***** Canada Business News *****

[Awoderu A.A]

What about news on the Insurance sector?

 

[saki]

What about news on the Insurance sector?

I havent heard any new news about insurance sector but if i come across any will post it.

Cheers
Saki

 

[saki]

TSX down as bad news discourages investors

The Toronto Stock Exchange posted its first loss in four trading sessions Tuesday as investors paid more attention to the bad news than the good.


The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 29.38 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 11,716.69. Materials and energy led the declines, though it was a decent day for financial stocks following the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's decision on world banking reforms that would allow assets such as minority stakes in other financial firms to count as capital.


Gold prices in New York had their lowest close in three months, dropping $25.20 to $1,161.80 U.S. an ounce. Crude oil was down $1.48 to $77.50 U.S. a barrel.


The Canadian dollar was off 35 basis points to 96.51 cents U.S..


Talisman Energy Inc. and Roger Communications Inc. both reported second-quarter earnings that beat analysts expectations. Talisman stock was up 2.34 per cent to $17.49, though Rogers stock fell 1.52 per cent to $36.83.


Rogers did not boost its guidance for the remainder of the year and that "suggests the company expects a meaningful slowdown in growth" said Bank of Montreal analyst Tim Casey in a research note.


Looking at the beleaguered gold sector, Barrick Gold Corp. was down 3.9 per cent to $41.44, and Goldcorp Inc. was down 3.39 per cent to $40.19. In the banking sector, Royal Bank of Canada rose 1.81 per cent to close at $53.40, and Bank of Nova Scotia was up 1.63 per cent to $51.19.


The junior TSX Venture composite was down 7.17 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 1,396.28.


In the U.S., a measure of consumer confidence from the Conference Board was at its lowest level in five months.


"Consumer confidence is the market's top craving," Adrian Mastracci, portfolio manager with KCM Wealth Management in Vancouver, said in a note to clients Tuesday.


He added that the most important determinants of consumer confidence are job and income stability or improvement. "Markets are clearly telegraphing the shakiness of this picture. They would like to change the listless ways with some clear direction."


On the brighter side of the U.S. economic picture, home prices south of the border were higher than expected in May, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index.


On U.S. stock markets, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 12.26 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 10,537.69 on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite index, on the other hand, was down 8.18 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 2,288.25.


European and Asian markets were mostly higher, except for the slight 0.07 per cent decline on Japan's Nikkei index.

 

[saki]

House price gains unlikely to continue, says National Bank economist


OTTAWA — Canadian home prices rose 1.3 per cent in May, their largest monthly gain since last September, but are unlikely to keep up the pace in months ahead, according to the Teranet-National Bank composite house price index, released Wednesday.


On an annual basis, prices rose 13.6 per cent and are now 4.2 per cent higher than their pre-recession peak.


Prices have now advanced for 13 straight months, the survey showed.


The yearly gains were strongly influenced by advances in Canada's major markets, with Vancouver up 17.1 per cent year over year and Toronto up 16 per cent.


In the other four markets surveyed, year-over-year prices gained 7.8 per cent in Calgary, 8.5 per cent in Montreal, 11.4 per cent in Ottawa, and 5.6 per cent in Halifax.


Nevertheless, National Bank senior economist Marc Pinsonneaul said "we do not believe that acceleration . . . will be sustained."


"The number of existing homes sold has declined in each of the three months ending last June, and it did so to a much larger extent than the number of new listings. This heralds a deceleration in home price inflation, especially since a harmonized sales tax was introduced on July 1 in Ontario and B.C."


The Teranet survey differs from other national surveys, which have already shown price declines, by focusing solely on price variations in Canada's six major urban markets and filtering out such factors as a shift in preference to larger homes that can skew average prices.

 

[saki]

Get that job by standing up straight and looking the boss in the eye

OTTAWA — Much like a first date, successful job interviews rely on first impressions.


So, it should come as no surprise to potential employees that lack of eye contact is the biggest professional turnoff, according to a survey of Canadian hiring managers.


At 68 per cent, the affliction commonly known as "shifty eyes" took the top spot on the survey of behaviours that would make a manager less likely to hire someone.


Other common mistakes made by job-seekers are failure to smile, at 45 per cent, and bad posture, at 37 per cent, says the survey from job website CareerBuilder Canada.


The faux-pas don't stop there. Crossing your arms, fidgeting, a weak handshake, playing with an object on the table and touching your hair or face all made the list of employment buzz kills.


"When you're meeting someone for the first time, you want to make sure you're conveying all your strengths, and that you're conveying the positive parts of your personality. And so, paying attention to your body language is part of that, in addition to having a great resume and being able to answer questions correctly," said Allison Nawoj, a career adviser at CareerBuilder.


"It is a very highly competitive job market, and so people are going on a lot of interviews. Sometimes that can cause some pressure and some nervousness and that can lead to some body language mistakes."


The survey also asked the 228 managers what future employees can do to capture hearts in an interview.


The recommendations include keeping calm by giving yourself enough time and taking deep breaths; preparing for the interview and practising with family and friends; and answering questions in front of a mirror to see what body language, if any, needs some work.


"While it is a lot of pressure, at the same time, there are a lot of opportunities that are out there and it's a matter of being positive, going in confidently and doing your best in every situation," said Nawoj.


The survey was conducted online in Canada by Harris Interactive, on behalf of CareerBuilder.com, between May 18 and June 3. The results have a 95 per cent probability, with a sampling error of plus or minus 6.49 percentage points.

 

[saki]

TSX down for second straight day

Slumping Canadian energy stocks led the Toronto Stock Exchange to a second straight negative session on Wednesday.


The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 20.06 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 11,696.63. Losses were led by the oil-and-gas sector. Among the factors, crude oil was down 51 cents to $76.99 U.S. a barrel in New York, and Husky Energy Inc.'s second-quarter earnings came in less than expected. Husky shares fell 3.75 per cent to $25.40 on Wednesday.


The two-day losing streak on the TSX followed three straight days of gains.


"It seems to me that we're stuck in a rut, and so far, nobody has found the traction to get us out of the rut," said Fred Ketchen, director of equity trading with ScotiaMcLeod in Toronto.


Gains in materials, the biggest detriment to the TSX a day earlier, limited overall losses on the main index. Gold prices were up 60 cents to $1,162.40 U.S. an ounce.


The Canadian dollar was down 22 basis points to 96.29 cents U.S..


Better-than-expected earnings came from companies such as Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. and Enbridge Inc., though much of the attention on the latter was due to an oil spill in Michigan coming from one of its lines. CPR stock closed up 1.32 per cent to $60.61, while Enbridge was down 1.98 per cent to $50.53.


After two straight days of declines, Research In Motion Ltd. was up 4.35 per cent to $57.55 on Wednesday. This coming Tuesday, it is scheduled to introduce its latest version of the BlackBerry at a joint event with U.S. cellphone service provider AT&T in New York. RIM shares remained down almost 38 per cent from its 52-week high of $92.41 on Sept. 23 of last year.


The junior TSX Venture composite was up 14.36 points, or 1.03 per cent, to 1,410.62 on Wednesday.


Investors in both Canada and the United States Wednesday were unimpressed with U.S. durable goods orders that were down one per cent last month as economists were expecting a one per cent gain.


Some key U.S. data due in the coming weeks include second-quarter gross domestic product figures on Friday, and July employment numbers a week after that. Canada's GDP for May is also due Friday, and this country's July employment numbers come out the same day as U.S. figures.


On U.S. markets Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 39.81 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 10,497.88. The Nasdaq composite index fell 23.69 points, or 1.04 per cent, to 2,264.56.


Markets were mixed in Europe with losses in the U.K. and Germany, and gains in France. Asian markets were up, highlighted by a 2.7 per cent surge on Japan's Nikkei index.

 

[Awoderu A.A]

Which of the provinces is best to start an insurance career just like ontario is a very good place for the Health career(medicine)

 

[saki]

Federal deficit to be eliminated a year ahead of schedule: Conference Board

OTTAWA — So long as the federal government keeps its pledge on curbing program spending, Ottawa should return to a surplus position one year ahead of schedule based on how the economy is unfolding, the Conference Board of Canada said Thursday.


"A more positive fiscal outcome now appears to be unfolding" for the federal government, according to a commentary co-authored by the board's chief economist, Glen Hodgson.


The same can't be said for Canada's provinces, the piece said, and they have difficult choices ahead in the coming years due to mounting health care costs.


In a commentary published on its board's website, Hodgson and senior economist Matthew Stewart said they anticipate that nominal GDP — which is growth unadjusted for inflation and represents the base from which government collects taxes — will surge 7.2 per cent this year, compared with the 4.9 per cent expectation in budget 2010.


"This is a very strong first step on the path to restoring fiscal balance at the federal level."


Further, the board's outlook for nominal GDP is higher than the 6.9 per cent gain other private-sector economists expect, according to the latest survey by the federal government.


Results on the budget front have, so far, been promising. Preliminary estimates from the Department of Finance indicate the budget deficit for the fiscal year just ended, 2009-10, came in nearly 13 per cent smaller than anticipated — at $46.9 billion versus the $53.8 billion expectation.


And last week, Finance reported the deficit for the first two months of the 2010-11 fiscal year fell to $4.4 billion, compared with a $7.5-billion shortfall in the comparable year-ago period. This was achieved due to a big gain in GST revenue and a drop in employment insurance benefits.


According to this year's federal budget estimates, the deficit would be whittled down to $1.8-billion by 2015 due in part to cuts in the public service, a freeze on foreign aid, limited growth in military spending and higher EI premiums. Those measures would net $17.6 billion in savings over five years.


But Hodgson and Stewart argue the government is on track to be near surplus in 2014, or a year ahead of schedule.


"If spending restraint can be kept on track, the federal government should be able to balance its books a full year earlier than projected. The federal debt-GDP ratio will peak at about 35 per cent in 2010-11 — still well within manageable levels and significantly better than every other major industrial economy."


In comparison, the International Monetary Fund has projected that the debt-to-GDP ratios for industrialized economies will reach 120 per cent by 2014, as the United States and Europe deal with the consequences from stimulus efforts and finance programs to deal with an aging population.


Canada is expected to be among advanced economies in terms of economic growth, with the Bank of Canada projecting a 3.5 per cent gain this year and 2.9 per cent expansion in 2011.


However, the board said provincial finances are not as rosy. Provinces have seen tax revenue shrink during the recession, and felt the need to match federal infrastructure spending to help kick-start their economies. As a whole, the board said, provincial governments have estimated their collective deficits to be almost $34 billion in fiscal year 2009-10, and are expected to improve slightly in 2010-11.


"Provinces are now facing some hard choices to regain fiscal health," Hodgson and Stewart said. "Structural changes will be needed in how services are delivered, given the health-care demands of an aging population and the impact of those same demographics on revenues."

 

[saki]

Quebec shuts down French private school over partly English curriculum

MONTREAL — A decision to immediately revoke the operating permit of a private Quebec elementary school — one that consistently turns out high-performing, fluently bilingual youngsters — over its English-language policy triggered Friday a promise of fiery, unyielding refusal.


The Laval-based l'Academie Lavalloise's core policy of providing 30 per cent English curriculum — from kindergarten through to the end of Grade 6 — was cited as one factor for the shutdown by Quebec's education ministry.


Under provincial education regulations, that's forbidden in a French-language primary setting.


Ministry officials sought to shutdown the arts, maths and language-rich school just three weeks before classes are set to resume Aug. 23, triggering a "panic" among parents, said Albert DiFruscia, president of the parents' committee.


The timing, he said, makes it "just impossible" to place the students in other private schools.


DiFruscia said he didn't know whether the school's from-the-start English policy "is 90 per cent or 10 per cent of the reason" for the edict, and ministry officials weren't available to say.


But the recently retired, longtime director of the school, David Zakaib vowed that "the school is not closing." His successor, Veronique Guindon, was not available as she was tied up in meetings to handle the crisis.


Zakaib's mother founded the private institution 52 years ago as Le Jardin Rose. The educational approach to math and other fundamentals taken by the school — and the results consistently achieved — are "impeccable," he said, citing a steady stream of graduates accepted into such private secondary institutions as Lower Canada College and Loyola High School.


The school operates without any ministry subsidies — instead charging a flat-fee, base tuition of $5,150 per student per academic year, plus busing, cafeteria and other fees as applicable.


A spokesman for Quebec Education Minister Michelle Courchesne said "it's too early to say" whether the school's doors will be forced closed, alluding to a series of meetings under way after the school officials went public with the shutdown.


Other long-standing issues of contention between the ministry and the school include the qualifications of specialized teachers — such as dance, gym and arts and crafts instructors.


Courchesne is planning to meet with representatives of the parents' committee Monday, Cedrick Beauregard said, to lay out their options for moving their children to other schools.


A prepared statement cited "non-respect of certain requirements of the Regime pedagogique and the Program de formation de l'ecole quebecoise" as the reason for the school's closure.

 

[saki]

B.C. SkyTrain passenger gets back lost $200,000 cheque

VANCOUVER — A businessman who lost a $200,000 U.S. certified cheque on a B.C. transit train this week managed to get his money back.


The man lost the cheque Thursday and used the emergency platform phone at the Sapperton SkyTrain station in New Westminster, B.C., to ask for assistance from SkyTrain attendants.


Within 20 minutes, two attendants had located the missing cheque on a SkyTrain at Gilmore Station in Burnaby. The cheque was on the floor, underneath the seats where a mother and her young children were sitting.


"The man was relatively calm when we talked to him," said SkyTrain spokesperson Jennifer Siddon.


"One of our attendants has 15 years experience and said it was certainly the most valuable item that had been lost and found . . . When staff received the call, they had no idea how valuable the cheque was."


"We regularly help passengers find lost items," said Siddon. "It's not every day you help somebody find a $200,000 cheque."


Siddon said the businessman was a bit embarrassed by the situation but he was extremely grateful and thankful for the assistance SkyTrain staff offered him.


Asked if the man offered a reward, Siddon said: "No, but we don't expect a reward. This is part of what our staff does and it's what we do on a daily basis. . . . We're just happy we were able to help this man find his lost item."

 

[saki]

Markets flat as economic growth tepid

The Toronto Stock Exchange was down slightly Friday following reports of slow economic growth in both Canada and the United States, though some stocks benefited from higher gold prices.


The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 15.21 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 11,713.43. There were losses for energy and financials stocks, although materials were up.


With the back-and-forth trends on the Canadian stock markets as of late, the TSX benchmark stood at level virtually flat for the week that came to an end, as well as the month. Friday's market result marked the third loss in five days this week. It finished down less than one point for the week and up just more than five points for the month.


Looking at some of the prominent stock movements Friday, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. was down 1.12 per cent to $35.40, and Toronto-Dominion Bank fell 1.08 per cent to $73.16. Research In Motion Ltd., on the other hand, was up for a third straight day, gaining 2.55 per cent to $59.15 as observers awaited the revealing of its latest BlackBerry on Tuesday.


The junior TSX Venture composite on Friday was up 5.07 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 1,427.36.


Statistics Canada said Friday that gross domestic product grew by 0.1 per cent in May, at the low end of the consensus forecast range of economists of between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent.


In the U.S., second-quarter GDP growth came in at an annualized rate of 2.4 per cent, less than the 2.6 per cent economists expected.


On the other hand, the University of Michigan's' U.S. consumer-sentiment index was reported at 67.8 for this month. While off from the 76 recorded for June, it was better than the preliminary estimate of 66.5.


"How self-sustaining is this economy? That's what people are questioning," Bob Decker, a money manager at Aurion Capital Management in Toronto, told Bloomberg News. "No one disputes we've got a recovery in earnings. It's the sustainability of the recovery that's being questioned."


Still, some economists found details within the U.S. GDP report that were more encouraging than what the headline number would suggest.


"If you strip out international trade — both imports and exports — the domestic U.S. economy appears to have grown north of five per cent," said Greg Newman, senior wealth adviser with ScotiaMcLeod in Toronto.


On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil was up 59 cents to $78.95 U.S. a barrel after earlier declines Friday. Gold was up $12.70 to $1,183.90 U.S. an ounce.


The Canadian dollar was up 74 basis points to 97.25 cents U.S..


On U.S. stock markets, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 1.22 points, or 0.01 per cent, to 10,465.94. The Nasdaq composite index was up 3.01 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 2,254.70.


European markets were mixed, with a loss in the U.K., a flat market in France and gains in Germany. Asian markets were down.

 

[saki]

Canada's economy expands 0.1 per cent in May

OTTAWA -- Canada's economy grew 0.1 per cent in May, led by the oil and gas extraction sector, Statistics Canada said Friday.


Most economists had expected growth of between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent for the month.


"Goods-producing industries rose 0.6 per cent, led by oil and gas extraction," the federal agency said. "Construction and utilities fell back, while manufacturing activity edged up."


Retail activity rose 0.3 per cent in May, with increases at clothing and accessories outlets, as well as food and beverage stores.


"Decreases were recorded in building and outdoor home supplies stores, mirroring the weakness in construction, and by used car dealers," the agency said.


After posting annualized growth of 4.9 per cent in the final quarter of last year and 6.1 per cent in 2010s first quarter, the central bank now expects gross domestic product to expand just three per cent for the three-month period ended June 3.


After a strong initial recovery from the recession, Canada's economic growth is beginning to slow. In the fourth quarter of 2009, GDP expanded by 4.9 per cent, followed by a 6.1 per cent advance in the first three months of this year. Since then, monthly numbers have weakened -_with 0.6 per cent growth in March and a flat reading in April.


The Bank of Canada's now expects the economy to grow 3.5 per cent in all of 2010 and see 2.9 per cent expansion in 2011.


David Tulk, a senior strategist at TD Securities, said Friday's report "confirms the deceleration in overall economic activity observed across a wide range of indicators."


"This was expected, as the stimulus-infused pace set through the first quarter of the year was clearly unsustainable. What matters for the balance of the year and for the outlook for monetary policy is the level at which the economy stabilizes."


Meanwhile in the United States, the Commerce Department said second-quarter growth slowed to a 2.4 per cent from a revised 3.7 per cent in the previous quarter.


Economists had forecast growth of 2.6 per cent in the second quarter.

 

[saki]

New immigration rule ‘unnecessary and mean-spirited,’ organization says


A Canadian war resisters support organization is calling a new rule that requires immigration officers to contact government officials each time a military deserter applies for refugee status in Canada "unnecessary and mean-spirited."

On July 22, the Citizenship and Immigration office published a bulletin that states "persons who have deserted the military in their country of origin may be inadmissible to Canada," and insists immigration officers notify Ottawa’s case management branch of any new refugee claims or updates to the cases.

"They’re calling these cases high-profile and contentious. They’re saying (the soldiers) may be criminally inadmissible, creating this perception that they’re criminals," said Michelle Robidoux, spokeswoman for the War Resisters Support Campaign.

So far, she said, the organization knows of about 50 American deserters who have applied for refugee status in Canada since 2004, although there could be 150 to 200 more currently in Canada.

Ten of the 50 applications have been denied, and the other 40 are awaiting a verdict, but Robidoux believes the new bulletin will stall the processing of each application.

"It appears they are prejudging these individuals who should be treated just like any other applicant. We don’t think the timing for this special directive is an accident either,” Robidoux said.

A private member’s bill proposed by Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy, which would allow deserters to apply for permanent residency, will be voted on in a month.

“The government is afraid of fair debate and instead is trying to deny conscientious objectors their rights," Kennedy said in a news release.

New bulletins and directives are "routine, common practice" and stopping to notify higher authorities will not slow down an application at all, said Doug Kellam, a spokesman for the immigration office.

"It’s not anything special and it’s a routine practice. It is in no way unusual and is normal day business," he said.

"War deserters and resisters as a whole attract media attention and so because of that they fall under the category of high profile. We do this so we have awareness of cases so we know how they’re progressing. Otherwise, these cases are not identifiable," he said.


Last month, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled an immigration officer’s decision to reject a U.S. deserter’s application for permanent residency in Canada was “significantly flawed and therefore unreasonable.”

Jeremy Hinzman served in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003. He applied for conscientious objector status when the Iraq war began, but was denied.

In 2008, he was ordered deported, but Hinzman who is still in Canada appealed, saying he will be jailed if he returns to the U.S.

 

[saki]

Organized crime law changes unveiled

The federal government announced new regulations on Wednesday that target organized crime in Canada by designating several "signature activities" of criminal groups as serious offences.

The changes already passed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet amend the Criminal Code's definition of serious offences to include 11 specific offences, including illegal gambling, as well as prostitution and drug-related crimes.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said the measures give police "every tool necessary" in their organized crime investigations and deprive criminal gangs of wealth.

"When there's money to be made from these acts, you can bet organized crime groups will be involved," Nicholson told reporters in Montreal.

The order-in-council changing the regulations was made on July 13, according to the Canada Gazette, the official publication of the government.

The move gives police more power to conduct wiretaps and other investigative measures, while also lengthening jail terms for acts linked to organized crime.

Currently, those convicted of serious offences can face sentences of five years or more in prison.

The crimes now designated as serious offences include:

•Keeping a common gaming or betting house.
•Betting, pool-selling and bookmaking.
•Committing offences in relation to lotteries and games of chance.
•Cheating while playing a game or in holding the stakes for a game or in betting.
•Keeping a common bawdy-house.
•Various offences in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act relating to the trafficking, importing, exporting or production of certain drugs.
Liberal MP slams Tory 'diversion'
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday ahead of Nicholson's announcement, Liberal MP Mark Holland said the Conservative government is hiding the true costs of its "crime and punishment" agenda and called on the public safety committee to examine the policies.

Holland also urged the government to reverse cuts on crime prevention programs, saying they help keep kids away from the "dark path" of crime in the first place.

"All the things that we know work, we know save money, save lives … they ignore," Holland said in Ottawa.

He also accused the Tories of creating a "diversion" with the announcement to deflect attention from their widely condemned move to scrap the mandatory long-form census.

"This government, any time it gets into trouble … starts dumping on the table a rash of crime bills and more often than not, they're not thought through," Holland said.

"This is about changing the channel."

But Nicholson said Canada's laws need to be continuously updated because of the increasing sophistication of organized criminal groups seeking to exploit holes in the criminal code.

Organized crime groups, the minister said, often rely upon the proceeds of these crimes to equip themselves to commit violent acts and fund large-scale operations that threaten public safety.

"We've got to close these loopholes on organized crime," he said.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/08/04/tories-organized-crime-nicholson.html#ixzz0vijzicSP

 

[saki]

Young driver challenges Ontario alcohol ban

A young Toronto man went to court Wednesday to challenge Ontario's new law prohibiting drivers 21 and under from having any alcohol whatsoever in their systems.

Kevin Wiener, 20, filed his application in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleging the law that took effect Sunday violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it is based on age.

"I want to make it very clear that, like all Ontarians, I am absolutely against drunk driving and I'm for safer streets," Wiener said after filing his application with the court.

"That does not mean that we should have laws that discriminate on the basis of age."

The government counters that its law requiring all drivers 21 and under to have a zero blood-alcohol content, regardless of their class of licence, is based on scientific evidence showing accidents involving drinking drivers fall off dramatically after age 22.

Wiener dismissed the statistical argument, and said people who are old enough to serve in the military, perform jury duty, and elect governments are mature enough to decide if they want a drink with dinner.

"Statistics show that male drivers, for example, are more likely to get into certain kinds of accidents, but I think we can all agree that we would never see the government apply legislation selectively to one gender or race or national origin because of statistics," he said.

"They seem to think it's OK to do so for age. Maybe that's because young people aren't as likely to vote."

The law needs to be changed to ban all inexperienced drivers from having any alcohol in their systems, but also to remove the alcohol ban on young drivers 21 and under, said Wiener.

"If this is a matter of experience then let's change the legislation and have it apply to any driver regardless of age," he said.

"It's not right for the government to try to treat adults like they're children."

Wiener's application will get a hearing in court Nov. 1. He doesn't have a lawyer yet, but Wiener was hoping all the media attention he's generated by challenging the drinking ban will prompt someone to step forward and offer him legal representation.

Wiener admitted he's a member of the provincial Progressive Conservatives and federal Conservatives, but said he was acting alone in his challenge of the drinking and driving law.

"I am not co-ordinating this with any other groups or individuals," he said. "This is something I'm doing myself."

Five young drivers have been issued 24-hour driving suspensions by the Ontario Provincial Police since the rule came into effect.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/08/04/alcohol-challenge.html#ixzz0vikDuPoI