National

Corruption charges stayed against Normandeau

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Sep, 2020 04:57 PM

A judge has granted a stay of proceedings in the case of former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau and her co-accused on corruption-related charges.

Quebec court Judge Andre Perreault ruled today that there had been unreasonable delays in getting the case to trial.

The former provincial Liberal politician and five others were arrested in March 2016 by the province's anti-corruption unit on charges including fraud, corruption and breach of trust.

Normandeau and her co-accused argued in July that delays in the case were unreasonable, citing a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision that set strict timelines for trials.

Five of the original charges against Normandeau and her co-accused had already been withdrawn, but the Crown wanted to proceed to trial on three counts, including breach of trust and fraud against the government.

The ruling today puts an end to the proceedings against Normandeau, her former chief of staff Bruno Lortie, ex-Roche engineer firm officials Marc-Yvan Cote, Mario W. Martel and France Michaud as well Francois Roussy, the former mayor of Gaspe, Que.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Sleep struggles: pandemic could impact body's fear response, cause poor sleep

Tossing and turning in the middle of the night. Lying awake for lengthy stretches. Waking up groggy. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be messing with a number of peoples' ability to get a good night's sleep these days. And sleep experts aren't surprised by that.

Sleep struggles: pandemic could impact body's fear response, cause poor sleep

Here are some of the deadliest mass killings in recent Canadian history:

April 19, 2020: Seventeen people are killed after a man who at one point wore a police uniform and drove a mock-up cruiser travelled across northern Nova Scotia. An RCMP officer is among the dead. Police say the suspected shooter, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, was killed after being intercepted by officers in Enfield, N.S.

Here are some of the deadliest mass killings in recent Canadian history:

Those who knew Nova Scotia gunman shocked by rampage

Neighbours and schoolmates of the man responsible for a killing rampage that left at least 19 people dead in northern Nova Scotia were attempting Monday to come to terms with the tragedy. A 23 year member of the RCMP police force Const Heidi Stevenson was killed, a mother of two, and another officer is recovering from non life threating injuries.

Those who knew Nova Scotia gunman shocked by rampage

COVID-19 prompts bus driver layoffs, service cuts for Metro Vancouver transit

There have been significant layoffs of bus drivers and deep service cuts on buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain and West Coast Express across Metro Vancouver. Nearly 1,500 bus drivers and other transit workers across Metro Vancouver are being laid off as TransLink faces plunging ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 prompts bus driver layoffs, service cuts for Metro Vancouver transit

Demand will fuel B.C. real estate in 2021 after COVID recession: report

A report from the B.C. Real Estate Association says the 2020 COVID-driven recession will be deep, although it could be shorter than other Canadian economic downturns. The market intelligence report released Monday by the association says it expects home sales to sink 30 to 40 per cent for April 2020.

Demand will fuel B.C. real estate in 2021 after COVID recession: report

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirms border closure, which began on March 21 and was set to expire on Tuesday.

Canadian officials acknowledged some regions of the country could be closer to re-opening parts of the economy than others, but continued to stress a careful approach as the border closure with the hard-hit United States was extended for another 30 days during the COVID-19 crisis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the extension on Saturday for the closure restricting non-essential travel across the border, which began on March 21 and was set to expire on Tuesday.