CANADA IN BRIEF | June 30, 2012
N.L. man jailed for stabbing ex-girlfriend
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — A Newfoundland man has been handed a 30-month sentence for stabbing his ex-girlfriend with a syringe filled with hepatitis C-infected blood.
Darrell Benjamin Phelan was also sentenced to three years’ probation during an appearance today in provincial Supreme Court in St. John’s.
He was previously convicted of aggravated assault.
Judge Wayne Dymond said Phelan acted out of rage when he stabbed the woman earlier this year.
The woman was given drugs to fend off hepatitis C and did not contract the disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.
The Crown had requested an eight-year sentence for Phelan, while the defence asked for two years.
Dymond gave Phelan credit for 16 months time served, which reduces his sentence to 14 months.
Red Cross looks back on N.B. flood response
FREDERICTON (CP) — A New Brunswick official of the Canadian Red Cross says having a stockpile of emergency supplies made a difference in the response to flooding in Perth-Andover in March.
Bill Lawlor, the director of disaster management, says Red Cross volunteers were on scene within a few hours with vehicles loaded with cots, blankets, comfort kits and flood cleanup kits.
More than 500 residents had to be evacuated from low-lying areas when ice jams forced the St. John and Tobique rivers to spill their banks on March 23.
Lawlor says while people in the area had experienced some flooding in the past, most were shocked at the record levels that the water reached.
He says fundraising efforts raised more than $230,000 in cash and other goods, and just three per cent of that went to administrative costs.
Lawlor says only one person remains in a hotel, but they will be returning home soon.
Treats get lion cubs
to come when called
SASKATOON (CP) — Maybe it’s because it took almost a year to name them, but Saskatoon’s lion cubs don’t seem to be listening when they’re called.
John Moran, manager of the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, jokes that Nathan and Shadow are much more responsive to food.
The cubs were born last September and were officially named Thursday.
Moran says they weigh about 45 kilograms each and have adjusted well to their exhibit.
He says most zoo visitors are surprised at how much the cubs have grown since they were born last fall.
Moran says it will take awhile before the cats respond to their names.
Man saves resident from N.L. house fire
ADMIRALS BEACH, N.L. (CP) — A Newfoundland man is being hailed as a hero after breaking down the door of a burning house and pulling another man from the flames.
The RCMP say James Doody saw black smoke coming from a house in Admiral’s Beach last Saturday.
In a news release Friday, police say Doody approached the fire and realized a man was calling for help from inside the home.
Sgt. Bill Dwyer says Doody broke down the door and reached around until he found the 59-year-old man lying on the floor and pulled him to safety.
Police say the victim’s hair and clothing was on fire, so Doody extinguished the flames.
Dwyer says the victim remains in hospital and Doody was not injured.