By Canadian Press

In the news today, March 8

Mar 8, 2019 | 12:30 AM

Four stories in the news for Friday, March 8

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ALLEGED FREDERICTON SHOOTER TO RETURN TO COURT

A Fredericton man accused of murdering four people in an August shooting spree is set to return to court today following a psychiatric assessment. The assessment was ordered to determine if Matthew Raymond can be found criminally responsible for the crimes he has been accused of. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Fredericton police constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello, and civilians Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright. He is alleged to have fired from his apartment window with a long gun, killing the two civilians as they loaded a car for a trip on Aug. 10, and the two police officers as they responded to the scene.

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SENTENCING FOR CALGARY MAN WHO KILLED MOTHER, CHILD

A sentencing hearing is to begin today for a Calgary man convicted of killing a woman and her young daughter. A jury found Edward Downey guilty last year of first-degree murder in the 2016 deaths of Sara Baillie and five-year-old Taliyah Marsman. The Crown told the trial that Downey believed Baillie had influenced her best friend to break up with him and Baillie had refused to work for him as an escort. The prosecution further argued that Baillie’s daughter was a witness who needed silencing. Downey repeatedly denied the killings in his testimony, and his lawyers argued someone else was responsible.

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SALMON HABITAT TO RECOVER FROM PIPELINE WORK: DFO

Work on a Trans Mountain pipeline crossing in a British Columbia stream altered habitat for young salmon, but the creek is expected to return to normal in one to two years, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Two biologists with the department visited Stewart Creek in Chilliwack on Jan. 30 after receiving a complaint from Mike Pearson, a biologist who raised concerns about the work done by Trans Mountain Corp. Pearson said in January the placement of 17 metres of articulated concrete mats at the bottom of the stream had reduced hiding places for coho and chum salmon and inhibited growth of the aquatic invertebrates they feed on. The DFO said the habitat has been altered, but the natural accumulation of sediment is expected to restore the salmon habitat.

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SCIENTISTS VIEW OLD-GROWTH FORESTS THROUGH LICHENS

Two Canadian biologists say there is more to old-growth forests than just trees, and lichens can be used to assess their value. Troy McMullin, a lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, says defining forests by the age of the trees is an oversimplification because it overlooks the importance of biodiversity in those habitats. He says lichens are like the canaries in the coal mine because they’re sensitive to the smallest of changes, including pollution, humidity or the amount of light being received, which makes them strong indicators of the environment. He says more lichen in forests is associated with more biodiversity.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release preliminary housing start data for February.

— Statistics Canada will release its labour force survey for February and industrial capacity utilization rates for the fourth quarter of 2018.

— The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations will hold a press conference today in Saskatoon to address the federal government’s child welfare legislation.

— Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will announce a private-sector investment in a project that will get more value for the province’s oil and gas resources.

The Canadian Press