By Canadian Press

In the news today: Sentencing for convicted killer, and military sex assault verdict

Aug 28, 2024 | 2:15 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Sentencing hearing for Winnipeg serial killer

Families and supporters of four Indigenous women who died at the hands of a serial killer are expected to address the man for the first time today in a Winnipeg courtroom.

A judge convicted Jeremy Skibicki last month of first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings, which put another spotlight on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

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During the sentencing hearing, families of the women will get a chance to provide victim impact statements.

Verdict expected in military sexual assault trial

An Ottawa judge is expected to deliver a verdict this morning in the sexual assault trial for former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson.

He was the head of military personnel in 2021 when he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman on board a navy ship in 1991.

During the two-week trial in February, the complainant testified that she was 19 years old at the time of the alleged assault, and in the navy’s lowest rank, while Edmundson was an officer.

She told the court she didn’t tell anyone about what happened and only came forward years later.

Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and during his own testimony he denied having any sexual contact with the woman.

Halifax ‘living wage’ estimated at $28.30 an hour

A new report is calling on provincial governments in Atlantic Canada to do more to bridge a gap between what people earn and what they need to pay for their basic needs.

The report by the Nova Scotia office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says that while living wage rates are broadly comparable across the Atlantic region, the cost of living is not.

It defines the “living wage” as the hourly take-home pay — including federal and provincial transfers — that a person needs to pay for things such as rent, clothing, shelter, transportation, health care and basic household expenses.

Co-authored by the centre’s director, Christine Saulnier, and by Russell Williams, a professor at Memorial University, the report studied Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. It says a comparable study for 2024 in New Brunswick is to be released soon by the Human Development Council.

HandyDART workers reject contract offer

Workers at British Columbia’s HandyDART transit service have rejected a final contract offer, and their union says it is now considering its next move.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 has said it would give a 72-hour strike notice if membership voted down the latest offer by Transdev, the contracted operator of HandyDART.

A potential disruption of the door-to-door service was averted Monday, after workers suspended job action to vote on the contract offer.

Local 1724 president Joe McCann called the suspension of job action “a gesture of goodwill” after what the union described as “months of bargaining and escalating job actions” ranging from an overtime ban to refusing to wear uniforms.

Insured losses in Jasper exceed $880M: bureau

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says the wildfire that tore through Jasper is the second-most expensive one in Alberta’s history for insured losses.

It says initial estimates suggest more than $880 million in insured damage was caused by the fire.

The 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., resulted in inflation-adjusted insured losses of $4.4 billion and was the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history.

More than 350 buildings in Jasper were destroyed, representing a third of its structures.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 28, 2024

The Canadian Press