Some Air Canada staff hate the new carry-on bag policy as much as you do

It's been a month since Air Canada launched its carry-on crackdown where customer service agents stop and confront travellers at check-in to ensure their cabin bags meet size limits. Bags that don't make the cut now must be checked.

The move has made some passengers hostile. And a number of agents find crackdown duty so unpleasant, they don't want to do it, according to Air Canada service agent and union representative, Sheila Fardy.

And it may be about to get worse. This Sunday, Air Canada starts charging $25 for the first checked bag for domestic economy-class travel.

Fardy says Unifor, the union representing the agents, has asked the airline to recruit only willing volunteers to do the job which she describes as "horrible." She says, generally, agents get to "bid" on customer service shifts with the most senior staff getting priority. But, so far, she adds, Air Canada won't let workers have a choice in whether or not they are tasked with inspecting carry-on bags. Consequently, says Fardy, the union "will grieve it unless we can come to a solution."

The crackdown has upset and even angered some passengers. "You have a lot of unhappy customers today," a distressed traveller informed a stoic Air Canada agent after she learned her bag — which she'd taken on board for years — didn't meet airline requirements and had to be checked.

Hard to cope

"Some agents are having quite a difficult time with [the job]," says Fardy, who works at Toronto's Pearson airport — the first airport to tackle the crackdown.

'Some passengers have been quite abusive'- Sheila Fardy, Air Canada service agent and union rep.

"Some passengers have been quite abusive," she says. "Passengers can be quite aggressive and swearing and stuff like that."

As a lead agent, Fardy says colleagues have complained to her about the gig: "I've had people walk up to me and say, 'Sheila, I've been doing this for four hours, get me the frig out of here.'"

"People push by them, are rude, they invariably give you a list of all the other times I brought that [bag] on board an aircraft," adds Fardy. She notes that most passengers are pleasant and co-operative but "the bad five per cent can make for a difficult day."

Looking for volunteers

Fardy believes allowing workers to bid on the job would solve the problem. She says more junior staff would volunteer for the gig because they don't have much say in their shifts and signing up for the job would give them more stability.

"Somebody with two years who doesn't have enough seniority to do anything, they'll take it," explains Fardy. And, she adds, everyone benefits because "if somebody chooses it, they'll at least know what they're in for. They'll be less resentful."

Air Canada says, so far, the crackdown has been "highly effective. We have had a great deal of positive feedback from customers who appreciate that [airline overhead bin] space is being apportioned more equitably," says spokesperson, Peter Fitzpatrick.

CBC News repeatedly asked Fitzpatrick for a comment about the union's request to allow workers to choose if they want to police carry-on bags. We did not receive a response in time for publication of this story. 

Why the anger?

Aviation analyst Fred Lazar says Air Canada's crackdown has sparked passenger anger because the airline hasn't consistently enforced its carry-on limits in the past, so some travellers are taken by surprise. "Basically [the airline has] looked the other way and front-line employees are [now] going to be the brunt of the resentment by passengers."

But Lazar believes Air Canada will continue its crackdown and, in six to nine months, "most [passengers] will become accepting of it and the hostility will die down."

However, the York University professor predicts heightened short-term hostilities starting this Sunday when the airline starts charging the new $25 checked bag fee. That means some travellers with carry-on that exceeds the size limits will also be hit with an extra charge. WestJet began charging a similar fee on Thursday.

Lazar estimates the checked bag charge will generate tens of millions of dollars in extra revenue for Air Canada. He suggests the airline could appease disgruntled front-line employees by offering them a portion of the profits: "They should somehow share in the additional revenue that should be generated when passengers are forced to check in and pay for carry-ons."

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Jian Ghomeshi allegedly choked, beat N.B. woman with belt

A woman from southeastern New Brunswick is sharing more details of the sexual violence she alleges she suffered at the hands of former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.

The woman, who spoke to the Toronto Star earlier this week, told CBC's Information Morning Moncton that Ghomeshi choked and beat her with his belt, smothered her until she almost blacked out, and left her with severe bruises on her body after a weekend at his house in Toronto in 2012.

She says Ghomeshi texted her soon after the encounter, when she had returned home, to say, "He was smitten with me, he adored me, he missed me, he was thinking of me."

Her allegations come after a string of similar accusations from women who did not want to be named that have appeared in recent days on the CBC and in the Toronto Star.

None of the women CBC has interviewed has filed a complaint of any kind with police.

'I didn't see it coming'

In a statement on Sunday, Ghomeshi said that any acts of violence or rough sexual play he engaged in were consensual.

But the latest alleged victim, who is in her mid-20s, disputes that claim.

She says Ghomeshi did tell her he had "these violent type of tendencies," but assured her it was "pure text fantasy" and that "none of it would happen in real life."

"And so when he was violent with me without any talk of it ahead of time at his house, I didn't see it coming. It blindsided me."

She was too shocked, scared and star-struck to tell him to stop, she said.

'I just allowed it to happen. I didn't know what else I was supposed to do.'- Woman alleging violence at hands of Jian Ghomeshi

"I just allowed it to happen. I didn't know what else I was supposed to do," she said, describing it as "the biggest mistake of my life."

Afterward, when bruises developed, she says she sent Ghomeshi pictures of them to let him know he had physically hurt her.

She says she also cautioned him, saying that if he hurt any other women like that, someone was bound to report it to the police or the media.

"He said, 'Do you live in the ghetto? What's wrong with you? As if anything like that would happen.'"

She says she told a friend about the alleged unwanted violence, who warned her it was a "red flag." A couple of other people advised her to go to the police, but she didn't.

"I'm one girl — as far as I'm concerned at the time — who this has happened to," she said. "I thought it was an incident that was only geared toward me. I didn't think he did this to anybody else.

"I thought it was because I was small, he thought I had a weak mind. At the time, I thought I had a weak mind for submitting to it. And I felt the amount of notoriety and respect he has in Canada versus me, who's essentially nobody compared to him, people will not believe my side."

Met at book signing

The woman says she met Ghomeshi at a book signing in her city. As he autographed her copy of his memoir, he asked her personal questions, such as her name and what she did for a living, and jotted the information down on a Post-it note.

"I was being fairly flirty in return," she recalled.

She mentioned to Ghomeshi that she was on Facebook and that night, he messaged her with his phone number, asking her to text him, she said.

The woman, who described Ghomeshi as being charming, recalls being "excited."

"I thought, 'Why me, of all the people at the book signing?"

She agreed to go to dinner with him and back to his hotel room, but says nothing sexual happened.

"He came off a little aggressive but nothing overly aggressive. And I remember him saying, 'I tend to get a little aggressive, don't let it scare you.' And I took his word for it and we parted ways."

Hit so hard vision blurred

They kept in touch over the next couple of weeks through telephone conversations and text messages, and then he invited her to visit him at his home, she said.

"I knocked on his door, he opened the door, and I was smiling, happy to see him, saying, 'Hello.' [I] expected to maybe have a tour of his house, have a 'hello' from him, have something to eat, 'How was your flight?' normal conversations," she said.

Instead, "he pushed me against the wall immediately, started making out with me, and then he led me upstairs, told me to get on my knees, and then proceeded to hit me very hard across the head a few times to the point where I couldn't see straight, my vision was blurred."

She says that's when Ghomeshi took off his belt, put it around her neck and started leading her around the bedroom and down the hall, "pulling really hard."

Then he removed the belt and started beating her on the back with it, she said.

She says she didn't say anything to Ghomeshi.

"I was in so much shock — and I've heard this from other women who are speaking as well — I did not know what to say. It totally threw me for a loop. I was speechless," she recalled.

The alleged incident, which she says lasted about 30 minutes, only ended after they ended up having intercourse, she said.

Afterwards, she says Ghomeshi was "nice and friendly and normal again," so she stayed the night.

"It's as though something switches when the violence starts and he changes, and then after that, he's a normal guy," she said.

A 'bad decision' in retrospect

Looking back, she says staying with him was a "bad decision." She says she let the fact that she looked up to him as a public figure cloud her judgment.

The rest of her visit was normal, but "anytime anything got sexual, he started getting violent again," she said.

"He would do stuff like hold his hand over my nose and mouth in front of a mirror to the point where I was blacking out."

The woman says she has been overwhelmed by the number of other women who have come forward with allegations in recent days and "disturbed" by how similar their stories are.

But she is also happy to know there are others out there who understand the "mental anguish" she has gone through — and continues to go through.

'A lot of us are really afraid right now, afraid of backlash, afraid of what he might do or say to discredit us.'- Woman who made allegations against Ghomeshi

"A lot of us are really afraid right now," she said. "Afraid of backlash, afraid of what he might do or say to discredit us, afraid of what the public might think, afraid of having our privacy invaded, afraid of having our jobs affected."

Still, despite her fears and anxieties about it becoming public, she says it has also helped to give her closure and will enable her to move on with her life.

Ghomeshi issued another brief statement on Facebook on Thursday.

"I want to thank you for your support and assure you that I intend to meet these allegations directly," he wrote.

"I don't intend to discuss this matter any further with the media."

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Dean Del Mastro's political fate hangs on verdict

A judge will rule today whether Peterborough, Ont., MP Dean Del Mastro is guilty of spending too much in the 2008 federal election and falsifying a document to cover it up.

The prosecution argues that Del Mastro ordered $21,000 in voter identification, voter contact and get-out-the-vote services from a now-defunct company called Holinshed, but claimed only $1,575 in services because the campaign realized that claiming the full amount would put them over the limit. 

Del Mastro says the $21,000 he paid out of his personal chequing account was for a separate set of services that Frank Hall, Holinshed's owner, never delivered.

Del Mastro, who was elected under the Conservative Party banner and once served as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary, has been awaiting the verdict since closing arguments in early September. The MP has been in Ottawa regularly and has taken part in the daily question period. He now sits as an Independent MP. 

If convicted, Del Mastro could lose his seat in the House of Commons.

"Anyone convicted of having committed an offence that is considered to be an illegal practice under the Act is not entitled to be elected or sit in the House of Commons for a period of five years from the date of conviction," Elections Canada spokeswoman Michelle Laliberte told CBC News.

It would be up to the House of Commons to decide how to proceed.

Del Mastro and Richard McCarthy, who was Del Mastro's official agent in 2008, are charged with:

• Spending more than the election expenses limit.
• Under-reporting his expenses.
• Turning in a campaign expense report that he "knew or ought reasonably to have known" was wrong.

Del Mastro is also charged with purposely exceeding the contribution limit for a candidate in his own election campaign.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges and face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 if convicted. Del Mastro has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong and ran a clean campaign.

The court session is due to start in Lindsay, Ont., at 9:30 a.m.

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Edmonton's homeless piano man reveals rough life behind his music

Ryan Arcand has the look of a man many people would avoid on the street. Homeless for the past three decades, his worn jacket and laceless sneakers telegraph to those he encounters that he has lived a hard life.

He might have remained one of the city's largely anonymous homeless panhandlers, if not for a serendipitous encounter with Roslyn Polard, who recorded a video of Arcand playing the piano and posted it on YouTube on Oct. 23.

When Polard happened on him, Arcand was playing an old, battered piano set up in Edmonton's Sir Winston Churchill square, free for anyone to play.

Ryan Arcand, who became a viral sensation when a video of his piano playing was posted to YouTube, says he's been banned from using many of the free pianos in Edmonton because of his drinking habits. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

As Polard passed, the sweet notes drew her closer. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the melody. After he finished playing, Arcand noted that he had written the piece.

Within days, the video of the man, then known only as "Ryan," had gone viral.

In just 24 hours, it drew almost 800,000 hits. Within a week, almost two million people had watched the video, with many viewers from around the world posting comments on the quality of Ryan's skill and musicality. Many asked questions about the mysterious melody he played. 

But for more than a week after the video was posted, his story remained a mystery. 

Searching for the unknown musician

Outreach workers at homeless shelters in the city said they knew vaguely of Ryan, but not much about him.

Workers said he'd occasionally appear at shelters or where food was served to the homeless, but remained relatively unknown, in spite of his longevity on the streets.

It took a CBC News crew three days of searching to track him down.

In the end, we found him sitting on the stairs of an Edmonton Church, with some cans of Bow Valley Strong beer in a plastic bag beside him.

As we spoke, he cracked one beer after another. We began before noon.

'Meant for each other'

Ryan Arcand was born on the Alexander Reserve near Edmonton 43 years ago. A family member told us he and his brother were taken away by social workers when he was three or four years old.

The YouTube video showing Ryan Arcand playing the free red piano in Edmonton's Winston Churchill Square was viewed nearly two million times within a week of being posted. (YouTube/VVRoz P)

Arcand says he first encountered a piano in the basement of a foster home when he was eight.

"It was as though we were meant for each other," Arcand explained. "You're looking at the piano and you're falling in love with it."

He says he sat down and began to play, first movie and soap opera themes, and then music of his own composition.

"I was in tears with this piano" he says.

How and when Arcand's life went off the rails is unclear. An aunt who spoke with CBC News says she has tried for years to help him get off the streets.

'It's like you're playing, but you forget yourself.'- Ryan Arcand on performing

"There is hope for him," says Ruth Arcand, "but he is set in his ways on the street."

Over the years, Arcand has had many encounters with the law, often because of drinking.

He was recently banned from playing the piano in Churchill Square because he was caught with an open can of beer, and has been barred from playing a piano in the foyer of Edmonton's city hall.

Arcand said he used to spend many afternoons playing piano at a downtown hospital — until he says he was banned from there as well for drinking hand sanitizer.

'This is a dream'

After chatting with Arcand, we took him to the nearest available piano, which happened to be a Steinway Grand located inside a nearby church.

He lit up at the sight of the instrument, immediately sitting down on the bench and murmuring, "This is a dream."

Arcand smiles in delight when he's shown the YouTube video Polard posted of him on Oct. 23. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

Arcand then launched into the same melody that made him famous on YouTube. 

He didn't stop playing until a priest said he'd have to wrap up, because the church organist had arrived and needed to practise.

Asked how he feels when he plays, Arcand responded, "It's like you're playing, but you forget yourself."

He continued: "You know, it's like truth, life. I love people. Sometimes I don't even know if people love me, but it doesn't matter. I love people."

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Murder-suicide suspected after woman, child found dead

A murder-suicide is suspected after a mother and daughter were found dead inside their Brockville, Ont., apartment on Thursday.

Brockville Police Chief Scott Fraser told CBC News that officers were called to check on the well-being of residents in the apartment on Thursday. They found an adult and a child dead.

The cause of death has not been released, nor have police 't released the names of the dead.

The coroner's office is helping police with the investigation.

More to come

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Harper to introduce scaled-down income-splitting for parents

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will on Thursday unveil a scaled-down version of the Conservatives' 2011 campaign commitment to allow income-splitting by parents with children younger than 18 once the federal budget is balanced.

Sources tell CBC News that Harper's announcement at a community centre north of Toronto will cap the amount of tax savings at $2,000 per couple.

The change is intended to cut the estimated $2.7 billion cost of the program, without altering the core commitment to allow the parent with the higher income to transfer up to $50,000 in income to the other. And it potentially frees up hundreds of millions of dollars in surplus monies for the Conservatives to spend on other priorities heading into an election year.

There are reports that those priorities could include an expansion of the universal child care benefit, which now pays $100 a month for each child regardless of income. The government has already doubled the children's fitness tax credit.

The prime minister is expected to frame Thursday's announcement as part of the Conservatives' family agenda. The change could also help shield the government from the accusation that the income-splitting measures stand to disproportionately favour richer Canadians.

Wide support among MPs

Cost aside, income-splitting enjoys wide support among Conservative MPs. They saw it as a vote-getter in suburban ridings around Toronto and Vancouver where families with single-income earners are more common.

The plan would lower their overall tax bill by allowing the transferred money to be taxed at a lower rate, with the family pocketing the savings.  The Conservatives also say it will make it financially easier for couples who want one of the parents to stay at home to raise the children.

But critics of the program, including former finance minister Jim Flaherty, argued it would primarily benefit a small minority of the richest Canadians who least need a tax cut.

For example, for a couple in which one spouse earns $60,000 a year and the other earns nothing, the savings would be about $1,400 in federal tax. But for the same couple where the income earner brings home $191,000 — which Statistics Canada's 2011 survey identified as the cutoff for the top one per cent of income earners — the savings jump to more than $7,000.

Sources tell CBC News that Harper shared those concerns.

Finance Minister Joe Oliver has previously promised tax cuts for families. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

But a promise is a promise, so the government will argue Thursday that it is making good on the commitment, beginning immediately. That means couples will see the benefits of the tax savings next spring when they file their 2014 income tax returns.

Finance Minister Joe Oliver will be at Thursday's event at the Schwartz-Reisman Centre in Vaughan, Ont. a suburb north of Toronto.

"The prime minister will be talking tomorrow and we'll find out then,'' Finance Minister Joe Oliver told reporters Wednesday when asked. "And I'll be there with him."

Not for single parents

While the announcement should placate Conservative supporters, it will do nothing to mollify opponents who see it as a form of social engineering. The tax benefit is not available to single parents, and would have little impact on families with two income-earners who bring in roughly the same amount. It also doesn't reflect how many children a family has.

The program will also have an impact on provincial revenues, since their tax systems are based on payable federal tax.

But income-splitting is shaping up as the biggest issue separating the Conservatives from their political opponents.

The New Democrats announced a $15-a-day child-care plan earlier this month as part of an ambitious plan to create or maintain a million affordable daycare spaces across the country.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has already vowed he'd reverse the Conservative policy if his party forms a government.

"It doesn't help the people who need it most and it costs Canadians an awful lot to do. It doesn't make sense," he told CBC News last week.

Conservatives immediately accused Trudeau of planning to increase taxes.

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Faulty GM ignition switch linked to 2nd crash death in Canada

On a clear winter day in March 2013, 55-year-old Danylo Kulish was on his way to pick up his girlfriend at Montreal's Trudeau airport in his GM Saturn Ion. He never made it.

Kulish died in a crash in which Transport Canada investigators are probing a faulty ignition switch as the "probable" cause — just six weeks after General Motors issued a recall of millions of cars because of the potentially deadly defect.

The Kulish family says no one told them about the GM recall until after his death.

To date, GM has stated that one of the 29 wrongful death claims it has accepted was a Canadian, but has declined to identify the victim. An investigation by CBC's the fifth estate and Radio-Canada's Enquête now adds the Kulish crash as a second Canadian fatality under investigation as part of the ignition switch problem.

"A sudden failure within the ignition switch appears to be a possible and probable explanation," says a preliminary Transport Canada report into the crash obtained in the fifth estate and Enquête investigation.

Danylo Kulish died when his Saturn Ion hit a cement pillar on March 24, 2014.

"According to the data retrieved from the car's ACM (airbag control module), the driver's frontal airbag never deployed because the ACM never commanded its deployment."

The September 2014 report by Transport Canada said "further analysis" was needed to determine "if a faulty ignition switch had contributed to this outcome." It described the case as "a high departmental priority."

GM is facing claims of at least 150 more fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

"He died for no reason. He died for a 57-cent piece that should have been fixed over 10 years ago and would've cost them hardly anything if they would've just done the right thing from day one," Danylo Kulish's brother Taras told the fifth estate.

"It was a clear day, there was no snowstorm," says Taras Kulish. "He went straight into the cement pillar that divided the highway.… He just went right in it, full frontal crash."

Danylo Kulish died after a crash in his Saturn Ion. "A sudden failure within the ignition switch appears to be a possible and probable explanation," says a preliminary Transport Canada report into the crash obtained as part of a CBC investigation.

 Danylo Kulish was pronounced dead of massive internal injuries.

Evidence before U.S. Congressional hearings and in GM's own internal reports reveal the company knew about the defect as far back as 2005 and switched the part in newer models without informing anyone.

The fifth estate and Enquête also reveal that Transport Canada was aware of a potential problem with the ignition switch in the Chevrolet Cobalt eight months before General Motors Canada issued a recall notice.

Under Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Act, GM Canada is obliged to disclose a safety defect in a "timely" fashion.

"Timely meaning upon becoming aware," Kash Ram, the director general of road safety and motor vehicle regulation at Transport Canada, told fifth estate host Bob McKoewn.

After Danylo Kulish's crash, a letter addressed to him from General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra arrived, apologizing for what she called the "inconvenience or frustration" caused by the ignition switch problems. By then, Kulish had been dead for five months. (Pete Marovich/Bloomberg)

"Now it will depend, based on circumstances. In some cases it's days, typically it's days upon determining, upon becoming aware that there is a safety-related defect."

Asked if GM's delay in making the defect public for several years was "a timely fashion," Ram said: "They've admitted fault, but we have to see. It has to be evidence-based."

"At this point we have no evidence to suggest that GM Canada did not comply with its obligations under Canadian law. But it's not closed yet," he said. "We continue to scrutinize their actions."

Watch 'The Switch from Hell' on CBC Television's the fifth estate at 9 p.m. Friday.

 After the crash, a letter addressed to Danylo Kulish from American GM chief executive officer Mary Barra arrived, apologizing for what she called the "inconvenience or frustration" caused by the ignition switch problems.

 By then, Kulish had been dead for five months.

"It angers me, because why should we be waiting for anything from the United States?" says his brother Taras.

"I mean, Transport Canada should be its own independent organization and should be able to react accordingly to what's going on here, and they're just nowhere to be seen or found."

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Trailer Park Boys star Lucy DeCoutere claims Jian Ghomeshi choked, slapped her on date

Actress Lucy DeCoutere is the first woman to attach her name to allegations of violence at the hands of former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi in interviews with the Toronto Star and CBC's The Current.

DeCoutere, who plays Lucy on the TV comedy Trailer Park Boys, told CBC's The Current that Ghomeshi physically attacked her during a date in 2003.

In a Facebook post responding to his dismissal, Jian Ghomeshi denied that he has instigated non-consensual violent sex with women and said he only participates in sexual practices that are 'mutually agreed upon, consensual and exciting for both partners.' (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

DeCoutere's allegations come after a string of similar accusations from women who did not want to be named that have appeared in recent days on the CBC and in the Toronto Star.

DeCoutere met Ghomeshi at a Banff, Alta., television festival and maintained a playful correspondence with him after that.

On one occasion in 2003, she visited him in Toronto and the pair went to dinner and later to Ghomeshi's house. They started kissing consensually, but, she said, Ghomeshi soon became violent.

"He did take me by the throat and press me against the wall and choke me," DeCoutere said. "And he did slap me across the face a couple of times."

She doesn't recall telling him to stop but said her facial expression turned very serious and Ghomeshi was no longer violent after that. She left within an hour and saw Ghomeshi two more times that weekend, but they did not discuss the incident, and no further violent incidents occurred.

She said she had no physical marks on her body from the attack and did not seek medical attention or report it to the police, partially because she felt there were too many holes in her story.

Ghomeshi's lawyer, Neil Rabinovitch, told The Current that neither he nor Ghomeshi would be commenting on the allegations DeCoutere made to The Current because the case is before the courts. Ghomeshi launched a $55 million lawsuit against the public broadcaster on Monday after the CBC ended its relationship with the former Q host a day earlier.

In a Facebook post responding to his dismissal, Ghomeshi denied that he has instigated non-consensual violent sex with women and said he only participates in sexual practices that are "mutually agreed upon, consensual and exciting for both partners."

"In the coming days you will prospectively hear about how I engage in all kinds of unsavoury aggressive acts in the bedroom. And the implication may be made that this happens non-consensually. And that will be a lie," he wrote.

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Metal found on Pacific island is from Amelia Earhart's plane, group says

Researchers probing the 1937 disappearance of famed American aviator Amelia Earhart's plane said on Wednesday they now believe a slab of aluminum found decades ago on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean came from her aircraft.

The warped piece of metal was uncovered on a 1991 voyage to the island of Nikumaroro in the Republic of Kiribati by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), which has spent millions of dollars searching for Earhart's plane in a project that has involved hundreds of people.

"We don't understand how that patch got busted out of (the plane) and ended up on the island where we found it, but we have the patch, we have a piece of Earhart's aircraft," TIGHAR executive director Ric Gillespie said.

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery says it now believes that this piece of metal, which was found on the island of Nikumaroro in the Republic of Kiribati in 1991, came from the plane of missing aviator Amelia Earhart. (TIGHAR)

Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

The announcement that new analysis had determined the piece was from her lost craft was met with skepticism from some aviation experts, without independent review or a definitive marking such as a serial number.

Pennsylvania-based TIGHAR, which in 2012 made a naval expedition to look for remnants of Earhart's famed Lockheed Electra on the island, has been trying for years to determine the origin of the piece of metal, found on the island about 2,897 kilometres southwest of Hawaii.

The piece, which measures about 61 centimetres by 46 centimetres, did not appear to be a standard part of a Lockheed Electra, but TIGHAR researchers recently began to look into the possibility it might have been installed on the plane as a patch after a window was removed, he said.

On Oct. 7, a TIGHAR team examined a plane at Wichita Air Services in Newton, Kansas, that was similar to Earhart's aircraft. Because the plane was being restored, it was possible to look at its interior and see where the sheet of metal recovered in 1991 would have fit, Gillespie said.

Meanwhile, Gillespie's group plans another expedition to Nikumaroro in 2015.

"There are some in the aviation community and the historical community who are very skeptical of their claims," said Dick Knapinsky, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association.

"How do you establish that a piece of aluminum belonged to a certain Lockheed Electra unless there's a serial number or something on it?" he said.

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'I'm proud to be gay,' Apple CEO Tim Cook says

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has come out of the closet.

The public declaration, in an essay written for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, makes public what had been widely known in some corporate circles. And more importantly, it likely makes Cook the highest-profile gay person in corporate America.

"Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," Cook wrote. "Of course, I've had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people's differences. Not everyone is so lucky."

Cook said that while he never denied his sexuality, he never publicly acknowledged it, either. Cook wrote in the column published Thursday that it wasn't an easy choice to publicly disclose that he is gay, but that he felt the acknowledgement could help others.

"I've come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important," he wrote.

Three days ago, Cook spoke out publicly against his home state of Alabama to ensure the state take steps to ensure the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Alabama is among the states that do not recognize same-sex marriage, and it doesn't offer legal protections on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Cook is a native of Robertsdale, Ala., and attended Auburn University.

"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said.

Cook succeeded Apple founder Steve Jobs as chief executive officer of Apple Inc. in 2011.

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Ebola death count likely exceeds 5,000, WHO says

World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward speaks during a press briefing on WHO's strategy to combat Ebola, which has killed almost 5,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. (Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

The Ebola death toll is likely over 5,000 out of 13,703 cases worldwide, the World Health Organization says.

Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO assistant director-general in charge of the operational response, gave the update to reporters on Wednesday.

In Liberia, there are signs of progress, such as decline in burial numbers and lab-confirmed cases that appear to have plateaued, Alyward said. That could be thanks to the right information getting to people to change their behaviour and protect themselves as well as safe burials.

"Do we feel confident that the response is now getting an upper hand on the virus? Yes, we are seeing slowing rate of new cases, very definitely," he told a news conference.

While he's confident that they're seeing a slowing in the rate of new cases, the danger is that instead of  cases going down steadily, they start to oscillate up and down, for example, if burials go wrong and start new chains of transmission, he warned.

The number of cases in the worst affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is 13,676.  WHO attributes what looks like a jump in the number of cases to updated data on old cases that were piling up and took time to reconcile.

In contrast, the seven-day rolling average has been steady at around 9,000 or 10,000 in recent weeks, he said.

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Revenue Canada admits letters to taxpayers are almost indecipherable

The next time you puzzle over an indecipherable letter or notice from the Canada Revenue Agency, don't blame yourself: even the tax department acknowledges it churns out a lot of gobbledegook.

A study of the agency last month confirms the millions of communications that bureaucrats send to taxpayers each year are poorly organized, confusing, unprofessional, unduly severe, bureaucratic, one-sided and just plain dense.

All that gibberish comes with a human cost: confused taxpayers swamp the agency's call centres with needless telephone inquiries, or they send thousands of letters to tax offices asking for clarification.

And Canadians who receive government benefit cheques sometimes get cut off without cause because they don't understand the unintelligible letters the agency sends to them asking for information.

The findings appear in an internal evaluation of the 130 million pieces of mail that tax officials issue each year to businesses, charitable groups and individual taxpayers, virtually all of it through Canada Post rather than electronically.

A New York-based consultant firm hired to examine a cross-section of CRA's letters found the "information was not well organized, (the) presentation of information did not inspire confidence; and (the) tone used lacked empathy."

"Often the main purpose of the documents was not readily apparent, and other important information was scattered throughout the document or embedded in dense paragraphs," Siegelvision said in its $25,000 review for the government.

Misunderstood letters

The evaluation included an online survey of taxpayers by another firm, which asked respondents to examine a typical CRA notice that required the recipient to send the tax agency money. About half of those surveyed could not figure out they were supposed to write a cheque to the government because the document was so poorly written.

Worse, many of those surveyed claimed they understood the sample document when in fact they did not, says the $90,000 survey from TNS Canada Ltd.

'Participants ... often do not understand much of the information expressed in the letters they receive'- Consultant report for Canada Revenue Agency

Separate work commissioned from the Walker Consulting Group in 2012-2013 found that taxpayers they interviewed considered the letters and notices to be full of gibberish.

"Participants indicated that they often do not understand much of the information expressed in the letters they receive," said the Walker report.

"Many indicated a degree of frustration about not understanding various pieces of information contained in letters from the CRA."

The Siegelvision study also compared the CRA's standard communications with those of the Internal Revenue Service in the United States, which in July 2008 began a major initiative to improve the clarity and accuracy of its correspondence.

American versions clearly indicated that the taxpayer owed the government money, while the CRA equivalents were confusing, with long preambles and weak presentation. The agency's correspondence also compared poorly with tax letters and notices in Australia, Britain and the province of Quebec.

The evaluation blames the problem partly on older letter-generating software at the CRA that offers bureaucrats little flexibility in customizing or improving their communications.

The agency said it accepts the findings, and plans to consult businesses this fall to find ways to improve clarity, as part of a "red-tape reduction" initiative.

Looking for feedback

"The CRA will also engage Canadians to solicit their feedback on how to improve our correspondence with them," beginning next year, spokesman Philippe Brideau said.

The Canada Revenue Agency says it plans to boost the clarity of its communications as part of a new initiative starting in February next year. (Kady O'Malley/CBC News)

The agency plans a new service in February that will allow individuals to receive correspondence online, and will use the opportunity to improve clarity, Brideau said. Businesses have been offered a similar secure email service since 2013.

"Over the next 18 months, the most common letters and notices that the CRA generates, constituting more than 60 million pieces of correspondence a year, will be available online to Canadians in simplified, easier-to-understand formats," Brideau said in an email.

Officials also plan to hire a third-party consultant to help rewrite the templates for standard correspondence.

A senior executive at Siegelvision, the New York firm hired by CRA to conduct the review, declined to discuss its work for the agency, but said any organization needs to adopt a "blank slate" approach to communications rather than try to improve them incrementally or piecemeal.

Irene Etzkorn, the company's chief clarity officer, also said an organization needs a "high-level executive champion to overcome a lot of bureaucratic inertia."

Follow @DeanBeeby on Twitter

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Republicans have high Senate hopes — and real presidential ticket troubles: Neil Macdonald

There's no dearth of bright, principled, highly accomplished people who carry Republican Party membership cards.

A few of them are personal acquaintances, and I've become convinced during my years here that their values mirror those of most Americans: morally laissez-faire while leaning rightward fiscally with a preference for lower taxes but an understanding that government services cost money.

Live your life however you wish as long as it's legal and you're willing to accept responsibility for it and you don't intrude on mine. That's actually supposed to be the American way.

And yet, with the next presidential election so close — 2016 is practically next week in American national politics, never mind next week's midterm elections that are unlikely to change much — the Republicans cannot seem to find a fresh, inspiring candidate to carry those views forward.

Barring some unpredictable upheaval or sudden illness, everybody knows who will be heading the Democratic ticket.

Hillary Clinton dominates her party so utterly that one of her most credible opponents for the nomination, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, has dropped criticisms of Clinton and urged her to run (as though she needs any encouragement).

At the head of the Republican list at this point is, seriously, Mitt Romney, the two-time loser whose reputation, even in his own party, is mostly for being sort of uncool and slightly hapless.

Romney's wife Ann says her family is finished with politics, period. Romney, grateful for the recent rehabilitation into senior statesman, just smiles and says another run is not in the cards, at least not now.

The current orthodoxy

Tuesday's midterm elections might affect the presidential race if the Republicans end up controlling both the House and Senate and attempt to set some sort of agenda for the next two years.

But at this point their presidential lineup isn't exactly generating momentum.

According to a recent ABC News-Washington Post poll, Romney is trailed, distantly, by Jeb Bush, brother of George W. and son of George H.W., a moderate and politically experienced fellow whose own mother doesn't seem to think he should run; and whose son, a rising junior-leaguer in the far-right fever swamp of Texas, refuses to say whether he'd vote for dad.

Republican Senator Rand Paul, from Kentucky, may be "the most interesting man in politics," according to Time magazine. (Gary Cameron / Reuters)

After him, and maybe New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who has fallen sharply out of party favour, the moderation disappears.

Next in line, according to the poll, is Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator and sometime conspiracy theorist who has inherited his father's title as unofficial leader of the GOP's anti-government libertarians. Time magazine just called him "the most interesting man in politics."

After Paul comes a slew of other also-rans, leftovers from earlier races, religious figures from the far right, and political unknowns outside their small circles.

They all have something in common, though, the nigh impossibility of uniting the Republican Party with all its loopier constituent factions.

Imagine the dentistry-without-anaesthetic that any Republican with a record of leadership and achievement must factor into a White House run.

In today's orthodoxy, he or she must pledge to repudiate science, threaten to deport the 11 million or so illegal immigrants who do America's hard labour, ignore fiscal mathematics, tell women how to manage their reproductive organs, and advocate more foreign military adventures.

It doesn't hurt to wave around a gun in campaign ads, or at least pose with one when you can.

Trust the base?

Embrace all those things, and the party base will go nuts for you. You just won't stand a chance with Republicans who want to live in the real world and dislike ideological carnivals.

Poor Romney must remember being forced to run away from his signature achievement as governor of Massachusetts, a health-care system that worked so well it served as the model for Obamacare, which the Republican-controlled House has voted nearly 50 times, unsuccessfully, to repeal.

And the party only grudgingly settled on Romney.

First, it briefly embraced the right-wing warhorse Newt Gingrich (who denounced Romney as a "moderate from Massachusetts"), the slightly unhinged creationist Michelle Bachmann (who said Obama is turning the U.S. into a "nation of slaves"), Texas Gov. Rick Perry (who apparently carries a gun while jogging), former restaurant executive Herman Cain (who quit the race over accusations of sexual harassment), and anti-abortion crusader Rick Santorum.

Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton campaigns for Democratic Senator Kay Hagan in North Carolina earlier this week. Not much guessing any more about whether she will run for the presidency. (Chris Keane / Reuters)

Any hopeful this time will have watched all that, and will know the crazy cross-currents in the GOP are still blowing strong.

In Colorado, conservatives are trying to force the state's school system to teach students patriotism, respect for authority and reverence for capitalism. There's too much free thinking in the current curriculum, apparently.

Certain states continue to make abortion, which is legal, practically impossible. The favorite approach at the moment is to write laws forcing abortion clinics (but not other sorts of clinics) to meet the standards demanded of hospitals, which is financially ruinous.

In Florida, where the state government is frantically spending money on pumping systems to keep rising sea levels from destroying valuable real estate, the governor and other conservative politicians nonetheless refuse to talk about climate change, for fear of violating party dogma.

Realistic immigration reform, something most sensible people agree is necessary in this day and age, is impossible to advocate.

So perhaps it's time the GOP took the base at its word, and gave the far-right solution a try.

Nominate an unabashed, unvarnished, unbending conservative. Say, like Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. Or, why not, Rand Paul. Or bring back Sarah Palin.

Forget this business of trying to appeal to "moderates."

Go out there and defy the Washington elite and the "lamestream media" and spell out tough, uncompromising conservative positions without any weaselly qualifiers or doubletalk. Give the people a clear opportunity to vote conservative.

Maybe the reason Mitt Romney — and before him Arizona's John McCain — lost was indeed that they really weren't the genuine article.

So why not give it a try. The starting gun for the presidential race is about to go off, and a no-holds-barred conservative at the head of the GOP will certainly settle the matter. All there is to lose is another eight years.

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Transport Canada tightens rail safety regulations in Lac-Mégantic aftermath

New requirements for hand brakes and other safety devices to ensure parked trains stay put are among the changes Transport Canada will enforce in response to the devastating 2013 rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced Wednesday that her department is recruiting 10 additional inspectors to do more audits and provide more information to municipalities about the rail cargo moving through their communities.

"Building a safety culture is a shared responsibility," Raitt told reporters. "Lac-Mégantic is a case where the rules were not followed."

"This past year has been difficult for everyone involved," the minister said, acknowledging the hard work of not only her department but also the town's mayor and other officials.

In August, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said Transport Canada took seriously the Transportation Safety Board's final recommendations on the 2013 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic. (Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press)

The department is investing in new research on dangerous cargo such as the crude oil that exploded in tanker cars in Lac-Mégantic and launching a targeted inspection campaign to check how hazardous goods are classified and reported.

Certain railways, including short lines and smaller companies will also now submit employee training plans to Transport Canada for review. An audit blitz is planned to determine specific training gaps at these shippers.

The Transportation Safety Board's final report found a "weak safety culture" at the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic railroad, which "did not have a functioning safety management system to manage risks."

The investigator's final recommendations fingered a failure of hand brakes to secure the train on the night it rolled away and crashed into the heart of the community's downtown before exploding and killing 47 people.

MMA had gaps in training, employee monitoring and maintenance practices, the final report said.

The TSB report also found that Transport Canada did not audit MMA often and thoroughly enough to ensure safety procedures were being followed.

Raitt's department issued an emergency directive immediately after the crash with new requirements for securing unattended trains.

Part of Wednesday's announcement was an additional directive implementing minimum requirements for hand brakes and other physical defences, backed up by a ministerial order to ensure the directive becomes permanent.

In April 2014, the government responded to initial recommendations from the TSB by removing the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tanker cars from circulation. At the time, it also required the industry to do more route planning and make sure emergency response plans are in place for the transportation of high-risk hydrocarbons like petroleum products.

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Nathan Cirillo-inspired racism 'experiment' ends with punch to face

In the wake of Nathan Cirrilo's shooting death in Ottawa, a Mississauga-based filmmaker staged a "social experiment" in downtown Hamilton to see how people would react to overt racism against Muslim people.

People reacted, all right: the experiment ended with a punch in the face.

"This is based on the events that happened in Ottawa," said Omar Albach, a York University student at the start of a YouTube video called Canadians React to Ottawa Shooting Racism. "We're going to see if people feel safe to be around Muslims or people who look like Muslims."

In the video, a man named Zakaria Ghanem is dressed in a traditional Muslim gown called a Dishdasha or Thobe, while another man, Devin Giamou, berates him in public and says he wouldn't feel safe getting onto a bus with him.

Then the reactions pour in from other people waiting for the same bus who don't know the whole thing is staged.

"You can't stereotype and judge people by their clothes," one man says. "Or their nationalities or anything else, you know what I mean?"

One woman says what happened to Cirillo in Ottawa was "awful and tragic," but doesn't think "that's any reason to persecute someone just because of what they're wearing."

One man objects to Giamou's staged racism so much that he punches him square in the face in the video, near the entrance to Hamilton shopping mall Jackson Square.

'This is a social experiment'

"We never expected that," Albach told CBC Hamilton. "I was standing there filming and just went, 'Did he just get punched?'"

Albach says he immediately ran over to help, and explained that they were conducting a social experiment — and that no one here was harbouring any racist feelings. "They did apologize and said 'we just wanted to stick up for the guy.'"

Omar Albach, 18, organized a "social experiment" in Hamilton last week in the wake of Nathan Cirillo's shooting death in Ottawa. (Omar Albach/Twitter)

Albach, 18, says he felt compelled to film the video after seeing what happened to Nathan Cirillo, a Hamilton man who was shot last week while on guard at the national war memorial in Ottawa.

"I was really touched by Nathan Cirillo's death, and I feel like these actions are to be condemned," he said.

The RCMP says it has evidence that gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was driven by ideological and political motives.

The 32-year-old made a video recording of himself just before last week's attack, the RCMP says, and a source familiar with the investigation told CBC's Chris Hall that Zehaf-Bibeau appears to make specific reference to Canada's foreign policy as motivation for his actions and that he praises Allah in the recording. 

Stephen Harper has called Wednesday's shooting a terror attack, and the bloodshed raised fears that Canada is suffering reprisals for joining the U.S.-led air campaign against ISIS extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Zehaf-Bibeau also dealt with addiction

But Albach, who is Muslim, cautions against making links to Zehaf-Bibeau's actions and the Muslim faith. Zehaf-Bibeau told a B.C. judge almost three years ago that he was homeless and wanted to go to jail to help break his drug addiction.​

He lived in B.C. in recent years, walking the streets of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, and may have been staying at a Salvation Army shelter in downtown Vancouver as recently as two weeks ago.

Zehaf-Bibeau was also charged with robbery and uttering threats for an incident in Vancouver on Dec. 16, 2011, which court records indicate may have been an attempt to get help. CBC News obtained the psychiatric assessment and audio recordings of Zehaf-Bibeau's court appearances in Vancouver on Dec. 2011 and Feb. 2012.

The psychiatrist, who met with Zehaf-Bibeau at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre, found that he was fit to stand trial, and explained some of Zehaf-Bibeau's motivation for wanting to be imprisoned.

"The accused is aware of his charge and possible consequences of conviction. He wants to be in jail, as he believes this is the only way he can overcome his addiction to crack cocaine. He has been a devoted Moslem for seven years, and he believes he must spend time in jail as a sacrifice to pay for his mistakes in the past and he hopes to be a better man when he is eventually released," the psychiatrist wrote on Dec. 18, 2011.

Don't reflect Muslim faith

Albach says he doubts Canadians believe that Zehaf-Bibeau's actions are reflective of Muslims as a whole — something his video helps prove, he says.

Cynics might say that Albach cherry picked the responses you see in the video, only choosing people who acted in the way he was wanted — but he says that simply isn't true.

"I know a lot of people edit those things out, but we didn't."

As of Wednesday morning, Albach's video had over 280,000 hits on YouTube. Another viral video he made called Hug a Terrorist from earlier this year has over 332,000 hits on YouTube.

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'I am sorry,' Mountie killer Justin Bourque tells Moncton court

Speaking through tears, Justin Bourque apologized in a Moncton courtroom Tuesday morning as his sentencing hearing for killing three RCMP officers and wounding two others, concluded.

Bourque is being sentenced for three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

He previously pleaded guilty to shooting five RCMP officers on June 4, when he wandered through a north end neighbourhood of the city, dressed in camouflage and carrying a high-powered weapon.

The killer briefly addressed the Moncton courtroom on Tuesday after listening to the Crown prosecutor and his defence lawyer argue over how long he would spend in prison.

Bourque said he took the "easy way out," and the killings are something, "I'm going to have to live with the rest of my life.

"I am sorry. There's nothing else to say," Bourque said.

With that, the court recessed until 2 p.m. AT Friday, when Bourque will learn his fate.

Crown prosecutor Cameron Gunn argued on Tuesday that Bourque committed "one of the most heinous crimes in Canadian history" and should be sent to prison for 75 years without a chance for parole.

The Crown prosecutor said the court had to hand down a stiff penalty to "denounce these crimes." 

The Crown is seeking the maximum sentence of three consecutive 25-year life sentences. That would mean Bourque would not be eligible for parole for 75 years and it would be the longest prison sentence in Canadian history.

The Crown also said in court Tuesday that the attempted murders are no less important when deciding on the sentence.

Up until 2011, the maximum sentence a multiple killer could be given in Canada was life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

The Crown said a sentence of 25 years would be "wholly inappropriate."

Further, the Crown prosecutor said there is very little case history to rely on in the Bourque sentencing, because the law changed in 2011.

The prosecutor referred to the Travis Baumgartner case in which Baumgartner got 40 years with no chance for parole in 2013 after the former armoured guard shot four co-workers, killing three of them.

David Lutz, Bourque's defence lawyer, said his client has shown remorse. Lutz said Bourque's first words to him were, "I am pleading guilty."

Lutz admitted that other than serial killer Clifford Olson's case, this is one of the worst crimes in Canada.

Gas stations initial target

The Crown finished its presentation to the court just before 10 a.m. AT.

Lutz disputed that his client had told a co-worker, "I'm going to pop a couple" of police officers.

Justin Bourque, 24, of Moncton, could be facing three consecutive life sentences, with no chance of parole for 75 years. (Facebook)

Lutz said Bourque first intended to set gas stations on fire. The Crown said it's not choosing to prove that comment was aggravating factor.

Bourque was in court, wearing a grey sweatsuit. He had his ankles and wrists shackled. His face showed  little emotion.

On Tuesday morning, the courtroom heard about the arsenal that Bourque carried with him during his shooting spree.

The RCMP recovered two firearms, including M305 .308 rifle and Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun, as well as a gas mask, a pair of binoculars, two knives and survival harness.

The rifle was purchased legally from Better Buy Sports in Moncton using a valid firearm possession and acquisition licence. 

The Crown is also detailing the injuries suffered by the RCMP officers and the times of death for the three slain policemen.

Victim impact statements

On Monday, the packed courtroom heard 10 emotional victim impact statements, 911 calls from the night of the shootings and the approximately 3½-hour video statement Bourque gave to police shortly after his arrest on June 6.

During the statement, Bourque rambles about everything from evolution to socialism to events overseas.

He also brags about his "good moral compass," his tactical skills and how he felt "accomplished" following the shootings.

At the end of the video, however, Bourque asked if the officers who were killed were married and was told they all had children.

He later wrote a note to the families of Const. Doug Larche, Const. Dave Ross and Const. Fabrice Gevaudan, saying he wasn't asking for forgiveness, but that he apologizes.

Bourque stared straight ahead throughout most of the proceedings, showing no emotion.

Others in the packed courtroom, including some of the relatives of the victims and other RCMP officers, shook their heads and wiped away tears.

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Budget only buys half the Arctic ships promised, watchdog says

A new report is casting doubt on the Conservative government's plan to buy between six and eight Arctic patrol ships.

The budget of $3.1 billion is only enough to pay for four ships, according to an analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. That could drop to three ships if there is a delay of more than a year.

"PBO analysis suggests that the current budget will be insufficient to procure six to eight A/OPS as planned," the report said.

"Rather, it is more likely that, if there are no delays, the current budget will allow for four ships to be built. However, any delay over a year would mean that the budget would likely only be sufficient to build three ships."

Last week, industry and military sources told The Canadian Press that the government has scaled back its original plan to buy between six and eight vessels, choosing instead to buy five with an option for a sixth.

But the president of Irving Shipbuilding, which was selected in 2011 to build the ships, said the federal government has not changed its mind. The deadline to sign a deal to begin constructing the vessels is the end of the year.

Defence and industry experts have said it's not unusual for the government to scale back large procurement projects to reduce costs.

The PBO said if the government wants at least six ships, the budget would need to be increased by $470 million — which the report said would achieve a 50 per cent confidence level.

The PBO analysis produced a range of potential cost estimates, of which the midpoint is called the 50 per cent confidence level. The halfway mark is considered a minimum acceptable standard when selecting a budget.

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John Tory ends Rob Ford's reign over Toronto

John Tory has what he wanted, and it would seem the people of the city got what they wanted: a new mayor and a new approach at city hall. But, it was a lot closer than many predicted.

In many private conversations leading up to election day with voters, incumbent councillors and newcomers, it was clear they believed as many of them put it to me that "the circus had to leave town" — code for an end to Ford rule at Toronto City Hall and an end to what many, frankly, called "Toronto's embarrassment."

Outgoing mayor Rob Ford withdrew from the race for mayor after being diagnosed with liposarcoma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

But, city hall is not a Ford-free zone, with Rob Ford easily winning his brother's Etobicoke ward and offering up a defiant speech that the Fords "never give up."

Tory was, by and large, elected to bring steady but not necessarily spectacular leadership to city hall, though people who know him and who have worked with him say he is capable of both.

Their one concern is the nagging question of whether Tory's tough enough to take on the 44 city councillors.

He will clearly have his backers on the new council. But, there will be others determined to make his life as mayor difficult.

As provincial Conservative leader at Queen's Park, Tory faced some difficult times as a so-called "Red Tory" in trying to wrangle his very "blue" caucus.

After he failed at that and was unable to win a seat in the legislature and, resigned as leader, one of his former MPPs said Tory was "too nice to be leader," though there was never any question about his dedication to the job.

Many others thought he was out of step, with the civility he tried to bring to the daily question period, asking solid questions and expecting in return solid answers.

Tory seemed more interested in conversation and not confrontation — ironically, exactly the same approach Kathleen Wynne brought to the legislature as Liberal leader and premier. She succeeded. Tory did not. But the times were different.

In the years since, while the wounds have healed from his Queen's Park experience, Tory's approach has not changed, whether it was pushing ideas as head of the group Civic Action or fielding phone calls as host of a Toronto open-line radio show.

Better prepared, cooler than in 2003 bid

He's polite and developed along the way an ability to listen — a skill not easily learned by someone who's spent a lifetime as an adviser to premiers, prime ministers and mayors.

John Tory waves with his wife Barbara Hackett after being elected as mayor on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014. (Aaron Harris/Reuters)

People around Tory in this campaign openly say he learned from past mistakes and past setbacks — that he was better equipped this time than he was in 2003 when ran and lost to David Miller.

Tory is not quick to anger, unless it's an attack on, for example, his integrity, which he jealously guards.

He is not into name-calling. And, his pre-written "jabs" during the long mayoral campaign often fell flat — primarily because he wasn't always comfortable in delivering them.

Tory will respect city councillors — something absent on many days under Toronto's current mayor — and, in return he will work to win their respect.

Some will be won over and, some not.

Some may not be able to see past "party labels" — forgetting perhaps that his mentor — former Premier Bill Davis was a master at occupying the so-called "mushy middle" on the political spectrum with an ability to move "left" and bring in rent controls and move "right" and buy into Suncor.

So, Tory's a Tory. He is a fiscal conservative. But, his time as Davis's principal secretary and, years later, heading up successful United Way campaigns in Toronto, should be seen as proof, regardless of his upbringing in wealth and privilege, that he understands people in the city are being left behind and that he's prepared to do something about it.

In large part, even though she didn't win, Olivia Chow's message on the need for better affordable housing and childcare should not be lost on Tory.

And in his victory speech Tory indicated he understands that those votes for the one-time MP represent support for improvements to city issues besides transit.

But, change will take time at Toronto City Hall, especially after the Ford years and because Tory is, after all, just one vote.

A healing process at city hall

So, he's got his work cut out for him. There is a long list of election promises, bringing the city back together — ending the "them and us" attitude though the results don't match his slogan of: "OneCity." And he's got to unite the council, to almost immediately begin the healing process.

Then, there is the city's critically important relationship with the two other levels of government.

Tory's election has come as a huge relief to Premier Wynne and her government — many members of which came out, with her blessing, to endorse Tory's campaign — something that should not have come as a surprise — since it's been an open secret that Wynne and Ford had little use for each other, especially with the mayor's threat to unleash what he likes to calls "Ford Nation" against the Liberals — a threat Dalton McGuinty initially worried about but then dismissed.

Wynne and Tory — even as former foes — liked and respected each other, and that ongoing friendship will change the dynamic between city hall and Queen's Park.

And then there's Ottawa.

The Fords — Mayor Rob and councillor- turned-mayoral-candidate Doug — always made much of their ties to the Harper government.

But, with the death of former finance minister Jim Flaherty, a life-long Ford family friend, the connection quickly disappeared, as it became clear the Harper Tories, including the prime minister, wanted to keep their distance from the antics and turmoil at Toronto City Hall.

It was not by accident that someone last month leaked to the Globe and Mail the fact that Tory and Harper had met in Ottawa over the summer to discuss all things Toronto.

And, in confirming that, Tory acknowledged to reporters that, in fact, he had had "several meetings" with the prime minister long before he decided to run for mayor of Toronto — a city where Harper was born — a city the Tories need in the next federal election to secure another mandate.

So, it is ironic that Tory's win is welcome news to the provincial Liberals and the federal Conservatives. But, there it is: "politics does make for strange bedfellows."

But at city hall, while Tory will still have to win over some of those on council, there is nothing strange about their collective desire to change what has gone on there for the past four years — a view shared by Torontonians who voted for Tory and turned out in record numbers — wanting decisions and not division. As mayor, he may well appear on U.S. network television but only as the butt of jokes by late-night talk show hosts.

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Live coverage of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's funeral

Cpl. Nathan Cirillo honoured by military unit 2:24

Cpl. Nathan Cirillo honoured by military unit 2:24

Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was gunned down while standing guard at the National War Monument in Ottawa, will be honoured today with a regimental funeral in his hometown of Hamilton.

Crowds started gathering all over the city to pay their respects hours before the funeral was even set to begin.

CBC News Network will provide coverage of the funeral beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. CBCNews.ca will also live stream the events.

The funeral at Christ's Church Cathedral in Hamilton is for family and invited guests only, but the public can pay respects by observing the procession that carries the soldier's body through the city's downtown to the church.

Thousands are expected to line the streets of Hamilton to be part of the ceremony. There are police on almost every corner in the downtown core near the church where the service is taking place. Just steps away at the James Street Armoury, tributes have continued to pour in since Cirillo was killed last week.

A massive Canadian flag has been suspended from two fire trucks over the procession route. Many of the people who are standing on the edge of the procession route are wearing poppies.

Here is what you need to know if you plan to observe the events in person or online.

Funeral

Public attendance at the church will be restricted to family members and invited guests only.

The service will be conducted in the funeral rites of the Anglican Church of Canada. Rev. Rob Fead will conduct the service. The readings chosen for the service are: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Psalm 23 and Matthew 5:1-12a.

Live stream

Other military units, service members and members of the public who want to view the funeral service can do so through a video link at FirstOntario Centre, 101 York Blvd. 

CBC News Network will be providing extensive coverage of the funeral beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. CBCNews.ca will also be live streaming the event. You can watch the live stream on this page.

Who will be there

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are expected to be in Hamilton on Tuesday for the funeral service. 

Hamilton police released preliminary road closure boundaries ahead of Cpl. Cirillo's funeral scheduled for Tuesday. (Hamilton Police Service)

Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina said he expects the dignitaries to include Premier Kathleen Wynne, a number of MPs and members of the Ontario Legislature and Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell. He said some American military and political dignitaries may attend as well.

Procession 

The procession route for Cirillo's funeral will be open to the public, beginning at the Argyll Commemorative Pavilion at Hamilton's Bayfront Park at 10:30 a.m. ET before heading south along Bay Street North, east along York Boulevard and north along James Street North, concluding at Christ's Church Cathedral.

Cirillo's casket will be carried by pallbearers. A flag, his belt, a bayonet and Cirillo's Argylls badge will be placed on top, said Col. Geordie Elms, the mayor's senior adviser of military heritage and protocol and a former commanding officer of the Argylls.

An escort will lead that procession, and a party of about 40 people will follow behind, along with the rest of the regiment.

Fund to support the families of Cpl. Cirillio and Warrant Officer Vincent

An online fund has been set up to collect donations for the families of Cpl. Cirillo and Warrant Officer Vincent. Organizers say all of the money raised will be distributed evenly between the two families. They hope to raise $750,000.

In memory of Nathan Cirillo

What else to expect

There will be heightened security measures, including restrictions on bags and backpacks for observers.

Road closure

A large portion of downtown Hamilton will be closed to traffic because of the events. Those planning to attend are encouraged to take transit.

There is no parking or stopping on the following roads from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

• York Boulevard between Hess Street North and James Street North.
• James Street North between York Boulevard and Barton Street.
• Hughson Street North between Cannon Street and Barton Street.
• Bay Street North between Bayfront and King Street West.

On mobile? Follow the live blog here

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CBC to make special sports announcement at noon ET

Coming Up

Watch live from Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto

CBC Sports Posted: Oct 28, 2014 10:31 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 28, 2014 10:31 AM ET

CBC/Radio-Canada President Hubert Lacroix will make a special announcement today regarding sports on the network.

Watch the announcement live at noon ET from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto by clicking on the video player above.

The announcement will be followed by media availability and a technical briefing with Jeffrey Orridge, executive director, sports properties and general manager, Olympics, CBC; and François Messier, general manager, productions, Radio-Canada.

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Oil price will fall to $70 a barrel in 2015, Goldman Sachs says

One of the world's leading investment banks says the benchmark price of North American oil is going to fall even further, to $70 US a barrel by next spring.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs slashed its forecast late Sunday night for both West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude — the two most common types of oil used and sold in North America and Europe.

Goldman Sachs says WTI will go for $75 a barrel in the first three months of 2015. Brent, meanwhile, will change hands at $85 a barrel. Both forecasts are down $15 from what the bank was last expecting. And both are forecast to slip even lower in the second quarter — historically a seasonally low time for oil prices — before rebounding a little in the summer of 2015.

If the prediction on WTI proves correct, it will be the lowest price for North American oil since 2010, when crude was on its way higher after cratering during the recession of 2008 and 2009.

Currently, WTI is trading at about $80. That's down from more than $100 a barrel earlier this year.

The main reason the bank cited in making its call is simple supply and demand. There is more oil being produced now than the world needs, the bank says.

A boom in shale oil and gas in North America this year and last has drastically increased the amount of oil in circulation. This month, it's expected that the U.S. will pump out more crude oil than Saudi Arabia does — the first time that's been the case since the early 1970s.

Goldman says the North American oil price will average $73.75 for 2015 as a whole. Last year, the bank predicted the average price of North American oil would be $94.83 this year.

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Self-radicalized and adrift: The shared traits of the 'lone wolf' killers

They didn't know each other and their respective attacks were not directly linked. But Martin Couture-Rouleau and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shared common traits — both self radicalized and adrift in their lives and connected in their sympathy to radical Islamic ideology, seeking to venture overseas and possibly fight for what they considered a higher cause. 

"They're both lone wolves," said Lorne Dawson, co-director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society. "Both a bit more impulsive, bit more opportunistic, if there was planning, it's amateurish."

Couture-Rouleau waited in a parking lot for at least two hours before driving his car into two Canadian soldiers, killing Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, Two days later, Zehaf-Bibeau, armed with a Winchester .30-30 calibre rifle, fatally shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as he guarded the National War Memorial before storming  Parliament Hill.

"Mr. Rouleau [committed the attack] where he lived," said Michael Zekulin, a political science professor who studies terrorism and radicalization at the University of Calgary. "Mr. Bibeau, he was on the move. He was all over the place. He didn't live anywhere. There wasn't that same attachment. Mr. Rouleau seems a little more opportunistic. Whereas Mr. Bibeau seems a little more 'I'm just going to shoot the first soldier I see ... and then move on to Parliament.'"

"Going directly to Parliament is much more symbolic and is a much more powerful message than Mr. Rouleau running down people in a parking lot of a mall," Zekulin said. "Both are making a statement but if you're going to compare them, both get soldiers but one gets a soldier on Parliament Hill then proceeds into the institution of government."

They were known to authorities. Although Zehaf-Bibeau launched the more brazen attack, police considered Couture-Rouleau the bigger threat of the two, naming him as one of the 90 suspected extremists who the RCMP believed intended to join militants fighting abroad.

Couture-Rouleau also had a much larger online presence than Zehaf-Bibeau and had posted propaganda videos and other materials admiring jihad — or "holy war" against enemies of Islam — on his Facebook profile page, including a video featuring the logo for ISIS.

Zehaf-Bibeau's online activities are much less known but officials say he had visited extremist websites and interacted with individuals on those sites.

Tangled with authorities over passport

Couture-Rouleau and Zehaf-Bibeau also tangled with authorities over their passport. Couture-Rouleau's passport was seized after he was arrested at the airport in July while on his way to Turkey. Zehaf-Bibeau was apparently frustrated over the time it was taking to obtain a Canadian passport and the time it would take to get a Libyan passport. The RCMP said passport issues likely played a role in both the attacks.

Both men converted to Islam as adults — Couture-Rouleau last year and Zehaf-Bibeau some years earlier. Couture-Rouleau was an occasional attendee to his Quebec mosque, had stopped going about two months ago and kept to himself, apparently never giving any hint of his radicalized beliefs, the Globe and Mail reported.

Although Zehalf-Bibeau also kept to himself at the B.C. mosque he attended in 2011 for three to four months, he was more vocal, and expressed his objection to its policy of accepting non-Muslims. (He was asked to leave in 2012 after trying to sleep there following some time spent in jail.)

But where Couture-Rouleau appears to have had no criminal record, Zehalf-Bibeau had a history of getting in trouble with the law, in both Quebec and B.C. and had pleaded guilty to charges including drug possession and robbery, and had a history of battling substance abuse. 

Couture-Rouleau's issues seemed more domestic and financial in nature. He was apparently having problems with his estranged wife and was facing financial constraints following the failure of his pressure washing business.

Both came from divorced families but Zehaf-Bibeau was also estranged from his family. His mother claimed that she had only spoken with him last week, having not seen him for over five years before that. Couture-Rouleau, however, lived with his father, his dad saying that he seemed fine the morning of the attacks, although acknowledging he had concerns about his beliefs. In fact, the RCMP said authorities had visited Couture-Rouleau after being notified by family members, who were concerned about his extremist views.

Exhibit similar traits

Zekulin notes that Zehaf-Bibeau and Couture-Rouleau exhibited similar traits —​ relatively recent converts to Islam, coming from broken families, personal problems.

But he says these similarities just aren't consistent enough to help pick out these types of people. Radicalized individuals can come from well-adjusted backgrounds. People who have trouble with the law or have a history of drug abuse or come from broken families or are recent converts — none of those are necessarily markers to predict extreme behaviour.

"The reality is that if you were to stack that up into large samples of individuals, they're not all going to look like this," Zekulin said.

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CBC's relationship with Jian Ghomeshi has 'come to an end'

CBC's relationship with Jian Ghomeshi, host of the cultural affairs radio show Q, has ended, the network announced Sunday.

"The CBC is saddened to announce its relationship with Jian Ghomeshi has come to an end. This decision was not made without serious deliberation and careful consideration. Jian has made an immense contribution to the CBC and we wish him well," the network said in a statement.

CBC ended its relationship with Ghomeshi earlier on Sunday, said spokesman Chuck Thompson.

Late Sunday afternoon, Ghomeshi posted a lengthy message on his Facebook page in which he claimed that he was terminated by the broadcaster because of the risk of his "private sex life being made public as a result of a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex girlfriend and a freelance writer."

In the post, Ghomeshi details a relationship with a former girlfriend that apparently included "forms of BDSM," saying that he ended the relationship at the beginning of this year.

"After this, in the early spring there began a campaign of harassment, vengeance and demonization against me that would lead to months of anxiety."

Ghomeshi said he has "always been interested in a wide variety of activities in the bedroom" but only those that are "mutually agreed upon" and "consensual."

Ghomeshi said he was open with CBC about the matter because he wanted his bosses to be aware of the situation, but has "never believed it was anyone's business" what he does in his private affairs.

"CBC has been part of the team of friends and lawyers assembled to deal with this for months," he wrote. "On Thursday I voluntarily showed evidence that everything I have done has been consensual. I did this in good faith and because I know, as I have always known, that I have nothing to hide. This when the CBC decided to fire me."

Ghomeshi added that CBC executives told him "that this type of sexual behaviour was unbecoming of a prominent host on the CBC."

He also writes in the post that the CBC received no formal complaints or allegations.

Ghomeshi was set to host the Giller Prize awards ceremony on Nov. 10, but the organization tweeted Sunday that he would no longer be fulfilling that role. 

Pending lawsuit

Earlier on Sunday, Dentons Canada LLP, a law firm in Toronto, released a statement saying that Ghomeshi has instructed them to file a $50-million lawsuit against the CBC on Monday that "will claim general and punitive damages for among other things, breach of confidence and bad faith."

It added that he will also "commence a grievance for reinstatement under the CBC's collective agreement."

Thompson said the pending lawsuit precluded the CBC from addressing Ghomeshi's allegations.

"Given the pending lawsuit from Jian Ghomeshi against the CBC, we are not in a position to comment on his Facebook post," Thompson said.

But Sunday before Ghomeshi's post on Facebook, Thompson said the broadcaster ended its relationship with Ghomeshi after "information came to our attention recently that in CBC's judgment precludes us from continuing our relationship with Jian."

Thompson would not elaborate on how recently the CBC had discovered the information or what that information was.

"Whenever a decision is made to end a relationship with an employee, terms of separation are never disclosed," Thompson said.

On Friday last week, Ghomeshi announced that he was taking some "much needed personal time" away from the CBC.

"Thanks for all the well wishes, you guys," he tweeted. "I'm OK."

Co-created hit show

On Thursday's show, Ghomeshi presented an essay about Wednesday's shooting in Ottawa. He was not on the air for Friday's program, which was hosted by Piya Chattopadhyay.

Q — which Ghomeshi co-created — is a daily national talk show on CBC Radio One and CBC-TV featuring interviews with celebrities and prominent international figures.

One of Ghomeshi's most high-profile interviews was in 2009 with actor-musician Billy Bob Thornton, who wanted to talk about his musical endeavours and became gruff after the host asked him about his film career.

The cultural affairs program, which launched in 2007, is now broadcast on over 180 NPR/PRI stations and syndicated in the U.S.

The Toronto-based Ghomeshi, 47, is also a published author, with the 2012 memoir 1982 and articles in various papers. He also hosted the CBC-TV program Play.

Ghomeshi, who was born in London and is of Iranian descent, first achieved notoriety as a musician with the folk-rock group Moxy Fruvous. Through Jian Ghomeshi Productions, he manages Juno-winning alt-pop musician Lights.

Ghomeshi has won several awards for his broadcasting and was named Best Media Personality in TV or radio by NOW Magazine in 2013. 

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'Our lives are shattered,' court hears in Justin Bourque hearing

A Moncton courtroom heard emotional victim impact statements from the family and colleagues of three slain RCMP officers Monday morning as the sentencing hearing for Justin Bourque began. 

Bourque pleaded guilty in August to three charges of first-degree murder and two charges of attempted murder after shooting five RCMP officers.

Bourque is now sitting in a Moncton courtroom, behind glass. 

The courtroom heard the victim impact statements from family members of the slain officers, Const. Doug Larche, Const. Dave Ross and Const. Fabrice Gevaudan.  

Rachael Ross said in a videotaped statement that she has been in "survival mode" since she lost her husband.

Justin Bourque pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the shootings of five RCMP officers in Moncton. (Courtesy of Andrew Robson)

She told the court how her husband was "ripped away" from their family. 

"I felt I could face anything with him by my side. We truly loved each other," she said.

"Our lives are shattered."

Nadine Larche also offered an emotional statement, which was pre-recorded.

She described how he is already missing so many important events, such as their oldest daughter's first dance.

"Now I'm raising three girls on my own. Solo parenting was not the plan," she said.

"I wish we could bring you back. We love you to the moon."

The wives of the three slain officers issued a statement on Monday morning.

"We are aware that a lot of information will be presented in court today and tomorrow regarding specific details about the incident and those involved," the statement said.

'Three absolutely brilliant fathers were taken from their children just for doing their jobs.'- Const. Robert Nickerson

"We hope the members of the media will choose to continue to focus their reports on the people of our community, including emergency services personnel, who really came together, and continue to work hard to keep us all safe.  We believe it is important to give attention to people who choose to do good.

Larche, Ross and Angela Gevaudan said they would not be giving media interviews.

Const. Robert Nickerson, who saw the shooting and performed CPR on one of his fallen colleagues, also submitted a victim impact statement. 

Nickerson said his son asked what happened on the night of June 4.

"I told him dad lost three good friends. Three absolutely brilliant fathers were taken from their children just for doing their jobs."

Earlier in the morning, the Crown prosecutor submitted a list of exhibits that will be introduced and estimated it would take a day and a half to get through the hearing.

Bourque's statement to police will also be played in the courtroom, and the court will hear 911 calls from neighbours during the shooting spree.

As well, a psychiatric report that was previously under a publication ban will be released. 

The Crown prosecutor said some of the evidence that will be shown during the hearing may be considered disturbing.

He said there are 56,000 pages connected to the investigation and included 9,000 images. It involved 970 officers.

The Crown prosecutor said Bourque deliberately targeted the police officers on June 4. 

The high-profile sentencing hearing brought out a large crowd of spectators on Monday morning.

The Moncton courtroom had to set up an overflow room for people who wanted to listen to the hearing.

New sentencing law

Chief Justice David Smith will be determining Bourque's sentence.

The Crown gave notice in August that it will seek three consecutive life terms, which could mean 75 years in prison for Bourque.

On Monday, the Crown prosecutor reiterated that demand, while he said the defence would argue for a lighter sentence.

Bourque, who was 24 at the time of the killings, would be 99 years of age before becoming eligible for parole, if he were given three consecutive life sentences.

Until 2011, the maximum sentence a multiple killer could be given in Canada was life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

In 2011, however, the federal government passed a new law that allows judges to sentence offenders consecutively when convicted of more than one murder.

The first case in which the law was used in sentencing was in 2013, when Travis Baumgartner received a 40-year sentence for killing three of his security company co-workers during a robbery.

Community reaction

The night of the Moncton shootings has been etched into the memory of many people who live in the north-end neighbourhood.

Joan MacAlpine-Stiles said she will never forget what she saw outside her house that evening.

"I just opened up the window, and here's this guy walking … across my backyard, donned in camouflage with two rifles and looked like Rambo from the TV show," MacAlpine-Stiles said.

Moncton has reached out to people who live in the part of the city that was in the lockdown zone during the shootings and sent them brochures with information about how to identify psychological changes after a traumatic event.

While it may be difficult for people to forget that evening, some New Brunswickers are trying to find ways to remember the officers who were killed or injured by Bourque.

Trees planted

On the weekend, a Riverview park added a small memorial to the slain and wounded officers. 

Dorothy Gray, the district commissioner of the Riverview Girl Guides, said the organization received money to plant trees in the neighbouring town.

So they came up with a plan to plant five maple trees along the Petitcodiac River.

"They are planted in honour of the five constables, who were involved in the incident on June 4 in Moncton. And yesterday at the ceremony two of the two surviving RCMP constables were in attendance, which made it very meaningful," Gray said.

Abby Fisher, the mother of one of the Girl Guides who helped plant the trees, said it was important for the guides to be a part of the dedication.

"We tell them that they put their lives on the line for us every day, and we need to show appreciation," she said.

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