The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ottawa - The gap between rich and poor has widened considerably in Canadian cities, whose leaders are counting on Paul Martin's new federal government to do something about it. In Toronto, Canada's biggest city, the poorest households saw their average income drop by 29.5 per cent between 1992 and 1998, according to a study released Wednesday. Over that same time, Toronto's most wealthy saw their average incomes rise by an average 4.9 per cent, says the study. Ottawa - Almost half of the people convicted in adult courts in 2002-2003 were sentenced to probation, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. The data show that probation was imposed in 46 per cent of the cases. Criminals were jailed in 35 per cent of cases and 33 per cent resulted in fines. More than half of the jail sentences were for 30 days or less. Ottawa - Canadian Alliance MP Larry Spencer was fired Thursday as the party's family issues critic and temporarily resigned from caucus after making controversial remarks about homosexuals. Alliance Leader Stephen Harper said Spencer's comments were unacceptable and do not reflect the party's stance on gays. Spencer had told the Vancouver Sun that homosexuality should be outlawed and cited a "well-orchestrated" conspiracy that began in the 1960s and led to recent successes in the gay-rights movement.
