In the news today, March 11

Five stories in the news for Monday, March 11

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CANADIANS MOURN PLANE CRASH VICTIMS

A mother and daughter from Edmonton, a renowned Carleton University professor and an accountant with the City of Calgary are among the 18 Canadians who died Sunday when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 aboard. It’s not yet known what caused the plane to go down in clear weather after leaving Addis Ababa on a flight to Nairobi. But the accident was strikingly similar to last year’s crash of a Lion Air jet that plunged into the Java Sea, killing 189 people. Both crashes involved the Boeing 737 Max 8, and both happened minutes after the jets became airborne. Ethiopian Airlines as well as all Chinese airlines have grounded their 737 Max 8s indefinitely as a safety precaution.

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BOEING ‘DEEPLY SADDENED’ BY ETHIOPIAN CRASH

Sunday’s tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash involved a new model jet touted for its environmentally friendly engine that is used by both Air Canada and WestJet. Records show the Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed Sunday was new and had been delivered to the airline in November. Last October a two month old 737 Max 8 owned by Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing 189 people. A Boeing technical team will be travelling to Sunday’s crash site to provide technical assistance to Ethiopian authorities and investigators with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

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TEEN’S FAMILY ANTICIPATES NEW REPORT INTO DEATH

The woman who raised an Indigenous girl whose body was found in the Red River says she hopes a new report from the Manitoba children’s advocate will ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. Thelma Favel, the great-aunt of Tina Fontiane, says nothing will ever bring the teenager back but the report could save other children’s lives. The highly anticipated document from Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth Daphne Penrose will be released tomorrow. It’s expected to detail Tina’s interactions with police and child-welfare workers before her death.

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VERDICT EXPECTED IN CASE OF SLAIN FOOTBALL PLAYER

A judge is expected to deliver a verdict today in the trial of a man accused of killing a player with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. Nelson Lugela is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mylan Hicks outside a Calgary bar in September 2016. The trial heard that Hicks and some other Stampeders were celebrating a victory over Winnipeg when a disagreement over a spilled drink intensified after closing time in the bar’s parking lot. Witnesses testified the 23-year-old Hicks was shot as he was running for cover. He was hit in the abdomen and chest, and died in hospital.

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COAL WORKERS NEED HELP TO FIND NEW JOBS

The Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities is filing its final report today. The report warns that if the Trudeau government wants to maintain public support for climate-change action it must prepare communities that are economically dependent on coal for a future when their products aren’t needed. Underlying many of the report’s 10 broad recommendations is a warning that not easing the anxieties of workers who will be affected by a planned phaseout of coal-fired generating plants will come with a political, and possibly even environmental, cost.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan will CFB Gagetown, NB to highlight new logistics trucks being delivered to the Canadian Armed Forces.

— NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in Montreal to present his plan to reconnect with Quebecers.

— Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains makes a funding announcement in Hamilton area for small- and medium-sized manufacturers and users of steel and aluminum.

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The Canadian Press