National Post

Toronto and Ottawa shaken, offices evacuated as two earthquakes hit Ontario and Quebec
Two earthquakes shook eastern Ontario and Quebec Friday morning, rattling buildings and nerves as far away as Barrie, Toronto and Waterloo.

A 5.2 magnitude quake hit about 20 kilometres northeast of Shawville, Que., at 9:43 a.m., according to Earthquakes Canada.

Although the data initially indicated a 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook Braeside, Ont., 10 minutes later, Earthquakes Canada updated its report to say there was a 4.1 magnitude aftershock near the Shawville epicentre at 9:53 a.m.

Buildings in Ottawa and Toronto were evacuated, including the offices of the National Post. The quake touched off an eruption of reaction on Twitter as users reported buildings shaking in Ottawa for several seconds.

Gawker claims to have seen video of Rob Ford using crack cocaine pipe
A published report says a video that appears to show Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine is being shopped around by a group of men allegedly involved in the drug trade.

There was no way to verify the video, however, which was the subject of a report on Gawker on Thursday and then became the subject of numerous stories.

The Toronto Star said two of its reporters watched the video and said it appears to show Ford in a room, sitting in a chair, inhaling from what appears to be a glass crack pipe.

A story on the Star website Friday also alleges Ford makes several disparaging and crude remarks about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and the high school football team he coaches.

A lawyer retained by Ford, Dennis Morris, told the newspaper that Thursday’s publication by the Gawker website of some details related to the video was “false and defamatory.”

‘He thought I was nuts’: Guidance counselor snaps photos of wild squirrels interacting with miniature props
Wednesday was Nancy Rose’s day off. For most of the afternoon, the high school guidance counselor from Bedford, N.S., was crouched on her porch, her camera fixed on a miniature bathtub that was carefully staged on a railing. Ms. Rose was waiting for a squirrel to approach the tub and reach for the peanuts inside. National Post reporter Jake Edmiston interrupted Wednesday’s photo shoot to speak to the photographer, whose whimsical depictions of the woodland creatures are garnering international attention.

Then the bear squeezed through the window…: Survivor of an Ontario bear attack lives to tell the tale
When a black bear smashed its way into Joe Azougar’s remote cabin in Northern Ontario, the 30-year-old was sure he was going to die. But as the animal was gnawing on his skull, two campers heard him screaming and rushed to save him. National Post reporter Jake Edmiston spoke to the rare survivor of a bear attack over the phone Monday from his bed at Lady Minto Hospital in Cochrane, Ont.

Q: Can you describe what happened?

A: I ran as fast as I could. But he circled around me and threw me into a ditch. He got his teeth and started peeling the skin off my head. I’m screaming for help. I’m saying, “Oh, dear God, don’t let me die like this. Don’t let my family find me like this.” There was a sudden break, and I got an opportunity to curl into a little ball. But that exposed my shoulder and my armpit. He started chewing at that. just chewing and pulling, chewing and pulling. A couple of times, he tried to turn me onto my back me so he could pull my stomach and guts out. (BROOKE BOWERMAN)

Canadian Supreme Court to hear case of couple who sued Air Canada for not being able to order a 7Up in French
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the appeal of a couple who sued Air Canada when they weren’t able to order a 7Up in French.

Michel and Lynda Thibodeau filed eight complaints with the official languages commissioner over the English-only services they say they received from Air Canada during trips taken between January and May, 2009.

The Federal Court awarded the couple $12,000 in compensation for the times Air Canada did not serve them in French. Air Canada was also ordered to apologize to the Thibodeaus.

Armless driver seeks apology, vows to fight ticket for not wearing a seatbelt
A Saskatoon man is demanding an apology and refusing to pay a $175 ticket for not wearing a seatbelt, because he has no arms and can’t fasten one unassisted.

Steven Simonar, who drives using a specialized wheel and stirrup, was pulled over in a routine police spot check last Friday. The RCMP officer noticed he was not wearing his seatbelt, so Mr. Simonar explained he can’t fasten it when driving alone. 

He said the officer was prepared to let him go, but a Saskatoon Police Service sergeant overseeing the operation instructed him to issue a ticket.

“He became very ignorant, and said, ‘Well if he can’t put his seatbelt on maybe he shouldn’t be driving.’ That’s what really made me mad.”(Richard Marjan / Star Phoenix)

Here’s what Canada’s new $5 and $10 polymer bills look like

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield showed off Canada’s new $5 polymer banknote from space on Tuesday.

Hadfield joined finance minister Jim Flaherty and Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney live via video conference from the International Space Station to unveil the new bill, which features an image of the International Space Station. (Bank of Canada)

Two charged over al-Qaeda-supported terror plot to attack VIA passenger train: RCMP
The RCMP arrested two men Monday in connection with an “Al Qaeda-inspired” plan to attack a Via Rail train,  part of an international investigation that disrupted the intended assault before there was an “imminent threat,” the force announced.

Had the plan succeeded, it could have led to innocent people being killed or injured, James Malidza, an RCMP officer chief superintendent, told a news conference.

The two accused, Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, were charged with conspiring to carry out an attack and commit murder at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group. (Andrew Vaughan /The Canadian Press)

nparts:

The 2013 Juno Awards: Full list of winners

Carly Rae Jepsen, Justin Bieber and Leonard Cohen were among the night’s big winners. Check out a full list here: natpo.st/14HIkOI

nationalpostsports:

The organizing committee for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games has narrowed its search for the tournament’s mascot to six finalists … and this is what they came up with.

Not sure why two of them have masks (vigilante mascots?) or why that moose is so darn happy. And don’t even talk to us about the raccoon.

The winner will be chosen by Canadians through an online vote. Because that ended well last time.

‘Stay strong’ posters in support of Rehtaeh Parsons’ alleged attackers cause storm of controversy in Halifax
Pink posters supporting the boys accused of sexually assaulting Rehtaeh Parsons have cropped up in Halifax and are being promptly torn down by those vowing justice over the 17-year-old’s death.

The posters read ‘Speak the Truth: There’s Two Sides to Every Story. Listen Before You JUDGE’ and have appeared in numerous Halifax neighbourhoods, including near Rehtaeh’s mother Leah Parsons’s home.

“The Truth Will Come Out, Stay Strong and Support The Boys,” the poster, which doesn’t identify the boys, goes on to say.

RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae says the posters don’t break any laws, but authorities have received a slew of complaints from residents about the flyers.

How a team of conservationists poisoned a pond full of black-market fish to save a threatened salamander population
Chris Firth-Eagland, head of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, was alone on a midnight walk near an inauspicious pond in a protected oasis when he stumbled upon a group of men with spotlights, fishing nets and enormous plastic bags, caught in the act of harvesting carp from the water.

It was, he realized instantly, the solution to a distressing mystery: how the sensitive, protected, public pond and another one nearby – two of the few remaining homes for an endangered species of salamander – had become so infested with invasive carp that the rare amphibians had all but disappeared, especially since the pond had no connection to any stream.

To Mr. Firth-Eagland, it was now clear: someone was stocking the pond as a black market breeding pool in a commercial fishing operation, with the koi carp likely being sold either as ornamental fish stock or as food to restaurants.

Outraged, he confronted the men, chasing them off into the night with his walking stick.

Discovering the source of the conservation disaster was the easy part. Trying to bring the Jefferson salamanders back to two of its few remaining homes required more ingenuity. It led the conservation authority to break its own rules; it poisoned both ponds. (Wikimedia Commons)

Justin Trudeau elected new Liberal leader in landslide with 80% of vote
Justin Trudeau has been elected to lead the federal Liberal party in a resounding first-ballot win.

Trudeau, eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau and the Liberals’ undisputed star, swept 80% of the vote in a final field of six candidates.

The outcome was widely seen as a foregone conclusion since Trudeau launched his campaign last October. Now, the Liberals are hoping that the party’s undisputed rock star will be able to re-establish their reputation as the country’s natural governing party.

His ascension to the Liberal helm will, at least in the short term, put paid to the notion that the next election will be a polarized two-way fight between the Conservatives and New Democrats, with the Grits destined for oblivion.

Just the prospect of the 41-year-old Montreal MP’s victory was able to boost the Liberals, reduced to a third-place rump in 2011, back into contention in public opinion polls. They are now running even with or ahead of the ruling Conservatives. The NDP has been relegated to its traditional third place slot after vaulting into official Opposition status in 2011 for the first time in its history. (Michelle Siu for Postmedia News)

Nova Scotia premier reveals plan for probe into Rehtaeh Parsons tragedy amid fresh vigilante threats
Already in damage control over the alleged gang rape of Rehtaeh Parsons, the Nova Scotia government has announced further measures in response to the case amid mounting local and international outrage.

Heavily criticized for initially refusing to review the case, N.S. Premier Darrell Dexter today revealed that Marilyn More, minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, will coordinate the province’s response to the tragic suicide of the 17-year-old girl.

Separate impassioned pleas from Parsons’ parents has led public outrage at the Nova Scotia justice system which decided not to prosecute the four boys accused of gang raping the girl when she was only 15. The school system has also been accused of wiping their hands of the situation and not taking any action.

“Nova Scotia will learn from this terrible tragedy,” More said in a statement. “Right now, it is a time to care and be kind to one another. Nova Scotians have pulled together in tragic times in the past, and they are doing so now. (Facebook)