Ten stories in the news today, Feb. 27

By The Canadian Press

Ten stories in the news for Monday, Feb. 27:

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PRISON SERVICE SWAMPED WITH LITIGATION

Canada’s prison service faced 12-hundred legal actions at the end of last March — a figure the federal prison ombudsman says is enough to keep an entire law firm busy. Ivan Zinger, the correctional investigator of Canada, says the legal actions have cost Correctional Service Canada about 10-million dollars in legal fees. Zinger adds it’s a clear indication the rising prison violence he documented between 2005 and 2016 needs to be further addressed.

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UNIVERSAL DRUG COVERAGE COULD SAVE BILLIONS: STUDY

New research suggests providing universal coverage for more than 100 prescription medications could save Canadians as much as $3 billion a year. A paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says giving all Canadians access to 117 essential medications would cover gaps that currently exist in health-care programs. The study says one in 10 people across Canada aren’t filling their prescriptions because they can’t afford to.

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CSIS FORESAW ‘LOW’ METADATA PRIVACY RISKS

Newly released documents show that an internal analysis found the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s secret data-crunching centre posed little risk to the personal privacy of Canadians. The shadowy program touched off a firestorm late last year when a Federal Court justice ruled CSIS broke the law by keeping and analyzing electronic data about people who were not actually under investigation.

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3RD CANDIDATE EXPECTED TO ENTER NDP LEADERSHIP RACE

A third person is expected to enter the NDP leadership race today. Quebec MP Guy Caron is expected to announce his candidacy, a day after northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus tossed his hat into the ring. Angus is vowing to fight to improve the lot of working class people in Canada and help those who’ve fallen through the cracks, like aboriginal children. B.C. MP Peter Julien entered the race earlier this month.

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EX SKI COACH’S SEX ASSAULT TRIAL BEGINS TODAY

A trial is set to begin north of Montreal today for a former national ski coach who faces dozens of sex-related charges involving allegations from girls as young as 12. The 57 charges against Bertrand Charest include sexual assault and breach of trust. The trial will take place in Saint-Jerome, Que., where Charest has been in custody since his arrest in March 2015.

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CONVICTED B.C. KILLER TRIES FOR PAROLE AGAIN

Convicted killer Kelly Ellard is expected to once again ask for escorted releases today, nearly 20 years after she killed a teenage girl near Victoria. Ellard made the same request last month, saying she wanted to leave a prison in Abbotsford, B.C., to attend medical appointments and parenting programs following the birth of her child. The two-member parole board panel was split in its decision and the request was denied.

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FIRE-AFFECTED FAMILIES GET DRYWALL DUTY BREAK

Families forced to rebuild their homes after wildfires devastated Fort McMurray, Alta. last spring will be compensated for having to pay duties on drywall coming into Canada from the United States. That from a source who says an announcement from the federal government is expected later today.

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MONTREAL SOUND EDITOR WINS OSCAR FOR ‘ARRIVAL’

Montreal’s Sylvain Bellemare gave a shoutout to his home city and expressed his fondness for Quebec director Denis Villeneuve as he accepted the best sound editing Oscar on Sunday for his work on “Arrival.” Bellemare was the lone winner for “Arrival,” which had eight nominations going into the show, including nods for best picture and best director.

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ONTARIO ANIMATOR ALAN BARILLARO WINS OSCAR

A teary-eyed Alan Barillaro of Chippawa, Ont., thanked his three little birds — his children — as he accepted the best animated short Oscar for “Piper” last night. The six-minute film, produced by Pixar, depicts a baby bird and her mother trying to dodge waves while searching for food on the beach. The film had a coveted spot in theatres, screening before Pixar’s feature-length smash “Finding Dory,” which was 2016’s top-grossing film.

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DANCE SHOW GOES SILENT AFTER COHEN SONG BAN

On March 6, when Montreal dancer Susan Paulson takes the stage to perform a piece choreographed to Leonard Cohen’s song “Famous Blue Raincoat,” she’ll have to do it without the music. That’s because last week a Montreal company, Ballets Jazz de Montreal, announced it had struck a five-year deal giving it exclusive rights to use Cohen’s repertoire in dance shows.

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