City in Brief
Carpool cheater
What do you do when you really want to drive in the carpool lane, but have only one friend or coworker willing to ride with you? A Gatineau man thought he found the answer last week when he strapped a teddy bear in a car seat and faked it. It turns out the plan isn’t as brilliant it sounds. Actually, it’s an expensive plan. The man was caught with the teddy bear, dressed in a child’s tuque and scarf, twice this week, earning him a $144 fine each time. The law states that, in order to drive in a carpool, bus or taxi lane, a vehicle must be travelling with three real passengers.
Buses busted
Several Montreal bus drivers got a surprise last week when they were ticketed for driving without seatbelts. Those drivers were slapped with a $115 fine and three demerit points. The union that represents the Montreal Transit Corp said it was upset at the actions, arguing the crackdown came out of nowhere. The law, however, is clear that bus drivers are supposed to be buckled in. Cab drivers are the only exemption to the seat belt rule. One officer handed out tickets to at least 30 bus drivers, according to CJAD. Police said only seven drivers were fined. The union said it will help the drivers contest their tickets.
Police police police
Police procedures following the fatal shooting of Fredy Villanueva in 2008 came under scrutiny as the public inquiry resumed Monday. The inquiry heard that the two police involved in shooting the 18-year-old were treated differently than civilian witnesses. In accordance with standard procedure, the civilian witnesses were kept separated from one another and questioned shortly after the event, in order to prevent them from collaborating their stories. The two officers, however, were not. They had a month to come up with their statement. Sûreté du Québec’s lead investigator said the officers were treated this way as part of an investigative strategy. He said he wanted to obtain lab results and other documents before speaking with the cops.
More early voters
Numbers at the municipal polls are up, according to the city’s returning officer. The advance poll last Sunday drew 57,759 voters, or 5.25 per cent of all who are registered for this year’s municipal election. During the previous election in 2005, voter turnout at the advance poll was just under three per cent. Election Day is Nov. 1, when all polling stations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bixi hibernates
Stationnement de Montreal will begin taking away Bixi bikes. The service will not be available at all from the end of November until May 2010. With the bikes being used over 900,000 times since it was launched last May, the service is being considered a success. Between 7,000 to 12,000 Bixis were taken for rides each day.
Nation in Brief
Prank fools cops
Cotton cobwebs and Styrofoam headstones weren’t enough for one Newfoundland and Labrador man. To celebrate Halloween, the man parked a minivan halfway through a fence and painted black skid marks on the street, creating the impression the van had smashed head-on into the barrier. Inside the vehicle, limp and lifeless in the driver’s seat, was a mannequin with long, dark hair. A Good Samaritan called the “accident” into 911. Emergency crews realized it was a prank, and that they had wasted their time when they arrived. The resident’s home has been flagged with the 911 call centre.
On the loose
The 1990 murder charges against Kyle Unger were dropped last Friday. Unger spent 14 years in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing a 16-year-old girl. Acquitting a prisoner does not necessarily imply innocence; it does, however, mean there is not enough evidence to hold someone in prison. As Unger’s lawyer said, “in the eyes of the law, he’s an innocent man.” Unger’s acquittal came as the result a new trial, ordered in March 2009. There will be no inquiry into his wrongful conviction, and no compensation. So, someone who beat up, strangled and sexually mutilated a 16-year-old girl at a rock show is on the loose.
Janitor gets paid leave
A school janitor in Halifax was arrested in connection to allegations of sexually assaulting a teenage girl from his church. Police said, however, that the 37-year-old man was not formally charged. So the Halifax Regional School Board suspended their employee with pay. The Board said it has no proof that the janitor’s alleged behaviour had anything to do with his job at the school. Jason Haynes is expected to appear in court just in time for Christmas, on Dec. 15.
Balloon Boy market
A Saskatoon company selling Balloon Boy costumes said the product is flying off the shelves. The company, which specializes in selling remote control aircrafts online, is selling the costume for $19.99. The managing director of the company told the Ottawa Citizen orders have been so substantial, he has had to call all his workers in to make the costumes. The company’s website shows a man dressed in a cardboard box, holding a Mylar balloon on a string. The box has two stickers on it: one that says “As seen on CNN,” and another that says, “Hello, my name is Falcon.”
Snowboarding Liberal
A Canadian Olympian is going to seek nomination to run in the federal Liberal party. Ross Rebagliati won a gold medal in snowboarding at the 1998 Nagano Games. His medal was taken away days later when traces of pot where found in his system. Last week, the retired athlete announced his intentions to seek the nomination in a B.C. riding. He will be going against Minister of Transport Stockwell Day. In a release on his website Rebagliati, 38, said he is ready to tackle what is sure to be a very difficult fight. The release also said he has a “great respect” for Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.
World in Brief
Nanny state
Social workers in the United Kingdom took a newborn away from its obese mother, the Times reported. Hours after giving birth by C-section, the woman was told she would not be allowed to bring the child home. The two youngest of six-member brood, aged three and four, have already been taken away under the risk of becoming obese. Before she became pregnant, the woman weighed about 322 pounds, the paper said. When the youngest children were removed, the couple’s toddler reportedly weighed about 56 pounds, and their 13-year-old who weighed over 224 pounds.
Om nom nom nom
Bears living in Yosemite National Park prefer minivans to other cars, according to a study published in the Journal of Mammology. Minivans accounted for 29 per cent of the over 900 cars targeted by bears, even though that type of vehicle represented a mere seven per cent of all that visited the park. Scientists said the bears like minivans more because of all the goodies that children travelling in them leave behind.
German Robin Hoods
A group of rich Germans has begun petitioning to make rich Germans pay higher taxes. One of the 44 rich people who signed the petition told Agence France-Presse he supported the proposal for higher taxes because he had inherited a bunch of money he doesn’t need. The same article quoted one of the supporters, a doctor, saying 2.2 million Germans have bank accounts with balances over 500,000 euros (about $790,000 CAD). He said if each paid five per cent wealth tax for the next two years, the country would earn an extra 100 billion euros. The group says higher taxes will benefit social programs suffering from the economic crisis.
Home is prison
A Sicilian man’s sentence was downgraded from prison time to house arrest. But the man asked to be put back in prison, Italian media reported last week, in order to avoid arguing with his wife. After being placed under house arrest, Santo Gambino was said to have asked police to send him back to jail; he apparently said his wife was accusing him of not helping with the costs of their two children. Police made him go home and make good with his wife. Bets are on for whether he was getting more sex in prison or at home.
Work less, save money
Utah has saved $4.8 million US in the year since it began closing state offices on Fridays. Employees worked longer hours Monday through Thursday to maintain the 40-hour work week. About $4.1 million in savings came from less overtime being paid out. The state found employees were less likely to stick in an extra hour or two at the end of the longer work days. Utah’s former Governor initially shortened the work week in order to cut energy costs. The state saved only about $500,000 in energy costs, falling short of its $3 million goal. Savings on custodial services amounted to $200,000. The state’s new governor has not decided whether the program will be extended.