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The government of Alberta is considering a law that would allow authorities to place people with serious drug addictions into treatment without their consent.
Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail suggest the move would give police and family members of drug users the right to refer them to involuntary treatment if they pose a risk to themselves or others.
Other major cities in Canada are debating the controversial practice as a way to deal with complex mental-health and addiction issues.
André Picard: Tackling the toxic drug crisis requires a multifront response, not simplistic solutions
Calgary police patrol the streets near the city's drug safe injection site, February 21, 2019.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
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FBI finds Canadian link in covert Chinese police station probe in New York
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has uncovered a Canadian connection in a probe that led to the arrests of two New York residents who allegedly operated a secret Chinese police station in Manhattan.
Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping were arrested yesterday on charges of conspiring to act as agents of China without informing U.S. authorities, and obstruction of justice. Authorities say Lu’s phone contained photographs of the opening of a Chinese police station in Canada.
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Also on our radar
Teck confident shareholder will vote for proposed split: The CEO of Teck Resources said media reports that the company’s largest B-shareholder China Investment Corp. will not vote for a planned split of the company are false as the Vancouver-based miner battles a hostile takeover proposal from Glencore.
Coroner’s inquest debates controversial term: The coroner’s inquest into the death of Myles Gray during his arrest by Vancouver police began with an argument between lawyers for Gray’s family and lawyers for the officers over the controversial phenomenon of “excited delirium” and which experts would be allowed to explain it.
CBC suspending use of Twitter: The CBC said it is “pausing” its use of Twitter after the social media platform labelled its main account as “government-funded media.” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sent a letter to Twitter last week requesting that the label be applied to accounts associated with CBC News.
- Campbell Clark: Pierre Poilievre’s enemies list is conveniently unilingual
Opposition MPs take aim at Hockey Canada funding: Sports Minister Pascal St-Onge’s decision to restore federal funding to Hockey Canada is under fire from opposition MPs who say the national sports body hasn’t fulfilled all of the promises it made after a sexual-assault scandal involving members of the national junior team.
Death toll climbs in Sudan fighting: The death toll is rising rapidly and hospitals are being overwhelmed with hundreds of casualties as fighting continues between the Sudanese army and a powerful militia trying to take control of the capital, Khartoum.
Morning markets
European markets hold gains: European stocks held near a 14-month high on Tuesday, following better-than-expected Chinese economic data. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.25 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.37 per cent and 0.41 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.51-per-cent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.63 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was higher at 74.83 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Editorial: “... the Trudeau government can no longer simply look away from the reality that its irresponsible fiscal choices are pushing Canada’s finances onto increasingly precarious footing.”
Tony Keller: “Introducing private delivery and private incentives directly into public health care may hold promise, but only if the government has carefully thought out the design of the system. That means figuring out how to harness the private sector for public benefit, and not the other way around.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable, April 18, 2023.Illustration by Brian Gable
Living better
Six European travel destinations to avoid the summer crowds
Europe is a popular travel destination for Canadians, even though they know it’s expensive, busy with tourists and, at times, unbearably hot. If you’re planning a European vacation this summer, check out these lesser-known destinations that are quieter alternatives to the favourites and offer an equally compelling European experience.
Moment in time: April 18, 1946
Montreal Royals player Jackie Robinson on April 18, 1946.John J. Lent/The Associated Press
Jackie Robinson makes regular-season Montreal Royals debut in Jersey City
On this day in 1946, as the Montreal Royals opened their International League baseball season against the hometown Jersey City Giants, Royals rookie second baseman Jackie Robinson grounded out in his first at-bat. It was an inauspicious start to a game since known as one of greatest days in the sport’s history: Mr. Robinson, 27, became the first Black player in the history of organized baseball. Mr. Robinson finished the opener 4-for-5 at the plate, including a homer, two stolen bases, four runs scored and four runs batted in during Montreal’s 14-1 win. The stadium officially held 25,000, but paid attendance that day was 51,872 – with the majority cheering Mr. Robinson’s every move. Mr. Robinson was chosen the International League’s MVP in 1946 as the Royals won the pennant and the Junior World Series. The Royals were the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Brooklyn general manager Branch Rickey wisely decided that a year in Triple A – playing for a Canadian team far away from segregation’s glare – would prepare Mr. Robinson for his even bigger major-league debut a year later. In 1997, Major League Baseball officially retired his jersey, No. 42, across the sport. Philip King
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