By Canadian Press

Owner of destroyed sub could use ‘cruel’ law for protection : In The News for today

Jun 23, 2023 | 1:16 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Titan submersible torn apart by catastrophic implosion, killing all five aboard

A catastrophic implosion ripped apart the Titan submersible, killing all five people aboard as it was descending to the bottom of the North Atlantic during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic, a U.S. Coast Guard official said Thursday. 

Several pieces of the minivan-size craft, including parts of its carbon-fibre hull, were found in a debris field on an otherwise clear section of the ocean floor, about 500 metres from the bow of the sunken luxury liner, Rear Admiral John Mauger, commander of First Coast Guard District in Boston, told reporters.

Those killed include the vessel’s pilot, OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

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Trio of community park projects advancing in Nanaimo

8h ago

final farewell

Family, friends and fans to gather at memorial for former B.C. premier John Horgan

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holiday vibes

Grizzlies spoil Clippers' teddy bear toss night

16h ago

Titan owner could use ‘cruel’ law for protection

A lawyer in California says a “cruel” piece of maritime law famously used by the owners of the Titanic to avoid costly litigation could be used by the owners of a small submersible that imploded on its way to the famous wreck.

Charles Naylor says OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned the Titan submersible, can try to use the law to pre-emptively exonerate itself ahead of any possible legal action.

He said the company could file a suit under the United States 1850’s-era Limitation of Liability Act to limit its liability to the value of the remains of the vessel. The owners of the Titanic used the law after the steamship smashed into an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland in April 1912, killing more than 1,500 people

Naylor says if a company files an action to protect itself under the act, families have just two months to launch a challenge, which forces them to take on complicated legal procedures in the thick of their grief.

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Here’s what else we’re watching …

Foreign firefighters battling Canada’s flames

Firefighters from around the world have come to Canada to help battle one of the worst wildfire seasons on record.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre says there were nearly 15-hundred on the ground as of yesterday — coming from 10 different countries on five continents.

The contingent of foreign firefighters in Canada include teams from the United States, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Chile and Mexico.

Canada’s new wage-fixing ban takes effect today

New rules prohibiting wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements kick in today in an effort to crack down on companies undermining competition at employees’ expense.

It is now a criminal offence for two or more employers to form deals that fix, maintain, decrease or control wages.

The same goes for agreements that prevent companies from hiring or soliciting each other’s employees.

It comes after the federal government made amendments to the Competition Act’s conspiracy provision in June 2022.

Charity receives donations after deadly Manitoba bus crash

Charities in a small Manitoba city say they have seen generosity in the darkest times after families of the 15 people killed in a bus crash donated food and clothing. 

A minibus was carrying the group of seniors from Dauphin and the surrounding area to a casino a week ago, when it went into the path of a semi-trailer truck on the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Carberry, some 190 kilometres to the south.

Wayne Olson, community minister for the Church of Christ in Dauphin, says the church’s charities have received items from family members of the crash victims that will greatly benefit those in need in the city. 

Meanwhile, the Dauphin and District Community Foundation started a new fund to support seniors to honour those who had died. It will provide funding to programming, equipment and activities that support seniors. 

More threats mean more security at Pride events

Several large Pride parades are slated for this weekend, and organizers say attendees might notice something a little different this year.

There’s going to be more security on hand.

That’s because of an increase in online threats against the festivals, as well as anti-LGBTQ sentiment in general.

In some cases, police will come out in force, and in others, groups contracted private security.

In Toronto, for example, the cost of police has more than doubled, and insurance now costs $300,000, up from $67,000 last year. 

Organizers have warned that festivalgoers could face long waits to get into designated areas, because security will be checking for weapons.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2023.

The Canadian Press