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Written by Sarah Berman Copy Editor, Digital News
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Good morning. An embezzlement scandal that plagued Jesuits Canada has ended with a settlement returning millions to the Catholic order. We'll break down the case below, along with Canada's new law criminalizing sexualized AI deepfakes and takeaways from Europe's deadly heat wave.
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FEATURED STORIES
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(Barry Leidl/LinkedIn)
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He managed Jesuit finances for decades. Now he has to repay the Catholic order $8.8M in stolen funds
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The former finance director of the Jesuits of Canada has agreed to repay millions in stolen funds for embezzlement allegedly dating back to at least 2010.
What's happening: The Jesuits of Canada is a Catholic order with a history in Canada dating back to the 1600s. Barry Leidl managed the order's finances for more than 30 years, retiring in 2024. In 2025, the Jesuits say they discovered "serious accounting irregularities" including millions in credit card payments, ATM withdrawals, cheques payable to himself, fake invoices and improper expense claims. Jesuits Canada sued Leidl for damages.
What else: Leidl did not file a defence in the civil suit. In court documents, Jesuits Canada says Leidl confessed to their forensic accountant that he had used the bank account and fake invoices to direct millions of dollars to himself. The Jesuits also contend that Leidl and his wife used the stolen funds to flip houses. Property records obtained by CBC show that the Leidls bought and sold three homes in Guelph and St. Catharines, Ont., between 2019 and 2024, for $220,000 in profit.
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Canada's new law criminalizing sexual deepfakes comes too late for Halifax woman
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A Halifax woman whose former classmate was acquitted after creating and distributing a nude deepfake of her says she's disappointed a new law wasn't created in time for her.
What's happening: In March 2026, a Nova Scotia judge acquitted a man who admitted to taking photos of classmates from social media, using AI to make them appear naked, then sharing them without consent. The judge ruled the synthetic images did not meet the definition of intimate images under Canada's Criminal Code. Bill C-16 changes that definition.
Why it matters: An intimate image has now been redefined to include: "a visual representation that is made by any electronic or mechanical means, including by means of artificial intelligence software ... if the depiction is likely to be mistaken for a visual recording of that person." Some advocates say the law should go further by criminalizing the creation of sexualized deepfakes, not just their distribution.
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Europe can't air condition its way out of extreme heat. Here's why
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Hundreds of people are dead from Europe’s heat wave. While ACs save lives, they can also make the problem worse.
What's happening: Europe's heat wave has killed more than 250 people in the last week, both directly and indirectly, from heatstroke, drowning while seeking relief and, tragically, children being left in cars. France's minister of health says there have been 30 per cent more calls to emergency medical services. Only a quarter of people living in France have air conditioners at home.
Why it matters: While running AC cools the inside, it also pumps the heat outside, contributing to "an even stronger urban heat island effect," according to one expert. Plus, when ACs are powered by a grid running on fossil fuels, that can exacerbate human-caused climate change. Experts say air conditioning is needed in conjunction with other solutions, like greener city spaces and designated cool zones.
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