Six stories in the news today, Feb. 15

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LIBERALS DEFEAT MOTION ON ELECTORAL REFORM

The Liberal government has defeated a motion that accused the government of misleading Canadians on electoral reform and demanded they apologize for the broken promise. The motion sponsored by the NDP was rejected 175 to 129. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised to change the voting system in time for 2019 but has abandoned the idea, arguing consultations did not produce a consensus on change.

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FIREFIGHTERS STILL BATTLING DOWNTOWN TORONTO BLAZE

Firefighters remain on the scene of a massive six-alarm blaze in midtown Toronto. The fire at The Badminton and Racquet Club near the busy intersection of Yong St. and St. Clair Avenue began at about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday and forced the evacuation of surrounding buildings. Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said evacuation orders would be assessed in the morning.

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FATE OF MURDER SUSPECT HEADED FOR JURY

The fate of a man accused of murdering an Alberta couple and their five-year-old grandson will soon be in the hands of a Calgary jury. Douglas Garland, 57, is being tried on three counts of first-degree murder in the June 2014 disappearance of Alvin and Kathy Liknes and Nathan O’Brien. Jurors will be sequestered after Justice David Gates gives them his instructions.

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ALBERTA PLANE CRASH KILLS TWO FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS

Calgary’s Mount Royal University has grounded its school aviation fleet after a crash that killed two of its flight instructors. RCMP said the crash happened Monday afternoon northwest of Cochrane, Alta. The university has identified the pilots as Jeffrey Bird and Reynold Johnson. The university’s aviation program has 60 students.

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AIR INDIA PERJURER RELEASED FROM HALFWAY HOUSE

A man convicted of perjury for his testimony during the trial of two men accused in the 1985 Air India bombing is free to leave a halfway house. Inderjit Singh Reyat wes released from prison last . He was accused of perjury in 2006 for repeatedly lying during his testimony at a trial into the bombing deaths of more than 300 people. In 2010, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Court appearance in Woodstock, Ont,. for former nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer, who is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.

— Sentencing arguments to be heard in the case of ex-Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum on eight corruption-related charges.

— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan participates in the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels.

— Statistics Canada will release the monthly survey of manufacturing for December.

— The Canadian Real Estate Association will release home sales statistics for January.

— Companies releasing financial results today include Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., Barrick Gold Corp. and Cineplex Inc.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Six stories in the news today, Feb. 15

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