By Canadian Press

In the news today, Dec. 20

Dec 20, 2017 | 2:30 AM

Six stories in the news for Wednesday, Dec. 20

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CANADA-U.S. TO HOST NORTH KOREA MEETING JAN. 16

Canada and United States will co-host a gathering of foreign ministers on Jan. 16 in Vancouver to discuss the North Korean crisis. The date was announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland after she met in Ottawa with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. They said the meeting will include countries that participated in the Korean War and other key regional actors, including South Korea and Japan. Tillerson said the goal is to keep pressure on North Korea to come to bargaining table, something the regime has shown no interest in doing lately.

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National

Ottawa to remove 30% investment cap for Canadian pension funds

3h ago

Budget woes

Golf and curling centre faces grim season without financial boost

6h ago

Raiders AGM

Raiders impact on Prince Albert local economy continues to go up: AGM report

Dec 12, 2024

LEGAL POT COMING NEXT SUMMER, NOT JULY 1

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says recreational marijuana will become legal across the country”next summer” and not July 1. In an interview with Quebec’s TVA network, Trudeau shook his head when asked him why he was so obsessed with July 1 as the date for legalization. Trudeau said it would be next summer, not July 1, and that he didn’t know where that date came from.

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CANADIANS AFFECTED BY BUS CRASH IN MEXICO: OFFICIALS

Global Affairs Canada says at least one Canadian family has been affected by a bus crash in eastern Mexico that killed at least 12 people. The department did not provide further details about the family, nor how many Canadians were on the bus.  Mexican officials say seven Americans and two Swedes were among the 18 people injured.

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VERDICT EXPECTED IN EX-MOUNTIE SEX ASSAULT CASE

A judge is expected to hand down his verdict today in the case of a retired RCMP inspector accused of sexually assaulting a civilian employee in a washroom at the force’s headquarters in British Columbia. Tim Shields, who was a high-profile spokesman for the RCMP in the province, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault. A trial in provincial court heard the assault was alleged to have occurred in 2009.

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BUSY HOLIDAY TRAVEL SEASON GETS UNDER WAY

Holiday travellers should brace for crowds and delays as a record number of passengers are expected to pass through the largest airports. With Air Canada and rival WestJet Airlines carrying slightly more passengers in the first nine months of the year, the Christmas season should break travel records, said airline analyst Robert Kokonis of AirTrav Inc.

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WHITE CHRISTMAS UNCERTAIN IN MUCH OF CANADA

The Weather Network says most regions with snow on the ground can count on keeping it on Christmas Day. But unstable weather is leaving forecasters in doubt about conditions for much of the rest of the country.  Chief Meteorologist Chris Scott says residents in much of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada may not know if a white Christmas is in the cards until the day itself. He says prospects for snow are more likely in most of British Columbia, southern Alberta, parts of Saskatchewan and northern Canada.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan will make an announcement regarding pensions for disabled veterans.

— The Transportation Safety Board will hold a news briefing into the Dec. 13 plane crash near the Fond du Lac, Sask., airport.

— BlackBerry Ltd. will release its third-quarter results.

— Statistics Canada will releases payroll employment, earnings and hours for October and wholesale trade for October.

— Statistics Canada will also update Canada’s population estimates for the third quarter.

— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will discuss his travels across the Middle East to visit Canadian Armed Forces members.

— Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will make an announcement concerning Canadian World Heritage Sites.

The Canadian Press