In the news today, Oct. 24

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INDEPENDENTS PUSH TRUDEAU ON SENATE PROMISE

The head of the coalition of independent senators says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must quickly kickstart changes to the law guiding life in Parliament to truly fulfil his promise of an independent Senate. The number of independent and non-affiliated senators has reached a tipping point in the upper chamber where they make up more than half of all senators, the majority of which are in Woo’s Independent Senators’ Group. Woo hopes the numbers give him the heft to push the Liberal government to change the Parliament of Canada Act to officially recognize groups of senators who are neither part of the government nor the official Opposition.

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SATELLITES VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACK: MEMO

Satellites vital to Canadian military operations are vulnerable to cyberattack or even a direct missile strike, an internal Defence Department note warns. The Canadian military already heavily depends on space-based assets for navigation, positioning, intelligence-gathering, surveillance and communications. But those roles could be endangered as technological advances and lower costs allow more countries, including adversaries, to cause trouble in orbit. Powers such as China and Russia are developing the ability to wage technological attacks in space, the note points out.

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AUDITOR GENERAL CRITICIZES N.W.T. CHILD SERVICES

Canada’s auditor general is finding serious problems with child services in the Northwest Territories. A report delivered late Tuesday to the territorial legislature says it isn’t meeting key responsibilities to protect children, youth and their families. The audit covering April 2014 to September 2018 lists a series of failures such as simply not responding to nearly one-fifth of all reports of unsafe children.

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TRIAL CONTINUES FOR FORMER GYMNASTICS COACH

The sexual assault trial for a former gymnastics coach continues in southwestern Ontario today. Dave Brubaker has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of invitation to sexual touching at the judge-alone trial in Sarnia, Ont. The charges relate to alleged incidents involving a former competitive gymnast between 2000 and 2007, when she was a teenager.

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SASK. LEGISLATURE RETURNS FOR FALL SITTING

Carbon tax and the economy are expected to be on the agenda during the fall sitting of the Saskatchewan legislature. The sitting is to start this afternoon with a throne speech from Lt.-Gov. Thomas Molloy. Premier Scott Moe has said the federal government’s plan to send carbon tax rebates directly to residents is a vote-buying scheme.

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MUNICIPAL ELECTION BEING HELD IN MANITOBA

Manitoba voters go to the polls today to cast ballots on politicians and — in some cases — pot and pedestrians. Municipal elections are being held across the province and many municipalities are holding plebiscites that will let voters weigh in on key issues. In Winnipeg, residents are being asked whether they want to reopen the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians. Several other municipalities, including Winkler and Steinbach, are voting on whether to allow retail cannabis stores within their boundaries.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are scheduled to visit Calgary for the first time since it was selected as a candidate city for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

— The jury trial for Garry Handlen, accused of the first-degree murder of 12-year-old Monica Jack in May 1978, continues today.

— Restaurant Brands International Inc., the parents company of Tim Hortons, is reporting its third-quarter results today.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, Oct. 24

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