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Four stories in the news today, Feb. 8

Feb 8, 2017 | 2:00 AM

Four stories in the news for Wednesday, Feb. 8

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BOMBARDIER WELCOMES FEDERAL MONEY

Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare says he welcomes federal support even though his company did not get the one-billion dollars it wanted from the government. The transportation giant will instead get $372.5 million in repayable loans over four years. Bellemare says it will help ensure Canada remains at the centre of Bombardier’s research and development activities.

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CABINET MINISTERS VISIT WASHINGTON

The Trudeau government’s ongoing full-court press on the Trump administration continues today, with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland meeting in Washington with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Freeland, who met with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan yesterday, will be joined in D.C. by Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has already completed his trip to the U.S capital.

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STATSCAN RELEASES CENSUS DATA

Statistics Canada will release the first batch of data today from the 2016 census. Today’s release, which will include the population as of May 10, helps determine how much money Ottawa transfers to provinces and cities for services like health care and infrastructure. It’s the first of seven batches of census data to be released this year.

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TOWN WANTS FEDERAL HELP FOR BORDER CROSSERS

The head of a Manitoba community is seeking federal help to deal with an influx of refugees from the U.S. Reeve Greg Janzen says the municipality of Emerson-Franklin is getting overwhelmed, and he’ll be sending a bill to Ottawa. Last weekend alone, 22 people braved the elements to cross the border from North Dakota into Emerson-Franklin.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— The National Council of Canadian Muslims holds an Ottawa news conference in response to the Quebec mosque attack.

— Government officials hold technical briefing on problems with the Phoenix pay system.

— Rohinie Bisesar, accused in 2015 stabbing death in Toronto’s underground network of shops, is due in Ontario Superior Court.

— Court appearance for Renata Ford, Rob Ford’s widow, on impaired driving charges.

— Cross-country federal consultations on how to make a more accessible Canada for people with disabilities wrap up in Toronto. 

The Canadian Press