In the news today, Sept. 5
Posted Sep 5, 2018 05:15:03 AM.
Last Updated Sep 5, 2018 06:00:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Five stories in the news for Wednesday, Sept. 5
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NAFTA TALKS TO RESUME TODAY IN WASHINGTON
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is to meet with her U.S. counterpart in Washington today in an effort to bring Canada into the NAFTA fold. Canada and the U.S. need to present a text to the U.S. Congress by Oct. 1 in order to join the deal the Trump administration signed with Mexico last week. Prime Minister Trudeau has said Canada will not sign onto a deal that does not include a dispute resolution mechanism and exemptions for cultural industries.
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TRUDEAU, NOTLEY TO MEET TODAY IN EDMONTON
The prime minister’s office says Justin Trudeau will meet with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley this afternoon in Edmonton. A spokeswoman for Notley says the two leaders will discuss the Trans Mountain pipeline, and that the premier hopes they can look at possible paths forward for the project. A federal court last week reversed a cabinet decision to allow construction of the pipeline, ruling there was not enough consultation with Indigenous peoples.
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TIFF STRESSES ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ POLICY
As the Toronto International Film Festival prepares to kick off Thursday, it’s doing so in a changed landscape — one organizers have responded to with a few powerful additions to the usual mix of glitz and glam. With initiatives including the Share Her Journey women’s rally, a newly created hotline and an emphasis on its code of conduct, TIFF is making it clear it’s an inclusive and safe space after the tide of sexual misconduct allegations stemming from the Harvey Weinstein scandal last fall.
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OSUNA BACK IN COURT IN TORONTO
Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna’s assault case is scheduled to return to court today. The 23-year-old was arrested in May and charged in connection with an alleged domestic incident. Osuna was suspended without pay for 75 games in June for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy, and the Jays later traded him to the Houston Astros. Osuna’s lawyer, Domenic Basile, has said his client is remorseful of the circumstances of the situation but plans to plead not guilty.
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FRATS TO BAN HARD BOOZE
Most U.S. and Canadian fraternities have one year to ban vodka, tequila and other hard alcohol under a rule adopted during the recent annual meeting of their trade association, the group announced Tuesday. In “a near-unanimous vote” on Aug. 27, the 66 international and national men’s fraternities of the North-American Interfraternity Conference adopted the rule prohibiting hard alcohol with more than 15 per cent alcohol by volume from fraternity chapters and events unless served by licensed third-party vendors, the group said. The member fraternities have until Sept. 1, 2019, to implement the rule across their more than 6,100 chapters on 800 campuses.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:
— The Bank of Canada makes an interest rate announcement.
— Statistics Canada releases international merchandise trade data for July and labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost data for the second quarter.
— Jordan application hearings are held in Red Deer, Alta., in the case of Shayne Gulka on kidnapping and first-degree murder charges.
— Bank executives speak at the Scotiabank Financials Summit in Toronto.
— WestJet CFO Harry Taylor and CN Rail chief executive JJ Ruest are among the presenters at the Cowen and Company 11th Annual Global Transportation Conference in Boston.
— Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. releases Q1 results after market close. The Laval, Que.-based company will hold a conference call Thursday morning.
— Conservation groups will make an announcement in Vancouver about southern resident killer whales.