Sign up for the battlefordsNOW newsletter

The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Sep 6, 2016 | 4:09 PM

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Sept. 9

———

JOBS NUMBERS REBOUNDED SOMEWHAT IN AUGUST: The latest numbers from Statistics Canada show the economy created 26-thousand, 200 net new jobs in August, after losing 31-thousand, 200 in July. More than 52-thousand new full-time positions were created, with Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador reporting the biggest gains. Despite the increase in the number of jobs, the unemployment rate crept up to 7.0 per cent from 6.9 per cent in July, as more people entered the labour force and started looking for work.

———

ALBERTA JUDGE APOLOGIZES FOR COMMENTS: Justice Robin Camp is apologizing for comments made to a sexual assault complainant in Calgary in 2014. Camp says he’s sorry for asking the young woman why she couldn’t keep her knees together, and also apologized to his family and the judiciary. He says he has come to understand that what he said was hurtful and inappropriate. The complainant from the 2014 trial has told the Canadian Judicial Council panel that Camp’s comments led her to contemplate suicide. The panel is considering whether Camp should lose his job over his comments. 

———

CANNABIS PRODUCERS EYE EXPANSION: The growing demand for medical marijuana and the anticipation of legalization of pot is prompting Canadian cannabis producers to ramp up their operations to keep up with growing demand. Alberta-based Aurora Cannabis for example, is planning to expand its operations by 600,000 square feet over the next two years. That’s a more than tenfold increase over its 55,200 square-foot facility. CEO Terry Booth says the medical marijuana business is “going crazy.”

———

FOUR PROVINCES SPARK INCREASE IN ORGAN DONATIONS: A new report says organ donations are on the rise in Canada and it’s due to efforts in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. The Canadian Blood Services report points to a focus in some provinces on mandatory referrals for transplants, as well as programs that teach hospital staff and patients about the benefits of what are known as living donations. Nova Scotia is the provincial leader when it comes to donation rates, at 21.2 donors per million population. Quebec and British Columbia are in a virtual tie for second place, at 20.8  and 20.1 respectively, followed by Ontario at 19.5.

———

GANDER MARKS 911 ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY: The Newfoundland town that unexpectedly hosted nearly seven-thousand plane passengers stranded after the 9-11 terrorist attacks will commemorate the 15th anniversary on Sunday. Thousands are expected to attend the service. Thousands of passengers were stranded for three days in Gander when all flights were grounded, and the people of Gander provided food, lodging and other assistance. 

———

KENNEY WEIGHS IN ON LEITCH IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL: Prominent federal Conservative Jason Kenney says he thinks Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch hasn’t thought through controversial comments on screening immigrants for anti-Canadian values. Kenney says he isn’t taking Leitch’s comments seriously, adding he believes she is pursuing an improvised position without understanding the negative impact of her words. Kenney is seeking the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative party and spoke to reporters following a campaign speech in downtown Calgary.

———

CROWN WANTS HARD TIME FOR QUEBEC ELECTION NIGHT SHOOTER: Prosecutors say the man convicted in Quebec’s 2012 election-night shooting should serve 25 years before being eligible for parole. Prosecutor Dennis Galiatsatos told Richard Henry Bain’s sentencing hearing Friday the crimes were abhorrent and repulsive. Bain’s lawyer is suggesting a minimum sentence of 10 years before parole eligibility. A jury convicted Bain last month of second-degree murder in the slaying of lightning technician Denis Blanchette outside a Montreal nightclub as Parti Quebecois premier-designate Pauline Marois was inside speaking to supporters.

———

NORTH KOREA ADMITS TO NUCLEAR TEST: North Korea says it conducted a nuclear test explosion on Friday that it says will allow it to finally build an array of stronger, smaller and lighter nuclear weapons. It’s the North’s fifth atomic test and the second in eight months. U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the test and said the U.S. would never accept the country as a nuclear power. South Korean President Park Geun-hye has also strongly condemned the test, saying in a statement that it showed the “fanatic recklessness of the Kim Jong Un government as it clings to nuclear development.”

———

TRAGICALLY HIP FRONTMAN GOES SOLO: The terminally ill singer of the Tragically Hip says he’ll release a new solo album with an accompanying graphic novel and animated film inspired by the tragedy of Canada’s residential school system. Gord Downie made the shocking announcement he has terminal brain cancer earlier this year, prompting the band to launch what’s expected to be its final tour. “Secret Path” tells the story of a 12-year-old First Nations boy in Ontario named Chanie Wenjack, who died in 1966 after running away from a residential school. Proceeds from the album and novel will go to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba.

———

STUDY PROVIDES FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If you’re a proponent of the five-second-rule — you might want to think twice about eating food that has fallen on the floor. In a study published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal, researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey say bacteria can contaminate food the moment it touches the floor. However, the study did find the longer food sits on the floor, the more bacteria it absorbs, and the type of food and surface is just as — if not more — important.

———

 

The Canadian Press