In the news today, July 5

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AT LEAST 17 DEATHS IN QUEBEC ATTRIBUTED TO HEAT WAVE

Health officials say the heat and humidity that have blanketed Eastern and Central Canada in recent days have contributed to the deaths of at least 17 people in Quebec. Twelve of the deaths were in Montreal while five were in the Eastern Townships region east of the city. Authorities were also investigating a possible 18th heat-related death in the Mauricie region between Montreal and Quebec.

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BODIES OF MISSING HIKERS IN B.C. RECOVERED

The bodies of three hikers who slipped and fell at a waterfall north of Vancouver were recovered from the area Wednesday evening. The RCMP said they have now turned the case over to the B.C. coroner, adding that the names of the hikers will not be released. Squamish Search and Rescue says a young woman was swept into one of the pools on Tuesday and her boyfriend and another man tried to save her and all fell in.

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B.C. PIPELINE PROTEST ENDS WITH ARRESTS

Greenpeace Canada says a protest that saw a dozen protesters dangling from a Vancouver bridge to block a tanker carrying crude oil from the Trans Mountain pipeline ended Wednesday night. The environmental group says the climbers who spent more than 35 hours on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge were “peacefully removed from their positions” and taken to the North Vancouver RCMP detachment. The RCMP had said all would likely be charged with mischief and jeopardizing the safety of a vessel.

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SILENT MARCH TONIGHT IN LAC-MEGANTIC

A silent march is scheduled to be held tonight in Lac-Megantic ahead of the fifth anniversary of the train derailment that killed 47 people in the Quebec town five years ago. The head of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada says much has been accomplished since the derailment in which 47 people were killed, but more remains to be done. A runway train carrying 7.7 million litres of petroleum crude oil derailed and exploded in the heart of the town in the morning of July 6, 2013.

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ASYLUM SEEKER TAKES ON SAFE THIRD COUNTRY DEAL

A Salvadoran woman and her two daughters who fled north allegedly suffering extortion and rape at the hands of members of the MS-13 gang have launched a legal challenge of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country agreement. The trio came to Canada through the U.S. in July 2017 in search of refugee protection, but were deemed ineligible under the agreement, which stipulates that asylum seekers must make a refugee claim in the first “safe” country they arrive in.

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EX-QUEBEC CONSTRUCTION BOSS TO BE SENTENCED

Former Quebec construction mogul Tony Accurso is to be sentenced today following his conviction on fraud and corruption charges. A jury recently found him guilty on five charges he was facing stemming from a municipal corruption scheme in Laval, Que. The Crown wants Accurso to receive a five-year prison term and have to pay $1.6 million in restitution.

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FALLS MOST COMMON CAUSE OF INJURY: REPORT

A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information says unintentional falls are the most common form of injury across the country. The institute says every day last year, falls resulted in almost 1,800 reported emergency department visits and 417 hospital admissions. The average length of a hospital stay after a fall was 14.3 days, compared to 7.5 days for other medical reasons, the data showed.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Green party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner will be sworn in as his party’s lone MPP.

— Premier Rachel Notley will make an infrastructure announcement in Calgary.

— Saskatchewan Roughrider Duron Carter appears in court on a charge of marijuana possession. (Courthouse)

— Ontario Premier Doug Ford will meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the legislature.

— The upgraded Cape Saint Mary Lighthouse Park in N.S. will be opened, with a monument to those lost at sea.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, July 5

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