U.S. alcohol ban in Canada a ‘slap in the face,’ outgoing consul general in Montreal says - Montreal Gazette

1 hour agoPaulin KolaThe fire that killed four members of the Canadian military and injured dozens of others on Saturday spread with alarming speed, accounts suggest. It broke out in a grassy training area at a base in the province of Alberta and spread rapidly due to strong winds. "The fire was 1km (0.6 miles) away when the wind shifted," said Maj-Gen Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division of the Canadian Armed Forces. "It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds. "Prime Minister Mark Carney described it as "one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime". Officials have ruled out the possibility of "any terrorist activity" being to blame for the fire. The blaze began at about 16:00 (22:00 GMT) on Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, one of the country's busiest military training bases. The BBC has confirmed that Sgt Morgan Wong, Pte Shaun Farrell, Pte Aidan Goulding and Pte Hayden Lykkemark have died. Of the 39 injured people receiving care in hospital, at least 19 are in a critical condition.

An Ontario career college has suspended its academic operations as a result of a province-wide pause on student financial assistance to all private post-secondary institutions. Trillium College, with campuses that include Kingston and Cobourg, says Friday it paused classroom and online instruction. It comes after Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn announced earlier this month that Ontario Student Assistance Program payments to career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions are paused while an audit is underway. Career Colleges Ontario has warned the government repeatedly about potentially suspicious OSAP usage at a few colleges, while Quinn’s office says evidence has emerged of “systemic issues.”Quinn has not named any specific colleges that may be under suspicion, but Trillium College campuses were not among six where Quinn denied OSAP eligibility earlier this year. Trillium says its temporary academic pause is necessary because “continuing normal classroom operations without a viable funding solution would place the orderly completion of student