In the news today, April 27

———

FATHER OF BRONCOS PLAYER WANTS INTERSECTION UPGRADES

The family of Adam Herold, one of the players killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, wants the Saskatchewan government to improve safety at highway intersections and to make that work a priority. The April 6 crash killed 16 people and injured 13. Russ Herold has sent a tweet to Premier Scott Moe on Thursday calling for all dangerous intersections in the province to be fixed. Moe said he’s awaiting RCMP safety recommendations once its investigation is complete.

———

UNIVERSITY STUDENT AMONG VICTIMS OF VAN ATTACK

The University of Toronto confirms one of its students is one of the 10 people killed in the van attack in north-end Toronto on Monday afternoon. The university did not identify the student. At the scene of the crime on Yonge Street, residents continue flocking to a makeshift memorial in honour of the victims. A city-sponsored vigil will he held in Mel Lastman Square on Sunday evening.

———

FREELAND STICKING CLOSE TO NAFTA TALKS

With the NAFTA talks at a critical stage, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is skipping a summit in Europe to stay at the bargaining table in Washington, D.C. Freeland was scheduled to fly to Brussels for the start of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, but an all-out push is underway to get a NAFTA deal by next week.

———

NUTRIEN TO LAY OFF 1,300 IN SASKATCHEWAN

Fertilizer giant Nutrien Ltd. says it will temporarily lay off up to 1,300 workers at two of its potash mines in Saskatchewan. The layoffs are to affect staff at the Vanscoy mine this month and the Allan mine in early May. Nutrien says the layoff is directly related to rail transportation backlogs, the possibility of a Canadian Pacific Railway strike, and growing inventory. The company says the layoffs could last for days or weeks.

———

GOVERNMENT IS LATE ON DEMOCRATIC REFORMS

In a move years in the making, the Trudeau government is expected to finally push forward a raft of promised reforms to election laws next week. But those in the know say it may already be too late to implement them in time for the 2019 federal election. Acting chief electoral officer Stephane Perrault said this week that major changes to election laws should have been enacted by this April if they were intended to apply in the next election.

———

TRUMP THREATENS OPPONENTS OF JOINT WORLD CUP BID

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to withhold support from nations who don’t back the joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico to host the 2026 World Cup. Morocco also has bid to host soccer’s showcase. Trump tweeted: “The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid.” The FIFA Congress meets June 13 in Moscow to select the host.

———

NATIONAL GALLERY NO LONGER AUCTIONING OFF CHAGALL

The National Gallery of Canada says it no longer plans to sell a Marc Chagall painting. The gallery said earlier this month that it would auction off Chagall’s work “The Eiffel Tower” in order to buy a painting by another French artist that otherwise might have left the country. But the Quebec government said it has taken steps to make sure Jacques-Louis David’s masterpiece “Saint Jerome Hears the Trumpet of the Last Judgment” will stay in that province. The National Gallery says given Quebec’s actions, “The Eiffel Tower” no longer needs to be sold.

———

ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc will meet with lobster fishery officials in Moncton.

— The Atlantic Mayors Congress meets in Windsor, N.S.

— A bail hearing is held for Audrey Gagnon, whose two-year-old daughter was found in a Quebec City garbage can.

— Former hostage Joshua Boyle will make a court appearance in Ottawa via video link.

— Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and provincial officials will make a housing announcement.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 27

Pro Tips