Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

A man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the gas-and-dash death of an Alberta gas station owner has been sentenced to seven years in prison.Mitchell Robert Sydlowski, 29, appeared Friday by video link in the Court of Queen's Bench in Wetaskiwin, Alta.Sydlowski, who is from Spruce Grove, Alta., was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty in August to the lesser offence, as well as failing to remain at the scene of a fatal accident.“It goes without saying that this is a tragic situation,'' Justice John William Hopkins said as he delivered Sydlowski's sentence during an online court hearing.An agreed statement of facts submitted in the case said 54-year old Ki Yun Jo was killed after Sydlowski sped off in a stolen cube van without paying for $198 of fuel.

A new survey finds that young people have been vaping less frequently since the COVID-19 pandemic began.The survey, conducted by the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Smoke-Free Nova Scotia, finds that respondents decreased vaping to five days per week from six, on average.They also cut back to an average of 19 vaping episodes per day, down from 30.There has been a major push by all levels of government to introduce regulations designed to curb youth vaping.The survey funded by Heart & Stroke also found the decrease in vaping frequency is most notable in British Columbia and Ontario.The researchers say it may be related to warnings of potential complications from COVID-19 for e-cigarette users.The survey heard from more than 1,800 respondents between 16 and 24 years old, and found most begin vaping at around the age of 15.