Six stories in the news for Monday, Sept. 24
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CAPITAL RESIDENTS RETURN TO TORNADO RUBBLE
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has pledged the province’s full support to Ottawa residents recovering from Friday’s tornadoes. He made the promise Sunday after arriving in Dunrobin, the Ottawa neighbourhood hardest hit by a pair of tornadoes that snapped power lines and levelled homes. Accompanied by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Ford said it was heartbreaking to see the damage first-hand, and he praised the resilience of local residents, many of whom were seeing their smashed properties for the first time.
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N.B. VOTERS HEAD TO THE POLLS TODAY
New Brunswick voters go to the polls today in a provincial election that appears to be a tight race between the incumbent Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives. Liberal Leader Brian Gallant is looking to become the first New Brunswick premier to win a second term since 2003. Going into the election campaign the Liberals held 24 seats and the Progressive Conservatives 21, while there was one Green, one Independent and two vacancies.
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ALLEGED FREDERICTON SHOOTER TO APPEAR IN COURT
A Fredericton man, accused of killing four people, including two city police officers, in a shooting spree last month makes his second court appearance today. Matthew Vincent Raymond, 48, faces four counts of murder in the deaths of Const. Sara Burns, Const. Robb Costello, Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright. Court documents say the incident ended after police shot the alleged gunman in the abdomen.
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WETTLAUFER INQUIRY TO HEAR FROM VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
Families of victims and a woman who was almost killed by an Ontario nurse will speak for the first time today in St. Thomas, Ont., at a public inquiry into the serial-killer case. Elizabeth Wettlaufer is serving a life sentence after confessing to killing eight patients with insulin overdoses and attempting to kill four others at long-term care facilities and private homes in Ontario. The closing submissions are expected to provide insight into the impact her crimes had on the victims’ families.
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DECISION EXPECTED IN MILLARD’S 3RD MURDER TRIAL
A decision is expected today in the case of a man accused of killing his father. Dellen Millard, 32, of Toronto, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 71-year-old Wayne Millard, whose death was initially deemed a suicide. The Crown alleges the younger Millard killed his father over his potential inheritance. The defence claims Wayne Millard’s death was a suicide.
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CITIES MAKING FISCAL POWER PLAY AHEAD OF 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION
Canada’s cities believe they will finally land easier and direct access to federal dollars in next year’s budget, or at least wrest a platform pledge from parties in the 2019 election. A pre-budget submission from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities asks the Liberals to end the buffet of application-based programs, and instead put the money into predetermined, annual payment programs. And the cities vow to make their financial concerns an election issue if they don’t get their way.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS:
— Halifax trial of Darren Smalley and Simon Radford, accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Halifax-area military base.
— Statistics Canada releases wholesale trade data for July.
— Rally outside Saudi embassy in Ottawa to call on Saudi officials to release women who advocated the right to drive in the country.
— The International Pipeline Conference opens in Calgary.
— Johnathan Ryann Gunville to appear in North Battleford, Sask., court on charges stemming from Sept. 16 Amber Alert.
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