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 - Former prime minister Jean Chretien personally approved sponsorship funds to Via Rail and several Quebec projects according to cabinet documents that until this week remained secret. Chretien signed off on a 1997 Treasury Board request for nearly $19 million sponsorship funding with an attached list of projects that included a dubious magazine proposal from Via Rail. Chretien's signature on the spending is no indication that he knew of any wrongdoing in the use of the funds. But Treasury Board President Reg Alcock said Chretien's intervention was unusual, adding he has never seen a prime minister sign off on a Treasury Board request. Montreal - About 400 police officers, including tactical squads, targeted Hells Angels bikers and their affiliates Thursday in the largest series of raids in three years. More than 30 cities were hit in the early morning raids on biker hangouts in Montreal and its south shore region, putting 36 motorcycle gang members in handcuffs. Tortronto - Air travellers in Canada are being taxed to the same extent as smokers and drinkers, Air Canada chief executive Robert Milton said Thursday as he urged Ottawa to take steps to help Canadian carriers compete with their U.S. cousins. "Air travel has become amongst the most heavily taxed activities in this country."
