By Canadian Press

In the news today, Oct. 19

Oct 19, 2018 | 2:30 AM

Five stories in the news for Friday, Oct. 19

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CALGARY COUPLE CONVICTED IN SON’S DEATH

A jury has convicted a Calgary couple in the death of their 14-month-old son who never saw a doctor until the day before he died in hospital of a staph infection. Jeromie and Jennifer Clark were found guilty of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life for their son John. The pair clasped hands as they stood in the prisoner’s dock Thursday evening. The Crown argued that John was on the verge of death when he arrived in hospital on Nov. 28, 2013, and that his parents played with his life by not seeking treatment sooner.  The Clarks’ lawyers argued doctors at the Alberta Children’s Hospital were to blame because they raised the boy’s sodium and fluid levels too aggressively.

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National

Ottawa to remove 30% investment cap for Canadian pension funds

50m ago

Budget woes

Golf and curling centre faces grim season without financial boost

4h ago

Raiders AGM

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

22h ago

LEGAULT PROMISES TO SEEK CONSENSUS

Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised to bring renewal and change to the province’s politics Thursday after his convincing election victory ended nearly 50 years of Liberal and Parti Quebecois rule. But as he was sworn in as premier, Legault offered assurances that even though his Coalition Avenir Quebec party was handed a large majority in the Oct. 1 election, he would seek consensus for his reforms. In a 20-minute speech after the ceremony at Quebec City’s legislature, Legault focused largely on his commitments to health, education and the economy, while avoiding his controversial proposal to reduce immigration. However, he made it clear he would be sticking to his promises, including a plan to ban the wearing of religious symbols for state employees in positions of authority, which has already been the subject of protests in the Montreal area.

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CANADA NOT SENDING ANYONE TO SAUDI SUMMIT

The federal government has no intention of sending anyone to a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week at a time when Riyadh is the target of global outrage — and one source insists Ottawa never had plans to dispatch a delegation. Cabinet ministers, federal officials and embassy staff will skip the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, which is sometimes referred to as “Davos in the Desert,” a senior government insider said Thursday. Last year, then-natural resources minister Jim Carr attended the inaugural edition of the summit.

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VANCOUVER COUNCIL RACE ANYBODY’S GAME

As Vancouver voters prepare to elect a new mayor and council on Saturday, observers say it could still be anyone’s game. The campaign has been marked by a crowded race of new candidates and parties with converging platforms focused on fixing the city’s housing affordability crisis. Kennedy Stewart, a former New Democrat MP, is seen as one of the leading candidates for the mayor’s seat. He is running as an independent in a field of 21 candidates. The city is somewhat unusual in Canada because it operates under a party system.

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POT SHOPS RAIDED IN WAKE OF LEGALIZATION

The managers of two pot shops on Vancouver Island where police seized thousands of dollars worth of marijuana say the British Columbia government failed them by only approving one store in the province before legalization. The RCMP say they entered the Port Alberni Cannabis Club at around 11 a.m. Wednesday, before visiting Leaf Compassion Cannabis Dispensary around 2 p.m., and found both stores were open without provincial licences. On the other side of the country, a dispensary in St. John’s was raided Thursday by police and inspectors from the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp. 

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— African Nova Scotians in New Glasgow and Halifax hold a combined protest after RCMP charged a man for allegedly bullying and shooting Nhlanhla Dlamini with a high velocity nail gun.

— The federal Department of Finance will release its Annual Financial Report, which summarizes the Government’s financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.

— Sylvain Laporte, the head of the Canadian Space Agency, and Mike Greenley, group president of Canadarm-maker MDA and others discuss Canada moving forward in space exploration with its international partners.

— Statistics Canada releases the consumer price index for September and retail trade figures for August.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a nomination meeting for Liberal MP Kim Rudd in Cobourg, Ont.

— Rogers Communications Inc. and Corus Entertainment Inc. discuss their latest financial results.

— Official opening celebration of the Point Trotter Autonomous Systems Testing Area, which will provide Calgary businesses, industry and researchers with a place to test drones and autonomous vehicles

— Daniel Williams is sentenced for manslaughter in the death of 21-month-old Kierra Starr Williams.

The Canadian Press