Former Alberta teacher sentenced to 4 years for sexually assaulting student
A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.
A consortium of airlines has failed in its challenge to overturn air passenger protection rules that Canada implemented in 2019.
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has ruled that airlines that fly in and out of Canada can be required to provide passengers with standardized compensation on some international flights for delays within their control.
Several global airlines and associations challenged the additional passenger protections on the grounds that the regulations conflicted with the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that Canada signed in 2001.
Earlier this year, the airlines argued in their appeal that the Montreal Convention already provided passengers with an avenue to seek damages.
The SCC disagreed and said there was "no conflict" between the Canada Transportation Act and the Montreal Convention.
"This is a victory for consumers," said John Lawford of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre which was an intervener in the SCC case.
"The Supreme Court decision encourages airlines to treat (the regulations) as part of their operations, as the cost of doing business (and) as something they should honestly engage with. If they do change their attitudes, it will help clear the backlogs and make people trust airlines and instill confidence on the demand side," Lawford said.
The high court found that the Montreal Convention primarily provided rules for compensation "tied to an injury" or negligence, but not necessarily consumer protection.
Under the 2019 regulations in the Canada Transportation Act, passengers could file claims without tying compensation to harm instead of going through the onerous legal process set out in the international treaty.
The regulations mandate standardized compensation for delay, cancellation or denial of boarding based on the time by which a passenger's arrival at their final destination is delayed.
By dismissing the appeal, the SCC denied the carrier the ability to invoke a "due diligence defence" or point to "contributory negligence" to avoid having to pay compensation.
"As long as the disruption in question occurred for a reason within the carrier's control and was not required for safety purposes, the compensation is fixed," the SCC said in its ruling.
Representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that they were "disappointed" by the decision and urged the Canadian government to improve the “overall air travel system.”
"Protecting the interests of passengers is best achieved through a safe, efficient journey where disruptions are minimized. While airlines play a critical role in this, the federal government needs to focus its efforts on improving the overall air travel system, especially in the parts of the value chain which are directly under its control," the IATA said in a statement.
The Canadian Transportation Agency, which adjudicates claims, said that the decision "brings certainty to Canada's passenger protection regime and confirms air carriers' minimum obligations to pay compensation for flight disruptions and lost and damaged baggage."
While the Supreme Court decision allows the regulations to stand, it won't necessarily increase the speed by which passengers will get their money back for delayed flights and damaged baggage.
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations started coming into effect on July 15, 2019.
The most recent statistics provided by the CTA shows that since April 1st, 2019, more than 150,000 complaints have been filed with the agency, including 22,309 so far this year.
As the CTA works through the new complaints, the CTA says it's dealing with a backlog of an estimated 79,000 cases – some of which date back years.
A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.
Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of major government contractor SpaceX and a key ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last two years, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Polish authorities have arrested four individuals they allege planned to send parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials to Canada and the United States, according to Poland’s government website.
Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.
A Florida mother has sued artificial intelligence chatbot startup Character.AI, accusing it of causing her 14-year-old son's suicide in February and saying he became addicted to the company's service and deeply attached to a chatbot it created.
Two adults and two children were found dead in the charred rubble of a house fire after a mother and another child jumped from a third-floor window to escape flames in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, authorities said.
Researchers have connected the identity of skeletal remains found in a well at Norway’s Sverresborg castle to a passage in a centuries-old Norse text.
The former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch pleaded not guilty Friday to federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.