News

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Three people accused of running fraudulent temp agencies that exploited asylum seekers — and who attempted to conceal a work accident — have pleaded guilty. Quebec’s Labour Ministry has called the scheme the “largest fraud ever committed” against it and has estimated government losses at about $635,000 as a result of the operation. 56 year old Hector Hair Rodriguez Contreras, 51 year old Hector Lopez Ramos, and 45 year old Beatriz Adriana Guerrero Munoz were all initially charged with fraud of more than $5,000 against the Quebec and Canadian governments and conspiracy to commit fraud of more than $5,000. The trio, led by Rodriguez Contreras, ran a number of temp agencies that hired asylum seekers without work permits and paid them below minimum wage in cash or cheques addressed to false identities they assigned to them.

For the alleged victims of billionaire Robert Miller, the feeling of betrayal began to sink in Monday when the Crown and Miller’s defence team both agreed the 81-year-old was too sick to stand trial. The final blow came on Tuesday, when Quebec Superior Court Justice Lyne Décarie ordered a stay of proceedings, effectively ending the criminal trial. Miller no longer faces the 24 charges against him related to sex crimes spanning over two decades against 11 women, most of whom were underage at the time of the alleged events.

Seven people have been hospitalized in connection with a Salmonella outbreak in Ontario and Alberta that is linked to a recall of three types of salami products sold in the provinces. The Public Health Agency of Canada says there are 57 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella linked to the outbreak with 13 confirmed cases in Ontario and 44 confirmed cases in Alberta so far. The recalled products include Rea’s Genoa Salami Sweet and Genoa Salami hot and Bona’s Mild Genova Salami.

Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu says she will “exercise her authority” to force a vote on Canada Post’s final offers to the mail carriers’ union. Canada Post had asked the minister to force the vote in late May, that according to the union, which says it’s against such a move. Hajdu wrote in an online statement that After 18 months of negotiation, over 200 meetings … 33 days of strike and a lockout in the fall,” a vote is “in the public interest

Actor Harris Yulin, an Emmy-nominated actor who appeared in projects including “Frasier” and “Ghostbusters II,” has died. He was 87. Yulin was a decorated theater actor, playing Hamlet three times off-Broadway and appearing in plays on Broadway including “Hedda Gabler,” “The Price” and “The Visit.” He also taught at NYC’s prestigious Juilliard School for eight years.

Sports

The Quinte Bay Gymnastics Club can boast not one but two Canadian champions. Jared Matthews and Michael McFarland finished in first place in power tumbling in their respective divisions in the Canadian National Championships in Calgary. Matthews is now a two-time senior men’s champion. McFarland was in the junior men’s class. Both competed for the Ontario team which won a silver medal.

Over to Soccer, The Canadian women dropped one spot to No. 8 in the FIFA world rankings released Thursday. Casey Stoney’s side won three of four games since the last rankings in March, defeating Haiti twice and splitting a two-game series with Argentina. The Canadian women finished 2024 at sixth in the rankings, sliding to seventh in March. Canada has ranked as high as fourth, last achieved in March 2018.

Week 2 for the the CFL begins tonight with a 2023 Western Final rematch featuring Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions against Chris Streveler and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers