Den Tandt: Momentum shifts to the Liberals – again

Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, left, and Adam Vaughan, are pictured campaigning in Trinity-Spadina. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

No sooner had the federal Liberals begun putting up better-than-decent numbers Monday evening, a momentum shift not dissimilar to the one they managed in the four-byelection round last November, but the counter-spin kicked in. Turnout abysmal. Byelections meaningless. An election, Canada Day Eve? Pshaw. And on, and on.

That reaction of course, was to be expected. But the numbers don’t lie. No byelection is more than it is; one by itself doesn’t predict the outcome of a general election, nor do four, nor do eight. But they do tell us something about sentiment now. Low turnout notwithstanding, they mean something. The result Monday, as last November, was good for the Justin Trudeau Liberals, bad for Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, and quite dreadful for Tom Mulcair’s New Democrats.

Let’s examine first the Toronto-area riding of Scarborough-Agincourt. In 2011, Liberal Jim Karygiannis, a constituency politician if ever there was one, took 18,498 votes, or 45.4 per cent of the popular vote. His nearest challenger, Conservative Harry Tsai, garnered 34.2 per cent. Monday, with 195 of 200 polls reporting, Liberal Arnold Chan had 11,927 votes – or 58.9 per cent of the vote. The second-place Tory challenger, meantime, had garnered 5,963 votes, or 29.5 per cent.

“Jimmy K”‘s departure, punctuated as it was by the now former MP’s public objections to Trudeau’s abortion policy, could have proven a thorn in Trudeau’s side. Instead, the opposite occurred. The NDP, in 2011, won 18 per cent of the vote. Monday, at this writing, the party’s challenger, Elizabeth Ying Long, had 1,750 votes, or 8.6 per cent.

Trinity-Spadina, a swing riding that is considered a bellwether of sorts because Liberal success there has historically presaged broader success, proved to be an easy win for well-known municipal politician Adam Vaughan. The contest between him and New Democrat Joe Cressy, in an echo of the neighbouring one last fall between Liberal Chrystia Freeland and New Democrat Linda McQuaig, saw Vaughan win 53 per cent of the popular vote, with 291 of 349 polls in, and Cressy just 33.9 per cent. That’s 12,574 votes, to 8,034; a decisive Grit win, despite the very low turnout.

Cressy made his party’s opposition to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline a key issue, as McQuaig did last year. It doesn’t seem to be taking. The swing was substantial; in 2011, Olivia Chow won 54.5 per cent of the vote in the riding, while Liberal Christine Innes came second with 23.4 per cent.

In Macleod, near Calgary, the result was a very solid Conservative win Monday, as expected. At this writing, with 244 of 256 polls in, Conservative John Barlow had 11,332 votes, or 69 per cent of the tally. Second-place Grit candidate Dustin Fuller was well back at 2,797 votes, or a mere 16.9 per cent. But here too, compared with previous results, the shift favoured the Red team. On May 2, 2011, Tory Ted Menzies, now retired, garnered 40,007 votes, or 77.5 per cent. The Grits, meantime, won just 3.7 per cent. As occurred broadly last November, the NDP vote in this riding has slipped sharply, from 10.3 per cent in 2011, to less than five per cent per cent Monday.

But perhaps the most telling shift was the upswing in Liberal fortunes in Fort McMurray-Athabasca, even though the party’s candidate, Kyle Harrietha, still lost out by almost 15 percentage points. In 2011, the Liberals came third, at 10.4 per cent, behind the NDP who managed 13.3 per cent. Tory Brian Jean, meantime, walked away with 71.8 per cent.

Monday, the Conservative vote was trimmed to 47.7 per cent, with 186 of 203 polls reporting, while Harrietha managed 34.5 per cent. The NDP, meantime, saw their vote slip slightly to 11 per cent. Liberal gains were virtually all at the expense of the Conservatives – a sign, like the results in Provencher and Brandon-Souris in Manitoba last fall, that there is unrest in the Conservative heartland.

Is it a disaster for Harper and Mulcair, and a harbinger of certain victory for Trudeau next year? Not by a long shot. But it is, undeniably, another set of numbers that confirm the recent trend, which is also reflected in opinion polling. It indicates, yet again, that Trudeau and his team are doing something right, while Harper and Mulcair and their teams need to adjust their strategies, if they hope to slow the Liberals’ momentum.

The curious thing is that, as these little Liberal victories pile up, there is no apparent change in the game plan either in the Prime Minister’s Office, or on Mulcair’s part. Harper is as he has long been, his government as it has long been. The opposition leader’s strategy has not budged, meantime, since he became leader. Do they see the trend, and dismiss it? Or are they locked into positions they can’t now change, because of internal party dynamics?

Either way, the time for changing the playing field is limited. It looks increasingly as if the “Stop Trudeau” gameplan for both Conservatives and Dippers is to wait for a cataclysmic mistake, or a series of stumbles, or a botched debate performance, by Trudeau. None of which explains how they intend to manage if he doesn’t do those things.

mdentandt@postmedia.com

LIVE: Federal byelections in Ontario and Alberta

A voter enters a polling station for the federal election, May 2 , 2011 in Ottawa. Four federal ridings will vote in a byelection on June 30, 2014. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Four federal ridings are holding byelections Monday including Trinity-Spadina and Scarborough-Agincourt in Toronto and Fort McMurray-Athabasca and Macleod in Alberta.

Rob Ford returns to City Hall, says rehab saved his life

A teary-eyed Rob Ford said going to rehab saved his life and apologized for his past actions before launching into his standard stump speech.

Still resolved to by the mayor of Toronto, Ford said he had been denial about his drug and alcohol issues an decided to go to rehab “experiencing some of the darkest moments in my life.”

“I knew it was time to take action, it was time to get help, professional help,” said Ford to select members of the media. “I now know the staff at GreeneStone saved my life.”

Ford entered rehab at Greenestone in Bala, Ont. on May 1 after fresh reports of a new video of him in which he appears to smoke crack cocaine. Soon after, the Toronto Star published a bizarre report of a drunken night during which the paper said Ford offered his up his wife to another man and assaulting Alessandro Lisi, a man charged with extortion in relation to that first crack video.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford holds back his emotions while speaking during an invite-only press conference at City Hall in Toronto on Monday, June 30, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Today, Ford said he has ended his associations with “some of the company I kept” and said he has no one but himself to blame for his actions.

“I want to sincerely, sincerely apologize not just to the people of Toronto but every single person who was hurt by my words and my actions,” he said. “It was never, never my intention to embarrass the city or offend my fellow members of council.”

He specifically singled out Coun. Karen Stintz, a fellow mayor candidate, to offer an apology. Just before he left for rehab, the Toronto Sun released an audio recording of the mayor in which he can be heard making lewd sexual comments about Stintz.

“To my fellow councillors, and especially to Karen Stintz, for m hurtful and degrading remarks, I offer a deep-felt apology for my behaviour,” said Ford.

He did make mention of other moments of misogyny, racism or homophobia and reporters were warned in advance he would not be taking questions. Only select members of the press were invited to attend today’s statement. City Hall regulars, including the press gallery president and national wire service the Canadian Press, didn’t make the cut.

Ford said he’ll be battling “this disease” for the rest of his life and that he will be receiving ongoing professional treatment, but he apparently intends to remain mayor as he does so.

“I am absolutely determined to make myself the best person I can be for my family, for the people of Toronto,” he said. “With your support, I’m also resolved to continue to work harder than ever for the taxpayers of this great city.”

He then moved into more familiar territory, speaking of his promises to “stop the gravy train,” garbage collection cost savings and reducing the size of government.

Ford is still on the ballot for reelection when Toronto votes on Oct. 27 and still has the support of 27 per cent of voters according to a recent Forum poll.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford enters his office at city hall on his first day back to work after taking part in a rehab program June 30, 2014 in Toronto. Brett Gundlock/Getty Images

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrives at his office at city hall in Toronto on June 30, 2014 amid a crush of cameras. GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrives at his office at city hall in Toronto on June 30, 2014 amid a crush of cameras. GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrives at his office at city hall in Toronto on June 30, 2014 amid a crush of cameras. GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is greeted by a media throng as returns to his office at city hall in Toronto on Monday June 30, 2014, after his stay in a rehabilitation facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

A city hall technician sets up an audio feed inside the Mayor’s Office as preparations are made for Rob Ford’s news conference in Toronto on Monday, June 30, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

U.S. authorities dismantle marijuana pipeline from Canada

Authorities in New Hampshire say they have broken up a drug-smuggling operation that saw marijuana and ecstasy funnelled from Canada into the U.S. Photo: Handout/U.S. Attorney's Office, New Hampshire

American authorities say they have broken up a multi-million-dollar drug-smuggling pipeline that funneled marijuana and ecstasy from Canada into the U.S. and cocaine back into this country.

The northeast state of New Hampshire served as the distribution hub, but a criminal complaint filed in U.S. district court in that state alleges that Canadians were at the helm of the operation.

The investigation’s origins go back to March 2008 when Oklahoma State Police stopped a Toyota pickup truck and found $2 million in cash in vacuum-sealed bags hidden in the door panels and back wall, according to the affidavit by New Hampshire State Police Trooper James Norris.

The driver told authorities that the money came from the sale of illicit drugs and that he was transporting the money from New Hampshire to California. He said he received his instructions from “Buddy” and “Goofy,” who authorities later identified as a Jeffrey Colgrove and a Steven Sarti, both Canadians, the affidavit states.

An investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration subsequently uncovered an elaborate smuggling operation that saw large quantities of marijuana being sent across the border in black hockey bags. Various methods were used to deliver the marijuana across the border, but they included couriers who travelled by foot, according to the affidavit.

Once in the U.S., the marijuana was stored in stash houses across New Hampshire, upstate New York and Vermont, before being distributed. Some of the proceeds from the distribution of that marijuana went back to Canada, while some of it went to California.

“The currency transported to California was done in order for the (organization) to obtain multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, which would then be transported back to New Hampshire and thereafter smuggled into Canada,” the affidavit reads.

A confidential source told authorities the ring was able to ship between 4,000 and 7,000 pounds of marijuana, generating $3 million to $5 million, in a given year.

The U.S. attorney’s office in New Hampshire said Monday that 10 people from that state were charged last week following the year-long investigation that involved wiretaps, surveillance and undercover drug purchases. Authorities seized 30 pounds of marijuana, $85,000 in cash, money-counting machines and other drug-related paraphernalia, and firearms, including a machine gun and numerous handguns.

Asked about the status of the Canadians identified in the court documents, a spokeswoman said the investigation was ongoing and she could not say more.

The surveillance operation showed that alleged members of the ring frequently changed cell phones. In fact, one of the accused was found to have 12 cell phones in his home, according to the affidavit.

Transcripts from recorded conversations also revealed the pressure members were under to pay off debts to their suppliers and to ensure the quality of marijuana.

U.S. and Canadian authorities have been working in recent years to build a more integrated border-enforcement system and improve information sharing to curb the flow of illicit drugs.

Patterns in the movement of drugs have not changed much over the years, according to the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Marijuana and ecstasy is produced in Canada and gets smuggled into the U.S. The U.S., meanwhile, serves as the primary transit country for cocaine from South America into Canada.

Organized crime groups use a variety of methods to smuggle drugs across the border, including personal vehicles, commercial trucks, buses, planes, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles. Individuals are also recruited to carry drugs across the border.

The main smuggling corridors are the parts of the U.S.-Canada border near Blaine, Wash., Detroit, Mich., and Buffalo, N.Y. The St. Regis Mohawk Reservation is also attractive because it straddles the border.

Dquan(at)Postmedia.com

State of emergency now in effect in 36 Saskatchewan communities

REGINA — The number of southeastern Saskatchewan communities under a state of emergency has risen to 36, the provincial government said today in a province-wide conference call.

In a day that seemed to get progressively worse, the Carnduff RCMP released an advisory Sunday evening that the town of Gainsborough was placed under a mandatory evacuation order. Residents can seek shelter at the Carievale school, Carnduff school and Carnduff Legion where food will be available.

The Mounties advise that Highway 18 east of Gainsborough to the Manitoba border is closed and Highway 18 west toward Carievale is becoming washed out.

Highway 1 was also closed in both directions on Sunday evening due to flooding in the Wolseley vicinity. Westbound traffic is detoured south on Highway 9 at Whitewood to Highway 13 at Stoughton. Eastbound traffic headed for destinations east of Wolseley is detoured on Highway 10 near Balgonie to Highway 16 at Yorkton.

Police block access to a flooded underpass near Mosaic Stadium after on Sunday, June 29, 2014 in Regina. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Before travelling, motorists should check the Highway Hotline because of the number of traffic restrictions and road closures due to flooding.

“We haven’t had any reports of any life-threatening issues, however there have been significant areas impacted and some areas are reporting a large number of homes that have been impacted by overland flooding and sewer backups,” Duane McKay, commissioner of emergency management and fire safety for the province, told media Sunday afternoon.

Two rapid response teams, each with four members, will be based in Regina, along with a large cache of equipment. The teams will deploy to flood areas to train people to use equipment such as pumps, sandbag machines and water barriers.

“We have set up our emergency operations centre and we are having regular conference calls in terms of making sure that provincial government resources from all Crowns, ministries and agencies are available to respond and are responding in a coordinated fashion,” McKay said.

The ditches overflow with rain water near a car dealership in Melville, Saskatchewan on Sunday, June 29, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Some of the most devastated areas were around Moosomin, Esterhazy and Redvers where rain gauges showed between 175 and 200 millimetres, or about eight inches of rain, said Rob Paola, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Water damaged a temporary structure that was erected at Bellegarde while work was being done on a bridge there. Consequently, the access road to the hamlet was closed.

“We’re working with them and the Ministry of Highways to ensure that whatever resources they require will be available,” McKay said. “Social Services is on standby in the event that we need to move people beyond the capacity of the municipalities.”

He did not know how many people were impacted by the flooding, but said it would be significant.

The relentless rain caused a significant rise in lake and reservoir levels, particularly Round Lake which is about half a meter higher than the usual summer level, said John Fahlman with the Water Security Agency.

“People can expect another half meter rise on Round Lake and less so on Crooked (Lake), but it is still significant,” Fahlman said.

Flood waters closed about eight highways in southeast Saskatchewan, said Doug Wakabayashi with the Ministry of Highways.

“These are largely in an area approximately defined by Highway 5 to the north and then between the Manitoba border and Highway 9,” Wakabayashi said.

Water is running over about six highways in east-central Saskatchewan water, but the roads are not closed.

“Right now, the only highway where we’ve seen any sort of significant damage is on Highway 13,” Wakabayashi said. “There is a culvert failure on Highway 13, but we’ll need the water to go down a bit and assess the damage before we can make an estimate of how long it will take to repair.”

Typically, Regina receives 71 millimetres of rain in June. But as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, 66 millimetres were recorded at the Regina International Airport, Paola said.

While Regina didn’t declare a state of emergency, the city had water woes.

Three vehicles were submerged in the Albert Street underpass Sunday afternoon, but no one was injured.

Helene Henning-Hill, manager of sewer and drainage operations with the City of Regina, couldn’t say when the underpass would be clear of water.

“As the system starts to take that water, Albert Street will start to unplug itself … We’re still kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature. If we get a big rainstorm again, our system will have to take that rainfall,” Henning-Hill said.

Many Reginans were pumping water out of their basements and a number of streets were flooded, including 14th Avenue around the Regina General Hospital.

Between 60 and 100 city employees were out all day unplugging storm drains and monitoring the impact of flooding, Henning-Hill said.

“We’re encouraging residents, as much as possible, to stay home and make sure that the sewer caps are in place,” she said. “If they have backflow preventers, make sure they are fully operational and that downspouts are away from foundations.”

Residents are asked to remove debris from catch basins and stay away from retention ponds.

Henning-Hill urges residents to be cautious when navigating flooded streets because some manholes and catch basins might have been raised. If you see a manhole cover that is off, call 306-777-7000 so city crews can respond.

The Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) will help residents and communities in flooded areas — particularly for items not covered by insurance, said Karen Lautsch, assistant deputy minister with Government Relations.

“We can assist with things like cleanup costs, replacement of household items, structural damages and repairs for private residences,” Lautsch said.

“And of course, we will be able to assist communities with some of the issues they’re facing with road damages.”

To access the program, communities must contact PDAP and request designation under the program, which is separate from a declaration of a local state of emergency.

When it’s safe to do so, Lautsch suggests homeowners take pictures and video to document flood damage. More PDAP information is available by logging on to gr.gov.sk.ca/PDAP or calling 1-866-632-4033.

Crews were dispatched to deal with power outages affecting about 8,000 customers throughout southeast Saskatchewan because of downed trees on power lines or poles damaged by water, said Kristin Linklater with SaskPower.

Customers can report outages by calling 306-310-2220.

Likewise, Vanessa Beaupre with SaskEnergy urges residents with flooded basements to call 1-888-700-0427 so crews can shut off gas service.

The City of Yorkton was among the communities that declared a state of emergency on Sunday.

“We’re having localized issues with sewer backup and there are some low-lying areas that are having some flooding issues,” said Mayor Bob Maloney.

“It’s certainly nothing like 2010, but it’s serious enough that we want to make sure that residents are checking on neighbours and looking after each other.

Some intersections and an underpass were flooded.

“There is so much water in our sanitary and storm system that it’s got nowhere to go,” Maloney said. “It’s slowly draining off, but if the rain continues and if people keep pumping their sumps into our storm or sewer system, it’s basically overcharging the system and that’s when it backs up.”

Similarly, the City of Melville declared a state of emergency Sunday because high levels of rainfall were overwhelming the city’s storm and domestic sewer systems and lifts.

“Our city crews have been up all night,” said Mayor Walter Streelasky Sunday morning. “We have set up a command centre at city hall, but it’s flooding right here in city hall along with a whole lot of residences and probably commercial sites also. We have received more than 5½ inches of rain in the last 24 hours and it’s still coming down very hard.”

Residents are urged not to do laundry and limit the water they use for showers and washing dishes.

Citizens who live in homes with sump pumps that currently empty into a basement drain are asked to divert the hose so it drains outside towards the street instead of entering the domestic system.

However, the forecast holds hope.

“The rainfall will ease off (today) compared to the rates we’ve seen over the past day or two,” Paola said. “By Canada Day, it looks like clearing conditions and then sunny and warmer for the rest of the week.”

pcowan@leaderpost.com

Bylines missing from Globe and Mail as contract deadline looms

The Globe and Mail's headquarters in Toronto. Photo: Getty Images/ Simon Hayter

Bylines were missing from both the online and print editions of the Globe and Mail Monday as contract negotiations carry on.

The 24-hour byline strike comes as the paper and the union representing its newsroom workers negotiate a new contract. Earlier this month, 97 per cent of the 350 unionized newsroom staff members voted in favour of a walkout if a deal is not reached by deadline.

“As part of the collective bargaining process with the union representing many of the Globe’s editorial, advertising and circulation staff, unionized editorial staff have exercised their right under the current collective agreement to withhold their bylines,” said note from the publisher in the print edition.

“We remain optimistic that we will achieve a fair and negotiated collective agreement in the near future, and we thank you for your continued patience and support.”

According to a statement from the union, Unifor Local 87-M, there is a “final” offer from the Globe on the table to be voted on this Wednesday, but the bargaining committee has recommended rejection.

“It contains substantial weakening of job security language, a significant cut to base pay for some advertising sales representatives, and a requirement that editorial staff — save reporters — work on advertorial copy,” said a statement from Unifor.

A main sticking point for the union is a proposal from the Globe that editorial workers will be assigned content paid for by advertisers as part of their regular duties. Staff are also reportedly upset over the paper’s endorsement of the Progressive Conservatives in the recent Ontario provincial election. According to a report from CANADALAND, recently-hired editor-in-chief David Walmsley went against the wishes of the editorial board to make the endorsement.

Editorial staff at the Toronto Star, also represented by Unifor, staged their own byline strike in March in protest of labour practices at the publication. Among other issues, the Star had announced plans to hire a secondary tier of digital reporters at a lower rate than their print-based peers.

States of emergency remain in place after flooding in Saskatchewan, Manitoba

Cars sit in flood water after heavy rainfalls on Sunday, June 29, 2014 in Regina. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

BRANDON, Man. — A scheduled WestJet Airlines flight from Brandon, Man., to Alberta was to go ahead as scheduled Monday, despite the fact the main road into the airport remains flooded after a weekend of torrential rain.

The airline cancelled service in and out of Brandon Municipal Airport when water swamped the road into the terminal north of the city.

But a city spokeswoman says travellers heading to Calgary on the afternoon flight could get access to the airport by taking a detour connecting motorists to the access route into the terminal.

Allison Collins says detour signs would be in place and airport staff would direct traffic.

Brandon is one of several communities in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan where states of emergency are in place to deal with swamped highways and flooded properties.

Regina’s fire department tweeted Sunday night that the sewage system was working at full capacity, and that residents should delay showers, baths, and even flushing toilets to prevent additional strain on the system.

The ditches overflow with rain water near a car dealership in Melville, Saskatchewan on Sunday, June 29, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Flooding in front of Mosaic Stadium before the game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Roughriders during week one of the 2014 CFL season at Mosaic Stadium on June 29, 2014 in Regina, Saskatchewan. Brent Just/Getty Images

Most Canadians think of themselves as cool, sexy and polite: survey

Revellers take a photo during Canada Day festivities on July 1, 2013 in Ottawa. Photo: Cole Burston/For Ottawa Citizen

A new survey finds that Canadians overwhelmingly think of themselves as cool, sexy and polite.

The online survey of 1,000 Canadians, conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Historica Canada, shows Canadians have generally positive views about the country and believe it to be an open and welcoming place.

Ninety-three per cent of respondents agree that “Canada is welcoming towards minority cultural groups” and that “Canadians are free to express who they are.” The poll also shows that people are not as modest as national stereotypes would have you believe, with 75 per cent describing Canadians as sexy, 89 per cent as cool, and 92 per cent as polite.

“Heading into Canada’s birthday, the results of the survey show that there might not be a better time to be a Canadian,” John Wright, senior vice president of Ipsos Reid, said in a release Monday. “Canadians from across the country greatly believe our nation allows us the freedom to express who we want to be, while welcoming others with open arms, which is a heritage we are all proud of.”

Not all the survey findings were encouraging, though. Almost half of respondents (44 per cent) did not know Canada’s 150th birthday is in 2017 and 11 per cent do not know the first line of O Canada.

At 81 per cent, most Canadians agree that “Canadians should express more patriotism,” while 19 per cent disagree.

The full survey results are available on the Historica Canada website (PDF).

Slimmed down Rob Ford returns to Toronto with only four months left in his term

Photos on Instagram show a slimmed down Mayor Rob Ford trying on suits. Photo: Instagram/Albert Calamatta/calamatta_7

Global stuporstar Rob Ford is set to return to Toronto on Monday to take up his duties as the city’s mayor with only four months left in his term and a heated campaign to jump back into before the Oct. 27 municipal election.

Posts on social media from this weekend show a noticeably slimmed-down Ford posing for photos with people in the Muskoka region of Ontario where he has been at a substance abuse treatment centre since May 1. But whether a change of behaviour accompanies his weight loss remains to be seen.

Ford’s long-overdue stint in rehab came amid yet more reports of the mayor smoking crack cocaine and allegedly assaulting friends while under the influence. That was followed by an explosive report in the Toronto Star detailing even more bizarre behaviour, including alleged drunk driving, offering strangers sex with his wife, and punching a close friend in the face while holding a bag of McDonald’s food.

Although Ford has not commented on those specific allegations, he has occasionally called friendly columnists to boast that “rehab is amazing” and that he was getting better, even as many skeptics wondered about the nature of his substance treatment program that gave the mayor leeway to visit a bar for a birthday dinner and make calls to constituents.

Those questions are likely to linger since Ford is expected to make a statement upon his return but has already said he won’t answer any questions from media. He is scheduled to talk to CTV News for a piece to air on Wednesday night.

The mayor will also face an ethics complaint related to Rob and Doug Ford allegedly lobbying on behalf of companies with ties to their family’s business, Deco Labels and Tags, as well as continue to deal with the fallout from his friend Sandro Lisi’s drug and extortion charges.

A local production titled Rob Ford the Musical: The Rise of Ford Nation will also open around the time of the election.

Life is never dull with Ford around.

— with files from the Canadian Press

Fisher: Tales of murder, mayhem and renewal in the Balkans

Sarajevo marks centenary of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Unlike the cataclysmic last decade of the 20th century in the Balkans, when 140,000 Muslims, Orthodox Serbians and Roman Catholic Croatians died violently, this new century has been peaceful in the seven mini-states that Serbian-led Yugoslavia reluctantly gave birth to.

Still, for how much longer peace can prevail is an enduring question in a part of the world where for generations, and for centuries, hate has begotten hate.

About 140,000 Serbs, Croats and Muslims died during the four Balkan Wars in the 1990′s. About 14,000 of those deaths occurred during the three-year Siege of Sarajevo. Photo: Matthew Fisher/Postmedia News

That was the stark lesson I learned early in the Serbian-Croatian war when I sheltered with a Croatian family in the basement of their home in a village on the Adriatic coast.  As Serbian artillery crashed into the houses around us, a cluster of spellbound children listened for hours as their parents and grandmother regaled them with bloody stories about what Serbian “chetniks” had done to their kin during the two world wars and before that.

I heard virtually identical tales of murder, mayhem and vengeance a few weeks later when I had dinner in a smoke-filled room with a large Serbian family in the deeply divided Bosnian town of Brcko. But in this family’s telling, those committing the atrocities against long dead relatives were Croatian “Ustasha” and Muslim fanatics.

I have witnessed how terrifying, and at the same time comical, life can sometimes be in the Balkans. The worst example may have been the time near Sarajevo when I saw a group of elderly farming women wearing peasants’ smocks and kerchiefs stone a dump truck full of equally elderly women who were being cleansed from the postcard-beautiful mountain village that they had likely shared from birth. To this day I don’t know whether these were Muslim grannies attacking Serbian grannies or vice versa. Or Croats attacking Muslims or vice versa. Or Croats attacking Serbs or vice versa.

The point is, I guess, that it does not really matter. When passions boil over in these mountain valleys, many otherwise sensible people can reveal an abominably cruel streak. I have always wondered how those women, who must now be octogenarians and nonagenarians, have managed to coexist in their new country.
Sarajevo is not a village, but it often feels like one. Enmities run as deep here as in the boondocks.  About 14,000 people died during the Siege of Sarajevo. But these days, all parties to the conflict are too busy trying to extract what they can from the European Union’s dwindling coffers. Which isn’t much, but  is more than what they have, which is almost nothing.

Although the three rotating presidents of Bosnia-Herzegovina and other politicians are loath to speak about it, Bosnians of every faith acknowledge that there could be more butchery at any time. Most Bosnians are adamant that they want no part of it. But then, with a grim laugh, they often mutter they will never be able to trust the other communities in their midst.

It is often said in Sarajevo today that the future will be better because young Bosnian Muslims, Serbians and Croatians have a more tolerant world view than their parents and grandparents and that proof of this was how they formed friendships and married across religious lines. From what I have observed during my first visit here in 20 years, this is true. But I also remember that when I came to Sarajevo to watch some alpine downhill racing in 1983 the “Yugoslavs” who lived here then claimed to be much more tolerantthan their parents and grandparents, whose ideas about their neighbours had been shaped by the world wars. As proof of this they boasted that friendships and marriages involving members of the three religious communities were fairly common.

This was true back then, too. And then all hell broke loose.

It is nearly two decades since the Siege of Sarajevo ended, but war damage can still be seen in many part of the city. The battle was particularly intense for this apartment building in Grbavica, where Serbs and Muslims fought room-by-room for control. Photo: Matthew Fisher/Postmedia News.

Even if Sarajevans have sometimes had no personal experience of the siege or have never heard family remembrances of that time, it is impossible to avoid seeing what happened to Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996. With no Marshall Plan to help Bosnia-Herzegovina recover after the conflict, the official unemployment rate is nearly 50 per cent. There are a few slick new highrises downtown but there are far more crumbling buildings that bear the scars of war. One of them is an apartment block  in the suburb of Grbavica where bullet and shrapnel pocked balconies are a constant reminder that savage room-to-room fighting once took place there.

Sarajevo’s quaint Old Town, with its gorgeous medieval mosques and churches, has been spruced up. But cemeteries are the predominant new architectural feature in the city. Gravestones cram what were once football fields and cover hillsides used not so long ago by snipers during their reign of terror.

About 14,000 people died during the Siege of Sarajevo. To accommodate all of the dead, new cemeteries were opened across the city. Photo: Matthew Fisher/Postmedia News

The portents for the future are murky.  Serbians are generally cheered by Russia’s naked demonstration of power in Ukraine and believe that if another war comes, Russian President Vladimir Putin will do far more for his Orthodox cousins than Boris Yeltsin did.

Sarajevo’s Muslims are not keen that Iran has established a cultural centre on the city’s main pedestrian thoroughfare. But if Russia were to ever become involved, even indirectly, in the conflict here, Islamic extremists who had not gone international 20 years ago would undoubtedly now take a keen interest.
The Balkans have been a hub of intrigue and violence since long before the assassination 100 years ago of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the First World War. Yet even here, unpredictable new elements could thicken the plot.

@mfisheroverseas

The Christian and Islamic worlds still compete for influence in Sarajevo. Photo: Matthew Fisher/Postmedia News.

Flash floods lead to states of emergency in southeast Saskatchewan

Flooding in Redvers, Sask., seen on June 29, 2014. Photo: Tom Aime/Facebook

The cities of Melville and Yorkton in Saskatchewan declared states of emergency Sunday due to heavy rainfall that flooded streets and overwhelmed sewer and drainage systems.

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for a big stretch of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including the cities of Regina and Brandon, Man. As much as 125 to 150 millimetres of rain is expected throughout the weekend.

According to CBC Saskatchewan, all the fire trucks in Melville, as well as those from nearby communities, are working to pump water from the community.

Mayor Walt Streelasky has asked residents to pump water into the streets instead if into the flooded sewer systems. Yorkton Mayor Bob Maloney had similar advice for his own constituents, he told the Regina Leader-Post.

Municipalities throughout the region are experiencing heavy downpours as rainwater washes out roads and floods basements.

Environment Canada severe weather map: Red areas under rainfall warning.

Dutch airline mocks defeated Mexican soccer players on Twitter

Dutch airline KLM bids the defeated Mexican soccer team "Adios Amigos!" after a 2-1 Dutch win at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil June 29, 2014. Photo: twitter

Royal Dutch Airlines, commonly known as KLM, added insult to injury Sunday when the company’s official account mocked the defeated Mexican soccer team on Twitter.

In a tweet that has since been deleted, KLM shared a photo of an airport departures sign with the caption “Adios Amigos!” only minutes after the Dutch team prevailed over the Mexicans with a late penalty kick at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The tweet raised many eyebrows online, with many suggesting it was too harsh and was, in any case, celebrating Mexico’s loss more than it was celebrating the Dutch win.

The company seems to have lost at least one prominent Mexican’s support, with actor and director Gael García Bernal tweeting angrily that he would never fly KLM again.

This is what happens when every company chases its Oreo moment. Just help find people’s lost luggage and leave the wisecracks to everyone else.