A sold sign is shown in front of west-end Toronto homes, Sunday, May 14, 2017. Home sales cooled in April after setting a record the previous month as the pace of transactions in the Greater Toronto Area slowed, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Highlights from the news file for Monday, May 15

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INDEFINITE IMMIGRATION DETENTION UNDER FIRE: Canada's immigration regime allows for indefinite and arbitrary detention and is therefore unconstitutional, Federal Court heard Monday. What's needed is robust process and a legal limit on how long foreigners can be held when speedy deportation is unlikely to happen, court was told by lawyers for a Jamaican man who spent five years in custody. At issue are provisions in Canada's immigration law that allow foreigners facing deportation to be detained — frequently under maximum security conditions — when the government considers them a flight risk, a danger to the public, or cannot confirm their identity. The case being heard was launched by Alvin Brown, a mentally ill father of six who was deported to Jamaica last September. He had spent five years in detention as a danger to the public based on prior criminal convictions, mostly drug and weapons offences. Canada could not deport him until Jamaica issued a travel document. While detention reviews must by law take place every 30 days, Brown's lawyers told Judge Simon Fothergill that the process is stacked against detainees, and the reviews all too frequently amount to a rubber stamp.

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WATCHDOG SAYS BULLYING, HARASSMENT THRIVE IN RCMP: Bullying and harassment remain serious problems within the RCMP and only major changes to the way the police force is run will make a difference, says a national watchdog. In a report Monday, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP said the force lacks both the will and the capacity to address the challenges that afflict its workplaces. The commission urged the government to usher in civilian governance or oversight for the paramilitary-style police force. The RCMP introduced new harassment policies and processes in 2014 aimed at promptly dealing with workplace conflict before it escalates. The latest report, however, said the vast majority of complaints under the new policies involved allegations that managers abused their authority. These included accusations of abusive language, such as "you're dirt," "people here don't like you" and "nobody wants to work with you." Others complained of being berated in public, punitive transfers or having leave arbitrarily denied.

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LIBERALS TO SUPPORT BILL ON JUDICIAL TRAINING: The Liberal government is throwing its support behind a proposed Conservative bill that would require anyone hoping to become a judge in Canada to first undergo comprehensive training in sexual assault law. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said the government is satisfied with minor changes the Commons status of women committee made to the legislation, first introduced by interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. Bill C-337 would also change the Criminal Code to require either recorded or written decisions in sexual assault cases, and would require the Canadian Judicial Council to report on continuing education courses on sexual assault law. The proposed legislation also has the support of one of the women at the centre of last year's high-profile trial of Jian Ghomeshi. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Linda Redgrave said judges need to better understand the impact that trauma can have on the memory and behaviour of someone who has experienced sexual assault. Redgrave, whose identity was protected by a publication ban before she asked for it to be lifted, was among those who accused the former CBC personality of sexual assault before his dramatic and controversial acquittal in March 2016.

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HOME SALES COOL LAST MONTH AFTER RECORD MARCH: Home sales cooled in April after setting a record the previous month as the pace of transactions in the Greater Toronto Area slowed, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday. There was a 1.7 per cent decrease in sales over the MLS system last month compared with March, said the association, which represents more than 100,000 real estate brokers, agents and salespeople in the country. In nearly two-thirds of all local markets across Canada, sales fell. The decline was led by a 6.7 per cent drop in the Greater Toronto Area, where concerns have grown about housing affordability. Last month, the Ontario government announced more than a dozen measures in an effort to stabilize the market and ease worries about a bubble, including a 15 per cent tax on foreign homebuyers. Sales picked up in Greater Vancouver and the nearby Fraser Valley region, with Vancouver gaining 15.6 per cent compared with March and the Fraser Valley increasing 18.3 per cent. Nationwide, sales were down 7.5 per cent over the last year. The actual average price for a home sold last month was $559,317, up 10.4 per cent from a year ago, boosted by the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto markets. The aggregate composite MLS home price index rose 19.8 per cent.

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INQUIRY IN 'SERIOUS TROUBLE,' ADVOCATES SAY: More than 30 advocates, indigenous leaders and family members have published an open letter to the chief commissioner of the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, suggesting the process is in serious trouble. The group says it is aware the commission has a difficult challenge, but it suggests immediate action must be taken to mitigate damage and shift the current approach of the inquiry. The process, designed to cost $53.8 million and take two years, is led by Marion Buller, the first female First Nations judge in British Columbia, and has four other commissioners. Signatories of the letter say the time frame for the inquiry is "clearly too short." They say the commissioners should formally request an extension from the federal government now. A spokesperson for Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says the minister is confident the commission has the appropriate resources and time to conduct its work. The inquiry has yet to respond to the letter.

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SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT HIT BY CYBERATTACK: The Saskatchewan government says it has been hit with a cyber attack, but it's not sure whether it's related to the malware that has sought to extort money from companies, government agencies and other organizations around the world in recent days. The province said Monday its network was flooded with traffic on the weekend that caused a two-hour outage on the Saskatchewan.ca website and other system-related issues. Richard Murray, deputy minister of Central Services, described it as a "denial-of-service attack." Malware dubbed WannaCry for the WannaCrypt software used to execute it has affected an estimated 300,000 machines in 150 countries since Friday. The most common way to spread it is by sending download links by email. It works by seizing control of a computer and making its files inaccessible to users. Victims are told they must pay large sums of money to get their files back. Murray said the Saskatchewan government has not received a ransom demand so far.

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FAMILIES WHO HID SNOWDEN WANT CANADA'S HELP: The families who sheltered U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden in Hong Kong need to be brought to Canada immediately while the country processes their asylum claims, their lawyers said Monday. Hong Kong-based attorney Robert Tibbo said Canada needs to take this "exceptional" step and allow the seven people to enter the country after the Hong Kong government rejected their asylum applications last Friday. The seven people — four adults and their three children — allegedly helped hide Snowden when the fugitive was in the region in 2013 after he leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance. They were put in contact with Snowden because they share Tibbo as a lawyer. Speaking from Hong Kong through a video conference, surrounded by the seven refugee applicants, Tibbo told reporters they have two weeks to appeal the decision or risk deportation to their countries of origin, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, where they fear for their safety. "The solution is Canada," he said, adding the country is one of a handful of jurisdictions that permit a review of refugee applications from people who haven't been screened by the United Nations.

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QUEBEC TO CHANGE RULES FOR FLOOD COMPENSATION: New rules governing compensation for flood victims could come by the end of the week, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said Monday. The government's current financial aid program isn't inadequate, but could be improved, the premier told reporters in Montreal. Thousands of Quebecers will likely be seeking help after record April rainfall caused extensive flooding across the province. Some weary residents, briefed by government officials, have complained the program doesn't meet the needs of those affected. Couillard has said the maximum amount that can be given to flood victims will likely be increased. Couillard said about $2 million has been doled out to help cover living expenses and advances for needed repair work. In many flood-stricken areas across the province, there has been a slow but steady shift towards cleaning up as water levels have continued to recede. In other areas, water levels remain high but are expected to drop in the coming days. More than 4,550 homes were still flooded as of Sunday night in 121 different cities and towns across the province and roughly 3,900 people have been evacuated.

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DISMANTLE NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD, PANEL SAYS: A panel advising the government on how to overhaul the National Energy Board says the regulator should be dismantled and replaced with two new agencies that would operate within a more coherent national energy policy. After months of public hearings and talking to stakeholders, the panel says the National Energy Board has been given an impossible task: regulating the growth of the industry and marrying its growth with the government's economic and climate-change goals. The panel recommends the government create a new national strategy that incorporates Ottawa's policy vision on energy, the environment, and the economy. And it says before the energy regulator ever gets its hands on the file, the government should take up to a year to itself consider whether any new projects of national consequence align with that vision, including significant and meaningful consultation with indigenous communities. That can include looking at economic benefits to the country, indigenous rights and a climate test for emissions both upstream and downstream of the proposed project.

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ONTARIO TOWN PARTNERS WITH UBER FOR TRANSIT: An Ontario town daunted by the cost of building a traditional public transit system has turned to a popular ride-hailing company for a solution. The town of Innisfil, Ont., is subsidizing the cost of rides for its residents with Uber Canada, offering flat rates to travel to certain public hubs and offering a discount for travel anywhere else within the community. Some American cities have struck similar partnerships with Uber in the past, but the company said the arrangement in Innisfil, effective Monday, marks the first time a Canadian municipality has enlisted Uber to fill a public transit void. Innisfil Deputy Mayor Lynn Dollin said the town has set aside $100,000 for the first phase of the project, which is currently projected to last about six months. That money, she said, will be used to subsidize the cost of Uber rides booked through the company's smartphone app and online platform. Innisfil residents will be left to pay just $3 for a ride to and from the area surrounding the town's recreational complex and town hall, while lifts to and from regional GO Transit bus stops will cost $5.

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News from © The Canadian Press, 2017