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Five stories in the news today, Dec. 20

Dec 20, 2016 | 2:30 AM

Five stories in the news for Tuesday, Dec. 20

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FEDS, PROVINCES AGREE TO DISAGREE ON HEALTH SPENDING

The federal government hs pulled billions of dollars off the negotiating table after failing to reach a long-term health-care funding agreement with the provinces and territories. Ottawa did try to sweeten its offer somewhat amid withering criticism that it wasn’t bargaining in good faith, but an additional $3.5 billion over 10 years wasn’t enough to bridge the widening gap between the two sides.

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TRUDEAU VISITS VANCOUVER TODAY: 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Vancouver on Tuesday, but there are no public events on his itinerary. This will be the prime minister’s first visit to the city since his government announced its support late last month for the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline to the Vancouver area. The pipeline expansion has drawn opposition in the Vancouver area, including from Mayor Gregor Robertson.

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BLACKBERRY TO REPORT THIRD QUARTER RESULTS: 

BlackBerry may shed some light on how its transition to its security software operations is faring when it releases its third quarter results today. The Waterloo, Ont.-based company announced in September that it would stop making its signature smartphones and outsource the design, manufacturing and distribution of the devices that made it famous around the world.

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INDIAN ACT SEX-DISCRIMINATION SUIT IN COURT TODAY: 

A woman’s quest to be recognized as an Indian goes before Ontario’s top court today in a constitutional challenge that asserts she and others like her are victims of discrimination. At issue is a federal government policy that a father whose name does not appear on his child’s birth certificate is not an Indian. This includes cases of rape or incest, or where the man simply disavows his child.

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NB POWER TO ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR MACTAQUAC DAM: 

NB Power will announce its long-awaited decision on the future of the Mactaquac Dam today. The 670-megawatt hydro-electric facility on the St. John River, west of Fredericton, will be decommissioned by 2030. The utility has been studying a number of options, including removing the dam altogether and let the river eventually return to its original course.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Statistics Canada will release October figures on employment insurance and wholesale trade.

— Sentencing hearing continues in Edmonton for Travis Vader in the deaths of missing seniors Lyle and Marie McCann.

— Toronto neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji is due in court in the death of his physician wife, Dr. Elana Fric.

— The wife of a suspended RCMP officer convicted of abusing his 11-year-old son to appear in an Ottawa court for sentencing.

 

 

The Canadian Press