Sign up for the paNOW newsletter

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

Jul 27, 2017 | 3:15 PM

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, July 27

———

INQUIRY LEAVES FIRST NATIONS LEADERS DIVIDED:  The head of the Assembly of First Nations says Indigenous leaders are divided on the fate of the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Perry Bellegarde says some want a reset of the commission while others want the four commissioners to resign. The inquiry has spent weeks fending off criticism from some families who have loudly expressed concern about the process and the recent resignations of senior staffers. Bellegarde told The Canadian Press in an interview that he believes the commission must focus its energy on ensuring the stories of families are front and centre, adding it is critical for the commission to improve communications.

———

REPORT ON FORT MCMURRAY FIRE CALLS FOR BETTER EVACUATION PLANNING: A report on the Fort McMurray wildfire recommends improved prevention along with better disaster management and evacuation planning. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo asked KPMG to do a review of the handling of last year’s fire that forced about 88,000 people to flee the area. The report says the municipality did a good job protecting people’s safety and noted that nobody died as a direct result of the wildfire. But it suggests key emergency leaders should take more training, pass on their knowledge to staff and use a command system to better co-ordinate how a disaster is managed.

———

EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED FOR THOUSANDS OF B.C. RESIDENTS: Officials in Williams Lake, B.C., are being allowed back into their homes as the threat of wildfires as eased somewhat. Cariboo Regional District chairman Al Richmond says the evacuees should still keep their belongings packed because they may have to leave if the fire threat increases again. Officials with the BC Wildfire Service have warned that persistent hot, dry weather in southern parts of the province is likely to make the already nasty fire situation worse in coming weeks.

———

CANADIAN AIR CREWS STRAINED AFTER 3 YEARS IN IRAQ: The military says the crew of Canada’s Aurora surveillance planes are tired out after nearly three years of patrols over Iraq and Syria. The Auroras have been taking photos and gathering other intelligence about Islamic State forces. Canada originally had two Auroras in the region, but one was recently withdrawn. The air force says it is partly because the second plane was no longer needed following the liberation of Mosul, but there is also concern about the toll on the crews.

———

B.C. COURT ACQUITS SRI LANKAN MEN OF SMUGGLING: Four Sri Lankan men accused of bringing dozens of Tamil migrants to Canada aboard a dilapidated cargo vessel eight years ago have been found not guilty of human smuggling. Prosecutors argued that Francis Anthonimuthu Appulonappa, Hamalraj Handasamy, Jeyachandran Kanagarajah and Vignarajah Thevarajah helped organize the trafficking operation to profit from people looking for asylum in Canada. But Justice Arne Silverman of the Supreme Court of British Columbia said the Crown failed to prove its case. The accused were part of a group of 76 young men who arrived on B.C.’s coast from Sri Lanka on the MV Ocean Lady in October 2009. The migrants were seeking refuge in Canada from a civil war that was ravaging their homeland, Silverman said in his decision.

———

AMERICAN FIRST LADY TO LEAD U.S. DELEGATION TO INVICTUS GAMES: U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will lead the American delegation to the Invictus Games in Toronto this fall. The games, founded by Prince Harry, will be held Sept. 23-30. It’s the first time Canada hosts the event for wounded, injured and sick troops. The White House announced that the first lady will lead the United States’ delegation of 90 athletes and is honoured by the opportunity.

———

CAUSE OF DEATH OF WHALE UNLIKELY TO BE KNOWN: Officials say it’s unlikely they’ll ever know what killed a North American right whale discovered dead off Newfoundland recently. Scientists say the carcass is badly decomposed. They say based on the degree of decay, it’s possible the remains belong to one of the eight North Atlantic right whales seen floating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent weeks.

———

MANITOBA LOOKING AT PRIVATE POT SELLERS:  The Manitoba government is floating the possibility Thursday of allowing private retailers to sell marijuana when recreational use of the drug becomes legal next year.  The provincial government has called for expressions of interest from potential producers and vendors in a 10-page document issued to gauge options and possible participants in the new cannabis industry. Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said the government is willing to consider private sales for cannabis and go beyond stores run by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.

———

WHITE HOUSE DODGES QUERIES ABOUT CHIEF OF STAFF: The White House’s chief spokeswoman is dodging a question about whether the president has full confidence in his embattled chief of staff, Reince Priebus. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders won’t say for sure. But she repeats an often-used line that the president would dismiss him if he didn’t have full confidence. She also says the president has purposely brought together senior staffers who have a “lot of different perspectives” to foster “healthy competition.” She adds, “this isn’t group think,” and says that works best. White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci suggested in a late-night tweet Wednesday that Priebus has been leaking to the media.

————

The Canadian Press