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

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, June 1

U.S. WITHDRAWS FROM PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD: President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, but will begin negotiations to “re-enter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction.” Trump said during a White House Rose Garden announcement that the U.S. will exit the landmark climate agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions to slow climate change. Trump says the deal “disadvantages” the U.S. and is causing job losses and lower wages.

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CANADA ANNOUNCES COMPENSATION FOR SOFTWOOD PRODUCERS:  Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and other members of cabinet have unveiled an $867-million package of supports to help lumber producers and employees weather the impact of new U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood. The package announced Thursday includes loans and loan guarantees to help ease the burden for forestry companies and to help them explore new markets and innovations. In April, the Trump administration slapped countervailing import duties as high as 24 per cent on softwood, arguing Canada unfairly subsidizes its industry.  

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Riderville

Riders Have Options Heading into Tuesday CFL Draft

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Weekend hockey

PAGC set to host largest Senator's Cup tournament to date

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VAISAKHI MELA

Hundreds flocking to P.A. for Vaisakhi Mela celebration

3h ago

FORMER ONTARIO NURSE PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDER: The former Ontario nurse charged in the slayings of eight seniors has pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder. Elizabeth Wettlaufer appeared in a Woodstock, Ont., court Thursday. Police have said the killeds took place over the last decade in three long-term care facilities where Wettlaufer worked as a registered nurse, and at a private home. Wettlaufer also pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder.

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FORMER ENGINEER ACQUITTED OF CHARGES IN MALL COLLAPSE: A northern Ontario court has acquitted a former engineer of criminal negligence charges in the collapse of an Elliot Lake shopping mall. Robert Wood had declared the Algo Centre Mall structurally sound just weeks before the collapse in 2012. Two women were killed when part of the roof-top parking deck at the mall caved in.

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COUILLARD SAYS TIME TO REOPEN CONSTITUTION: Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard says Canada’s 150th birthday is the right time to reopen constitutional discussions. Couillard told The Canadian Press that while the issue took a backseat to the economy and health care for the first half of his mandate, he would have been disappointed had his first term finished without tackling the subject of Quebec-Canada relations. There is no timeline for opening constitutional negotiations, but Couillard is hopeful the vast coast-to-coast discussion he is launching will eventually lead there.

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FIGHTER JET TALKS IN LIMBO: The federal government says it’s not talking to other companies about replacement fighter jets in spite of its trade dispute with Boeing. The parliamentary secretary for Procurement Minister Judy Foote says the government has suspended talks with Boeing about plans to purchase Super Hornet fighter jets. But Steve MacKinnon says the government is not talking to other companies about supplying fighters. The government says it is disappointed that Boeing has petitioned the U.S. government to investigate subsidies for Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft that it says have allowed the Canadian company to export planes at well below cost.

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TAKEOVER SPECULATION FUELS BLACKBERRY STOCKS: BlackBerry Ltd. shares were on the rise Thursday after a research report identified the Canadian company as a likely target for an acquisition. The shares rose nearly 11 per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange at one point in the wake of the report by Citron Research. It is predicting the company’s shares are likely to reach US$20 on the Nasdaq within 24 months and is a likely buyout target at a sizable premium.

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HOUSING STRATEGY TO CLOSE EQUALITY GAP: The head of the federal agency crafting a national housing strategy says he’ll try to close the equality gap between the haves and have-nots. Evan Siddall of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says inequality threatens the very fabric of western society. The comments are a change of tone from Siddall, who months ago tried to temper high expectations that the strategy would meet hopes that a national plan would move people out of shelters and into homes and deal with concerns about affordability in the country’s biggest cities.

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FORMER SECURITY OFFICIAL CALLS FOR BEEFED UP CYBER DEFENCE: The former head of the American National Security Agency says the U.S. and and Canada need a new cyberdefence program to prevent hackers from economic attacks. Retired Gen. Keith Alexander tells The Canadian Press that the potential benefits from the Liberal government’s core economic plan to encourage investment and innovation are at risk of being stolen and undermined by hackers. He says with Canada staking its economic future on technological innovation, it mustn’t allow the products and advancements that might come from that to simply be stolen.

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PHILIPPINES HOTEL COMPLEX ATTACKED: An attack on a hotel and casino complex near Manila’s airport sent hundreds fleeing early Friday morning. Gunshots rang out as police rushed to the Resorts World Manila complex. The Islamic State group took responsibility for the attack, but a police official says there is no evidence the casino attack is terrorism and no confirmed reports of gunshot wounds. Police believe just one gunman was involved.

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The Canadian Press