The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Highlights from the news file for Friday, March 17

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CITIES TO GET BILLIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING:  The federal government is expected to provide close to $12.6 billion to address municipal concerns about affordable housing. The Canadian Press has learned that the Trudeau government will make affordable housing a key theme in its budget to be handed down next week. The minister in charge of doling out the money, Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, declined to comment on what’s in next week’s budget.

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ONE DEAD IN SMALL PLANE COLLISION: One person is dead after two small planes collided over a bustling Quebec shopping mall on Friday. The identity of the victim and the conditions of the injured were not clear. One of the planes crashed on the roof of a building while the other slammed into a parking lot.  The Transportation Safety Board says both planes were Cessna 152 aircraft operated by Cargair, a pilot-training academy based in nearby Longueuil. The pilot of the other plane was seriously injured.

closing arguments

Crown refutes self-defence claims for Nanaimo woman on trial for murder/dismembering ex-boyfriend

3h ago

rental rules

Thousands of short-term rentals go back to long-term May 1: B.C. government

6h ago

sweet sounds

Nanaimo woman tries to coax trapped killer calf out of tidal lagoon with her violin

11h ago

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CANADIAN CHARGED IN YAHOO HACKING TO HAVE BAIL HEARING: A bail hearing will be held next month for a Canadian arrested in connection with a massive hack of Yahoo emails.  Karim Baratov, 22, maintains his innocence and will try to be freed on bail April 5th.  Baratov and three others were indicted by a California grand jury this week. He was arrested at the request of American authorities on Tuesday.

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MONTREAL MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE TO SEEK BAIL: A lawyer for a Montreal man charged with killing his wife says the courts will have to decide whether the allegations constituted murder or assisted death. Elfriede-Andree Duclervil says she intends to seek bail for Michel Cadotte at a hearing set for next month.  Cadotte was charged with second-degree murder in February, a day after Jocelyne Lizotte was discovered in cardiac arrest at a long-term care facility. Duclervil said one thinks of compassion and dignity when talking about assisted death, something that is absent in murder.

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MUDSLINGING BREAKS OUT IN CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE:  The Conservative leadership race has taken a nasty turn with the two men believed to be the frontrunners hammering each other.  O’Leary issued a news release Thursday accusing an unidentified campaign of using untraceable prepaid credit cards to sign up “fake” party members without their knowledge. Sources say Bernier’s campaign is the alleged culprit and the party is now investigating the allegations. Bernier counterattacked Friday calling O’Leary a “loser” who knows he has been out-classed in terms of memberships and fundraising.

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ALBERTA CONSERVATIVES SELECT NEW LEADER:  Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives pick a new leader Saturday. Former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney campaigned on a plan to seek a new coalition with the other right-of-centre party Wildrose.  Kenney has been the centre of attention since he launched his campaign last summer, months before the race officially opened.

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GREAT LAKES COMMUNITIES IRATE OVER WHITE HOUSE FUNDING PROPOSAL:  Politicians on both sides of the border are expressing outrage over the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate all funding for a program protecting the Great Lakes from environmental harm. A coalition of Canadian and American mayors representing Great Lakes communities has denounced the move, calling it morally reprehensible.

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BALLOON RIDER APOLOGIZES FOR STUNT:  A man who strapped more than 100 helium balloons to a lawn chair and soared above the Calgary Stampede grounds apologized for the danger he caused, but said he doesn’t regret his actions. Daniel Boria was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in December to dangerous operation of an aircraft. Floating into Calgary airspace in July 2015 was part of a publicity stunt for his cleaning company and earned him the nickname “balloonatic.”

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FUNERAL TO BE HELD FOR MILITARY VETERAN RUN DOWN LAST WEEKEND:  A military veteran who died in what police are calling a hit and run in Cape Breton will be laid to rest Saturday. Ida LeLievre says her cousin, Jackie Deveau, was struck by a car on Highway 125 near Sydney last Saturday, only two days after checking himself into Cape Breton Regional Hospital for psychological care. Le Lievre says the family wants to know how he wound up walking on a highway near the hospital where he was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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TRUMP SAYS ALLIES ‘MUST PAY WHAT THEY OWE’: U.S. President Donald Trump says he told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he has “strong support” for NATO but that allies “must pay what they owe.” Trump, making his first appearance with Merkel, opened their White House news conference Friday by saying that “many nations owe vast sums of money” and that situation is “very unfair to the United States.” Trump said these nations need “to pay their fair share” in order to receive the promise of defence from the rest of the alliance. The president has long complained that the U.S. shoulders too much of the burden of the cost of the alliance, which now comprises 28 nations.

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The Canadian Press