Pages and staff prepare the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, December 2, 2015. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
Five stories in the news today, Jan. 27:
AIR INDIA PERJURER RELEASED
The only person convicted in the 1985 Air India bombings has been granted statutory release from prison to a halfway house. Inderjit Singh Reyat was charged with perjury in 2006 for repeatedly lying during his testimony at the trial into the bombing deaths of 331 people, mostly Canadians. He was found guilty in 2010 and sentenced to nine years in prison, or seven years and seven months after accounting for time served. Under the law, offenders must be granted statutory release after they have served two-thirds of their sentence.
ONTARIO GAS PLANT CHARGES IN COURT
Two of former Ontario premier Dalton McGunty’s senior aides have court appearances today on charges related to a government scandal over the cancellation of gas plants. Laura Miller, who was McGuinty’s deputy chief of staff, and David Livingston, who was his chief of staff, are charged with breach of trust and mischief.
B.C. LNG MINISTER HEADS TO OTTAWA
British Columbia’s minister in charge of liquefied natural gas is heading to Ottawa for talks on how the federal government’s promised changes to environmental reviews will impact the province’s plans for a multibillion dollar LNG industry. There were reports Tuesday that the changes will include a separate test to determine impacts on Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, which will apply to several projects under review, including Pacific NorthWest’s planned LNG export terminal in northern B.C.
BANKS EXPLORING BITCOIN TECHNOLOGY
The virtual currency Bitcoin has earned a reputation as a plaything for libertarians or a tool used to covertly buy drugs on the Internet. But more recently the technology underlying the currency is being touted as the next big thing poised to transform the financial services industry. To prevent themselves from being blindsided, Canadian banks are jumping on board, exploring ways the technology can help streamline their processes.
TERRY FOX’S DAD DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
Terry Fox devoted his life to raising money for cancer research and now his father has been diagnosed with the disease. The family announced Tuesday on the Terry Fox Foundation website that 80-year-old Rolland Fox, known as Rolly, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. “He remains in very good spirits, confirmed by the dated and overused humour we are forced to endure,” the family says in a statement.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release its quarterly Housing Market Assessment.
Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Maclean’s, and investment company AGF Management Ltd. release fourth-quarter results.
National Energy Board chairman and CEO Peter Watson speaks to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
The CRTC holds a public hearing as part of its review of local and community television.