Sign up for the battlefordsNOW newsletter

Five stories in the news today, Oct. 20

Oct 20, 2016 | 2:30 AM

Five stories in the news for Thursday, Oct. 20

———

EXTERNAL ADVISORS TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION WITH MORNEAU

A high-powered group of external advisers, which is calling for a dramatic increase in Canada’s immigration levels, will deliver a set of recommendations to Finance Minister Bill Morneau today. The 14-member panel, chaired by Dominic Barton of the firm McKinsey and Co., says a 50 per cent increase in targets to 450,000 people a year would help stimulate economic growth.

———

CROWN TO COMPLETE CASE IN OLAND APPEAL

The Crown will complete its case today in the appeal of Dennis Oland’s murder conviction. Oland was convicted in December of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. His father, wealthy and well-known businessman Richard Oland, was bludgeoned to death in his Saint John office in July 2011.

———

WEATHER HINDERS CLEANUP AT SITE OF SUNKEN B.C. TUG

Stormy weather has paused the effort to remove thousands of litres of diesel from a sunken tug off British Columbia’s central coast. Salvage crews have recovered more than 88,000 of the estimated 200,000 litres of fuel from the Nathan E. Stewart, which ran aground and sank last week in Seaforth Channel, about 20 kilometres west of Bella Bella.

———

JEAN CHRETIEN: TRUMP HURTS ALL POLITICIANS

Former prime minister Jean Chretien says U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is “taking away the dignity of public life.” Chretien told a fundraising dinner in Toronto last night that he finds the Trump campaign “unbelievable.” Taking note of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s recent illness, Chretien said, “When Hillary had pneumonia, there are pills to help you against pneumonia, but apparently there is no pill against something like stupidity.”

———

BLUE JAYS’ PLAYOFF RUN ENDS QUIETLY

The Toronto Blue Jays have exited the baseball playoffs one step short of the World Series for the second season in a row. The Cleveland Indians celebrated at the Rogers Centre last night after beating Toronto 3-0 to win the best-of-seven American League Championship Series in five games. Cleveland will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Chicago Cubs in the Fall Classic.

———

ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Statistics Canada will release employment insurance figures for August.

— Trial dates to be set in Halifax in the case against a man accused of killing an off-duty Truro police officer.

— The two-day Canadian Climate Forum Symposium begins in Ottawa. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna gives keynote address.

— The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil a new two-dollar circulation coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.

 

The Canadian Press