Morning Update: Privacy watchdog raises concerns over RCMP use of tech companies to surveil web

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Good morning,

A federal watchdog says the RCMP could be putting the privacy of Canadians at risk by hiring third-party technology companies capable of dredging up deeply buried internet information about the public.

In a report released Thursday to Parliament, Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne questioned whether the force is relying on vendors whose services could circumvent privacy laws limiting law-enforcement searches.

Mr. Dufresne examined the RCMP’s Project Wide Awake, a data-mining effort that the force started in the wake of the 2014 killings of three Mounties. Internal RCMP reviews of that mass shooting found that the police force was unable to deal with the massive amounts of social-media information being posted by the public about the killer’s movements.

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Russian opposition leader Navalny dead, prison service says

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is dead, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence said on Friday.

The Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to rehabilitate him, but he died. There was no immediate confirmation of Navalny’s death from his team.

Navalny had been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office.

Wab Kinew asserts Manitoba landfill search will start this year as Ottawa vows support

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he is confident a search for the remains of First Nations women at a landfill north of Winnipeg will begin by the end of this year while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will be a partner in this work.

For more than a year, there has been a push to search the Prairie Green Landfill, north of Winnipeg, for the remains of 39-year-old Morgan Harris and 26-year-old Marcedes Myran. The women were both members of Long Plain First Nation, an Ojibway and Dakota community located in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba. A man alleged to be a serial killer is now facing murder charges in connection with their deaths.

Trudeau and Kinew stated their plans at a joint news conference in Winnipeg on Thursday, where more than $633-million was announced for health care funding. Their remarks on the landfill were made after a question was posed by a journalist at the news conference.

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Palestinians flee as Israeli forces raid a major hospital in Gaza

Seeking out the remains of hostages taken by Hamas during the deadly Oct. 7 attack, Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza. Hours earlier, Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex.

The raid on Nasser Hospital came after troops had besieged the facility for nearly a week, with hundreds of staff, patients and others inside struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water. A day earlier, the army ordered thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter there to leave the hospital in the city of Khan Younis, the focus of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the risk of a broader conflict in the region grew as Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group stepped up attacks after a particularly deadly exchange on Wednesday.

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The Battle on Bay Street is the PWHL’s biggest moment yet

Since its launch seven weeks ago, the long-awaited six-team league, featuring the world’s best female hockey stars, has exceeded many of its own expectations, from attendance to media attention and merchandise sales. Where some see this new league catching on fast at an unprecedented moment of growth in women’s sports leagues around the world, others wonder if the PWHL’s novelty will wear off and if this league can last for generations.

Fans have shown a thirst for the PWHL, with the latest proof expected Friday night. Toronto’s PWHL team has sold out all five home games at the 2,500-seat Mattamy Athletic Centre this season. Promising crowds are common around the league, which suggested that holding a game in a bigger barn could draw well. And so, Toronto moved a home game to Scotiabank Arena, home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs. Tickets sold out the same day they went on sale – akin to big concerts held at the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment venue.

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Also on our radar

RCMP combine with local police forces to investigate extortion attempts against South Asians: The RCMP has established a national team to help co-ordinate municipal police investigations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario and share information about rings of criminals that are targeting South Asian businesses for extortion and have been linked to shootings and arson.

Conservatives would cut foreign aid, reform procurement to fund military: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he would make cuts to foreign aid to fund additional defence spending if his party forms government – reductions that would include assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and Canada’s stake in the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

In Canadian cities, a surge in open drug use has sparked difficult debates: Throughout much of Canada, it is no longer rare to see people using illicit drugs such as methamphetamine or opioids on buses, in parks and at playgrounds. The debate over what – if anything – to do about it is breaking out in towns and cities across the country.

GM, Panasonic strike deals to buy EV battery materials from Quebec’s Nouveau Monde: U.S. auto maker General Motors Co. and Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corp. will buy electric-vehicle battery materials from Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. and invest in the company, buoying the Quebec miner’s bid to become a go-to critical mineral supplier for North America.

Canadian Tire profit falls nearly 68% as consumers remain wary amid uncertain economy: Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. reported a sharp drop in sales and profit for the fourth quarter, blaming mild winter weather, high interest rates and a protracted consumer pullback on non-essential purchases.

Lightspeed founder Dax Dasilva returns as CEO in management shakeup in bid to win back investors: Lightspeed Commerce Inc. founder Dax Dasilva has returned to the chief executive post in a management shakeup prompted by negative investor reaction to the e-commerce company’s latest financial update.

Morning markets

World markets buoyant: Global shares rose for a third day on Friday, thanks to a lift from Japan’s Nikkei closing at another 34-year peak and a buoyant Wall Street, after a big fall in U.S. retail sales revived chances of a June rate cut. Around 5:30 a.m., Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.80 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 added 0.81 per cent and 0.63 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed up 0.86 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.48 per cent. On Wall Street, S&P and Nasdaq futures were positive while Dow futures were slightly lower. The Canadian dollar was lower at 74.19 US cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Dodging the NATO spending target for defence is a shrug that Canada can no longer afford from its politicians

“The danger is not that Donald Trump will turn us over to Russia. Presumably, even a second Trump administration would feel letting the Russians take a piece of Canada would be a threat to the U.S. But the U.S.’s power to act as the global cop will increasingly be strained in a world of myriad threats and global competition. China – Russia’s “no limits” partner – already has the world’s largest navy, if not the most powerful.” – Campbell Clark

Doug Ford’s government of gimmicks presents its next schtick

“It’s clear that for Mr. Ford, creating legislation that will actually be enforced isn’t the goal here. Rather, this is about returning to an old faithful: a classic, feel-good gimmick, just like his 2018 buck-a-beer pledge and the 2019 anti-carbon-tax stickers that his government ordered be displayed at every gas-station pump (a directive that was deemed unconstitutional by an Ontario Superior Court judge).” – Robyn Urback

Today’s editorial cartoon

Living better

We asked people over 80: What keeps you fit, healthy and happy?

The parade of longevity fads promising to add more years to average existence – from cold plunges and intermittent fasting to red-light therapy – can itself feel never-ending. But the glut of health buzzwords, along with the strength of the US$1.8-trillion global wellness market, demonstrates the obvious: people want to live a long time – but they also want to age well. Daniel Reale-Chin has watched his grandparents – Maria and Francesco Reale – surpass the global and national average with flair. The couple moved into a one-bedroom condo down the hall from him last year. During his daily visits, he’s been inspired by their fuss-free attitude to aging, so he spoke to them and two other impressive people over 80 about the art of living longer.

Moment in time: Feb. 16, 1861

Black refugee John Anderson is released

John Anderson was born Jack Burton. He was a slave, and the surname was that of his owner, Moses Burton, a Missouri tobacco farmer. In August, 1853, Mr. Anderson was sold to a new owner, forcing him to leave a wife and children behind. He decided to flee to Canada, but the cost of freedom was high. A clash with a relentless slave catcher, Seneca Digges, left Mr. Digges fatally wounded and turned Mr. Anderson into a fugitive in the U.S. But he was a free man in Canada, where he built a life and even bought property in Caledonia, Ont. Before long, the U.S. government called for his extradition, so he could face charges for his actions in Missouri. On Dec. 15, 1860, he was put on trial before the Court of Queen’s Bench in Toronto, where three judges decided, 2-to-1, to extradite. Mr. Anderson’s counsel appealed the verdict, arguing that the act wasn’t murder, but rather a desperate struggle for survival. On this day in 1861, Mr. Anderson was released. His freedom was celebrated across the country. He later travelled to Britain, where he joined the fight against slavery. Daniel Reale-Chin.

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