Latest news with #iStockPhoto
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Open fires banned in some Quebec areas
A stock image of a hand holding a match with an open flame and a large fire in the background. (File photo/PamWalker68/iStockPhoto) The northernmost regions of Quebec have been banned from open fires in or near wooded areas because of conditions conducive to forest fires. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the aim of this measure is to limit the risk of forest fires in the context of the return of fine weather. Until further notice, it is therefore forbidden to light open fires in certain areas of Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. The ministry points out that failure to comply with the order, which came into force at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, is punishable by a fine. An open fire is defined as 'any fire that burns freely or has the potential to spread freely.' Campfires, fireworks and the use of instruments capable of producing flames are prohibited. Fires lit in special facilities equipped with spark arrestors are still permitted. There is currently only one active forest fire in Quebec -- on the North Shore, and it is under control. However, since the start of the week, the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) has been issuing a 'call for vigilance' for regions in the north of the province. In these areas, SOPFEU expects the level of forest fire danger to gradually increase from 'high' to 'extreme' over the next few days. 'In spring, dead vegetation -- such as leaves and brush -- dries out quickly under the effect of the wind and sun. They then become highly flammable. So we need to be vigilant as soon as the weather gets better,' explained SOPFEU on Tuesday on social networks. Since the start of the protection season, 96 forest fires have affected 106.8 hectares in the intensive protection zone. The average for the last 10 years, at the same date, is 183 fires for a burnt area of 199.1 hectares. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 28, 2025.
CTV News
25-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Elder abuse investigation leads to arrests in Thunder Bay
A stock photo of a desperate senior crying in a dark room. (File photo/Hartmut Kosig/iStockPhoto)
CTV News
21-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Sachigo Lake First Nation investigates $1M in arson damages
A stock image of a hand holding a match with an open flame and a large fire in the background. (File photo/PamWalker68/iStockPhoto)
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Credit union worker steals $300K from elderly customers' accounts in NH, feds say
National Credit union worker steals $300K from elderly customers' accounts in NH, feds say An Arkansas woman who worked for a credit union was sentenced for stealing more than $300,000 from elderly people's accounts in New Hampshire, federal prosecutors said. Getty Images/iStockPhoto An Arkansas woman who worked remotely for a New Hampshire-based credit union stole more than $300,000 from elderly customers' electronic banking accounts, federal prosecutors said. Tyra Brown, 27, was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire said in an April 24 news release. She pleaded guilty in January to one count of wire fraud, according to court documents. 'The defendant deliberately abused her position of trust and chose to target elderly account holders, knowing some of whom were unfamiliar with electronic banking,' Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack said in the release. McClatchy News reached out to Brown's attorney April 25 but did not immediately receive a response. According to court documents, Brown was employed as a customer service representative and had access to customer account information. Between March and August 2023, she used her access to direct customer money to personal bank accounts, prosecutors said. She stole a total of more than $300,000 during that period from about 10 elderly customers, and she attempted to steal more money from them, according to court records. Brown accessed sensitive, personal information in customers' bank accounts on multiple times, including once when she spoke with two victims of a shared account then created an unauthorized online banking profile for them before wiring herself money from their accounts, per court records. She sent four wires below the $25,000 threshold as to not appear suspicious, prosecutors said. Natalie Demaree mcclatchy-newsroom Go to X Email this person 479-616-0125 Natalie Demaree is a national real time reporter covering religion and the Southeast region for McClatchy Media. She holds a master's in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor's in journalism and political science with a specialization in African and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas.
Globe and Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
CALU members set to vote on Advocis membership requirement
CALU members will vote on whether to repeal the Advocis membership requirement at a conference in Ottawa next week. Ekaterina Dukhanina/iStockPhoto / Getty Images Members of the Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) will vote next week on whether to change a requirement that they must also be members of Advocis, the Financial Advisors Association of Canada. Advocis's strategic and financial partnership with CALU goes back several decades to when both groups focused on life insurance advocacy. CALU was formed in 1991 as a federal lobby group for Advocis members specializing in advanced life insurance planning, such as estates and business succession. CALU members pay Advocis's annual membership fee of $1,060 in addition to CALU's own membership fee, which increased 20 per cent in the last two years to $1,625. The increase was partially due to Advocis ending its direct financial support of CALU. Advocis has experienced financial troubles since 2022, losing revenue and members while expenses rose, leading to leadership changes. The Advocis website reports more than 7,500 members, down significantly from before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number of full-paying members is closer to 4,300. According to its website, CALU has about 400 members and provisional members who are required to be members of Advocis. CALU established a working committee in 2021 to review dual membership. It decided to maintain the requirement but agreed to revisit the issue every few years. Now the proposal is going to a vote. 'There is no tangible value to CALU members to be forced to be members of Advocis,' says Jason Pereira, president and certified financial planner (CFP) at Woodgate Financial Inc. in Toronto, who submitted the motion in 2021 calling for CALU to examine the issue. 'That's a personal decision they should make in line with their own values and judgments.' Mr. Pereira dropped his CALU membership because of the dual requirement. Elke Rubach, CFP at Rubach Wealth in Toronto, has been an Advocis and CALU member for years. She says the organizations bring different mandates to the table. Advocis has been instrumental to younger advisors, she says, with ideas about building their practices and overall education and licensing support. Ms. Rubach sees CALU for more advanced advisors who work on complex financial solutions for high-end clients. She says the CALU vote on dual membership is welcome as it will allow advisors to decide on organization memberships for themselves. 'I'm a firm believer in letting advisors have the freedom to choose which organization fits our practice model best,' she says. 'If I want to be an Advocis member, let me choose that.' Advocis said in a statement that CALU waiving the dual membership requirement 'is not in the best interest of its members or their clients. We encourage all financial professionals to remain a part of Advocis to demonstrate their commitment to upholding the highest standards in the industry and reinforcing the confidence consumers have in our profession.' CALU declined to comment as the matter is currently before its membership. A vote to remove the dual membership requirement would need a two-thirds majority of members attending CALU's conference in Ottawa next week. If passed, the amendment would take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
