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In the news today, Nov. 27

Nov 27, 2018 | 1:30 AM

Six stories in the news for Monday, Nov. 26

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ROTATING POSTAL STRIKES TO END TODAY

Mail service will resume all across the country at noon today after the Senate passed legislation ordering an end to five weeks of rotating strikes by postal workers. Royal assent was granted late Monday shortly after senators approved Bill C-89 by a vote of 53-25. Four senators abstained. The government had deemed passage of the bill to be urgent due to the economic impact of continued mail disruptions during the busy holiday season. It rushed the bill through the House of Commons last week.

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GM CUTS: BLAME TECH, NOT TRUMP, EXPERTS SAY 

Donald Trump’s tariff battles with Canada, Mexico, China and Europe have inflated the cost of steel, making it more expensive to build cars in North America. But General Motors’ decision to close factories and lay off thousands of people is more about tactics than the balance sheet, say trade observers and automotive industry experts. The company is placing a substantial bet on a future dominated by three high-tech trends that have been upending the world of the internal-combustion engine: electric vehicles, mobility services like ride-hailing apps, and cars and trucks that are capable of driving themselves.

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NOVA SCOTIA GROUP RALLIED BEHIND GRIEVING FAMILY

A woman who has gone through loss of her own is coming to the aid of the parents of a young girl who died in a Christmas parade accident in Yarmouth, N.S. The small town of 7,000 people was left devastated when four-year-old MaCali Cormier died Saturday night after she fell under the wheels of a float during the annual Parade of Lights. Sarah Robicheau says she understands the intense pain the loss of a child can bring, after experiencing a stillbirth in 2012 and the loss of an infant to SIDS just two years later. Robicheau has since started a local group called Anchor for Hope, which provides support for parents who have lost children.

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PAROLE HEARING FOR WOMAN BEHIND RENGEL KILLING

A young woman who sexually blackmailed her boyfriend into killing a 14-year-old girl she saw as a rival more than a decade ago is set to appear before the Parole Board of Canada today. Melissa Todorovic was convicted in 2009 for masterminding the murder of Stefanie Rengel, a girl she had never met but who became the focus of her jealousy. Rengel had briefly dated Todorovic’s then-boyfriend, David Bagshaw, years earlier and Todorovic threatened to break up with him or withhold sex unless he killed his former flame. He eventually carried out her command, stabbing Rengel six times and leaving her to die in a snowbank outside her house on New Year’s Day, 2008.

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WIRELESS GROUP CALLS FOR FAVOURABLE REGULATIONS

Canada’s wireless telecom companies need a regulatory environment that will encourage about $26 billion worth of investments in networks over the next seven years, the head of the industry’s trade association said Monday. Former P.E.I premier Robert Ghiz, who is now CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, told a Toronto audience that the industry is pleased with a provision contained in the federal government’s fall mini-budget. He said Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s increases to the capital cost allowance — which determines how quickly companies get to write down investments in longer-term equipment — will make it easier to invest in wireless networks.

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BECCA SCHOFIELD TO GET ORDER OF NEW BRUNSWICK

A young New Brunswick girl who inspired people around the world to perform random acts of kindness will be honoured posthumously today with the Order of New Brunswick. Becca Schofield died in February at the age of 18 — two years after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her movement on social media, with the hashtag #BeccaToldMeTo, quickly went viral and inspired ongoing acts of compassion and generosity. Schofield is one of 11 recipients of the award this year who are being recognized for their work in the arts, sports, community, health and justice.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— The trial of Dennis Oland resumes today. Oland was charged in 2013 with the second-degree murder of his father, a multi-millionaire businessman and member of the prominent Maritime beer-brewing family.

— The First Nations Self-Government Summit will feature a series of best practice presentations from across the country to highlight a pathway to independent nationhood in Mi’kma’ki.

— Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to make an major investment announcement today in London, Ont., at Maple Leaf Foods.

— Edward Downey, 48, will stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sara Baillie and her daughter Taliyah Marsman in the summer of 2016.

— Minister of Finance Bill Morneau will participate in an armchair discussion at an event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

The Canadian Press