By Canadian Press

Climate, an NHL survivor and a double-double dilemma; In-The-News for Sept. 25

Sep 25, 2019 | 3:33 AM

In-The-News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Sept. 25.

What we are watching in Canada …

A new report from an international scientific panel concludes that damage to Earth’s oceans and glaciers from climate change is outpacing the ability of governments to protect them.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concludes that if nothing improves, the effects will be severe — and Canada will not escape.

Arctic communities will be most directly affected.

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“The shrinking cryosphere in the Arctic and high-mountain areas has led to predominantly negative impacts on food security, water resources, water quality, livelihoods, health and well-being, infrastructure, transportation, tourism and recreation, as well as culture of human societies, particularly for Indigenous peoples,” the report says.  

By 2060 — within the lifetime of about half of Canadians now living — coastal floods off British Columbia and the Maritimes that used to occur once a century will be annual events, it says. Water availability across Western Canada will also be disrupted.

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Also this …

OTTAWA— British Columbia is the centre of attention.

Three federal party leaders will be in the province today.

NDP’s Jagmeet Singh meets with Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will begin his day in Delta, B.C., where he’s expected to make another announcement on the environment before flying back east to a rally in Thunder Bay, Ont.

And People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier begins a western tour with an appearance at the Surrey, B.C. board of trade.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is campaigning in Quebec and Green Leader Elizabeth May is to reveal the financials behind her party’s platform in Halifax.

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ICYMI (In case you missed it) …

A southern Alberta man is facing a lawsuit after he shot at two people he believed were stealing from his property.

A statement of claim says Ryan Watson entered Edouard Maurice’s property near Okotoks, south of Calgary, on Feb. 25, 2018. It says that when he and an accomplice were discovered, Maurice fired a warning shot that hit Watson’s arm.

The statement says Watson required surgery, which included putting a metal plate in his arm, and that he has pain and discomfort in his shoulders, head, neck and back. He also suffers from severe fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the document says.

The suit alleges Maurice was negligent. The allegation has not been proven in court and no statement of defence has been filed.

Maurice was originally charged with aggravated assault and weapons offences, but the case was stayed.

Watson pleaded guilty to mischief and breaching probation.  He is seeking damages for pain and suffering and for loss of income.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

A formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump was launched yesterday.

This marks the fourth time in American history that a formal impeachment inquiry is set to begin for a sitting president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched the inquiry yielding to mounting pressure from fellow Democrats.

The impeachment inquiry sets up the party’s most direct and consequential confrontation with the president, injects deep uncertainty into the 2020 election campaign and tests anew the nation’s constitutional system of checks and balances.  

Trump, who thrives on combat, has all but dared Democrats to take this step, confident that the spectre of impeachment led by the opposition party will bolster rather than diminish his political support.

Meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, he previewed his defence in an all-caps tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!”

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson zipped across the pond on a speedy Royal Air Force jet bringing with him his vision of a post-Brexit “Global Britain” to the United Nations.

Then he sat on the tarmac for more than an hour.

The annual gathering can be a daunting experience for new leaders.

But for Johnson it could have been something of a respite.

It is a chance to leave the melodrama of Britain’s stalled departure from the European Union behind for 72 hours, show a Brexit-befuddled world that Britain is still a serious global player and cement his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that Johnson acted illegally when he suspended Parliament just weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU on Oct. 31. The 11 justices ruled the suspension “unlawful, void and of no effect.”

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On this day in 2000 …

Roy Romanow, then 61, announced he was leaving politics after 35 years, the last nine of them at the helm as premier of Saskatchewan.

He was later succeeded by Lorne Calvert.

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Weird and wild …

FREDERICTON — The City of Fredericton will wait a little longer to make a decision on its double-double dilemma.

Council voted this week to hold off on spending $40,000 on roadway changes to redirect motorists clogging traffic near a busy Tim Hortons.

The proposal would involve construction of a traffic circle at the end of the street and a bylaw prohibiting left turns into the restaurant’s drive-thru.

But the larger underlying question, says Coun. John MacDermid, is whether taxpayers or businesses should foot the bill when responding to inconveniences caused by restaurant patrons.

The New Brunswick’s capital is the latest Canadian municipality forced to contend with safety, environmental and traffic concerns caused by restaurant drive-thrus.

A 2018 study by public health researchers at the University of Alberta found 27 Canadian municipalities adopted partial or full bans on fast food drive-thru service between 2002 and 2016. The reasons cited included community aesthetics and safety, traffic issues, litter, noise and concerns about air pollution. 
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Your money …

When Canadians seek medical attention for broken bones or emergency appendectomies, the country’s health care system allows most to head to the hospital and be looked after without the burden of a big bill.

But filling a prescription, seeing an optometrist or going to the dentist for a checkup all come with a price tag passed along to patients.

Jessica Moorhouse, a 33-year-old personal finance blogger, says those without additional health-care coverage should work out how much their typical health expenses would cost in cash versus paying an insurance provider for that extra health care.

People who require pricey prescriptions or a high level of medical attention not covered by the government might find signing up for a health care plan is a better value than paying out of pocket, but the opposite might be true for people who have few medical needs.

“Health coverage beyond what’s included in Canada’s medical system may not be necessary for everyone, so you really need to look at your situation right now and also consider what you may require in the future in terms of health care,” Moorhouse says.

If you decide that a plan is right for you, Moorhouse recommends putting aside plenty of time for research. Alternatively, you could go via a broker who will find you the best price and policy.

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Celebrity buzz …

“Survivor” is getting its first Canadian.

Former NHL defenceman Tom Laidlaw is among the 20 castaways facing off in the new edition of the long-running show, which launches today.

Laidlaw, 61, has a 10-year on-ice career with the New York Rangers in 1980, and the Los Angeles Kings in 1986.

Originally from Brampton, Ont., he now lives in Greenwich, Conn.

His “Survivor” bio lists his pet peeves as “people driving slow in the fast lane” and says the three words that describe him are: disciplined, dedicated, and stubborn.

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The game we play …

FREDERICTON —  A new record for the longest punt in Canadian university football history — 114 yards — has now been recognized more than half a century after it occurred.

The kick, by Thomas Pinckard of the University of New Brunswick, was launched on Sept. 24, 1966 in a game between the Red Bombers and Saint Dunstan’s University, which would later become the University of Prince Edward Island.

Pinckard booted the football from his team’s 21-yard line and it bounced over the heads of the Saint Dunstan’s kick returners, across the goal line and out the back of the 25-yard end zone at UNB’s College Field.

“I knew I’d hit it well the minute I hit it,” the 75-year-old Pinckard says.

The university said the kick was recorded at the time as 89 yards.

However, after a comprehensive review that included analysis of College Field blueprints and sworn affidavits from Red Bombers teammates and the game’s official timer, the Fredericton school says the governing body of university sports in Canada now recognizes Pinckard’s punt travelled 114 yards — 13 yards longer than the previous national record.

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The Canadian Press