In the news today, April 1

Starting today people in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick will pay a little more for gasoline, heating fuel and some other items. Ottawa’s carbon tax is kicking in for provinces that refused to impose their own carbon pricing system. The tax adds 4.4 cents to the price of a litre of gasoline and about four cents to a cubic metre of natural gas. It also drives up the cost of propane, butane, aviation fuel and other goods, and is set to increase every year until 2022. But the federal government is also instituting tax rebates that it says will give people back the extra money they’re paying out.

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ALBERTA NDP RELEASES ELECTION PLATFORM

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley promised to balance the province’s budget by 2023-24 as she unveiled her party’s election platform Sunday. She also pledged to expand $25 per day child care, build long-term care beds for seniors and construct new schools. Notley’s date for balancing the books is a year later than what’s promised by her principal rival, United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney. But Notley says Kenney’s math doesn’t add up. Voting day is set for April 16.

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CASE OF VAN ATTACK SUSPECT DUE IN COURT

The case of the man accused of killing 10 people by mowing them down with a van on a busy sidewalk in north Toronto is due in court today. Alek Minassian, of Richmond Hill, Ont., faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in the attack last year. The 26-year-old’s trial is scheduled for next February. In the meantime, the Crown and defence are continuing their judicial pre-trial discussions.

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A YEAR OF PAIN AFTER BRONCOS BUS CRASH

A year of dealing with lives lost and futures changed won’t end on the first anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash this coming weekend. Russ Herold lost his son last spring and says he only faces another year of devastation and loss. Sixteen people died and 13 were injured when the driver of a semi-trailer ran a stop sign and collided with the junior hockey team’s bus last April 6th. Mental-health professionals say many families are likely still suffering from P-T-S-D-like symptoms.

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FIRST RESPONDERS REFLECT ON BRONCOS CRASH

First responders say the Humboldt Broncos bus crash has changed their outlook on life. Tisdale Fire Chief Brian Sarkell says his stomach drops whenever he approaches the highway intersection where the junior hockey team’s bus was hit by a semi-trailer last April 6. Many firefighters took leave after the crash and some still haven’t returned to work. Jessica Brost, general manager of North East emergency medical services, says first responders will always remember the awful sights, sounds and smells of the crash, and it’s important for them to share their experiences.

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‘ANNE WITH AN E,’ ‘CARDINAL’ WIN BIG AT CSAs

TV dramas and debut features by women scored big at the Canadian Screen Awards. The CBC series “Anne with an E” and the CTV detective drama “Cardinal: Blackfly Season” won two awards each at Sunday’s hostless show broadcast from Toronto’s Sony Centre of Performing Arts. They led the TV pack with a total of seven trophies apiece after a week of galas. Best comedy series went to “Schitt’s Creek,” resulting in a total of four awards for the week, including an acting nod for Catherine O’Hara’s portrayal of eccentric matriarch Moira.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer heads to Upper Letang, New Brunswick to talk about the carbon tax.

— PEI’s Green Party launches its 2019 election platform in Hampton.

— The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians holds an Ottawa conference to talk about federal treaty rights.

— Court appearance in Regina for five teenage boys facing sex assault and child porn charges.

— Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes a policy announcement on health care in Coquitlam, B.C.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 1

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