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

BOMBARDIER POISED TO FURTHER SLASH WORKFORCE: Bombardier says it intends to slash 7,500 positions through the end of 2018. It’s the aerospace giant’s second mass round of layoffs in less than a year. It says about 2,000 positions will be cut across Canada, including 1,500 in Quebec. Two-thirds of all the job losses will come from Bombardier’s transportation division, with the rest from its aerospace operations. Bombardier announced plans to cut 7,000 positions by the end of next year as it struggled to sell its signature CSeries passenger jet in the face of growing competition from rivals abroad.

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CITIES SAY MORE SOCIAL HOUSING IS NEEDED: Canada’s cities say the federal government needs to put up billions of dollars more for social housing when it drafts its national housing strategy. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities says housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable at every income level and waiting lists for social housing are growing. The federation says the housing strategy needs to carve out $12.7 billion over eight years to protect existing social housing, prevent homelessness, build new units and provide a portable housing allowance to needy renters who can’t find affordable housing.

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FEDS LOOK AT SHIFTING FINANCIAL RISK ON HOMEBUYING: The federal government has launched consultations to look at shifting some of the financial risk tied to insured mortgages from the shoulders of taxpayers to lenders, such as the banks. Currently lenders can transfer virtually all of the risk from insured mortgages to insurers, which are indirectly backstopped by taxpayers. The government is looking at options that include putting lenders on the hook for a fixed-rate share of 15 per cent of total loan losses. The other proposal under examination would make lenders responsible for losses up to a fixed portion of the loan balance when the default occurs. Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the consultations earlier this month as part of a package of changes related to Canada’s housing market.

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LIBERALS RESTORE SOME POWER TO JUDGES: The Trudeau government is giving back judges the power to excuse offenders from paying a so-called victim surcharge if they cannot afford it. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould tabled changes to the Criminal Code on Friday in the House of Commons, saying judges need to have some flexibility. The change is among promised reforms to the criminal justice system that are expected to include at least some reversal of the former Conservative government’s tough-on-crime agenda.

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CANADA CALLS FOR HUMANITARIAN AID FOR IRAQ: International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the global community must do more to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq. She commented as allied forces fight the Islamic State for the city of Mosul. Aid groups, together with the UN, launched an appeal in July for $284 million to prepare for an expected flood of people whenever Iraqi and Canadian-trained Kurdish forces launched their attack. The long-anticipated attack started Monday.

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MORE THAN 50 DIE IN AFRICAN TRAIN DERAILMENT: Officials in Cameroon say at least 53 people have died after a train overloaded with passengers derailed along the route that links the country’s two major cities. They say at least 300 people were injured. State radio is reporting that the crash occurred in Eseka, about two hours from the capital, Yaounde. Rail officials say the train had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600. The accident comes as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region.

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A WET WEEKEND IN THE OFFING FOR THE EAST COAST: It may be deja vu for residents in Cape Breton and Newfoundland his by heavy rains and flooding earlier this month. Forecasters say there will be rain through much of the region, bad news for those who are attempting to clean up the damage from the earlier flooding. Environment Canada says there could be 50 to 80 mm of rain in parts of Nova Scotia, with a possibility of higher amounts in some areas. New Brunswick and the south coast of Newfoundland could see similar amounts, depending on how the system tracks.

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ONTARIO BUYS POWER FROM QUEBEC: Ontario has announced a seven-year deal to purchase electricity from Quebec. The deal announced by premiers Kathleen Wynne and Philippe Couillard will provide enough electricity from Quebec to power a city of more than 200,000 people a year. The premiers wouldn’t go into the pricetag, but the agreement is expected to save Ontario’s electricity system about $70 million in costs over the seven years. The Ontario government has faced criticism over soaring electricity costs.

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TRUMP TAKES AIM AT FIRST LADY: U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is settling on a new target: Michelle Obama. For years, the first lady has been reluctant to devote a lot of time to campaigning, but she’s done so in recent days with a searing indictment of Trump’s treatment of women. At a North Carolina rally Friday, Trump said of Obama, “All she wants to do is campaign.” Trump on Friday also said he’s packing his schedule with campaign events through election day so that if he loses, he will know he did all he could. He says, “I will be happy with myself.”

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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

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