By Canadian Press

In the news today, Jan. 30

Jan 30, 2019 | 12:30 AM

Four stories in the news for Wednesday, Jan. 30

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HUMBOLDT BRONCOS FAMILIES WANT MORE ANSWERS

The driver of the semi-trailer that crashed into a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos was described at his sentencing hearing Tuesday as both a monster and someone deserving of mercy. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu has already listened to more than 60 victim impact statements at his sentencing on 29 dangerous driving charges. The families say the victim impact statements are providing some closure from the disaster but they want to know why he ran the stop sign in the first place. Final sentencing arguments will likely happen today.

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WOMAN OR GIRL SLAIN EVERY 2.5 DAYS IN CANADA LAST YEAR: REPORT

A woman or girl was killed every 2.5 days on average in Canada last year, says an inaugural report on femicide that argues the issue must be better understood to reduce the number of slayings. The first annual report by the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability — titled “#CallItFemicide” — was released today and answers a call from the United Nations for countries to better track gender-related killings of women, said lead author Myrna Dawson, the observatory’s director and a professor at the University of Guelph. The goal of the report, at least in part, is to acknowledge that the circumstances and motivations surrounding women’s violent deaths differs from those of men so that femicide can be better understood and prevented.

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THIRD B.C. MOUNTIE WHO INVESTIGATED MURDERS SENTENCED

A third RCMP officer has been sentenced after pleading guilty to his conduct in connection with British Columbia’s largest gang-related mass murder. Cpl. Danny Michaud was handed a three-month conditional sentence to be served in the community for failing to maintain law and order under the RCMP Act. His plea came hours after retired Mountie David Attew also admitted to failing to maintain law and order under the RCMP Act and was given a six-month conditional sentence to be served in the community. B.C. Supreme Court heard Tuesday that Michaud was involved in an investigation of the execution-style shootings of six men in a highrise in Surrey in October 2007. 

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B.C. VOTERS TEST NDP MINORITY IN BYELECTION

Voters in Nanaimo cast ballots today in a byelection that could leave British Columbia’s legislature deadlocked and Premier John Horgan’s minority New Democrat government on shaky ground. A Liberal win would give the party 43 seats, tying it with the 43 seats held by the NDP and Green party, which signed an agreement after the 2017 provincial election allowing the New Democrats to form a minority government. Former New Democrat MP Sheila Malcolmson resigned her federal seat last year to run in the provincial byelection, saying she wants to ensure the policies of the former B.C. Liberal government do not return.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Trial of Brian Kyle Thomas, charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Winnipeg transit bus driver Irvine Jubal Fraser in February 2017, continues today.

— The Canadian Transportation Agency is holding a two-day hearing for investigation into possible freight rail service issues in the Vancouver area.

— Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer, presents a report on the opioid overdose crisis during a Vancouver Coastal Health public board meeting.

The Canadian Press