In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Sept. 6 ...
What we are watching in Canada ...
A fugitive wanted in a deadly stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan has a nearly two-decade long criminal record and a propensity for violence when intoxicated, a parole board document says.
The Parole Board of Canada document from February says Myles Sanderson told the board that regular use of drugs and hard alcohol would make him "lose (his) mind" and get angry.
"Your criminal history is very concerning, including the use of violence and weapons related to your index offences, and your history of domestic violence,'' said the document obtained by The Canadian Press.
RCMP have not said what motivated the attacks on Sunday that left 10 people dead and 18 injured on the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon. Police believe some victims were targeted but others were chosen at random.
Sanderson's brother Damien Sanderson, also a suspect in the slayings, was found dead Monday morning on the First Nation and became the 11th fatality.
Police continue to search for Myles Sanderson and a warrant has been issued for him on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and break and enter.
Sanderson received statutory release from prison in August 2021, but it was revoked about four months later because the board said he failed to communicate with his parole supervisor.
In the document, the board said it decided to reinstate his statutory release with a reprimand.
"It is the Board's opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on statutory release and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen."
Sanderson was serving his first federal sentence of more than four years, four months and 19 days for a slew of offences including assault, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer and robbery. In total, the document says, he has 59 criminal convictions.
Sanderson's childhood was marked by violence, neglect and substance abuse and led to a "cycle of substance abuse, seeking out negative peers and violent behavior," the document said. He lived between his father's home in an urban centre and grandparents' house on a First Nation. There was violence and abuse in both households, it said.
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Also this ...
Today the RCMP officer once described by another police officer as a "friend" of the man behind the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia will testify before the inquiry investigating the rampage, though it will not be broadcast.
Const. Greg Wiley, who is scheduled to testify via video Tuesday afternoon, will be the first witness before the inquiry whose video or audio testimony will not be available on the livestream that has been used throughout the proceedings.
The commission said Friday Wiley's scheduled Zoom appearance can be viewed by inquiry participants, media and members of the public who request by email to watch the virtual testimony live. Live audio access to the proceedings will also be available by phone.
The request for accommodation was made by the federal attorney general and means that video and audio of Wiley's answers "shall not be disseminated, released, published, or shared."
Wiley is the officer who was asked in 2010 to look into whether Gabriel Wortman --the gunman behind the deadly shooting spree -- had firearms at his home in Portapique, N.S., when Wortman had threatened to kill his parents.
The investigation into the alleged death threat did not lead to any charges.
Members of the public can find information for requesting access to this afternoon's testimony on the Nova Scotia mass casualty commission website.
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What we are watching in the U.S. ...
California will face its highest chance of blackouts this year as a brutal heat wave continues to blanket the state with high temperatures, officials warned Monday.
As people crank up their air conditioners, the state forecasted record levels of energy use that could exceed supply Monday evening, said Elliot Mainzer, president of California Independent System Operators, which runs the state's electrical grid.
The state could fall 2,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity short of its power supply, which represents as much as 10% of normal demand, he said.
State energy officials said the electrical load on Tuesday potentially could hit 51,000 megawatts, the highest demand ever seen in California.
CAISO on Monday evening requested the activation of temporary emergency power generators deployed by the Department of Water Resources in Roseville and Yuba City. The four generators, which were activated for the first time since they were installed last year, can provide up to 120 megawatts of electricity, enough to power up to 120,000 homes.
During the day, California's energy grid runs on a mix of mostly solar and natural gas, as well as some imports of power from other states. But solar power begins to fall off during the late afternoon and into the evening, which is the hottest time of day in some parts of the state.
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What we are watching in the rest of the world ...
Prime Minister Boris Johnson left his Downing Street office for the last time on Tuesday as he heads to Scotland to formally offer his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.
The British leader, who announced his intention to step down two months ago, is expected to meet with the queen in late morning at her Balmoral estate to begin the transfer of power to Liz Truss.
Truss, who was named leader of the ruling Conservative party on Monday, will be appointed prime minister during her own audience with the Queen a short time later.
Speaking outside No. 10 Downing Street, Johnson said his policies had given the country the economic strength to help people weather the energy crisis before he signed off his typical bluster.
"I am like one of those booster rockets that has filled its function," Johnson said before getting in a car and leaving the gates of Downing Street for the last time as prime minister. "I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific."
This is the first time the handover of power is taking place at Balmoral, the monarch's summer retreat in Aberdeenshire, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London.
The ceremony was moved to Scotland to provide certainty about the schedule because the 96-year-old Queen has experienced problems getting around that have forced palace officials to make decisions about her travel on a day-to-day basis.
Truss will take office after a two-month leadership contest that left Britain with a power vacuum at a time when consumers, workers and businesses were demanding government action to mitigate the impact of soaring food and energy prices. Johnson has had no authority to make major policy decisions since July 7, when he said he planned to give up "the best job in the world."
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On this day in 1952 ...
The CBC opened the first television broadcasting facilities in Canada. The first station was CBFT in Montreal, which was followed by CBLT in Toronto two days later. Both outlets originally broadcast 18 hours of programming a week. Following its mandate that "television in Canada should be essentially Canadian," the CBC at that time ensured that 60 per cent of its programs were produced in Canada. There were only about 100,000 TV sets in Canada at that time.
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In entertainment ...
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has made her first speech in Britain since she and Prince Harry quit as working royals two years ago.
Delivering a keynote speech to the One Young World summit on Monday, Meghan spoke of her self-doubt as "the girl from Suits" when she attended the same international youth event in 2014 among world leaders and humanitarian activists.
The duchess, formerly known as Meghan Markle, was best known for her acting role in the TV drama "Suits" before she married Harry. Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals and moved to the U.S. in 2020.
They were in the U.K. for the first time since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June, when the couple appeared briefly at a thanksgiving service.
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Did you see this?
Chants, horns, drums, pop music and even bagpipes filled the air in downtown Toronto yesterday for the return of the annual Labour Day parade.
Hundreds of workers and dozens of unions showed up in solidarity with the workers' movement, which labour leaders say is being revitalized by changing standards as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and younger workers.
They say younger employees are entering the workforce in large numbers and taking a different approach to work than older generations.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, says she is seeing more young workers organizing in the workplace and signing union cards.
Unifor National President Lana Payne says members of Generation Z, including her 21-year-old daughter, are bringing an important new lens to the labour movement.
She says they're advocating for dignity and respect in their workplaces, as well as a balanced life outside of it.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2022.
The Canadian Press
