News for Youse: Kayla Bourque released, Natives win in court, Australian wildfires

by The Georgia Straight Staff on January 8th, 2013 at 9:00 AM

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B.C. Corrections issues warning The provincial corrections branch has taken the extraordinary step of warning the public about former SFU criminology student Kayla Bourque, 23, who has been released from prison after serving a sentence for willfully killing animals. She is viewed as a high risk to reoffend, and is subject to 46 court-ordered restrictions.

BCTF supports call to end tests B.C. Teachers' Federation president Susan Lambert has lauded NDP Leader Adrian Dix for promising to end the Foundation Skills Assessment testing. The Fraser Institute uses the results of the test to rank schools across B.C.

Tar sands spreads pollutants A Canadian-government-financed study has found that Alberta tar-sands projects have been increasing the spread of cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in six lakes north of Fort McMurray.

Off-reserve aboriginal people win victory The Federal Court has ruled that Métis and nonstatus Native people are entitled to the same federal benefits as status Indians under the Constitution Act. This includes health and education services, and hunting and trapping rights.

Wildfires in Australia High temperatures are a factor behind fires raging across Tasmania and New South Wales; in Sydney, the thermometer reached 41.8 degrees.

Google boss in North Korea A U.S. delegation, including Google chairman Eric Schmidt, is on a humanitarian mission to North Korea—fuelling speculation that Schmidt may be in discussions about extending the Internet to the sealed-off country.

Luongo faces penalty for retiring early CBC Hockey Night in Canada analyst Elliotte Friedman has concluded that under the tentative NHL deal, Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo could face a financial penalty if he retires before his 12-year contract expires.

Depardieu misses court date Tax avoider and actor Gérard Depardieu did not appear in a Paris court today on a charge of impaired driving. This comes after he received a Russian passport.