Canada Report: 5 police officers have been killed in the past 5 weeks

Five police officers, considered experts at defusing “mental health” negotiations, have now been killed across Canada in the past five weeks.

The latest officer to die was Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Shaelyn Yang, 31, of the Burnaby, British Columbia, a member of the mental health and homeless outreach team. She was assisting a city worker telling a man he couldn’t live in a park and died of stab wounds.

The other deaths were four Toronto and district police officers, three of whom were killed by armed assailants.

They were Constables Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell of the South Simcoe force, Toronto Police Constable Andrew Hong, and York Regional officer Travis Gillespie, who was killed by an alleged drunken driver while on his way to work.

After a moment of silence in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said supports must be stepped up so police can be assisted by mental health providers.

The use of marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2018, and now users can order products online and have them delivered.

When the federal government legalized, regulated and restricted access to cannabis, it said adults can possess up to 30 grams of legally produced products.

The latest leafy partnership in the Toronto area is with Uber Eats delivery service and is said to be the first time the company has delivered marijuana anywhere in the world.

It has begun taking orders for pot products produced by several Canadian companies.

Consumers must be 19 or older and place orders on the Uber Eats app.

Retailers take the orders and deliver them by staff certified under Ontario’s cannabis retail education program where ages and sobriety are checked on delivery.

“This will help discourage impaired driving and help combat the illegal cannabis market,” said Lola Kassim of Uber Eats Canada.

In brief

Economists are predicting a further interest rate hike in the coming week to help battle inflation, now at 6.8%. TD Bank economist Leslie Preston said increases in the trend-setting interest rate, now at 3.5%, are starting to impact the economy. Inflation data “emphasizes the need for a hefty 50 basis-point hike” in the Bank of Canada’s overnight rate. “We expect the bank is getting closer to a pause on rate hikes, once it reaches 4% by the end of the year,” she said.

Facts and figures

• The Canadian dollar is lower at 72 U.S. cents while the U.S. dollar returns $1.375 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

• The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 3.5% while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 5.45%.

• Canadian stock markets are higher, with the Toronto index at 18,772 points while the TSX Venture index is 589 points.

• The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1.68 a liter or $6.38 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

• Lotto Max: (Oct.18) 12, 14, 23, 25, 39, 40 and 44; bonus24. (Oct. 14) 2, 24, 27, 31, 40. 43 and 46; bonus 13.

• Lotto 6/49: (Oct. 19) 4, 15, 30, 35, 42 and 43; bonus 24. (Oct. 15) 3, 9, 12, 33, 35 and 36; bonus 6.

Regional brief

• Across Canada, “trusted travelers” still aren’t being welcomed at the U.S.-Canada border under the Nexus program. The 20-year-old preclearance agreement between the United States and its northern neighbor still hasn’t resumed or been renegotiated on the southern side, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's envoy to the U.S. “It is “disappointing and frustrating” that the Nexus enrollment centers have remained closed in the U.S. since April, that should be allowing speedy border crossings she said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Canada Report: Officer's death is fifth nationwide in five weeks