Prince Albert police said nine people have been charged after drugs and weapons were seized in a bust.

Members of the Prince Albert integrated street enforcement team (ISET) and the tactical unit made the bust when they searched a home on Nov. 23 in the 200 block of 24 Street East.

Data about Ontario marijuana buyers used by the warehouse that stores and ships the province’s legal cannabis is held only in Canada, the Ontario Cannabis Store says.

This week, the federal privacy commissioner urged cannabis buyers to boycott sellers who store consumer data outside the country, and to use cash as an alternative to credit cards, where possible.

It’s time to start double-checking those wish lists and making a list of your own — holiday shopping season has already started.

One thing that is clear about this year’s top gift ideas is that many of these items have been trending for years now. The Instant Pot, which has two new versions this year, continues to dominate at major retailers. For toys, classics like Fingerlings, L.O.L Surprise and Lego play sets are also popular among children (and even some adults) year after year.

If you need inspiration before you hit the mall or fill up that online shopping cart, we spoke to major retailers across Canada to handpick the trendiest and top-selling gifts of 2018.

Nickelodeon Ultimate Unicorn Slime Kit

It’s 2018 and slime is still high in demand. This mystical unicorn version comes with paint, mixing bowls and, of course, glitter. Sticking true to its theme, slime colours range in blues, pinks and purples.

Price: $29.99
Available at Toys R Us

Wearable Pom-Pom Pets

Pomsies may be last year’s Fingerlings. These interactive plush pets sing, dance and can be taken anywhere. In several different colours, each Pomsies comes with a fur face tail that wraps around your wrist, hair, bag or clothes.

Price: $19.99
Available at Canadian Tire

Bluetooth speaker

We all knew if Ikea ever entered the home electronics market, they would come out with the sleekest electronics. This minimalist Bluetooth speaker (that can be shown off in two days) is built to fit most of your Ikea furniture.
Price: $99
Available at Ikea

Feed Me Cookie Monster

It’s the new era of Tickle Me Elmos. One of Amazon Canada’s top-selling toys of 2018, this lovable Sesame Street character will keep children entertained. Cookie Monster sings, says silly phrases and also has a rumbling tummy ready for cookies.

Price: $19.97
Available at Amazon

Google Home Mini

Another repeater from previous years, the Google Home (mini version) has made its way to this year’s top-selling holiday gift guide. This small, powerful voice-activated home speaker will tell you the weather, play your favourite playlists and answer your most-Googled questions.

Price: $35
Available at Best Buy

Harry Potter Lego

One of eBay’s top trending toys of 2018, this Quidditch Lego play set allows builders to create house towers, goalposts and a moving keeper function to guard rings. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this gift is right up your alley.

Price: $69.99
Available at eBay Canada

Dyson V6B Cordless Vacuum

Most neat-freaks would love their own Dyson, but the price of it doesn’t always fall within holiday budgets. On eBay, you can find refurbished Dyson products from the company’s outlet store, which means all products have been professionally restored. You also receive a one-year warranty.

Price: $239.99
Available at eBay Canada

Espresso And Cappuccino Machine

This compact espresso machine is one of Walmart’s top-selling holiday gifts this year. With two thermostats, you can make espresso or cappuccino at your desired temperature.

Price: $99.98
Available at Walmart

Deluxe Edition Monopoly Game

This deluxe Monopoly edition has premium features like an elegant two-toned wooden board and cabinet with gold-toned metal accents, gold-toned game pieces, a recessed dice rolling area and a foil stamped game path. Talk about a fancy holiday game night.

Price: $160
Available at HomeSense

Becoming

Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama’s book quickly rose to this season’s top-sellers list. An intimate and powerful memoir, Obama goes through her childhood in Chicago, to being a working mom to her time spent at the White House.

Price: $24.38
Available at Indigo

Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1

Another year, another Instant Pot. The Canadian-made multi-cooker is once again a top-trending holiday item on Amazon. The 9-in-1 cooker replaces nine common kitchen appliances including a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker. Fun fact: it can even bake a cake.

Price: $138.29
Available at Amazon Canada

Photo Printer

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You’ll be everyone’s favourite photographer at the holiday party this year with this wireless photo printer. In 40 seconds, print photos from your smartphone or tablet. HP offers sticker film as well.

Price: $149.99
Available at Staples Canada

Samsung Smart TV

This 55″ LED smart TV is one of Best Buy’s top holiday sellers. With HDR and PurColour, your favourite shows, movies and even photos will come to life. Connect to YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo or browse through the web.

Price: $599.99
Available at Best Buy

Ravensburger: Gravitrax

If you’re looking for a toy that will challenge children, this 100-plus piece GraviTrax starter kit allows adventure-seekers to create their own track system. Experiment with curves, free falls, junctions and even a cannon.

Price: $69.99
Available at Toys R US

Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet

The latest addition to the company’s tablet collection, the Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s largest screen and thinnest device yet. The tablet includes cloud-based voice Alexa, a camera and plenty of storage. You can also enjoy it for all your typical tablet needs — cooking, reading and curling up to watch holiday movies.

Price: $149.99
Available at Amazon Canada

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A Federal Court judge has sided with government officials who argued a B.C. man who posted pro-Islamic State propaganda online had faked a conversion to Christianity when he came to Canada as a refugee.

While Othman Ayed Hamdan was accepted as a refugee based on his claim that his abandonment of Islam had put him at risk at home in Jordan, the government argued his “conversion to Christianity was bogus.”

In its ruling, the court found it was unreasonable to conclude that Hamdan was anything other than a “Christian of convenience in order to get into Canada.”

“Mr. Hamdan is an unmitigated liar. One must wonder if he has uttered one truthful word since he came to Canada in 2002,” the judge, Sean Harrington, began.

READ MORE:
Online-inspired extremists are ‘the greatest terrorist threat,’ declassified CSIS document says

The court decision was the latest setback for the Jordanian citizen, who arrived at the B.C. border from Washington State in 2002 and made a refugee claim based on his alleged conversion to Christianity.

In a separate case, the Immigration and Refugee Board ordered his deportation last month, ruling he was a danger to Canada’s security who had promoted the “social media agenda” of ISIS in dozens of online posts.

Meanwhile, Global News has learned that in yet another case, the 37-year-old was stripped of his refugee status on Oct. 18 after the Refugee Board ruled he was not a Christian and therefore did not need Canada’s protection.

Hamdan is currently detained at a prison in B.C.’s Fraser Valley.

READ MORE:
B.C. ISIS supporter ‘playing games’ by refusing to co-operate with his deportation, says CBSA

A document obtained by Global News shows that Hamdan wrote on his refugee claim that he was raised in a conservative Sunni Muslim family that taught him to shun Christians but that he later came “to realize certain aspects of Islam that are simply not palatable to me any longer.”

“I now believe Christ is the Saviour,” he wrote, lamenting “the role Islam has played recently delaying and impeding much of the Arab world’s political and social development.”

As a Christian convert, he argued, he would be viewed as an apostate and persecuted if he went back to Amman, Jordan. He feared his own family would kill him, particularly two uncles he said were “members of Hamas.”

His refugee claim was accepted in 2004.

WATCH: Video of Hamas strike on Israeli bus.

But when Hamdan began posting pro-ISIS propaganda on Facebook in 2014, he came under police scrutiny and was arrested for terrorism in 2015. Although he was acquitted of the charges last year, immigration officials began steps to deport him based partly on his apparent change in religious identity.

At a hearing conducted behind closed doors in Vancouver in June, federal officials argued that Hamdan had obtained refugee status as a Christian convert, and since he now identified as a Muslim, he no longer needed Canada’s protection.

“The minister’s position is that the reasons for which the respondent sought protection have ceased to exist,” the IRB wrote. “In support of the application, the minister submitted evidence that the respondent is a practising Muslim.”

Hamdan argued he was a “largely non-practising Muslim” and would still be perceived as an apostate in Jordan. He also feared persecution by the Jordanian government because of his political beliefs.

But the Refugee Board agreed with the government and revoked his refugee status.

“He does not practice Christianity,” the IRB wrote. “On the contrary, he has returned to Islam, aligns himself with Sunnis and practices his Islam religion. As such, there is insufficient evidence before me to establish that he will be perceived as anything more than a Muslim man in Jordan.”

The decision means he must be removed from Canada “as soon as possible.” Hamdan has appealed the ruling to the Federal Court.

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The leader of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick (PANB) will be asking the Speaker to require a Green Party MLA to issue an official apology for comparing his words to Nazi propaganda.

Kevin Arseneau, who represents Kent North for the Green Party, made the comments last Friday in the legislature.

READ MORE: New Brunswick election reopens language divide

Arseneau compared People’s Alliance Leader Kris Austin’s use of the term “common sense” to a quote from Joseph Goebbels, who was Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister.

“Joseph Goebbels, yeah I’m quoting Joseph Goebbels, Reich minister of propaganda of Nazi Germany said, ‘It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition in a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is, in fact, a circle. They are mere words and words can be moulded until they clothe ideas and disguise,’” Arseneau said.

“What exactly does common sense mean? The people of New Brunswick, be you francophone, anglophone, First Nations or newcomer, deserve a straight and honest answer.”

Austin had most recently used the phrase during a government ambulance announcement last week. The People’s Alliance campaigned on making changes to the ambulance system and made it contingent for their support of the Conservative minority government.

READ MORE: New Brunswick premier unveils ‘fundamental reforms’ to improve ambulance response times

While the People’s Alliance and Conservatives say they don’t have an official coalition, Austin had been invited to attend meetings between the government, Ambulance New Brunswick, and Medavie – the company that manages the ambulance service and be part of the announcement.

“While we must respect the right of both francophone and anglophone citizens to receive service in their language of choice, we must not allow unnecessary language requirements to supersede common sense and the health and safety of all New Brunswickers,” Austin said at the announcement.

Kris Austin ‘shocked’ to hear the comparison

Tuesday, Austin told reporters he was “shocked” to hear Arseneau draw the comparison.

“Look, I didn’t lose any sleep over it but at the same time, it’s just so far out there. It’s quite a radical viewpoint,” Austin said.

“When we debate in the house, of course, it gets heated, it gets emotional but that was in response to a throne speech. That wasn’t in response to a question or in the middle of a debate. That was a planned, orchestrated speech. So yeah it was pretty shocking.”

Austin says he plans to talk to the Speaker of the House Tuesday to see whether his party can receive an apology.

In response to Arseneau’s aversion to his use of the term “common sense,” Austin says there are no ulterior motives.

“It’s hard to even respond to that. Yes, we’ve used a campaign message of common sense in government. We stand by that. And that’s common sense whether it’s relating to taxes, health care, language issues, education, whatever. We want to see government take a more balanced approach to these issues,” Austin said.

Kevin Arseneau defends comments

Meanwhile, Arseneau says he wasn’t trying to compare Austin or his party to the Nazis. Rather, he says the backlash he’s received about using Goebbel’s quote has been “spin” from the People’s Alliance.

“I wasn’t comparing anyone to no one. It was used to make a point that propoganda is real,” Arseneau said.

“Perception is reality. They’re spinning it once again. Like I said in my speech on Friday, this is what I’ve been living since I’m here and this is what politics has been living for a long time. It’s spin, spin, spin.”

WATCH: New Brunswick election: Greens take 2nd seat in Kent North

Arseneau says he’s received two threats of violence —; one in person while filling up at a gas station and another on his Facebook page —; which he believes was a result of his comments.

He says he has spoken to the RCMP about the threats and has since posted messages on his 苏州美甲学校 and Facebook pages to say threats against him and his family will not be tolerated.

All threats to me or my family will be treated seriously and will be reported to the RCMP

Toutes menaces envers moi ou ma famille seront pris au sérieux et rapporté à la GRC

— Kevin Arseneau (@KevinArseneauNB) November 26, 2018

He stresses he doesn’t feel in danger, but felt it was important to speak to police so it was on the record.

“They are of concern but I don’t feel in danger right now as we speak. I think that it’s just bad ways that people aren’t in accord with what was said,” said Arseneau.

—; With a file from the Canadian Press and Morganne Campbell 

Follow @RebeccaLau

Senior politicians from Germany, Austria, Poland and Estonia on Tuesday raised the possibility of new EU sanctions against Russia to punish it for capturing three Ukrainian vessels at sea, an incident the West fears could ignite wider conflict.

Financial markets have responded to the prospect of new Western sanctions that could hurt Russia’s economy, though the ruble on Tuesday clawed back some losses from the previous day as investors bet any sanctions would not be swift.

READ MORE:
Russia seized Ukrainian ships and sailors, then blamed ‘banditry’. Here’s what you need to know

After Russia opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Sunday near Russian-annexed Crimea, both Russia and Ukraine are trying to cast the other side as being in the wrong.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone on Monday that Moscow was ready to provide more details to bolster Russia’s version of events. Moscow says Ukraine deliberately provoked Russia to trigger a crisis.

WATCH: Court detains all Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia in Black Sea for two months

Ukraine, which on Monday night introduced martial law for 30 days in parts of the country it deems most vulnerable to an attack from Russia, said its ships did nothing wrong and that it wanted the West to impose new sanctions on Moscow.

Some of the more than 20 Ukrainian sailors held by Russia for straying into Russian waters appeared on Russian state TV on Tuesday admitting to being part of a pre-planned provocation. Kiev denounced what it described as forced confessions.

The Ukrainian sailors are expected to appear in a Russian court later on Tuesday. Their vessels were captured by Russian forces at sea near the Kerch Strait, which is the only outlet to the Sea of Azov and controls access to major Ukrainian ports.

A Reuters reporter at the Crimean port of Kerch, where the vessels are being held, saw masked, armed men on board one of the ships taking boxes of ammunition off.

WATCH: Freeland condemns Russian seizure of Ukrainian ships

Germany, potentially the leading voice in any call for Western action, called upon both sides to de-escalate the new tension, while signalling a tougher line toward Russia.

Norbert Roettgen, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and a leading Merkel ally, said Europe may need to toughen sanctions against Moscow.

READ MORE:
Tension heightens as Russia releases ‘confessions’ of detained Ukraine sailors

Karin Kneissl, foreign minister of Austria, said the EU would consider sanctions depending “on the exposition of facts and the further conduct of both parties.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country was ready to back new sanctions. Estonian Defence Minister Juri Luik called sanctions “probably the most potent way to signal to the Russian leadership that we are serious.”

Merkel, an important voice in any future EU decision to impose more sanctions, on Monday spoke by phone to both Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Putin. She said the situation needed to be de-escalated.

WATCH: U.S. calls on Europe to enforce tougher sanctions against Russia over Ukraine incident

With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, many Western countries fear the Black Sea incident could escalate into a more serious conflict.

Putin told Merkel he was seriously concerned about Kiev’s decision to put its armed forces on combat alert and impose martial law, telling Merkel he hoped Berlin would use its influence to stop Ukraine taking “further reckless steps.”

WATCH: Trump ‘not happy’ with Ukraine situation after Russia launched attack on navy ships

‘Confessions”

In Kerch, two Russian police officers with automatic rifles stood on the pier where the Ukrainian vessels were moored. The vessels bore traces of collisions and big holes in their hulls.

A doctor at the local hospital said three Ukrainian servicemen were being treated there. An unidentified man prevented Reuters from entering or talking to them.

Commercial shipping traffic was passing through the strait under a new bridge built by Russia that spans it.

WATCH: Russia deploys new S-400 missile system in Crimea

Russia’s FSB security service released video footage on Tuesday of captured Ukrainian sailors saying their actions were deliberately provocative and they had ignored Russian orders to stop. At least one appeared to be reading from a script. Ukrainian politicians said the sailors were coerced, rendering their confessions meaningless.

The FSB said it had information showing the sailors’ mission had been pre-planned by the Ukrainian government and that two intelligence officers from Ukraine’s SBU security service had been on board to co-ordinate the provocation.

WATCH: Russia blocks Ukrainian navy from entering Sea of Azov (Nov. 25) 

Vasyl Hrytsak, the head of the SBU, confirmed that his officers were on board to support the military and said one of them had been seriously wounded after Russian aircraft fired missiles at the Ukrainian vessels.

U.S. President Donald Trump spent Monday defending the use of tear gas on migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it “very safe,” but denied the substance was used on children.

READ MORE:
Trump defends tear gas on migrants as photos of children crying, fleeing prompt outrage

However, images of the scene near the border crossing separating Tijuana from San Diego, Calif., over the weekend showed a cloud of tear gas that sent people running and screaming, including families with young children in diapers.

One woman, Cindy Milla, told the Wall Street Journal that her child fainted when the tear gas was thrown.

“I felt that my face was burning, and my baby fainted,” she said. “I ran for my life and that of my children.”

WATCH: Tear-gassed mother recounts U.S. border chaos

Reuters reporter Kim Kyung-Hoon said she was there and snapped a picture of a Honduran mother grabbing the arms of her five-year-old twin daughters as they frantically ran from a tear gas canister spewing fumes.

“I thought I was going to die with them because of the gas,” Maria Meza told Reuters, adding that she was shocked the U.S. border agents fired the canisters near women and children.

The U.S. government said customs officers had fired off the canisters after a group of migrants had attempted to cross the border violently, throwing projectiles at them. Thirty-nine migrants were arrested.

Meza said three canisters landed around her and her five kids.

“It wasn’t right. They know we are human beings, the same as them. It wasn’t right that they did that to the children,” she said.

WATCH: Trump says migrants in Mexico ‘will not enter’ the U.S., speaks about why tear gas was used

On Monday, Trump was asked by reporters if it was okay to use tear gas on children.

“We didn’t. We don’t use it on children,” he said.

READ MORE:
U.S. fires tear gas at migrants, closes border at Tijuana for several hours

But later that day, Trump seemed to acknowledge children were affected, asking: “Why is a parent running up into an area where they know the tear gas is forming, and it’s going to be formed and they were running up with a child?”

He said it was “a very minor form of the tear gas itself” that he assured was “very safe.”

WATCH: ‘Everything he was concerned about with the caravan is coming true’: Lindsey Graham talks border wall 

According to a Vox report, tear gas is considered a “chemical weapon” under international law — but it isn’t illegal for domestic law enforcement. This case is complex, however, because tear gas canisters were thrown across the border.

Trump also claimed some of the women are not really parents but instead “grabbers” who steal children so they have a better chance of being granted asylum in the U.S. However, he did not provide any evidence to support the claim.

The incident over the weekend marked an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and a group of Central American migrants who have been walking for more than a month in hopes of gaining entry to the country to escape violence and poverty.

WATCH: Migrants run from tear gas launched near U.S. border fence

The images of children fleeing tear gas prompted sharp criticism from some lawmakers and charities. British aid group Oxfam said the use of tear gas was shameful.

“Images of barefoot children choking on tear gas thrown by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol should shock us to our core,” Vicki Gass, Oxfam America senior policy adviser for Central America, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said migrant mothers who were tear-gassed at the U.S. border should enter the country peacefully and legally.

WATCH: Conway tells tear-gassed mothers, come legally

She also blamed photographers who take pictures of migrant women for not “helping.”

“I have great compassion for any mother who wants a better life for her children,” Conway told reporters. “And that’s why I believe if people taking pictures of these women really care about them, they won’t go for optics, they will go for opportunity. Who is helping them to realize how they can immigrate here legally?”

—With files from Reuters and Global News’ Maham Abedi

Ottawa police arson investigators have charged a 28-year-old Ottawa man with arson endangering life in connection with a fire that ravaged a Wendy’s fast food restaurant in the city’s west end early Tuesday morning.

The two-alarm fire at the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre sent two people to hospital with minor smoke inhalation, according to Ottawa paramedics. Two others were assessed for smoke inhalation at the scene and released.

READ MORE:
17-year-old charged with arson, theft in Winnipeg

First responders were called to the stand-alone Wendy’s at 2545 Carling Ave. shortly after 12:15 a.m. and firefighters continued to put out “hot spots” throughout the morning, Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Danielle Cardinal said.

Several callers told dispatchers there was “heavy black smoke” coming out of the back of the restaurant, Cardinal said.

Cardinal said the blaze escalated rapidly, prompting firefighters to ask for additional resources within 15 minutes.

“It was too dangerous for our firefighters to operate inside,” she said. “All firefighting occurred from outside the building.”

Firefighters reported the blaze as under control by 3:18 a.m. The building has sustained heavy structural damage, she said, including a partially collapsed roof.​

READ MORE:
15 children sent to hospital after experiencing respiratory issues on on school bus

All the Wendy’s employees got out of the restaurant before firefighters arrived, and no other buildings or vehicles were affected by the flames, Cardinal confirmed.

The police service’s arson unit on Tuesday afternoon announced it had charged Steven Hanssen with arson endangering life, arson damage to property and two counts of breaching his court release conditions.

He is scheduled to appear in show cause court on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Ottawa Police Service.

READ MORE:
Ottawa police seek missing man after car found abandoned on Airport Parkway

Carling Avenue and the streets surrounding the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre have reopened, but a portion of the parking lot near the Wendy’s remains blocked off.

​Cardinal urged drivers to avoid that area and not to drive over fire hoses.

The Foundation of the Guelph General Hospital is asking charitable residents to once again consider making a monetary gift to the hospital this holiday season.

The foundation is reminding the public of its seasonal campaign and is urging previous donors to consider giving once again towards new equipment for the hospital.

READ MORE:
Salvation Army sets $160K goal for Christmas kettle campaign in Guelph

“Existing donors and community members who are thinking about making a donation often don’t know how much we rely on their support,” said Suzanne Bone, CEO of the foundation.

The campaign includes a series of letters to those who have made donations in the past that will ask them to consider making another donation this holiday season as the foundation hopes to reach its goal of $175,000.

READ MORE:
Guelph Storm’s John McCrae jersey auction raises over $7,500

Bone goes on to say that lots of the equipment hospitals really need isn’t paid for by the provincial government.

The foundation says one of every two dollars spent on equipment at Guelph General Hospital comes from donors.

This year’s seasonal campaign will help the hospital address some much-needed priorities such as vital signs monitors for every bedside, a central cardiac monitoring system, ceiling lifts and specialized patient beds.

READ MORE:
Stray puppy found in Guelph on road to recovery after leg surgery

Donations are accepted year round, however, those who donate prior to Dec. 31 are eligible for a tax receipt that will be accepted for the 2018 tax season. Bone goes on to add that the holiday season has always been good to the foundation despite the competition from the many other charities working this time of year.

“There’s definitely a lot going on this time of year,” Bone said. “We’ve been blessed by a very strong support of our community and our past seasonal appeals.”

If you’ve never donated before and wish to donate this year, you can do so online at  上海龙凤419gghfoundation苏州美甲学校, over the phone by calling 519-837-6422 or by writing a cheque payable to The Foundation of GGH mailed to 115 Delhi Street, Guelph, Ont., N1G 4J4.

We have launched our Seasonal Fundraising Campaign this week. Please help us raise $175,000 to make this Holiday Season especially meaningful at Guelph General Hospital: https://t.co/YMq29BQpdY

— Foundation of GGH (@FdnofGGH) November 14, 2018

A court has awarded a Quebec woman who was violently attacked by her longtime partner $315,000 in damages in a decision her lawyer hopes will provide victims of domestic violence another avenue to obtain justice.

The woman, whose identity is not revealed in the court documents, testified that the attack took place while she was confined for three days in September 2012.