In the news today, March 13

Sunwing Airlines is temporarily grounding its four Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian plane crash that killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians. The Canadian low-cost airline says in a statement Tuesday night that it made the decision for “evolving commercial reasons” unrelated to safety, including airspace restrictions being imposed in other countries. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau will provide an update on Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 plan this morning in Ottawa. Before clearing his schedule to meet with experts, Garneau said Tuesday he has no plans to ground Canada’s fleet of 737 Max 8 aircraft, but that “all options are on the table.”

———

JUSTICE COMMITTEE TO MEET TODAY ON SNC-LAVALIN CASE

The House of Commons justice committee will meet today to discuss whether they should hear more testimony on the SNC-Lavalin scandal. And if the Opposition MPs get their way, the committee will hear again from former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould. Both the NDP and Conservatives want to be able to ask about the period after she was shuffled from the Justice Department to Veterans Affairs in mid-January, including why she resigned from cabinet. Wilson-Raybould has alleged that several senior advisers and aides to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were involved in a sustained effort to get her to halt a criminal prosecution of the Montreal-based engineering giant on charges of bribery.

———

IMPERIAL TOBACCO GETS CREDITOR PROTECTION IN $15B SUIT

Imperial Tobacco Canada is the latest company to receive a temporary reprieve from compensating 100,000 Quebec smokers after securing creditor protection in an Ontario court. A judge granted Imperial Tobacco Canada creditor protection Tuesday, and JTI-Macdonald Corp. was granted creditor protection last Friday. The two companies, along with Benson & Hedges, lost an appeal of a landmark $15-billion class-action lawsuit in the Quebec Court of Appeal on March 1. The Ontario Superior Court decision suspends legal proceedings against all three companies until April 5, even though only Imperial Tobacco Canada amid JTI-Macdonald sought protection from creditors.

———

WOMAN CAUGHT IN AVALANCHE DIES OF INJURIES

A woman who was caught in an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains west of the Alberta-B.C. boundary has died of her injuries. Parks Canada says she was with a group of ice-climbers in Yoho National Park on Monday when the slide happened near Field. The woman, who was believed to be in her 30s, was airlifted to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. Parks Canada says she was participating in a guided ice climb on Massey’s Route on Mount Stephen. Risk of avalanche in Yoho National Park is expected to increase in the coming days.

———

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, March 13

What's Trending