In the news today, April 22

More than 600 Canadian soldiers have fanned out across Quebec, filling and stacking sandbags as officials warn that flood waters are likely to keep rising this week. Urgence Quebec says five major floods are threatening thousands of Quebecers, 1,280 residences have been flooded and more than 1,500 people have left their homes. Meanwhile, about 120 Canadian soldiers have been deployed across western New Brunswick where at least 15 communities remain on flood alert. Officials say flooding is expected this week in an area between Fredericton and Saint John as the Saint John River breaches its banks.

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GRASSY NARROWS WORRIES FEDS’ PROJECT STALLED

The chief of a First Nation in northwestern Ontario long-plagued by the debilitating effects of mercury contamination says he’s worried about the fate of a federally promised treatment facility as the calendar speeds towards this fall’s election. Chief Rudy Turtle says the community wants to see evidence of progress from the Trudeau government and money set aside so the project doesn’t disappear after the October vote. Several residents of Grassy Narrows say they suffer from mercury poisoning linked to a paper mill in Dryden, Ont., that dumped 9,000 kilograms of the substance into the English-Wabigoon River system in the 1960s.

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MAY’S WEDDING DRESS A ‘WALK THROUGH A GARDEN’ ON EARTH DAY

Elizabeth May is getting married today and she’ll be adorning more greenery than just a bouquet. The Green party leader and B.C. entrepreneur John Kidder are set to exchange wedding vows this afternoon on Earth Day at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. Sue Earle, who designed May’s wedding dress, says it fits with spring along with Earth Day. Earle says the ivory-coloured dress she stitched together includes handmade tulips, peonies and ferns. Wedding guests are encouraged to arrive to the ceremony by bicycle, bus, train or ferry to minimize their carbon footprint.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Parks Canada holds telephone news conference about the avalanche in Banff National Park that killed three professional mountain climbers.

— The case of a former Regina doctor charged with five counts of sexual assault is to be addressed at Regina Provincial Court.

— Andrew Berry, charged with the second-degree murders of his daughters, stands trial in Vancouver.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 22

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