Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, her husband Keding Cheng and an unknown number of her students from China were removed from Canada’s only level-4 lab on July 5, CBC says. Dr. Qiu was escorted out of the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg after the RCMP searched her quarters and took her computer. Authorities in national security say this is about Dr. Qiu’s frequent trips to Beijing and just what it is she may have told Chinese officials. The story is oddly vague about citizenship although Dr. Qiu has been in Canada since 1996. It is widely accepted that China uses espionage to advance its strategic interests, be that security or economic. Did a light go on somewhere? Then, grief on the Gardiner as the Yonge, Bay, York ramp is rebuilt. That’s followed by Ontario ministers trying to deal with the unpopular Doug Ford elephant in the room and Toronto lifeguards who may not be paying attention.
