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

By The Canadian Press

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, June 30:

CANADA SET TO LEAD NEW NATO BATTLE GROUP IN EASTERN EUROPE: Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Thursday that Canada will lead one of NATO’s four new battle groups being established on the alliance’s eastern flank as part of its stepped up deterrent against Russia. The move is designed to show Canadian solidarity with NATO against Russia, which has annexed the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and backed pro-Russian separatist forces in that country’s eastern region. But Sajjan added the hope is still to be able to re-establish a dialogue between the 28-country alliance and Russia in an attempt to dial down what is widely seen as the worst conflict between the Kremlin and the West since the end of the Cold War. Sajjan told The Canadian Press there’s been a lot of “behind the scenes” work to re-open a diplomatic dialogue with Russia.

___

TURKISH OFFICIAL: ATTACKERS FROM RUSSIA, CENTRAL ASIA: As the death toll from the Istanbul airport attack rose Thursday to 44, a senior Turkish official said the three suicide bombers who carried it out were from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and police raided neighbourhoods for suspects linked to the Islamic State group. Turkish authorities have said all information suggested the Tuesday night attack on Ataturk Airport, one of the world’s busiest, was the work of ISIL, which boasted this week of having cells in Turkey, among other countries. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the militant group, which has used Turkey as a crossing point to establish itself in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

___

FEDS LAUNCH POT LEGALIZATION TAKE FORCE: The federal government established a travelling task force Thursday that will spend the coming months studying how best to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana use in Canada. The move is part of Ottawa’s efforts to introduce legislation to legalize pot in the spring of 2017. No decisions have been made about what the eventual law will look like, Health Minister Jane Philpott said Thursday. The group will meet with provincial, territorial and municipal governments over the coming weeks and months, Philpott said. The task force — made up of experts in public health, substance abuse, law enforcement and justice — will be chaired by former Liberal public safety minister Anne McLellan.

___

COURT SQUASHES NORTHERN GATEWAY APPROVAL: The Canadian government failed in its duty to consult with aboriginal people before giving the green light to a controversial pipeline proposal to link Alberta’s oilsands to British Columbia’s north coast, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled. The court quashed federal approval for Enbridge’s $7.9-billion Northern Gateway project in a written decision dated June 23 but released Thursday by a law firm involved in the appeal. The judgment says the government neglected to discuss subjects of critical importance to First Nations by ignoring many of the project’s impacts and offering only a “brief, hurried and inadequate” opportunity for consultation. The pipeline proposal received federal approval in 2014 but has been mired in legal uncertainty ever since.

___

BRITS SEEK JOBS IN CANADA AFTER BREXIT: A job search website says many United Kingdom residents have started looking for jobs abroad in the wake of the Brexit vote and Canada is high on their destination wishlist. Indeed.com says the number of U.K. queries for jobs in Canada was over four times the average in the 48 hours following the vote to withdraw from the European Union. The site says the total number of searches for work abroad was 73 per cent higher than average on the day after the vote. Searches for jobs in Europe doubled, while searches for jobs in the United States were 1.7 times higher than average.

___

SOME BENEFIT CHEQUES WILL BE MAILED DURING POSSIBLE CANADA POST STRIKE: Those depending on Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan cheques can still expect to see them in the mail, even if a Canada Post strike or lockout happens this weekend. The Canada Revenue Agency says the OAS and CPP cheques, along with those for the Working Income Tax Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit, are deemed “essential” and will be delivered even during a labour disruption. Cheques for the Working Income Tax Benefit will be delivered on July 5, while the others will be arrive on July 20. The CRA says all other government benefit payments will not be mailed until normal operations resume at Canada Post.

___

LACK OF PLAYOFF HOCKEY REFLECTED IN GDP: The Canadian economy edged up 0.1 per cent in April — no thanks to the country’s NHL teams, which were shut out of the playoffs this year. Statistics Canada said Thursday that the arts, entertainment and recreation sector fell 3.9 per cent in April due to the lack of NHL playoff games played in Canada. It was the first time since 1970 that no Canadian team made the National Hockey League playoffs. Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter said spectator sports are only a small part of the economy, but there would have been slightly more growth in April if it weren’t for all seven Canadian teams missing post-season play.

___

FANS EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH SUBBAN TRADE: Many Montreal Canadiens fans were expressing disappointment Thursday over a blockbuster trade that sent defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber. When news of the trade broke on Wednesday, many fans and media took to social media to question why the Canadiens organization would trade a 27-year-old Norris-trophy winner in his prime for Weber, who is almost four years older. Subban’s flashy, high-risk playing style made him a fan favourite in his seven years with the team, although at times it appeared to put him at odds with the club’s management. And although he is a Toronto native, Subban’s charity work and prominent presence at local events turned him into a much-loved star in his adopted hometown.

___

MISSISSAUGA HOUSE EXPLOSION NOW A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: A house explosion west of Toronto that killed one woman this week is now a criminal investigation, but investigators aren’t ruling out the possibility that it was an accident. Peel Regional Police Sgt. Josh Colley said the home in Mississauga is associated with Robert Nadler and Diane Page, but police have not been able to contact either of them. Colley said police have not determined the identity of the woman found dead at the scene, but an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday. Media reports have said there were handwritten notes found near the scene of the blast, and police said they’re working to find out whether the papers are related to the explosion. Jeff Minten from the Ontario Fire Marshal said investigators were set to begin searching the debris on the blast site to determine the cause of the explosion. A canine search-and-rescue team has already been through the scene.

___

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today