In the news today, April 17

Apr 17, 2018 | 2:30 AM

Seven stories in the news for Tuesday, April 17

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PM TRUDEAU TO ADDRESS FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will conclude his visit to France today before flying to London to meet with British PM Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth. Trudeau is to address the French National Assembly today and will be the first Canadian prime minister to do so. His speech is likely to touch on the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in France and other parts of Europe. Trudeau is also expected to focus on trade and the benefits of the new Canada-European Union free trade deal.

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MEMORIAL FOR FOUR BRONCOS PLAYERS IN EDMONTON TODAY

A memorial will be held today for four players with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team who called the Edmonton area home. Jaxon Joseph of Edmonton, Parker Tobin of Stony Plain, and Logan Hunter and Stephen Wack — both of St. Albert — were among 16 people who died after a truck and the Saskatchewan team’s bus collided on April 6. The memorial is to take place at Rogers Place, the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

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HUMBOLDT BRONCOS DRAFT PLAN FOR DONATIONS

The GoFundMe page dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos will stay open until midnight Wednesday before being transferred to a new memorial fund. More than 130,000 donors from Canada and around the world have so far donated more than $12 million to the fund, believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history Broncos president Kevin Garinger says the new Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund will pay the expenses of the victims’ families, but adds it is too soon to give a specific breakdown.

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ALBERTA UPS ANTE IN PIPELINE DISPUTE

The Alberta government has introduced legislation that would give the energy minister power to restrict the flow of oil, gasoline and natural gas leaving the province. B.C. is battling Alberta over the Trans Mountain pipeline in the courts despite the project already being approved by the federal government. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the proposed legislation is not meant to punish B.C., but to give Alberta the power to adjust what is shipped and where it goes to ensure maximum profits.

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THREE-DAY STORM LEAVES ICY, SNOWY MESS

A clean-up continues in southern and central Ontario today in the wake of a three-day storm packed with freezing rain, sleet, rain and high winds. Provincial utility Hydro One was reporting 39,000 homes and businesses still without power early today, while Toronto Hydro said it expected remaining blacked-out customers to be back online this morning. The freezing rain and rain are hitting eastern Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island today.

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BOYS OF SUMMER AFFECTED BY WINTRY BLAST

Chunks of ice crashing down from Toronto’s iconic CN Tower after a weekend of freezing rain forced the closure of the landmark and poked a hole in the retractable roof yesterday at the nearby Rogers Centre Monday. This prompted the Toronto Blue Jays to cancel last night’s game against the Kansas City Royals.  Police said closures around the CN tower would remain in effect until this morning.

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DIPLOMATIC FAMILIES RETURNING FROM CUBA

The families of Canadian diplomats based in Cuba are coming home due to mysterious incidents which have plagued some staff and dependents. Officials say 10 Canadians continue to show unexplained brain symptoms, including an unknown number of children and non-diplomat family members. Government officials won’t elaborate, citing privacy concerns. Cuba is a favourite tourist spot for Canadians, but Global Affairs Canada says there is no evidence of any related ailments among Canadian travellers.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Kelly Craft, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, will speak to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.

— Sentencing arguments continue in Quebec City for mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette.

— Statistics Canada will release the monthly survey of manufacturing and international transactions in securities for February.

— The Commons health committee will release a study of the development of a national pharmacare program.

— HMCS Kingston and HMCS Summerside return to Halifax following their deployment in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea region.

— Famed Indigenous singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is the guest speaker at Dalhousie University’s Belong Forum today.

 

The Canadian Press