By Canadian Press

Seven stories in the news for Thursday, June 1

Jun 1, 2017 | 2:15 AM

Seven stories in the news for Thursday, June 1

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WETTLAUFER EXPECTED TO PLEAD GUILTY TODAY

A former Ontario nurse accused of killing eight seniors in her care is expected to plead guilty to first-degree murder at a court appearance today. Elizabeth Wettlaufer faces a total of 14 charges, including eight of first-degree murder, four of attempted murder and two of aggravated assault. Police have alleged her crimes involved the use of certain drugs and took place over the last decade in three Ontario long-term care facilities and a private home.

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Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

3h ago

'An awesome, good feeling': National Volunteer Week underway in Medicine Hat

21h ago

Medicine Hat's spring Spectrum Festival returns for 2024

22h ago

BACKLOG THREATENS SEX TOURISM CRACKDOWN

Internal government notes warn that a file-processing backlog at the RCMP could significantly limit the effectiveness of new measures to track Canadians who travel abroad to sexually abuse children. Amendments that took effect Dec. 1 authorize the Mounties to share information about high-risk child sex offenders with the Canada Border Services Agency, but police must first assess thousands of files in the national sex offender registry to determine which ones fall into the high-risk category. Public Safety notes obtained under the Access to Information Act say it’s a task that’s far from done.

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AIR POLLUTION COSTS CANADA BILLIONS 

A new research report says air pollution cost Canadian families an estimated $36 billion in 2015 due to premature death and illness. The report is a compilation of scientific data on all aspects of pollution, from smog to oil spills and fertilizer use. It is being released today by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

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PARENTS URGED TO LIMIT SCREEN TIME FOR YOUNG KIDS

The Canadian Paediatric Society has released its first stand-alone recommendations for how much time children aged five and under should spend in front of a screen. The society is standing by its past statement that kids younger than two years old should completely avoid screen time, and recommending those between two and five should have no more than an hour of screen time per day.

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SOFTWOOD AID PACKAGE EXPECTED TODAY

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr is set to unveil about $1 billion in financial supports for softwood lumber producers and their employees. Cabinet discussed the options for a package May 9, but the federal government wanted more input from the provinces via the special working group Carr established in February. A government source confirms Carr will unveil the details today in Ottawa, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

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VERDICT TODAY IN ONTARIO MALL COLLAPSE CASE 

A discredited former engineer who signed off on the health of a northern Ontario mall just weeks before it collapsed in June 2012 finds out today if he bears any criminal responsibility for the two women who died in the disaster. Robert Wood of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and a third count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. The maximum sentence for criminal negligence causing death is life in prison.

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STARBUCKS LAUNCHES ALCOHOL MENU IN VANCOUVER

Starbucks Canada will begin serving beer and wine today in Vancouver, a year after launching its bar menu at a few locations in Toronto and Ottawa. It’s part of a push by the coffee giant to attract more customers in the late afternoon and evening, rather than just be a stopover for a morning coffee. The company says customers at its newly opened store in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood will be able to choose from six types of wine, two brands of beer and a cider.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls wraps up its first community hearings in Whitehorse.

— The Bank of Canada holds events across the country to mark the entry into circulation of the Canada 150 commemorative $10 bank note

— Mayors from 22 of Canada’s biggest cities gather in Ottawa.

— Derek Hurrell appears in court in Saskatoon on a charge of uttering online threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

— Statistics Canada releases figures on changes in parents’ participation in domestic tasks and care for children from 1986 to 2015.

— Heritage Minister Melanie Joly unveils Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.

— A provincial byelection is held in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for a seat left empty when former Liberal cabinet minister David Orazietti stepped down on Dec. 31.

— Grammy- and Juno Award-winning singer k.d. lang helps announce details in Calgary of a musical instrument lending library program in celebration of Canada 150.

The Canadian Press