Six stories in the news for today, Aug. 23

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BORDER CROSSING TASK FORCE TO MEET TODAY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join a meeting today in Montreal with a federal-provincial task force charged with managing the flow of asylum seekers over the Canada-U.S. border. More than 6,000 people have crossed illegally into Quebec from New York since July, the vast majority of them Haitians. They fear the U.S. government may lift a temporary protected status designation which was granted after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

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JUDGE WHO WORE TRUMP HAT FACES HEARING

An Ontario judge who wore a hat in court bearing a slogan used by U.S. President Donald Trump faces a disciplinary hearing today. Justice Bernd Zabel is set to appear before a judicial panel in Toronto to face allegations of judicial misconduct over the November 2016 incident. The council says it’s alleged Zabel wore a baseball cap with the slogan “Make America Great Again” in court on Nov. 9 — the day after Trump won the U.S. election.

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TORONTO AIRPORT GROUND CREW TO VOTE ON NEW OFFER

Ground crew workers at Canada’s busiest airport will vote on a new contract offer today. About 700 baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, and other ground crew employed by Swissport at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport have been on strike since late July over wages and benefits. A spokesman for the Teamsters says a vote approving Swissport’s new offer would end the strike.

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THE REBEL UP FOR REBOOT, LEVANT SAYS

The founder of the online news site The Rebel admits its content and management need more oversight in the wake of a string of controversies. One reporter was fired, a co-founder quit and two other contributors resigned last week after the outlet was criticized for its coverage of deadly riots in Virginia. Ezra Levant admits things need to change and is going to bring in better oversight of the operation and hire new journalists.

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STORMS LEAVE THOUSANDS OF QUEBECERS WITHOUT POWER

Tens of thousands of Hydro-Quebec customers remain without electricity after severe thunderstorms ripped through southern Quebec, Montreal and the Laurentian region north of the city. Most of the outages were in the Montreal area, with well over 50,000 homes and businesses blacked out at one point. Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood appeared to bear the brunt of the storm, with numerous streets littered with fallen trees, branches and debris.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— The Royal Bank of Canada will release its third-quarter results.

— Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci will release his first-quarter financial update.

— Air Canada’s president and CEO will announce new air service from Montreal.

— A rally against fish farms and possible links to disease and herring bycatch will be held in Vancouver.

— Three Calgary police officers will stand trial on charges related to an arrest in 2016 in which a man says he was assaulted.

— A preliminary hearing will be held in Calgary for Fatim Bamba, charged in the death of her three-year-old son Isaiah Zoue.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Six stories in the news for today, Aug. 23

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