Talks to resume with refuellers and an unsolved murder; In The News for Jan. 2

Union spokesman Michel Richer initially said the two sides had agreed to meet the following morning beginning at 10 a.m. But, Swissport Canada said late Wednesday that it had received a call by mediators to “stand by” for the moment and that “we will not be at the table at 10 a.m. tomorrow” for the initial meeting between the union and the mediator.

Nathalie Bergeron, who represents a PR firm speaking on behalf of Swissport, said “there was no question” the company was ready to negotiate today when called upon.

Richer, reached late Wednesday, said “the negotiation process is relaunched.” He said the union would meet the mediators in the morning ahead of the expected resumption of talks with Swissport.

Roughly 100 employees with Swissport Canada, the only supplier of fuel for airlines operating out of Montreal’s cargo airfield in Mirabel and the city’s main airport, Montreal-Trudeau International, walked off the job around 11 a.m. Tuesday, several days after having voted to reject a tentative contract deal.

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Also this …

WINNIPEG — A Manitoba woman is using social media to try to find answers in the unsolved murder of her mother almost 40 years ago.

Denise Pochinko was eight years old when her mother, Jackaleen Dyck, was stabbed repeatedly in her bed in a Winnipeg neighbourhood.

Pochinko says her mother’s vicious death has had a ripple effect in her own life, and she has struggled to find and maintain healthy relationships.

Winnipeg police say officers have worked on the case extensively, but details cannot be shared because it remains an open investigation

Pochinko is reaching out on Facebook to try to find people who may be able to provide clues about Dyck’s slaying.

Pochinko says some former neighbours and friends have contacted her, and she’s learned some personal details about her mom.

She’s also been told about some possible suspects, and has connected with a private investigator.

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ICYMI (in case you missed it) …

WINNIPEG — After days of uncertainty that followed the rescue of a Manitoba stray dog with pellets in her body, metal in her belly and a plastic jar stuck on her head, the group that’s been caring for the beleaguered but friendly pooch says she appears to be improving.

Manitoba Underdogs Rescue has posted on Facebook that the dog — which they’ve been calling Greta — remains in a Winnipeg veterinary hospital, but appears “much brighter and was full of smiles” when a member of the group visited Tuesday.

Last weekend, the group posted an update that the dog had blood in its urine and wasn’t interested in eating, warning that its recovery wasn’t certain.

The latest post says there is still swelling in Greta’s neck from a bite wound, which is believed to have come from other dogs.

RCMP have said police were contacted Boxing Day by a homeowner in a northern community who told them the dog was underneath her deck. Officers cut the plastic jar off the dog and took it to a shelter.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

WASHINGTON — Protesters who had been camped outside the U-S Embassy in Baghdad have withdrawn from the compound after two days of clashes with American forces.

Hundreds of members of an Iranian-backed militia group stormed the embassy on Tuesday in an orchestrated assault, breaking windows, lighting fires and spraying graffiti.

Washington is now sending hundreds of additional troops to the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Iran controls the militias that are blamed for the attack.

Tehran has denied any involvement.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

PERTH, Australia — Thousands of tourists fled Australia’s wildfire-ravaged eastern coast today ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south.

Cooler weather since Tuesday has aided firefighting and allowed people to replenish supplies. Vehicles formed long lines at gas stations and supermarkets, and traffic was gridlocked as highways reopened. But fire conditions were expected to deteriorate Saturday as high temperatures and strong winds return.

Authorities said 381 homes had been destroyed on the New South Wales southern coast this week and at least eight people have died this week in the state and neighbouring Victoria, Australia’s two most-populous states, where more than 200 fires are currently burning.

New South Wales authorities in the morning ordered tourists to leave a 250-kilometre zone along the picturesque south coast. State Transport Minister Andrew Constance said it is the “largest mass relocation of people out of the region that we’ve ever seen.”

In Victoria, where 68 homes have burned this week, the military was helping thousands of people who fled to the shore as a wildfire threatened their homes Tuesday in the coastal town of Mallacoota. Food, water, fuel and medical expertise were being delivered and about 500 people were going to be evacuated from the town by a naval ship.

The early and devastating start to Australia’s summer wildfires has led authorities to rate this season the worst on record. About five million hectares of land have burned, with at least 17 people dead and more than 1,300 homes destroyed.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Talks to resume with refuellers and an unsolved murder; In The News for Jan. 2

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