Canada names flying squirrel illegal immigrant

Finally — after years of working in the business — I got to do the story every journalist dreams of: The Flying Squirrel Menace. I'm being less than serious, of course, but the story I did for last night's CTV National News[ look for the Video link on the right hand side of this page ] about the Government of Canada's attempts to deport a Northern Flying Squirrel — possibly the most common breed of squirrel in Canada — is a serious one. In fact, it's so serious, the case has top social justice lawyer Clayton Ruby defending the squirrel at the Federal Court of Appeal, the highest federal court in the country. Ruby and the squirrel — a baby squirrel named Sabrina — are in the Court of Appeal because the government lost its case at the Federal Court level when it first tried to force Sabrina out of the country.
My Globe and Mail colleague Colin Frieze broke the story in the paper Wednesday morning and I put the pictures to it that evening.