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Justice

Sponsorship key figure pleads guilty

OTTAWA - Gilles-Andre Gosselin, a key player in the federal sponsorship scandal, pleaded guilty Friday to several fraud charges. Gosselin was immediately sentenced by an Ottawa judge to two years, plus a day. An executive with Ontario-based Gosselin Strategic Communications, Gosselin was charged last December with 19 counts of fraud for offences allegedly committed between 1997 and 2000. His name surfaced in a 2004-2005 inquiry into the sponsorship scandal, which revealed the public-relations executive billed the government for 3,673 hours of work in 1997.

B.C. flooding

Homes evacuated, schools closed

DUNCAN, B.C. - Flooding caused by heavy rain and high tides forced the evacuation of 300 homes in the southern Vancouver Island city of Duncan and surrounding areas on Friday. Public information officer Mark Ruttan of the municipality of North Cowichan said two schools were also closed for the day and a number of roads closed after local rivers broke their banks in low-lying areas.

Investigation

Police stumped on cafe torchings

MONTREAL - Who's been firebombing all those Italian cafes in Montreal? The answer police have been getting so far: silenzio. Police are stumped as to why at least five bars in the city have been hit by Molotov cocktails in less than a month, but what has become perfectly clear is that the victims don't want to talk. The head of the Montreal police arson squad said his detectives are contemplating a number of theories but - with the merchants remaining mute - all they have right now are hypotheses. There's the possibility that a Mafia war has erupted. Or perhaps a brazen street gang is trying to move in on the Mob's turf. Or maybe rival street gangs are simply battling amongst themselves. "None of the hypotheses have been set aside but none have been validated for the time being either," said Cmdr. Robert Quevillon, who heads the police arson and economic crimes unit.

Refugees

Hearing ordered for lesbian deserter

OTTAWA - A lesbian who deserted from the U.S. army and fled to Canada must have another chance to plead her case for refugee status, the Federal Court ruled Friday. Judge Yves de Montigny says the board erred last February when it rejected Bethany Smith's bid for refugee status. Smith says she fled the army because she was harassed and threatened by fellow soldiers over her sexual orientation. She told of hundreds of threatening notes pinned to her barracks door, including a death threat. She testified she was stationed at the same base where, in 1999, a gay male soldier been beaten to death as he slept. The note threatened her with the same fate.

Justice

Woman assaulted son, fined $3,500

QUEBEC - A 55-year-old woman was given a sentence without any jail time, and was ordered to pay several thousand dollars, for sexually assaulting her teenage son. Marie-Jeanne Bedard, who lives in the suburbs of Quebec City, was handed Friday a two-year sentence to be served outside prison. She must also give her son $3,500, and has been ordered to pay for the therapy he's needed over the years. The assaults occurred between January 1993 and March 1994, when the boy was 13.

Foreign aid

Canada to fund projects for children

TORONTO - International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda has announced funding for three projects to help children in developing countries. The money will be provided through the Canadian International Development Agency's children and youth strategy. The agency will contribute up to $2.4 million to a three-year program with Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children to help train pediatric nurses in Ghana, and provide specialized pediatric training for health-care workers in two other African countries. Oda also announced a $150-million contribution to a program to provide vitamins and minerals to children, which she said has the potential to save millions of lives. The agency will contribute $60 million to help developing countries increase school enrolment and the quality of education.