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Lottery

Misprinted tickets raise false hope

TORONTO - As many as 1,100 misprinted scratch-and-win lottery tickets were in circulation in Ontario before being recalled, the province's lottery corporation admitted Tuesday as at least one man lamented that his dream of collecting a $135,000 windfall won't likely be realized. A small percentage of the three million $3 Fruit Smash lottery tickets had some misaligned or mismatched symbols, said Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. spokeswoman Rula Sharkawi. Thomas Noftall of Brampton, Ont., was beside himself after it appeared he won the top $75,000 jackpot and a combined $60,000 from three other Fruit Smash tickets.

Gaza

Besieged Canadians await evacuation

OTTAWA - Canada condemned Palestinian fighters for endangering the lives of civilians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as 39 Canadians awaited an evacuation that has already been postponed once. Israeli authorities were preventing the Canadians from escaping the combat between Israeli forces and militant Hamas fighters because of security concerns. Peter Kent, the newly minted minister of state for Foreign Affairs, blamed the Palestinians' government in Gaza for compromising the safety and welfare of its own civilians.

Salmon

U.S. to compensate B.C. fishermen

VANCOUVER - The U.S. government will hand over millions of dollars to compensate the B.C. fishing industry for dramatic cuts to salmon fisheries. The US$30 million salve is one of several changes that took effect in the Pacific Salmon Treaty at the beginning of this year, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of declining Pacific salmon stocks in Canada and the U.S. Most of the U.S. funding will be for the loss in the chinook salmon catch off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Justice

New trial ordered in brutal sex slaying

EDMONTON - A man convicted in the brutal sex slaying of a 13-year-old Edmonton girl has been granted a new trial. Joseph Laboucan was convicted in March 2007 of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the death of Nina Courtepatte. But in a 2-1 decision released Tuesday, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled the trial judge was wrong to say that Laboucan was not a credible witness about what happened on the night of April 3, 2005. Laboucan was one of five people who were charged. During his trial Laboucan testified that he was present but not involved in luring the girl from West Edmonton Mall.

Justice

Judge delays trial for Sask. woman

SASKATOON - A trial has been delayed for a Saskatchewan woman who refused to complete the 2006 Canadian census. Sandra Findley says a judge in Saskatoon has postponed her trial, which was to start Wednesday. Findley, who is representing herself, says she is prepared and wants to proceed with the trial. She refused to fill in the census forms because American arms dealer Lockheed Martin won the contract to upgrade Statistics Canada's software. Failing to complete the national census is a federal offence and can bring a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a $500 fine.