Andre Forget/QMI
LONG WAIT IS OVER, TRIAL OF MIKE DUFFY STARTS TODAY
The Senate expense scandal lands squarely back under the spotlight today as the long-awaited trial of suspended Conservative senator Mike Duffy gets underway in an Ottawa courtroom. The trial, currently scheduled to last more than 40 days, will give Duffy a chance to clear his name as he faces allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
BMO STUDY: MORE CANADIANS ARE SAVING, BUT FEAR IT’S NOT ENOUGH
A new survey finds that while more Canadians are saving money, almost 20 per cent didn’t put aside a dime in 2014 while 40 per cent feel they’re not saving enough. According to this year’s household savings report from BMO Financial Group, 31 per cent of Canadians have a fixed savings plan, a significant increase from last year, when only 19 per cent reported implementing such a plan.
SHOPPERS DRUG MART ISSUES WARNING ABOUT EXPIRED BIRTH CONTROL
Shoppers Drug Mart is urging women in Alberta to check the expiry date on their birth control medication as it may be expired. The retailer said it dispensed the expired drug Alesse 21 to about 100 women in Western Canada between March 16 and April 1, 2015. Women who received the expired product in B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba have already been contacted.
CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS COST UKRAINE PIANIST TSO GIG
Ukrainian-born pianist Valentina Lisitsa will not perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra this week because of what the TSO calls “provocative comments.” In a statement she purportedly posted on Facebook, Lisitsa wrote about the people of Ukraine “raising in fury against their corrupt rulers.”
POWERFUL NEW TELESCOPE TO INCLUDE CANADIAN CONTENT
Canadian companies will play a significant role in constructing what’s billed as the most powerful optical telescope on Earth. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday that Canada will provide up to $243.5 million over 10 years for the Thirty Meter Telescope project, which is scheduled to begin peering into space by about 2023.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY …
– Alberta Premier Jim Prentice to make a major announcement. There is speculation he will announce a spring election.
– The case of Nicholas Layman, accused in the stabbing of an 11-year-old boy on a soccer field last September in Newfoundland is back in court today in St. John’s.
– P.E.I. Progressive Conservative Leader Rob Lantz officially launches his election campaign.
