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	Self-Described Pastor Guilty of Sex Assault against Child North Bay Nugget October 15, 2008 http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1249701 MONTREAL — A self-described Montreal pastor who says a so-called marriage to a 10-year-old girl gave him the right to have sex with her has been found guilty of sexual assault. Daniel Cormier, 56, was convicted by Quebec court Judge Sylvie Durand Wednesday after a five-year trial rife with legal wrangling. Cormier, who headed the now-defunct Church of Downtown Montreal and who once ran for mayor of Montreal, showed no emotion as Durand read her ruling in court, staying two other charges of sexual touching and invitation to touching. The girl, who is now 19 but cannot be identified, was seated at the back of the courtroom and listened to a translation of the verdict with her mother. She testified during the trial that she was too young to grasp Cormier's plan for a married life together and denied ever entering any sort of union with him. But Durand noted she did recall much of the sexual abuse in stark, vivid detail. Former soldiers likely living on streets -ombudsman EDMONTON — Former soldiers are likely living on Edmonton streets, reports Canada's ombudsman for veterans. As part of a fact-finding tour for his Leave Nobody Behind campaign, retired colonel Pat Stogran met with Hope Mission officials Wednesday to chat about challenges facing the men and women who've served this country. I expect there are homeless veterans but through our meeting this morning, we didn't identify any numbers," he said. My (hope) is that we get a handle on it before veterans from the Afghanistan era also end up on the streets." Stogran made similar observations in Calgary, where he met with a dozen homeless veterans at a drop-in centre in August. He said the Leave Nobody Behind mission aims to identify social challenges facing veterans and eventually help close gaps in programs available to former servicemen and women. Fear may have played part in bombing of pipeline VANCOUVER — Police say a threatening letter circulated the day before a northern B. C. gas pipeline was bombed, suggesting opposition to the project may be behind the bombing. RCMP say the bomb damaged a sour gas line owned by EnCana, about 50 kilometres east of Dawson Creek, near the B. C.-Alberta border. The bombing on the weekend came a day after local media outlets received a letter demanding an end to oil and gas operations in the area. Sour gas projects are often met with opposition, mostly driven by fears that the poisonous gas could pose a danger to people living nearby. The most notable case of opposition to famous was the case of Wiebo Ludwig, who spent nearly two months in prison after he was convicted in connection with explosions at a well in the late 1990s. Almrei 'honourable'; woman offers to act as surety OTTAWA — Six years ago when Tracey Thomas-Falconar first heard the name Hassan Almrei and learned about the Canadian law holding him as a terrorism suspect, she could never have imagined one day she would be sitting in a Federal Court defending her position to be his guardian. The Toronto natural health practitioner and 41-year-old mother of two hadn't written to prisoners before and she didn't know much about national security or Canadian law. But Thomas-Falconar testified Wednesday at Almrei's detention review hearing she would pledge $2,000 of her own funds for Almrei's bail — a sizable chunk of her $12,000 yearly income. Should he be released, she also offered up to 20 hours a week to visit, supervise or escort Almrei on errands outside his home. Government lawyer Marianne Zoric grilled Thomas-Falconar, challenging her knowledge of the case. First Nation urged to deal with dogs after death EDMONTON — A report into the mauling of a young boy says a northern Alberta reserve should develop a way to deal with dangerous stray dogs and enforce it. Lance Loonskin, 5, died Nov. 16, 2006, after being attacked by up to six dogs on land belonging to the North Tallcree band near Fort Vermilion. Two of the dogs were later captured and destroyed. In his fatality inquiry report, provincial court Judge Eldon Simpson says dogs running in packs can be aggressive. He also notes that the band used to capture and destroy loose dogs but stopped after some people complained. Dangerous stray dogs have been a problem in other remote communities across Canada.
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