Seven stories in the news today, July 27

———

B.C. MAN WHO ATTACKED FAMILY TO BE SENTENCED

A man who orchestrated a series of firebombings and targeted shootings aimed at people with a connection to the British Columbia Justice Institute will be sentenced today. Forty-three-year-old Vincent Cheung of Langley, B.C., pleaded guilty last week to 18 of 23 charges including arson and firearms offences stemming from attacks on 15 families in 2011 and 2012. The Crown is seeking a 15 year sentence while Cheung’s lawyer has asked for a 10 year term.

———

INVESTIGATE ABDI’S DEATH, MUSLIM GROUP URGES

The National Council of Canadian Muslims is calling for a swift and open investigation into whether racism played a role in the death of Abdirahman Abdi. The 37-year-old Somali-Canadian man died in Ottawa on Sunday following a physical confrontation with police. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is probing Abdi’s death. Matt Skof, president of the Ottawa Police Association, said it would be “inappropriate” to imply race played a role in the incident.

———

GREENS CAUGHT USING MISLEADING ELECTION POLL

The federal Green party says it regrets distributing a poll in Victoria containing unreliable data just before voting day last October. The statement, from party executive director Emily McMillan, comes after the party was told it would have to publish a public apology on its website and in a national news release after Canada’s elections watchdog found that it distributed the misleading poll.

———

REVIEW ADJOURNED FOR MENTALLY ILL FATHER WHO KILLED 3 KIDS

An annual hearing to review the confinement of a mentally ill British Columbia man who killed his three children has been adjourned for 10 months. The province’s Criminal Justice Branch says Allan Schoenborn consented to delaying this Thursday’s hearing while B.C. Crown lawyers seek to have him designated a “high-risk” accused, tightening his restrictions for confinement.

———

ALBERTA’S CARBON PRICIEST BY 2020: STUDY

Alberta is on track to have Canada’s most aggressive carbon pricing system by 2020. That’s the conclusion of a new study that compares the coverage of various carbon taxes and cap-and-trade schemes in four provinces that have all embraced market-based approaches to cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. B.C. was the first province to impose a carbon tax back in 2008.

———

NO QUICK SOLUTION IN ‘FLISHABLE WIPES’ WAR

The long-running “flushable wipes” controversy has turned into an ongoing war of words in Canada, with manufacturers insisting their moist towelettes are more sewer-friendly than ever as municipalities urge citizens to put them in the garbage, not down the loo. More than a dozen lawsuits have been launched in the United States against manufacturers, claiming damages to individual or municipal sewer systems, but in Canada the fight is so far a public relations battle.

———

ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release its quarterly housing market assessment for Canada.

— A slew of Canadian companies report quarterly earnings today, including Loblaw Companies, Barrick Gold, Torstar Corp., Canfor, Taseko Mines, Goldcorp, Centerra Gold, Agnico-Eagle Mines Kinross Gold and HudBay Minerals.

— Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr will make an announcement in Sydney, N.S. about plans to reopen a Veterans Affairs office there.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Seven stories in the news today, July 27

Our Community