Six stories in the news today, Aug. 5

Six stories in the news today from The Canadian Press:

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OPENING CEREMONY TONIGHT TO LAUNCH RIO SUMMER GAMES

Rosie MacLennan of King City, Ont., will carry the Maple Leaf as more than 300 Canadian athletes stream into Maracana Stadium tonight for the opening ceremonies of the Rio Olympic Games. MacLennan captured Canada’s lone gold medal in London four years ago. Tonight’s extravaganza celebrating the first Olympics in South America is expected to highlight Brazil’s diverse nature with music and dance.

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Week In Review

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LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: April 2, 2026

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SASK. CITY EASES WATER RESTRICTIONS AFTER OIL SPILL

Prince Albert, Sask., has lifted some emergency water restrictions put in place after an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River forced it to close drinking water intakes. Conservation measures were implemented after a Husky pipeline leak detected July 21 spilled up to 250,000 litres of oil mixed with a lighter hydrocarbon into the river near Maidstone.

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JULY JOBLESS NUMBERS TO BE RELEASED TODAY

Statistics Canada will release the July unemployment figures this morning. The agency said the economy gained a statistically insignificant 700 jobs in June as growth in the services sector was offset by declines in factory and construction work. The national unemployment rate fell to 6.8 per cent from 6.9 per cent in May, mostly because fewer people were looking for work.

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CDN. TROOPS HEADED TO UKRAINE FOR TRAINING

A group of 30 Edmonton soldiers have left for Ukraine to be a part of Operation Unifier. They’re part of a group of 200 soldiers from Western Canada that will relieve their counterparts from Quebec. The Quebec troops have been in Ukraine for about a year. During the training mission, the 3rd Canadian Division forces will be working with Ukrainian troops on marksmanship, communication, survival and ethics training.

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HARJIT SAJJAN TO VISIT AFRICA NEXT WEEK

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo next week as part of a tour of East Africa to collect information about a possible future Canadian peacekeeping mission. The United Nations has a major peacekeeping operation in the DRC, but Canadian officials have warned against jumping to any conclusions. They say the DRC offers a prime opportunity for Sajjan to see such a mission in operation.

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SIT-STAND DESKS POPULAR WITH FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE

A pilot project at the federal employment department has founded that public servants really like their sit-stand desks. A pilot project last year installed 34 sit-stand desks for staff in the department to see if it made the work day easier and boosted productivity. About 70 per cent said the standing desks boosted their productivity and 85 per cent said they had more energy.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Major firms reporting quarterly results today include Bombardier, Magna International, Cara Operations and Telus Corp.

— Green party Leader Elizabeth May and James Shaw, co-leader of New Zealand’s Green party, hold an Ottawa news conference on electoral reform.

The Canadian Press