TORONTO - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will not be hosting his weekly radio show this weekend after explosive allegations that he was recorded on video appearing to smoke crack cocaine.

CFRB program director Mike Bendixen has tweeted that Ford and his brother Doug won't be behind the mikes this Sunday for their two-hour talk show "The City" on the Toronto station.

Bendixen says the Ford brothers told the station on Friday the show would not go ahead as scheduled.

Rob Ford has slammed a Toronto Star report on the video as a smear job, although neither he nor his lawyer have called the video fake.

The U.S.-based website Gawker.com reported the story Thursday night, with its editor saying he had seen a cellphone video taken by a drug dealer that purportedly showed Ford smoking crack.

Gawker is trying to crowdsource $200,000 which it says it needs to buy the video footage to post on the gossip-news site. By Saturday morning it had raised $50,000 towards its goal.

Both the Toronto Star and Gawker have said the drug dealer — reached through an intermediary — had shown the video to them.

The two publications offered separate but similar accounts of the dealer shopping the video around for at least $100,000.

In its report, the Star said two of its reporters had watched the video on May 3 that it said showed an intoxicated Ford in a room, sitting in a chair, and lighting and smoking from what appeared to be a glass crack pipe.

The publications reported Ford could be heard making crude remarks about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and the high school football team the mayor coaches.

The Star has stood by its story and rejected any suggestions the paper was out to get the mayor.

Ford's lawyer Dennis Morris called the reports "false and defamatory." But Morris also told the newspaper it was impossible to tell what a person was smoking by watching the video.

Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Friday investigators were "monitoring the situation closely."

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Sidney Crosby scored three goals in the opening 21 minutes, 15 seconds for his second career playoff hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins held off two Ottawa comebacks to beat the Senators 4-3 Friday night in Game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference semifinals.

Ottawa is down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series to the one Eastern Conference team no one wants to trail by so much so early.

Brenden Morrow had the other Penguins goal, while Tomas Vokoun made 19 saves for the win.

Kyle Turris, Colin Greening and Jean-Gabriel Pageau replied for Ottawa.

Pageau scored his fourth playoffs goal 2:01 into the third period to get the Senators back to within a goal, but Vokoun — who took over for former Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury in the first-round Islanders series and hasn't given up the job after four games — shut out Ottawa the rest of the way.

Dropping the first two games before standing-room crowds in Pittsburgh could be an ominous sign for the Senators, who face what almost certainly is a must-win Game 3 Sunday night at home. They are 0-7 in their playoff history when trailing 2-0 in a series, and now they're down by that margin to a star-laden team that was easily the conference's best during the regular season and one that already has 33 goals in eight playoff games.

Crosby, who missed a quarter of the season with a broken jaw, was the difference after not scoring in the Penguins' Game 1 victory Wednesday, when post-season scoring leader Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist.

Malkin assisted on Crosby's third goal Friday.

Crosby, who was on pace to cruise to the NHL scoring title before breaking his jaw, gave Pittsburgh the lead just 3:16 in to the game by skating through three Senators, including a masterful fake to elude star defenceman Erik Karlsson in the upper left circle, before beating Craig Anderson with a wrister at the bottom of the circle for his 100th career playoff point. He reached the mark in 75 career games, making him the fifth fastest to do so — and Mario Lemieux, the Penguins' co-owner who was one of the first four to do so, watched from a private box.

Turris answered nearly 10 minutes later with his fourth of the playoffs, a bad-angle shot from along the goal line that deflected off Vokoun, but Crosby came right back less than a minute later with a similar goal. He grabbed Chris Kunitz's drop pass and scored on another wrist shot from along the goal-line as Karlsson went down to block the shot but couldn't deflect it at 16:07 of the first.

Karlsson, the Norris Trophy winner whose own season was largely interrupted by a 31-game layoff with an Achilles injury inflicted by Penguins forward Matt Cooke, also figured in Crosby's third goal. He went off for hooking 49 seconds into the second period, and Crosby completed his hat trick 26 seconds into the power play with a slap shot that Anderson couldn't corral.

Crosby's third goal prompted coach Paul MacLean to replace Anderson — who faced exactly a shot a minute while on the ice — with Robin Lehner, who allowed only one goal but a key one the rest of the way.

After Greening tried to rally the Senators by scoring only 40 seconds after Crosby's third goal on a wrister from the left circle, Lehner made a strong save on Jarome Iginla's short breakaway.

But Morrow restored Pittsburgh's two-goal lead by deflecting Paul Martin's slap shot from just inside the blue-line that touched both James Neal and Morrow en route to the net at 8:04.

The Penguins outshot the Senators 42-22 but converted only one of six power-play chances.

Crosby's only other career playoff hat trick was against the Capitals in 2009. Lemieux owns the Penguins record with three post-season hat tricks.

Vernon city council voted to make a few staffing adjustments this week, and some councillors aren't sure it was the right time or the right move to make.

The decision came after a review by KPMG on the city's core services. Out of 113 recommendations, a handful dealt with changes to staffing. The report found the city was appropriately staffed in terms of bodies, but noted the planning department was rather light in comparison to other communities.

At a meeting Thursday, council passed a motion directing administration to undertake a reorganization of the community development division, including the creation of an economic development planner and a long range sustainability manager. These positions are to be funded by the elimination of the environmental planner position, the reshuffling of staff time, and some reallocation of the 2014 budget.

"They're creating two positions, eliminating one, and taking funds from other parts of the budget," Coun. Bob Spiers says. "I have my doubts this will be sustainable down the road."

He says council doesn't even know what the job descriptions or salaries will look like for the two new positions, and feels it would have been better not to approve them now.

"The idea of adding positions should take time," he says. "I couldn't agree with it now. If it was that important, it should have been discussed during our 2013 budget process."

Spiers voted against the motion, as did Coun. Catherine Lord and Coun. Patrick Nicol. The motion passed with the votes of the remaining four councillors.

Unlike some of the other recommendations, the changes in staffing are not aimed at reducing expenditures, but rather at improving service and efficiency.

"They say it won't cost the public any more money," Spiers says.

Spiers suspects the position switches will occur in 2013.

Meanwhile, council also approved a motion to relocate the community policing office from its 29 Avenue location to a city-owned site to save rent. One staff position may also be cut in this department.

To contact the reporter for this story, email CHarlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.

A pair of Lumby men have pled guilty to multiple counts of breaking and entering. The charges pertain to a crime spree last June when the Dark Rooster Coffee House, the Lumby pool, Café Mazzega, Edible Canvas Bistro, Sister's Restaurant and the Bottle Depot were all broken into the same day.

Three males were charged with the offenses, one being a minor who cannot be named. Lumby RCMP Cpl. Henry Proce says the young offender pled guilty some time ago and was sentenced last year. The other two men were 19 and 20 at the time of the incident.

"A long trial was avoided when, on May 6, Tye Kelly and Skylar Demers both pled guilty to a string of business break-and-enters that occurred in Lumby," Proce says. "At the time, some six local businesses were entered and items stolen."

He says Kelly and Demers will face terms of probation. 

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.

TORONTO - A published report says a video that appears to show Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine is being shopped around by a group of men allegedly involved in the drug trade.

The Toronto Star said, however, it had no way to verify the video, which was the subject of a report on the U.S. online news site Gawker on Thursday and then became the subject of numerous stories.

The Star said two of its reporters watched the video and said it appears to show Ford in a room, sitting in a chair, inhaling from what appears to be a glass crack pipe.

A story on the Star website Friday also alleges Ford makes several disparaging and crude remarks about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and the high school football team he coaches.

A lawyer retained by Ford, Dennis Morris, told the newspaper that Thursday’s publication by the Gawker website of some details related to the video was “false and defamatory.”

The newspaper said it attempted to contact Ford’s chief of staff, Mark Twohey, on Thursday night to comment on the story, but he abruptly hung up when he was called.

The Star said the two reporters watched the 90-second video three times on May 3, adding it did not pay any money for the video and did not obtain a copy.

The newspaper added that it had no way to verify the video, which its reporters viewed in the back of a car parked in an apartment complex in northwest Toronto.

Morris told the newspaper that by viewing a video it is impossible to tell what a person is doing.

The Star reported that the man who approached the newspaper said two associates wanted “six figures for the video.”

At another point he said they had originally wanted $1 million, but he had convinced them to lower the price.

On the Gawker website, John Cook writes he was unable to pay the amount the video’s owners were seeking, so he began trying to find a media partner to buy the tape.

Cook said he contacted an acquaintance at CNN and he was soon informed that CNN called Ford's office asking about the tape. Cook said with word out around Toronto that the tape allegedly exists, he decided to publish a story online.

May 16, 2013 - 4:14 PM
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - It was only two years ago that the head of the RCMP said the country's new polymer bank notes would go a long way to deterring the threat of counterfeiting.

Today, police in British Columbia are warning that several of the fake $100 bills have been detected floating around Metro Vancouver.

Mounties are now asking consumers to check the security features on the notes and compare them with a genuine bill if they are suspicious.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Duncan Pound says the note are so secure that retailers are almost overconfident in the bills, so they aren't checking the money.

The $100 bills were issued in 2011, and were followed by $50 notes in March 2012, $20 notes in November 2012, and the unveiling of the $5 and $10 notes this past April.

The RCMP says almost 50,000 counterfeit Canadian bank notes were passed in the country last year.

May 16, 2013 - 12:46 PM

VERNON, B.C. - The Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. manufacturer of flying cars has grounded all five of its prototypes until it can determine a cause for a recent crash in B.C.

One of the Maverick flying cars crashed near a Vernon elementary school last week, leaving a pilot and a passenger with minor injuries.

The TSB's Bill Yearwood says representatives of the manufacturer are in the Okanagan attempting to determine what caused the temporary loss of control.

Until that has been determined, Yearwood says the maker has decided to ground the prototypes.

The TSB has no jurisdiction in the investigation because the Maverick isn't a registered aircraft, and Yearwood says it will be up to the builders to report back on the cause of the crash during a test flight.

The vehicle resembles a dune buggy that has a large propeller on the back and uses a type of parasail for flight. (CICF)

May long weekend destinations, and the road trips that get you there, can be dangerous according to officials.

On average, 70 people are injured in 280 crashes throughout the Southern Interior over the Victoria Day long weekend each year.

That's why local authorities and ICBC are reminding the public to pay attention and drive carefully this weekend.

As roads get clogged with travellers, ICBC advises drivers to avoid the instinct to rush. Things that might seem harmless—tailgating, failing to yield, speeding, improper passing—contribute to 44 per cent of police reported casualty crashes in B.C. In other words, it might save you a minute, but end up taking your life.

Over the long weekend, police will be stepping up enforcement across the province targeting high-risk driving behaviours.

“High-risk behaviours have no place on our roads,” Chief Constable Jamie Graham, Chair of the B.C. Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee said. “We will be out in full-force across the province to let drivers know we are serious about reducing these senseless crashes. As police officers, we see the heartbreaking results of bad driving behaviours, and we know how easily they can be prevented.”

As part of Canadian Road Safety Week, RCMP spokesperson for the North Okanagan Gord Molendyk says officers are out and about watching for dangerous driving this weekend.

Officials will also be ensuring boaters follow the rules of the water.

Sgt. Josh Lockwood, conservation operations supervisor for the North Okanagan, says National Boat Safety Week launches Saturday with an emphasis on the use of life jackets.

"So many times last year we'd see parents holding small children, who it was apparent couldn't swim, not wearing any type of life preserver," Lockwood says. "If you happen to run into a rogue wave you can lose your balance. Someone can get pitched out and they really don't have a chance if they're infants."

He says it's important for youths and infants to don life jackets as soon as they climb aboard, not "when we think we need them."

"This year we're going to carry small life jackets for youth, thanks to donations from the public last year," Lockwood says.

On a recent patrol, Lockwood says he encountered many people ill-equipped to be on the lake, including some with dead batteries in their flashlights and mouse-eaten life jackets.

Officials will also be cracking down on unregistered boats and those without their operator's certificates.

"RCMP, COS and DFO are going to start taking a dim view of people who do not have their license," Lockwood says. "Treat it like a motor vehicle. If you're driving, you need a license."

Boaters will be fined $288 for not having their license.

Lockwood says integrated patrols will be active around the region over the long weekend on a variety of small and large lakes.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helsotn at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.