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Seven stories in the news today, Sept. 2

Sep 2, 2016 | 2:15 AM

Seven stories in the news today from The Canadian Press

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NEW VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE FIGURES OUT TODAY

Metro Vancouver’s real estate market is bracing for a steep decline in detached home sales recorded in August, as new numbers will offer a first look at the immediate impact of a tax on foreign buyers. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver will release last month’s data on Friday, one month after the provincial government introduced the 15-per-cent tax.

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CROSSBOW SLAYING CASE IN COURT TODAY

The case of a Toronto man accused of killing his mother and two of his brothers in a bloody crossbow attack returns to court today. Brett Ryan, 35, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the attack that stunned a tranquil east-end Toronto neighbourhood last week. The victims have been identified as Susan Ryan, 66, and two of her sons Alexander Ryan, 29 and Christopher Ryan, 42.

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EX-OHL PLAYER FOUND GUILTY IN SEX ASSAULT

A former player with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in the washroom of a city bar in 2013. Ben Johnson, 22, who was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2012, had pleaded not guilty. A judge is expected to rule today if Johnson will be placed in custody pending sentencing.

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CONVICTED SASK MURDER PLOTTERS TO BE SENTENCED TODAY

A Saskatchewan court is to pass sentence today on two lovers who were convicted of plotting to kill their spouses. A jury found Curtis Vey and Angela Nicholson guilty in June of conspiracy to commit murder.  Their lawyers told the court that their clients weren’t serious about killing their spouses. 

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ONTARIO TORIES CAPTURE TORONTO BYELECTION

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives won a provincial byelection last night in northeast Toronto. City councillor Raymond Cho won the Scarborough-Rouge River riding, which the Liberals had held since it was created in 1999. It’s the third byelection in a row the Tories have won since Patrick Brown became leader last year and a breakthrough for the party in Toronto, where they hold no other seats.

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RELIEF FOR NEW BRUNSWICKERS NEEDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The federal and New Brunswick government are to announce more money today for affordable housing in the province. Thousands of New Brunswickers are on a waiting list for affordable housing, and a government source says today’s announcement will help 300 to 400 of those.

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HOOPLA IN CHINA AS PM TRUDEAU PLAYS BASKETBALL COACH

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a break from his official duties in China today to guest coach a kids’ basketball game. The opposing coach was towering former NBA star Yao Ming. Trudeau is in Shanghai as part of his week-long official visit to the Asian country. The basketball game was played at a high school where British Columbia-certified teachers teach.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Final arguments will be made in trial of Andrea Giesbrecht on charges of concealing the remains of six infants in a storage locker.

— Statistics Canada will release Canadian international trade figures for July.

 

The Canadian Press

©2016 The Canadian Press