Grant cut called 'vengeful' act by Baird By FIONA MORROW  VANCOUVER -- Environmentalists across Canada are accusing Environment Minister John Baird of playing politics after last week's rescinding of a $100,000 grant to the Sierra Club of B.C.John Bennett, former executive director of the Climate Action Network and former senior policy adviser on energy for the Sierra Club of Canada, called the funding cut ''clearly a vengeful act'' by Mr. Baird. The grant, in support of a community-based climate-change initiative, had been approved through the EcoAction Community Funding program in May, 2008, with a signed contract. ''It's clear in my mind that [Mr. Baird] heard his staff had given the Sierra Club money and he went and punished them,'' added Mr. Bennett, now director of communications for the Green Party.  FULL STORY

Harper vows to launch tainted-meat inquiry By STEVEN CHASE, KAREN HOWLETT AND GREG KEENAN  WINDSOR, TORONTO -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised yesterday to launch an independent probe into the cross-country listeriosis outbreak that has killed at least 13 people, saying as a father of young children he remains concerned about how it could have happened.  FULL STORY

Harper testifies he authorized offer to Cadman In testimony in his libel suit against the Liberal Party of Canada, the PM says notion of life insurance offer preposterous By BRIAN LAGHI  -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he gave his chief party organizer the okay to meet with the late Chuck Cadman in 2005 and make an offer of electoral assistance in return for rejoining the caucus and helping to defeat the then-Liberal government.  FULL STORY

Target Harper, Liberal pollster advises caucus By JANE TABER  WINNIPEG -- Stephen Harper is vulnerable on the environment and the economy, areas of weakness on which Stephane Dion and his Liberals must capitalize if they want to form a government, according to the Liberal Party pollster.  FULL STORY

An iron road across the permafrost A Canadian iron mine company seeks to build a 143-kilometre private railway on Baffin Island By OLIVER MOORE  -- It will be the world's most northerly railway, a private line snaking across the permafrost and rock of Baffin Island at a projected cost of $10-million per kilometre.  FULL STORY

Priest ordered to give up seat Elected as Bloc MP, Father Gravel's views on same-sex marriage, abortion rile the Church By DANIEL LEBLANC  OTTAWA -- The Vatican has ordered an outspoken Bloc Quebecois MP to quit his seat in the House of Commons and return to his job as a Roman Catholic priest.  FULL STORY