Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/01/2024 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MOTHER CHARGED WITH ABDUCTION

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office says the mother of a one-year-old girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Tuesday has been charged with allegedly abducting her child.

Spokeswoman Audrey Roy-Cloutier confirmed the 18-year-old woman appeared in court in Montreal on Wednesday and was charged with breaking and entering and abduction.

The child had been reported missing Tuesday morning from her maternal grandparents’ home in Montreal’s Lachine district.

Police arrested the mother after the pair were found safe just after 2 a.m. Wednesday in an unspecified location in northwestern Montreal.

Roy-Cloutier says the prosecution is objecting to the release of the woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.

The case is expected to return to court today.

PLAY CANCELLED OVER MIDEAST TENSIONS

VICTORIA — Tensions connected to the war between Israel and Hamas have prompted a British Columbia theatre company to cancel the scheduled run of a play set in the region.

Victoria’s Belfry Theatre says in a statement the timing isn’t right to stage “The Runner” by Canadian writer and actor Christopher Morris and it could “further tensions” in the community.

Morris’s one-person play, which had been scheduled as part of a festival in March, explores the reactions to an Israeli rescue volunteer’s decision to save a Palestinian woman accused of violence against a soldier from Israel.

The theatre says it booked the play last year to present a contemporary work that could generate dialogue, but after a period of difficult consideration the production has been cancelled.

The theatre received duelling petitions in recent weeks, alternately calling for the play’s cancellation and performance at The Belfry, which was spray-painted with “Free Palestine” graffiti last month.

Que. Public sector LABOUR ALLIANCE SECURES RAISES

MONTREAL — Around 420,000 Quebec public sector workers will receive salary increases of 17.4 per cent over five years.

The labour alliance representing the workers confirmed Wednesday the settlement that led to a Dec. 28 agreement in principle with the provincial government.

The agreement includes a clause that would protect the purchasing power of union members during the three final years of the deal.

Union leaders representing workers in sectors such as education and health care are evaluating the offer, which will be presented to members during assemblies that should begin mid-January.

The proposed deal gives psychologists and specialized workers higher increases than other union members.

» The Canadian Press