Parks Canada criticizes Greenbelt plans in Durham + Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin found not guilty

December 6, 2022

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Market watchers are predicting the Bank of Canada will announce a hefty rate hike Wednesday. Here’s what we know.

Here’s the latest on Parks Canada’s resistance to Ontario’s Greenbelt plans, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin’s not guilty verdict and Chinese authorities’ “police stations” in Canada.

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Taking Durham land out of the Greenbelt could cause “irreversible harm,” Parks Canada says

Ontario’s plan to remove almost 5,000 acres of prime agricultural land on the border of Toronto and Durham from the Greenbelt could cause “irreversible harm” to natural ecosystems, agricultural landscapes and wildlife, including endangered species, Parks Canada told the provincial government in a letter. The decision was made without consulting the federal government, which is required in an agreement signed by both levels of government, and without discussing with Parks Canada, it added. Noor Javed reports on what the national park agency says puts the ecologically-sensitive area at greatest risk.

More: Parks Canada laid out the environmental risks in a letter to the province as part of its consultation on “proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan.”

Watch for: Critics say the agency’s concerns could trigger a possible request for a federal environment assessment, which would delay development. The federal government, however, would not confirm if an assessment was warranted.

Context: Ontario announced last month that the province would make 7,400 acres of the Greenbelt available for development to reach its goal of building 1.5 million homes over 10 years.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin has been found not guilty of sexual assault

In what Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin called an “important step” towards proving his innocence and recovering his reputation, the former head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been found not guilty of sexual assault. The allegations against him were reported to have occurred in 1988, while Fortin was a student at Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec. Fortin, who was removed from his post in May 2021 amid the investigation into the allegation, pleaded not guilty. Jacques Gallant reports on what we know about the case and why a judge said he had a reasonable doubt that Fortin was the attacker.

More: Crown prosecutor Diane Legault said the verdict was a disappointment and she was not sure whether the Crown would appeal it.

Context: The allegations were reported last year amid a sexual misconduct crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces, in which current and former senior leaders were facing investigations.

Watch for: Fortin, who reiterated his previous claim that senior government and military officials mishandled his case, has launched a separate court case against the federal government. That case in the Federal Court of Appeal remains ongoing.

More “police stations” run by China have been found in Canada

International human rights organization Safeguard Defenders says two more “police service stations” run by authorities in China have been found operating in Canada. The sites are being used to intimidate and harass people the Chinese government wants to return to the country, in some cases for criminal prosecution, the organization says. The two sites — said to be in Vancouver and an unknown location — are in addition to three other stations the organization said in an earlier report were in the GTA. Jeremy Nuttall reports on what we know and how Canada has responded.

By the numbers: Safeguard Defenders’ report says there are 102 such stations operating in at least 53 countries.

More: China has insisted the stations are meant to help citizens with tasks such as renewing their driver’s licences.

Look out for: Authorities in Canada have said they are investigating. Last week, it was revealed during a House of Commons committee meeting in Ottawa that Global Affairs Canada had summoned China’s ambassador over the stations.

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