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Seven stories in the news for today, Nov. 8

Nov 8, 2017 | 1:30 AM

Seven stories in the news for Wednesday, Nov. 8

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PM TRUDEAU IN VIETNAM TO TALK TRADE, HUMAN RIGHTS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to strengthen ties in the Asia-Pacific region began today in Vietnam, a fast-growing country with a deep cultural connection for many Canadians. In Hanoi today, Trudeau will meet with the country’s leaders before heading to Ho Chi Minh City for a roundtable with business leaders. Then it’s off to Danang for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, then the Philippines for the annual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

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SHOPPERS OPTIMUM, PC PLUS POINTS TO MERGE

Loblaw Companies Ltd. says it will merge Shoppers Optimum points and PC Plus points under the name PC Optimum starting in February. The food and pharmacy giant says consumers can collect points as usual until Feb. 1, 2018 when Optimum and PC Plus points will be moved to the new program at equal value.

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NATIONAL PLAN FOR CLEANER FUEL DELAYED

The single biggest element of Canada’s national emissions reduction plan might not be unveiled on time. A year ago, the federal government said a national clean fuels standard to reduce harmful emissions. A discussion paper came in February followed by and consultations with other governments and industry, but Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will no longer commit to unveiling the framework before Christmas.

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THREE PER CENT OF PEOPLE SURVEYED CAN NAME CYBERSPY AGENCY

A new survey suggests the Communications Security Establishment is still little known to Canadians. On an unaided basis, just three per cent of respondents correctly named “CSE” or the “Communications Security Establishment” as the government agency responsible for intercepting and analyzing foreign communications and helping protect the government’s computer networks, the survey report says.

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B.C. GROUP TESTING APP FOR SEX WORKER SAFETY

An outreach group supporting vulnerable women in British Columbia is hoping a cellphone app designed to monitor remote workers in resource industries will help keep sex workers safe. Hope Outreach, which provides support to homeless and exploited women in Kelowna, is partnering with the makers of YodelMe on a pilot project to make the app available to sex workers and other vulnerable women in the Okanagan.

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DEFEATED MONTREAL MAYOR TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE

Outgoing Montreal mayor Denis Coderre will hold a news conference this morning, three days after his election defeat. The former Liberal MP and cabinet minister has already said he is leaving municipal politics. Coderre, who was elected mayor in 2013, lost to Valerie Plante, the first woman to be elected mayor of the Quebec metropolis.

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ATHLETES, FANS MOURN DEATH OF ROY HALLADAY

Fellow baseball players, other pro athletes and fans have flooded social media to express their grief over the death of Roy Halladay. He died yesterday when his small sport plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Halladay, the 40-year-old former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher, had been the proud owner for less than a month of his ICON A5 aircraft. He played 12 seasons in Toronto before being traded to Philadelphia in late 2009.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release preliminary housing start data for October.

— National inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls holds a community hearing in Edmonton.

— The Fraser Institute will release a study on how the federal government’s tax changes have affected lower-income families.

— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is in France to takes part in events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.

— Statistics Canada releases building permits for September and the provincial and territorial economic accounts for 2016.

— Nova Scotia Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey makes an announcement related to opioid use.

 

The Canadian Press