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Province upset over fishing dispute

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador wants to renegotiate the terms of its union with Canada in a dispute over a ban on commercial cod fishing.

In the nearby province of New Brunswick, angry fishermen burned several buildings and boats in Shippagan after the federal government cut the crab quota.

Newfoundland Premier Roger Grimes wants joint management of the ocean fishery although the Constitution says only the federal government has jurisdiction.

He is seeking a formal amendment to the 1949 Newfoundland Act that formally declared Newfoundland and Labrador a province.

"Failed federal fisheries management has led to the complete collapse of the northern cod fishery and other groundfish stocks," Grimes said. "The people of our province feel that we're not getting our fair share from Canada."

His Liberal government in Canada's easternmost province has been battling the federal Liberals since Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault announced the closing of the fishery last month because the cod face extinction.

Crab fishermen on New Brunswick's northern coast have suspended the season until the government reverses the cutbacks. The dispute has idled hundreds of plant workers while the crab boats sit idle in port.

The SARS outbreak in Toronto, where 23 people have died, has abated with no new cases in several weeks.

The number of cases has been declining steadily and medical authorities have expressed increasing confidence that the outbreak is under control.

In the absence of any more new cases, the World Health Organization would likely give Toronto the all clear sometime in the next week, medical authorities said. The WHO lifted its travel advisory April 29.

Darlene Heatherington, a Lethbridge, Alberta, city councilor, is accused of concocting an elaborate hoax that sent Montana police on a massive search. After disappearing while on a business trip to Great Falls last weekend, she told police she was abducted and taken to Las Vegas. Police now say the woman ran off with a married man. The 39-year-old mother of three is in seclusion at home and receiving medical attention, said her husband, Dave Heatherington.

The Ontario government was in contempt of the Legislature for releasing its budget at an auto parts plant, House Speaker Gary Carr said. The scathing ruling could put a damper on his Conservative Party's re-election chances, political analysts said. The government showed disrespect to the public by its action, Carr said.

Conservative Member of Parliament Elsie Wayne said she regrets offending some people with her controversial remarks about gays, but she stopped short of apologizing. She condemned gay activism and same-sex marriage, but said her "only goal was to reiterate my support for the historic definition of marriage."

There have been more strong gains for the Canadian dollar as it rose to 71.80 U.S. cents Friday. The U.S. dollar returned $1.3927 Canadian, before bank exchange fees.

Canada's jobless rate rose to 7.5 percent in April, up from 7.3 percent a month earlier, as part-time jobs and manufacturing continued to weaken.

The key Bank of Canada interest rate remains at 3.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 5 percent.

Canadian stock exchanges were higher, with the Toronto index at 6,650 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange 1,065 points.

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