News for Youse: Mayor condemns arson, Rob Ford crack controversy, and Ryder Hesjedal pulls out

Mayor condemns arson  Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson said a deliberately set fire "is of significant concern to me". He issued the statement after an anti-gentrification anarchist group claimed credit for the arson attack on a duplex being built on East 1^st Avenue near Victoria Drive.

Apartment fire in Mission  Residents of a wood-framed apartment complex in Mission were safely evacuated last night when it caught fire.

Three MLAs in wheelchairs  Vancouver disability-rights activist Jill Weiss is applauding the election of three MLAs in wheelchairs—Stephanie Cadieux, Sam Sullivan, and Michelle Stilwell—saying this sends a positive message to young people across the province.

Did Toronto’s mayor smoke crack?  A video, which hasn’t been independently verified as authentic, shows Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking a substance that might be crack. His lawyer has told media outlets that any story suggesting that the mayor actually smoked crack is defamatory.

Mike Duffy leaves caucus  Senator and former broadcaster Mike Duffy has stepped aside from the Conservative caucus. This came after revelations that the prime minister’s chief of staff, Nigel Wright, wrote Duffy a cheque for $92,000 to repay the benefits for falsely claiming that Ottawa was his second home.

Ontario earthquake  A quake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was centred in the Ontario town of Braeside, not far from Ottawa. This followed a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in western Quebec.

Highest court aquits mother  The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld the acquittal of a mother who abandoned her newborn baby six years ago in the washroom of a Walmart store in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. According to the decision, she didn't know she was pregnant and mistakenly thought the baby was dead.

Jewels stolen in Cannes  The world’s most famous film fest has been marred by a jewellery heist, with thieves reportedly getting away with more than $1 million worth of gems stored in a hotel safe. It came on the same day as the screening of Sophia Coppola’s new movie, The Bling Ring, which centres on a gang of teenagers who rob celebrities' homes.

Hesjedal withdrawal  Victoria cyclist Ryder Hesjedal has pulled out of the gruelling Giro d’Italia road race, which he won last year. Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has also withdrawn from the competition.