In the news today: Foreign interference inquiry resumes in Ottawa

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Inquiry to hear from MPs targeted by meddling

A federal inquiry into foreign interference is slated to hear today from current and former politicians who have been singled out by meddlers.

Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, Conservative MP Michael Chong and New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan have all been identified publicly as targets of interference by China.

The inquiry’s latest hearings are focusing on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

The hearings, scheduled to continue through Oct. 16, will be somewhat broad in scope, examining democratic institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities.

Ontario byelection could be tight race

Voters in an eastern Ontario riding head to the polls Thursday in a provincial byelection that may end up being a tighter race than its recent electoral history would suggest.

The Bay of Quinte riding has only been vacant for a month, since cabinet minister Todd Smith resigned, but Premier Doug Ford called the byelection just five days after Smith announced his abrupt departure.

Smith had represented the Bay of Quinte riding since 2018 — as well as one of the two ridings it was created from since 2011 — and won with nearly 50 per cent of the vote in the last two elections.

But the Bay of Quinte’s predecessor ridings have also elected Liberals in the recent past, and Smith’s stronghold on the riding through four elections was at least partly due to his status as a very well-liked representative, said Mitch Heimpel, director of policy at strategic communications firm Enterprise Canada and a former staffer for Smith.

Wealthsimple says it’s profitable, revenue jumping

As Wealthsimple marks a decade in operation, the financial platform is disclosing for the first time that it’s profitable as its revenue and assets jump.

The company that started as a robo-advisor has been steadily adding investment capabilities over the years, as well as more bank-like features as it tries to lure customers away from the established players.

Wealthsimple’s suite of offerings, which include everything from no-commission trading to the recent addition of mortgages, has helped it amass more than $50 billion in assets, roughly double what it had a year earlier.

The private company, in which Power Corp. of Canada and related entities own a controlling stake, said its second-quarter revenue of $129 million was up 88 per cent from last year as it counts more than three million customers.

N.B. man has heart attack as E.R. closes its doors

Grant Jordan was driving to a friend’s house on Aug. 31 when he started feeling tightness in his chest. He immediately returned home and asked his wife, Naomi, to take him to the hospital, a five-minute drive away.

They arrived at the Sussex Health Centre at 8:48 p.m., but the hospital in southern New Brunswick had closed 18 minutes earlier — the result of a “temporary” change made two years ago. Using an intercom, Jordan told a hospital employee that he thought he was having a heart attack.

“And they said, ‘Well, we’re closed. So if you want, I can call 911 for you,'” Jordan, 49, said in a recent interview from his home in Piccadilly, N.B., recalling how he had to retreat to the parking lot, pain radiating through his jaw and elbows and ears.

It was 9:24 p.m. by the time an ambulance arrived. At the hospital in Saint John, 75 kilometres away, Jordan was immediately taken to an operating room where two stents were inserted into arteries leading from his heart.

Zoo conference focusing on need for conservation

Zoos and aquariums around the world need to undergo an evolution from just focusing on entertainment to conservation in order to remain relevant with the public, an international conference has been told.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is hosting more than 2,000 zoo professionals from around the world at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums annual conference. It’s the first time the event has been held outside of the United States in decades and the first time it’s been held in Calgary in 40 years.

While zoos have long been the purview of families – providing fun for a Sunday outing – they have come under criticism from animal rights activists complaining about animals being held in captivity.

Jeremy Dutcher wins Polaris Music Prize

Jeremy Dutcher has won the Polaris Music Prize for his second album, “Motewolonuwok.”

For the first time in the award’s 19-year history, the $50,000 prize for best Canadian album of the year went to a previous winner.

“Six years ago, I put out my first record; this award changed my life,” he told a cheering crowd at Massey Hall in Toronto.

Dutcher’s “Motewolonuwok” beat out nine other albums vying for the award, including some unusually high-profile names.

Records by Charlotte Cardin, the Beaches, Allison Russell and Elisapie were shortlisted for the prize, which selects its winner based on artistic merit.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024

The Canadian Press