TORONTO — A friend of a young Toronto woman who disappeared five years ago is expected to face cross-examination at the first-degree murder trial of two Ontario men today. The Crown alleges Dellen Millard, 32, of Toronto and Mark Smich, 30, of Oakville, Ont., killed Laura Babcock, 23, and burnedRead More

  Laura Babcock’s friend to continue testimony at murder trial MONTREAL — A one-day daycare strike in Quebec today is forcing thousands of parents to seek alternate child-care arrangement for their children. Picket lines have popped up outside daycares around the province and demonstrations are planned in several cities, includingRead More

TORONTO — Teenagers who use electronic cigarettes are at risk of graduating to tobacco smoking, a large Canadian study suggests. The study of more than 44,000 Grade 9 to 12 students in Ontario and Alberta, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), shows a “strong and robust” linkageRead More

TORONTO — The start of Ontario’s election campaign is a little over six months away, but the battle for voters’ hearts and minds is already being waged as a new advertising landscape looms. Both the province’s political parties and the special interest groups known as third parties will, for theRead More

OTTAWA — The Trudeau Liberals are facing warnings to proceed cautiously and in as transparent a manner as possible as they weigh a Chinese state-owned company’s bid to take over Aecon construction of Calgary. The warnings come in the face of strong affirmations by the Liberal government that Canada’s pursuitRead More

TORONTO — A new law in Quebec banning face coverings for anyone who receives or provides public services has some Muslim students reconsidering the idea of pursuing their education in that province. The passing of Bill 62, which would prohibit anyone wearing a face covering from receiving a provincial orRead More

CALGARY — Former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney has won the leadership of Alberta’s United Conservative Party. The longtime Calgary MP, who held high-ranking positions in the government of Stephen Harper, captured 61 per cent of more than 58,000 votes to become the head of the new party in votingRead More

MONTREAL – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Quebec today to attend a private funeral and to discuss the Canada Child Benefit. Trudeau is scheduled to be at the funeral in Montreal of Michael Pitfield, a former senator and clerk of the Privy Council who died last week atRead More

OTTAWA — The federal public safety minister says there must be consequences when employees harass or bully colleagues. Ralph Goodale is trying to assure the NDP he understands the seriousness of accusations of bullying and racist behaviour in the Toronto office of Canada’s spy agency. Matthew Dube, the NDP publicRead More

Ontario : Patrick Brown’s Progressive Conservatives now hold a 20 point lead over the governing Liberals, a new poll suggests. The Forum Research poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, largely before a Sudbury judge acquitted two prominent Liberals of Election Act offences on Wednesday afternoon, found that 45 per cent ofRead More