will be the first federal agency headquartered in British Columbia (Vancouver Sun)

March 29, 2005

• Ontario's 24,000 doctors voted on the latest offer by the government on health care. Results will be released March 30th. (CBC)
• A study on Canadian fish farms, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, has found that incidence of sea lice in salmon are 30,000 times more likely in fish farms than in the wild. (Guardian)
• The federal government announced it will give $1 billion in income assistance to farmers facing low commodity prices, bad weather, and exporting constraints. (CattleNetwork)
• Delta Air Lines outsourced its maintenance, repair and overhaul of about 200 757 & 767 Boeing aircraft to the Air Canada maintenance centre at Vancouver International Airport. (CBC BC)
• The highest Sikh authority has encouraged the Sikh-Canadian MPs to vote against the gay marriage bill in Parliament. (CBC)

March 28, 2005

• Gérard Filion, a journalist with the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir and a vocal critic of Maurice Duplessis's government, dies.(CBC)
• Newfoundland Conservative MP Loyola Hearn does not like that legislation (Atlantic Accord) to give Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia more offshore petroleum revenues is tied into 21 other motions in the federal budget; which may be defeated by the conservatives because of the Kyoto protocol considerations. (CBC)

March 27, 2005

• A riot occurred at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre. There were no serious injuries at the facility which can house 294 men. (CBC)
• Some Canadian rock and pop stars spent the weekend playing a charity ice hockey tournament for the Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. (CBC)

March 26, 2005

• A dozen Members of Parliament from all parties with seats in the House of Commons are spending the weekend in Europe and Australia studying electoral reform and the possibility of proportional representation in Canada. (Canadian Press)
• 2005 World Women's Curling Championship: Team Canada, skipped by Jennifer Jones ends up finishing 4th place, as they lost the 3–4 game against Dordi Nordby and Norway 12-5. (TSN)

March 25, 2005

• The C. difficile strain of bacteria, which killed over 100 people in Montreal in 2004, has appeared in a Toronto hospital. (CBC)
• The Canadian team in the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship enters the playoff rounds in third place with an 8–3 record and will play fourth place Norway (7–4) on Saturday. Sweden (11–0) and the U.S. (10–1) finished in first and second place, respectively. (TSN) (World Curling Federation)
• Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has inflamed pancreas which is a complication from lung surgery. His condition is improving and the outlook is positive. (CTV)

March 24, 2005

• The federal government has included a $100 million contribution to the 2005 budget for fighting pine bark beetle infestions in Canfor Corp. and West Fraser Timber Co. timber lands in British Columbia and Alberta. (Bloomberg) (Globe & Mail)
• A team of Canadians are starting a climb of Mount Everest. They plan to play a game of hockey against a Russian team at 5,400 metres near a base camp. (CBC)
• Prime Minister Paul Martin announced the appointments of Roméo Dallaire of Quebec, Jim Cowan of Nova Scotia, Art Eggleton of Ontario, Nancy Ruth of Ontario, Lillian Dyck of Saskatchewan, Robert Peterson of Saskatchewan, Grant Mitchell of Alberta, Elaine McCoy of Alberta and Claudette Tardif of Alberta to the Senate. This marks the first appointments to the Senate by Prime Minister Martin. (PM's Website)
• The Conservative Party will oppose the budget if amendments to control greenhouse gas emissions are included. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper considers the attempt by the government to impose fines without parliamentary approval is "completely unacceptable." (CBC)
• Jeremy Hinzman is denied refugee status by the Immigration and Refugee Board in Toronto. Hinzman deserted the U.S. military service and calls the Iraq war illegal. (CTV)
• 2005 World Women's Curling Championship: Canada clinches a playoff spot with an 11–10 win over Norway skipped by Dordi Nordby. (TSN)

March 23, 2005

• BC Lions announce that they have purchased the FieldTurf surface used by the Montreal Expos during their final season at Olympic Stadium, and will install it at B.C. Place for the 2005 Canadian Football League season. (CP)
• Police issued a warrant for Jim Mercier a former owner of an Alberta skydiving school. Mercier failed to show up to an inquiry in the death of an 18-year-old student when her parachute failed to open during a jump. (CBC)
• The Haida Nation has set up blockades to stop logging operations in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands. They wish to be consulted on the sale of Crown timber rights to Brascan Corporation. (CBC)
• Canada can learn from Dutch hospitals on how to control the spread of superbugs. This comes after a CBC investigation indicated a lack of compliance with safety standards could be contributing to the deaths of 8,000 Canadians a year. (CBC)
• 2005 World Women's Curling Championship: Canada wins 11–4 over Italy's Diana Gaspari but loses 10–7 to the United States, skipped by Cassandra Johnson. Canada sits at 7–3 (TSN)

March 22, 2005

• The Department of Fisheries announced that a 2-month seal hunt will be permitted in the Atlantic starting 29 March 2005. Over 300,000 pups, and about a million seals overall, will be allowed to be culled. (BBC) (Reuters)
• A federal report by the House of Commons fisheries committee states that the Fraser River is near a crisis. A third of the 2004 salmon run went missing and the report blames rising water temperatures and illegal overfishing. (CBC BC)
• In Athens, Greece, a 16-year-old girl from Duncan, BC, was arrested on Sunday, and released on Tuesday pending trial, for violating an antiquity law by holding an ancient ruin for a picture. While the teen admits possessing the stone she claims ignorance of the law banning such possession. (Vancouver Sun)
• RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli provided an update on the investigations findings of the Rochfort Bridge massacre. He said police were prepared, a risk assessment had been done and there is no way to "plan for or manage the insane behaviours of an individual." However, changes would likely be made after a review of the shootings and Commissioner Zaccardelli called for a judicial review of how past charges against Roszko were dropped. (CTV)
• The young girl who was thrown onto a busy highway by her late father less than three weeks ago was released from hospital today. Although she will wear a neck brace and require therapy she is expected to make a full recovery. (CTV)
• At the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship, Canada's Jennifer Jones wins both of her games: defeating Japan 13-7 and Denmark 9-3 for a 6–2 record good enough for 4th place as yet. (TSN)

March 21, 2005

• Bruce Power tentatively agreed with the government of Ontario to restart two idle nuclear reactors that were shut down in the mid-1990s when upgrades became too costly. This is to make up for coal plants that are scheduled to be shut down at the end of 2007. It would allow Ontario to reduce its coal generation and emissions by 20 percent. (Bloomberg)
• In Surrey (near Vancouver) over the weekend, body collectors confused a sleeping woman with her deceased roommate. The sleeping woman awoke in the morgue. (CBC BC)
• At the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship, team Canada skipped by Jennifer Jones goes 1-1 beating China's Wang Bingyu 11-1 but losing to Sweden's Anette Norberg 10-5 (TSN)

March 20, 2005

• In Montreal, the new Conservative Party held its first policy convention. Voting on social party planks resulted in an opposition to same-sex marriage and a rejection of introducing legislation on abortions. Other party planks that were abandoned include referendums on constitutional amendments, a citizens' assembly on electoral reform, fixed date elections, and allowing MPs to be recalled. The party feels confident it is now in a position to challenge the Liberals in the next federal election. (CTV) (CBC)
• A new study in The Lancet shows a safe injection site in Vancouver has reduced needle sharing; and as a result has slowed the spread of disease. (CBC)
• At the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship, Canada, skipped by Jennifer Jones beats Russia's Olga Jarkova 9-8 in a game plagued by controversy. Canada loses their other game, against Scotland's Kelly Wood 10-3 (TSN)
• At the Canadian Interuniversity Sport basketball finals, the Carleton Ravens win their third straight championship as they beat the Concordia Stingers 68-48. (CIS)

March 19, 2005

• On the opening day of the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship, Canada's Jennifer Jones and her team win both their games against Switzerland (6–5) and Finland (9–2). TSN

March 18, 2005

• Ontario's 2004–05 budget deficit triples from $2.2 billion to approximately $6 billion after changes in the inclusion of savings on electricity subsidies. This undercuts an election promise from Premier Dalton McGuinty of a balanced budget. (CBC)
• The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Provinces may restrict the in-store promotion of tobacco products. (Globe&Mail) (Supreme Court)
• A further 8 mutilated bald eagles were discovered in North Vancouver bringing the total to at least 50 dead. A $10,000 reward has been posted for the capture of the poachers responsible. (National Post)
• Métis in northwestern Saskatchewan will receive $13.5 million from Canada and $6 million from Saskatchewan in compensation for the loss of traditional hunting grounds when the governments established a weapons range there in 1953. The funds will be used to create an economic development fund for the Métis communities. (CBC)
• A day after he is acquitted of any role in the bombing of Air-India flight 182, Ripudaman Singh Malik has his business broken into and ransacked. (Globe&Mail)

March 17, 2005

• Victims' families want a public inquiry after 2 suspects are found not guilty of bombing Air-India flight 182 by the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on March 16. The trial and prosecution is the most expensive in Canadian history at an estimated $130 million. (Globe&Mail) (CBC)

March 16, 2005

• The Quebec student strike reaches a peak in Montreal, where between 10 000 and 100 000 students take to downtown streets. Over 230 000 students are on strike this day, 100 000 of which are on unlimited strike, the others having voted to strike for a single day or few days to participate in the demonstration. Student leaders say the offers of education minister Jean-Marc Fournier are insulting. (CBC 1) (CBC 2) (Canada Newswire)

March 15, 2005

• Edmonton native Bernie Ebbers, founder and former CEO of WorldCom, is found guilty of fraud, conspiracy, and filing false documentation. He faces up to 85 years in prison and will be sentenced on June 13. (USA Today)
• A Member of Provincial Parliament with the Liberal party, Lorenzo Berardinetti, has introduced a private members' bill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to eliminate gender based pricing differences for hairdressing, dry cleaning and clothing. (Globe&Mail)

March 14, 2005

• In Calgary, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced $222 million in grants for Canadian health researchers working on 571 projects. (CBC)
• The Royal Canadian Mint showcased a new $1 coin of Terry Fox, the first Canadian coin to have an image of a Canadian on it. It will be in circulation on April 4. (CBC)

March 13, 2005

• Health Canada is recalling some generic cough syrup that may have may twice the amount of dextromethorphan (DM) stated on the label. This could lead to seizures in children less than 3 years old and minor side effects in adults. (Canada)
• Four gay couples from Israel marry in Toronto to highlight the issue in their own nation. (Guardian)
• In Pinerolo, Italy, at the World Junior Curling Championships, the Canadian team skipped by Kyle George won gold beating Sweden's Nils Carlsén 6-5 in 11 ends. Scotland won bronze. (CBC) (TSN)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier: Randy Ferbey and his Alberta team win their 4th Brier in 5 years as they defeat Shawn Adams of Nova Scotia 5-4. Ferbey and his team of David Nedohin, Marcel Rocque and Scott Pfeifer make history as the first complete team to win 4 Briers. (CBC sports)
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport
  • The Simon Fraser Clan defeat the Winnipeg Wesmen 70-60 in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's basketball championship (TSN)
  • The Laurier Golden Hawks defeat the Alberta Pandas 4-1 in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey championship (CIS)

March 12, 2005

• The submarines Canada purchased from the Royal Navy contain some asbestos insulation. (CBC)
• Airfares are expected to go up as a result of Jetsgo ceasing operations. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier: In the semi-final, Nova Scotia's Shawn Adams rink defeat Randy Dutiaume and his Manitoba rink 8-7. Nova Scotia will play Randy Ferbey of Alberta in the final. (CBC sports)
• World Junior Curling Championships – Canada's Andrea Kelly and her team win the bronze medal over Madeleine Dupont of Denmark 6-4 (CBC sports)

March 11, 2005

• Jetsgo, one of the country's upstart discount airlines, announced just after midnight Friday that it will stop all operations immediately. Passengers are advised to make alternative travel arrangements as there will be no aircraft or staff available. Travellers looking to return from a trip must also book with other airlines. (CBC)
• Sponsorship scandal: The Federal government has filed a $39-million lawsuit to get back funding from Quebec advertising firms that was allegedly misspent. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier: Nova Scotia's Shawn Adams rink defeats Jean-Michel Menard's Quebec rink in the 3–4 game advancing Nova Scotia to the semi-final. In the 1–2 game, Randy Ferbey's Alberta defeats Randy Dutiuame's Manitoba rink 7-4. Manitoba goes to the semis while Alberta gets a bye to the final. (CBC sports) (CBC sports)

March 10, 2005

• The largest police memorial in Canadian history is held in Edmonton, to honour the four RCMP victims of the Mayerthorpe Incident. Attending were ~10,000 officers from North America, Canadian dignitaries and entertainers with songs of reflection and sorrow. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier – After the round-robin play is completed, Team Alberta, skipped by Randy Ferbey sits at first place with a 9–2 record. In second place is Team Manitoba, skipped by Randy Dutiaume with an 8–3 record. Also with an 8–3 record is Team Nova Scotia, skipped by Shawn Adams who finishes third because they lost their game to Manitoba. Rounding off the playoff-bound teams is Quebec skipped by Jean-Michel Menard at 7–4. (CBC sports)

March 9, 2005

• The House of Commons passes the 2005 Canadian budget by a vote of 132–73. The Conservatives abstain from the vote to ensure that the Liberal government does not fall on the confidence vote. (Reuters)
• Retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire received Canada's 25th Pearson Peace Medal, which honours achievement in international service and understanding. Dallaire lead the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda during the genocide and wrote a book detailing the inaction by the world to stop it. (NationalPost)
• A man in a white van drove onto the Ontario legislature grounds and set himself on fire. Firefighters put him out and his condition is unknown; it is not believed to be related to the farmer protest. (CTV)
• In Atlantic Canada powerful winds and heavy rain lead to significant disruptions in the region. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier – Randy Ferbey's Alberta rink continues to lead the way with a n 8–1 record and wins against Ontario and Yukon/Northwest Territories. Randy Dutiaume's Manitoba rink has sole possession of second place at 7–2 as they won both their games against Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. With one day left of the round-robin, only Alberta has clinched a berth. (CBC sports)

March 8, 2005

• Seven-month-old conjoined twins from Zimbabwe are on life support in Toronto after a 25-member surgical team performed multiple surgeries on Tinashe and Tinotenda, who were born joined at the abdomen and whose livers were connected. (Reuters)
• A gas station attendant making minimum wage in Maple Ridge, British Columbia is dragged to death as he tried to stop teenagers from stealing $12 worth of gas. (Globe&Mail)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier – Randy Ferbey's Alberta rink pulls away from the pack with wins against Manitoba and Prince Edward Island and have a record of 6–1. Manitoba (skipped by Randy Dutiaume) falls to 5–2 coupled with a win over P.E.I, while Nova Scotia skipped by Shawn Adams win both their games and also sit at 5–2. (CBC sports)

March 7, 2005

• 2005 Canadian budget: The Liberal government survives the first of three confidence votes related to the budget when the Conservatives join forces with them in the House of Commons to defeat a Bloc Québécois amendment 209-71. (CP)
• Rochfort Bridge massacre: On Thursday there will be a memorial for the slain Mounties. (CTV)
• Missile defence: In a column published in the Winnipeg Free Press last week, former Canadian foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy criticized U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in defending Canada passing on the missile system. He outlined that Canada may find it unreasonable to invest billions in an unproven system, and went further in examining American fiscal policy and priorities. (CBC)
• A man throws his daughter onto Highway 401 off the Don Mills Road Bridge, while she survives he succeeds in killing himself. (CTV)
• Wade Haines, the New Brunswick man who was found guilty of stealing 50,400 cans of Moosehead beer, is sentenced to 19½ months in jail. The Fredericton-area truck driver was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier – Randy Ferbey's Alberta rink and Randy Dutiaume's Manitoba rink both lost their first games against Nova Scotia and Northern Ontario respectively while Brad Gushue's Newfoundland and Labrador rink win both their games against Yukon/Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Island to force a 3-way tie for top spot at 4–1. (CBC sports)

March 6, 2005

• In Ottawa Prime Minister Paul Martin was given 88 percent of the votes in the Liberal party's policy convention. This contradicts rumours of divisions in the party as a result of being reduced to a minority government in the last election. (CBC)
• An Air Transat Airbus A310 rudder partially fell off 30 minutes out of Varadero, Cuba. All the Airbus 310s have been grounded for a thorough inspection. (CBC)
• There was a moderate earthquake in Quebec on Sunday morning. The epicenter was near Rivière-du-Loup on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. The quake was felt approximately 200 kilometers away in Montreal and Boston. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier: 5-time Brier champion Randy Ferbey and his Alberta rink as well as Randy Dutiaume's Manitoba rink remain the only undefeated teams left, both with 3-0 records. Ferbey beat Newfoundland and Labrador and Northern Ontario while Manitoba beat Yukon/Northwest Territories (CBC sports)

March 5, 2005

• In a 30-minute telephone conversation U.S. President George W. Bush talked to Prime Minister Paul Martin about missile defence, defence, mad cow disease and other world issues. (CBC)
• 2005 Tim Hortons Brier: Randy Dutiaume's Manitoba rink leads the pack with 2 wins (over British Columbia and Saskatchewan). Other undefeated rinks unclude Alberta (Randy Ferbey), Newfoundland and Labrador (Brad Gushue), Quebec (Jean-Michel Menard), and Ontario (Wayne Middaugh). (CBC sports)

March 4, 2005

• Albertan Premier Ralph Klein says that Centennial Day (September 1) will not be a statutory holiday in Alberta this year, due to opposition from within his caucus.
• Rajinder Singh Atwal is convicted of second-degree murder in the July 2003 stabbing death of his teenage daughter. The motive for the "honor killing" was that she had kept an interracial relationship a secret for three years. (CBC)

March 3, 2005

• Mayerthorpe Incident: Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are killed in an illegal drug operation raid in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta when suspect Jim Roszko opens fire. Roszko is also found dead. It is the deadliest incident involving the force since the Northwest Rebellion in 1885. (CBC)
• Frederick Henry, the Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary, tells a Toronto radio station that in his opinion, Prime Minister Paul Martin's efforts to legalize same sex marriage are grounds for excommunication. Martin is a Roman Catholic. Henry's diocese has previously been threatened with revocation of its tax status due to the bishop's political views. (Reuters)
• Over 50,000 Quebec university and CEGEP students are in "unlimited general strike" to protest against the government's decision to cut $103 million in scholarship programs. (CBC)

March 2, 2005

• In Toronto, farmers converged on the Ontario legislature to demand a $300 million cash infusion to help their industry recover. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty responded that farming has been affected across Canada and the federal government needs to help out in this regard. (CBC)
• Alberta's speech from the throne, given by newly appointed Lt.-Gov. Norman Kwong, promised Albertans the province would lead Canada in medicare reform and education by reinvesting its surpluses. (CTV)
• A FedEx van delivering anthrax to a Winnipeg lab was involved in a collision. The road was blocked for two hours as the hazardous materials team determined that the packages were undamaged. (CBC)
• Air Transat agreed to pay $7.65 million to 175 people who were on a plane that ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean and glided to an emergency landing in the Azores. The flight departed from Toronto on August 24, 2001, and was en route to Lisbon. (Bloomberg)

March 1, 2005

• Sponsorship Scandal: Lafleur Communications PDG Jean Lafleur reveals he and his family received over $11 million CAD in salary from the government and several agencies.
• Missile Defence: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed disappointment in Ottawa's decision to not join. Also plans for Rice to visit Canada were delayed, although a spokesman stated it was unrelated to current events. (Guardian)
• White supremacist Ernst Zündel is deported to Germany where he was promptly arrested on charges of denying the Holocaust. (CTV)
• Toronto scientists from Toronto Western Hospital and the Baycrest Centre are reporting excellent results in alleviating severe depression using a pacemaker that stimulates the mood center of the brain. (TheStar)
• Ontario has become the first province to ban pit bulls. This comes after a series of high-profile attacks by the breed. Critics maintain banning a breed isn't the solution and that irresponsible dog owners need to be held accountable to address the problem. (CTV)

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources – This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.