Five stories in the news for Wednesday, April 3
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VANCOUVER SUPPORTERS STILL BACK WILSON-RAYBOULD
Supporters of Jody Wilson-Raybould in her Vancouver Granville riding say they’re disappointed by the Liberal government’s decision to eject her from caucus. But they say they would back her in the upcoming election if she ran as an Independent or for a different party. Tracy Beshara, executive director of Marpole Oakridge Family Place, says she has met Wilson-Raybould and she is a woman of “integrity and quality.” Walter Wells, of the community group Vancouver Odd Fellows, says he was astounded by the Liberal MP’s choice to eject Wilson-Raybould. He says he’ll vote against the Liberals in the upcoming election and he still hopes to volunteer for Wilson-Raybould’s campaign, if she runs independently or for a different party.
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SLOW, STEADY PROGRESS FOR BRONCO SURVIVOR
Former Humboldt Broncos player Layne Matechuk isn’t able to say much, but he lights up when the conversation turns to hockey. The 19-year-old from Colonsay, Sask., was one of 13 players injured when the junior hockey team’s bus collided with a semi truck in its path nearly one year ago. Sixteen others died. Matechuk says only a few words about a jacket and hat he was given from NHL Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Matechuk spent a month in a coma with a serious brain injury and had to learn how to talk and walk again. He still has daily therapy appointments and is staying with his family in Saskatoon. Kevin Matechuk says his son wants to improve his speech and hopefully be well enough to play hockey in a rec league next season.
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THIRD CANADIAN CANOLA EXPORTER GETS CHINESE COMPLAINT
A third Canadian canola exporter has received a non-compliance notice from China over quality concerns, the federal agriculture minister said Tuesday, the latest development in an escalating feud with the Asian country. Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed the Chinese government’s complaint to a third, unnamed company as she testified before a parliamentary committee studying a trade dispute that has seen China suspend the canola-seed sale permits of two other Canadian firms. China’s moves to choke off Canadian canola-seed imports have been widely viewed as the superpower applying economic pressure on Canada after the December arrest of senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the United States.
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22ND CASE OF MEASLES IDENTIFIED IN B.C.
Health officials have confirmed a 22nd case of the measles in British Columbia. Seventeen people have been diagnosed with the contagious disease in the Vancouver area since February and two cases each were identified on Vancouver Island and in 100 Mile House, in the southern Cariboo region of B.C. Medical health officer Dr. Shovita Padhi of Fraser Health says the latest case involves a woman who lives between Burnaby and Hope and who acquired the infection overseas, similar to some of the past cases. She declined to say which country the woman had travelled to but says measles outbreaks are occurring in several parts of the world and it’s important to have two doses of the measles vaccine.
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‘JILTED’ BUSINESSMAN LOSES CLAIM AGAINST STARBUCKS
A Nova Scotia businessman who failed to lure Starbucks to a frappuccino-deprived corner of the province has lost his bid to recoup costs from the coffee giant. Gregory Burrows and his company, Robella Holdings, allege Starbucks led them on after he approached them in 2017 about opening a cafe in Pictou County. They took the company to small claims court, seeking $25,000 for loss and damage they say they incurred in their effort to get a contract for a location, including design work. In dismissing the claim, adjudicator Raffi Balmanoukian says the claimants consider themselves jilted suitors. He says while talks may have been encouraging, the claimants went ahead with work that was not required for the application, and they were aware that Starbucks head office had final say.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS:
— Doctors and health professionals in 13 cities across the country will join in a National Day of Action today to call for stronger gun laws in Canada.
— A New Brunswick woman injured in car crash will be in court to argue her insurance company should cover the cost of hip surgery in a private clinic because she faces a four-year wait in the public system.
— An Alberta judge is expected to rule on a request to impose a temporary injunction on an election commission investigation on United Conservative Party leadership donations in 2017.
— HBC will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results for its fourth quarter and financial year.
The Canadian Press
