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

Highlights from the news file for Monday, March 27

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LIBERALS SAY NO DECISIONS YET ON POT TAX: Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the Liberal government has not decided how to tax marijuana, but is instead focused on making sure it stays out of the hands of children and criminals. Sources have confirmed to The Canadian Press that the government will introduce legislation the week of April 10 to legalize pot. Morneau says the question of taxation hasn’t really been on the government’s radar, despite hopes that it will generate hundreds of millions — if not billions — of dollars in new revenue. The only mentions of marijuana in last week’s federal budget included $9.6 million redirected over five years toward public education and monitoring, and that any future taxes on pot would change over time. Provincial leaders say they are eagerly waiting to see what the federal legislation looks like so that they can start working to amend their own laws to make legal weed a reality. Federal opposition parties are sharply divided when it comes to the government’s proposed timeline, with the Conservatives accusing the Liberals of rushing the legislation and the NDP complaining about delays.

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ONTARIO BUDGET WILL INCLUDE HOUSING MEASURES: Finance Minister Charles Sousa says the upcoming spring budget will include a package of measures dealing with housing affordability. The Liberal government has promised measures to help curb rising home prices in some markets, particularly in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Speculative investing in the real estate market — buying a home in the hope of turning a profit rather than to live in it — is believed to be one of the culprits behind the soaring house prices. Sousa has said curbing speculative real estate purchases could help address dwindling housing affordability so that first-time buyers are able to get into the market. Sousa also cited foreign buyers and people moving to Ontario from other jurisdictions as potential contributing factors to the housing shortage. There’s no date set for the budget yet, but it’s expected in the coming weeks.

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DO MORE WITH LESS, MORNEAU TELLS AID GROUPS: Finance Minister Bill Morneau says Canada can do more with less foreign aid spending, and that includes relying on a new profit-driven financial lending institution to help fight poverty in poor countries. Morneau’s recent federal budget drew widespread criticism from international development and anti-poverty organizations because it did not contain an increase in foreign aid. But in a post-budget interview with The Canadian Press, Morneau is making no apologies for the lack of new spending. Instead, Morneau is a touting a new anti-poverty tool — a so-called development finance institution, which will lend money to private companies to help them pay for projects to reduce poverty in the developing world. While DFIs are seen as a potentially good way to attract private companies, some analysts say more needs to be done to make sure companies are in fact investing the money properly and not just grabbing a government handout. The previous Conservative government proposed the idea in its final 2015 budget, and Morneau brought it to life with a $300-million investment that will get it up and running under Export Development Canada.

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MCMORRIS SUFFERS SEVERE INJURIES IN SNOWBOARD ACCIDENT: An accident on a jump “well within his skill level” in British Columbia’s backcountry has left Canadian snowboarding star Mark McMorris with serious injuries. A medal favourite at next year’s Winter Olympics, McMorris is recovering in a Vancouver hospital from a broken jaw, broken left arm, ruptured spleen, stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung. McMorris, his brother Craig and a few friends travelled into the backcountry by snowmobile near Whistler, B.C., to build the jump on Saturday, Canada Snowboard executive director Patrick Jarvis told The Canadian Press in a phone interview Monday. “From what we’re told it was a jump that was well within his skill level, which is undoubtedly one of the best in the world,” said Jarvis. “(McMorris) just happened to be in some flat light, misjudged his approach, and that’s resulted in the accident.” McMorris, who won Olympic slopestyle bronze in 2014 while competing with a broken rib, underwent two surgeries over the weekend to control bleeding and to repair the jaw and arm fractures.

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NEWFOUNDLAND’S NORTHERN COD ON THE REBOUND: Almost 25 years after a sweeping commercial fishing ban that devastated Newfoundland, northern cod are making something of a comeback — sparking calls that the fishery be expanded again. A federal report Monday said cod stocks off eastern Newfoundland and Labrador continue to grow, but are still in the “critical zone.” It warns that catches should be kept to the lowest possible levels for now as a precaution. The union representing fishermen and plant workers, however, wants to immediately expand the relatively small commercial cod fishery, saying it would not stunt the growth. “Those aren’t modest numbers,” David Decker, secretary-treasurer of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers-Unifor union, said of recovery rates over the last decade. “Those are very phenomenal numbers.” Karen Dwyer, a biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said Monday any optimism must be tempered with patience as an unpredictable recovery unfolds. It will be three years before there is any news of when the ban on large-scale commercial cod fishing may be lifted, she said.

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TORIES LAUNCH LAST-DITCH MEMBERSHIP PUSH: The deadline for Conservative leadership hopefuls to sign up new party members is looming, which has some candidates chasing headlines in order to drum up last-minute support. In one email blast today, Kevin O’Leary suggests using the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to prevent people from making refugee claims if they enter Canada illegally from the United States. On the weekend, Steven Blaney sent out an eyebrow-raising fundraising email denouncing alleged anti-Semitic remarks by some Muslim leaders. And Pierre Lemieux reinforced his opposition to legalizing marijuana amid news that the Trudeau Liberals would introduce legislation this spring to legalize pot by July 2018. Others, including Maxime Bernier, are taking a more straightforward approach, touting the support they have already and encouraging those yet to sign up to do so before the deadline. Tuesday is the last day Canadians can become a Conservative party member in order to choose from among the 14 candidates running to become leader. The party is set to choose a permanent replacement for interim leader Rona Ambrose in May.

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IMPAIRED DRIVER TO BE SENTENCED FOR KILLING THREE: Friends and family members of three men killed after an impaired driver hit a group of cyclists on a British Columbia highway say their lives have been forever changed by the loss of their loved ones. A sentencing hearing has begun for Samuel Alec, who pleaded guilty to three counts of impaired driving causing death. B.C. Supreme Court has heard in an agreed statement of facts that Alec was driving home from a friend’s funeral in May 2015 when he crossed the centre line and collided head on with two road bikers. Cyclists Ross Chafe and Kelly Blunden were killed, as was Paul Pierre Jr., a passenger in the vehicle. Stewart Blaser, the lone surviving cyclist, says the horror of seeing his two friends killed has left him scarred for life. The sentencing proceedings are scheduled to last three days.

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FAMILY HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT LAUNDRY CHUTE DEATH: The family of a Regina woman found dead at the bottom of a hotel laundry chute is questioning how she fit through the chute door. An inquest into the death of Nadine Machiskinic started Monday with police photos and testimony describing the chute opening as 53 centimetres wide. Machiskinic was found at the bottom of the chute in January 2015. An autopsy found she died of blunt force trauma after falling 10 storeys and the death was ruled accidental, with the coroner noting that the mother of four had drugs in her system. Machiskinic’s aunt, Delores Stevenson, wants to know how her niece fell through such a small opening. Stevenson says she hopes the inquest will give her family the answers they need.

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HUMANE SOCIETY HAILS NEW EGG-INDUSTRY CODE: The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies says a new code of practice for egg farmers will help reduce the extreme stress suffered by egg-laying hens and give consumers some assurance about the term “cage-free.” The National Farm Animal Care Council code released Monday calls for producers to phase out the use of small, cramped cages for hens over the next 15 years and sets new care standards for the birds. Ninety per cent of egg-laying hens live in cramped cages, but the code will help egg farmers make the transition to more humane practices, federation president Barbara Cartwright said. “The phase-out of barren battery cages is a huge win for Canada’s hens,” she said. “The timeline is much longer than we consider acceptable, but it doesn’t diminish how meaningful a change this is.” Battery cages are so small that hens can’t walk or spread their wings for their entire lives. No more of these cages are to be built in Canada as of Saturday.

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ONTARIO RETIREE BUYS DEFUNCT NEW BRUNSWICK JAIL: A retired Ontario garbage worker has recently bought a defunct New Brunswick jail with a history of hangings. Bill Steele of Oshawa, Ont., said he plans to sell his house and take up residence at the old Dorchester gaol — listed for $159,900 — which was decommissioned more than 20 years ago and features 15 original jail cells. Steele said he’s always had a passion for collecting antiques and “morbid stuff,” and wanted to retire somewhere unconventional, near where his father grew up in Pictou, N.S. Steele said he may start a museum in part of the historic building, where two infamous convicted murderers — 19-year-old Arthur Bannister and his 20-year-old brother Daniel — were hanged. The brothers had killed a 30-year-old woodsman during the abduction of his infant daughter, who also died. Steele said he’s eager to research the history of his new home, and hopes to find the Bannister brothers’ final resting place.