In the news today, Aug. 9 – CP

Source: The Canadian Press
Aug 9, 2018 7:28

Seven stories in the news for Thursday, Aug. 9

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PM TRUDEAU STANDING FIRM ON SAUDI ARABIA

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia will continue but he’s not backing down on Canada’s criticism of the kingdom over the arrest of several social activists last week. Trudeau says Canada is engaging directly with the Saudi government in a bid to restore diplomatic ties between the two countries. But an apology from Canada or a withdrawal of the human rights concerns Canada raised, is not on the table.

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SINGH TO RUN IN B.C. BYELECTION

Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh took aim at the Liberal government’s investment in the Trans Mountain pipeline while announcing he’ll run for a seat in Parliament in Burnaby, B.C. Singh announced Wednesday he’ll run in Burnaby South, which former New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart recently gave up to run for mayor in Vancouver. Singh also said he’s running because he wants the government to invest in housing and universal coverage of prescription medications.

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WORKER DIES AT SITE OF B.C. WILDFIRE

A logging company employee has died while working at a wildfire in the Nanaimo Lakes area on Vancouver Island. The province’s workplace safety authority say the TimberWest employee was found dead in a vehicle south of Nanaimo late Monday. “The worker was not a firefighter. Early information indicates the worker was making a delivery to forest wildfire fighters,” WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Trish Knight Chernecki said. The person’s name, age and gender have not been released.

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BLAIR CALLS GUN VIOLENCE “SIGNIFICANT CONCERN”

Border Security Minister Bill Blair says Canada’s handgun laws are effective, but the federal government will consider additional restrictions in certain parts of the country. Blair says it’ll also look at other measures to help reduce gun violence. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tasked the former Toronto police chief with conducting a “deep analysis” across government to examine what additional steps could be taken to tackle gun violence.

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VICTORIA TO REMOVE STATUE OF JOHN A. MACDONALD

A statue of former prime minister John A. Macdonald will be removed from the front entrance of Victoria City Hall as a gesture of reconciliation with First Nations, says Mayor Lisa Helps. Macdonald may have been Canada’s first prime minister, but Helps says he was also a “key architect” of the residential school system. The statue will be placed in storage.

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POT-BASED MEDICAL PET PRODUCTS CLOSER TO FRUITION

Canadian pets are a few steps closer to getting their paws on pot-based medical treatments in Canada as more cannabis companies research marijuana’s efficacy for companion animals. Canopy Growth Corp. is the latest medical marijuana company to enter the potentially lucrative pet market. This week, it said it would embark on a Health Canada-approved clinical trial to research the use of cannabis-based products to treat animal anxiety.

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FOREIGNER’S MUSICAL READY TO ROLL

It really was “Feels Like The First Time” for Foreigner founder Mick Jones as he watched a rehearsal for “Jukebox Hero” _ a musical based on the group’s songs. “Jukebox Hero” tells the story of a hard-hit Pennsylvania town that is saved with the help of a local rock star who stages a benefit concert. Jones said it is set in the Rust Belt where communities that once produced of steel are struggling. “JukeBox Hero” is to run for three days in Calgary, four in Edmonton and then five days in Toronto in February.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

_ A funeral will be held in Montreal for former Quebec education minister Paul Gerin-Lajoie. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend.

_ The Nova Scotia PC Party will hold a leadership debate in Halifax.

_ A hearing will be held in Halifax on a motion by a former taxi driver to quash a sexual assault charge from 2012.

_ Statistics Canada will release the new housing price index for June and a cannabis survey.

_ B.C. Attorney General David Eby and ICBC chairwoman Joy MacPhail announce proposed changes premium calculations.

_ A court hearing will be held in Ottawa for ex-NHL player Dave (Tiger) Williams in relation to sexual assault charges on a military flight.

INDEX: NATIONAL