Eight stories in the news for today, Sept. 1

Sep 1, 2017 | 1:30 AM

Eight stories in the news for Friday, Sept. 1

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ROUND TWO OF NAFTA TALKS BEGIN TODAY IN MEXICO

A second round of NAFTA negotiations begin today in a country that has long served as Donald Trump’s political whipping boy. Increasingly, there are indications Mexico is willing to whip back. After quietly, calmly working with Trump, the centrist governing party has declared a red line: if the president starts to withdraw from NAFTA as he’s threatening, the Enrique Pena Nieto government says it’s leaving the negotiating table.

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LIBERAL MP DARSHAN KANG RESIGNS FROM CAUCUS

Calgary MP Darshan Kang resigned from the Liberal caucus last evening after sexual harassment allegations from a second woman became public. He said he is leaving to focus on clearing his name. Kang is already under investigation after a young woman who worked in his federal constituency office complained in June of sexual harassment. The second allegation stems from Kang’s days in the Alberta legislature.

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PM TRUDEAU CONTINUES WESTERN VISIT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues a visit in western Canada today. He’ll be in Saskatoon for a number of events including a roundtable with students before heading to Whitehorse. In Saskatoon last night, Trudeau touched on the issue of carbon pricing in a fundraising speech, saying it’s something that has to be done even though it is a contentious issue.

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MORNEAU TRIES TO CALM MP FEARS ON TAX REFORM

Finance Minister Bill Morneau is scrambling to calm the fears of nervous Liberal backbenchers who’ve been inundated with complaints about his plan to eliminate loopholes that give some wealthy small business owners an unfair tax advantage. Morneau hosted an hour-long conference call Thursday with Liberal MPs to hear them out and to give them the tools to counter what he considers rampant misinformation about his plan.

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THE BEAST IS DEAD: FORT McMURRAY FIRE OFFICIALLY OUT

A wildfire that forced 80,000 people in northern Alberta to flee more than a year ago has finally been extinguished. Wildfire information officer Lynn Daina says the fire that started on May 1, 2016 and destroyed more than 2,400 buildings in Fort McMurray and area was deemed officially out on Aug. 2. She says they had to wait to see if any smoke or heat remained from the massive fire because it was so fierce and unpredictable.

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ONTARIO TENANTS GET NEW PROTECTIONS TODAY

New tenant protections come into effect in Ontario today that place more requirements on landlords evicting them. When a landlord evicts a tenant to use the unit themselves or for a family member, they have to now give the tenant one month’s rent as compensation. Alternatively, the landlord could offer the tenant another acceptable rental unit.

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ANOTHER TEST TODAY FOR SHAPOVALOV

Rising Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov returns to the court this afternoon at the U.S. Open in New York. The 18-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., takes on Britain’s Kyle Edmund with a spot in the fourth round on the line. The unseeded Shapovalov scored an stirring victory over No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the second round of the Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS HITS THE CENTURY MARK

It was 100 years ago today that Canada’s national news agency was born. The Canadian Press was established in 1917 by an Act of Parliament as the First World War raged and Canadians were hungry for news about their troops on the European battlefields. From typewriters to tweets, the news agency has evolved into a complete multimedia service to continue keeping Canadians informed.

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The Canadian Press