Eight stories in the news today, March 13

Eight stories in the news for Monday, March 13:

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CRA’S ONLINE TAX FILING SERVICES RESTORED

Canadians can once again file their tax returns online. The Canada Revenue Agency took the service down on Friday after officials detected what they called “an Internet vulnerability.” The CRA stressed that the action was taken as a “precautionary measure” and said its website was not hacked.  The online service was restored late Sunday.

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Boogie The Bridge

Boogie The Bridge Event Information

Apr 19, 2024

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Short-term rental rules coming into effect in British Columbia

16h ago

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Board may as well not have asked public about school's name

20h ago

SOUTHERN ONTARIO BRACES FOR MAJOR SNOW STORM

Across southern Ontario the snowplows are gassed up and loaded with salt.  A snowstorm — maybe the harshest of the season — is forecast to move into the region today. Environment Canada says the snow will hit the Greater Toronto Area around noon and will keep falling until Wednesday morning. Fifteen to 25 cm is expected in most areas, with up to 30 cm forecast for the Hamilton-Niagara corridor.

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NEWFOUNDLANDERS ASSESS STORM DAMAGE

Residents in Newfoundland and Labrador are assessing the damage caused by a ferocious windstorm that howled through the province this weekend. Utility crews are working around the clock to restore power to the tens of thousands of customers who lost their electricity. A few thousand were still in the dark this morning. The hurricane force gusts peeled back the roofs of several buildings, sent damaging debris flying, knocked over vehicles and snapped power poles.

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DOLAN, ‘ORPHAN BLACK’ WIN BIG AT CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS

Montreal director Xavier Dolan’s “It’s Only the End of the World” and Space’s human cloning series “Orphan Black” were the big winners at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards. “Orphan Black” nabbed nine trophies, including best dramatic series and best lead actress in a drama for Regina’s Tatiana Maslany. Dolan’s French-language drama won six trophies, including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best cinematography. Howie Mandel hosted the awards show from Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.

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NDP LEADERSHIP HOPEFULS HOLD FIRST DEBATE

The four candidates vying to lead the federal NDP kept things civil during their first debate. Guy Caron, Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton and Peter Julian jovially sparred over issues ranging from free trade talks to dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump. They also addressed such light-hearted topics as favourite films, foods, music and winter sports. But key to Sunday’s discussion was how the NDP can recover from the bad bruising it took in the last election.

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CARBON CAPTURE SHIFTING FROM STORAGE TO USE

It’s been derided as an expensive excuse to burn coal. But now, carbon capture technology may be leading to new commercial uses that could end up in your mouth. While business case questions have swirled over carbon capture and storage, companies are increasingly looking to turn emissions that would otherwise be buried in the ground into toothpaste, fish food and a range of industrial products like concrete and biofuel.

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REFUGEE PAYS TRIBUTE TO CANADIAN OPENNESS

A Syrian refugee says his family’s thriving chocolate business should serve as an example of the value of Canadian “openness” in a world that has increasingly closed borders to refugees. Tareq Hadhad spoke about his family’s journey from war-torn Syria to Nova Scotia at a conference in Halifax. The Hadhads say Peace by Chocolate has been struggling to keep up with orders since earning a shout out from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an address to the United Nations last year.

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WOMAN MAKES HER ENTIRE WARDROBE

Erica Penton’s goal is to never buy clothes again — not even her bras. The self-taught seamstress is on a quest to fill her closet entirely with clothes she made herself. Penton started making her own clothes several years ago, but got serious about replacing her entire wardrobe last August. She’s spent hundreds of hours making jeans, winter coats, tops and even bras. Soon, she’ll attempt a bathing suit — and this summer, she plans to learn how to make shoes.

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The Canadian Press