The Thursday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

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Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

CANADA EU TRADE DEAL APPEARS TO BE A GO: The Belgian government has reached a deal with the holdout region of Wallonia, which means a landmark free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union and Canada could be signed within days. The deal will go through regional legislatures by Friday night and must be vetted again by the other 27 EU states. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is waiting for a call from the office of EU President Donald Tusk with further details. A spokesman for International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada remains ready to sign the agreement when Europe is ready.  

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NATIONAL BANK CUTS HUNDREDS OF JOBS: The National Bank of Canada is cutting 600 jobs over the next year and is offering retirements or a move to other positions to an additional 300 workers. The bank says it will take a restructuring charge of about $128 million after taxes in its fourth quarter. The restructuring plan will also see the bank fill 500 other positions, primarily in sales and information technology jobs to deal with the shift to a digital economy. 

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FOUR COUNTRIES CONTRIBUTE TO CANADIAN-LED NATO FORCE: Canadian troops will have some company when they begin to arrive in Latvia early next year as part of a NATO force. Albania, Italy, Poland and Slovenia are also sending soldiers and equipment to a battle group that Canada is organizing. The Liberal government said in July that Canada would lead one of four multinational NATO forces in Eastern Europe. It is meant to deter recent Russian actions in the region. Canada plans to deploy 450 troops as well as light armoured vehicles and other military equipment.  

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GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR FLANK SPEED IN BUILDING NEW WARSHIPS:  The federal government says there is little flexibility for further delays in building new warships for the navy.  The government says it’s in a race against the clock and wants construction on the new warships to start in Halifax around 2020.  The previous Conservative government promised 15 ships at a cost of $26 billion, but the cost was later revised up to $40 billion. The Liberals have since said they won’t discuss how many ships will be built or the budget until more work is done, a position echoed by officials.

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SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE FUTURE OF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL STORIES:  The Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments on whether the personal accounts of residential school survivors should be destroyed after 15 years.  The High Court said Thursday it would hear the federal government’s appeal of the case.  The government argues it controls the documents and that they are subject to legislation related to privacy, access to information, and archiving. The documents relate to compensation claims made by as many as 30,000 survivors of Indian residential schools — many disturbing accounts of sexual, physical and psychological abuse.

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ARGUMENTS TO BE HEARD NEXT WEEK IN VADER CONVICTION: A prosecutor says an Alberta judge who used an outdated section of the Criminal Code to convict Travis Vader of murder verdict can fix the mistake. Ashley Finlayson said in a submission ahead of next week’s hearing says one option would be to find Vader guilty of manslaughter instead. Justice Denny Thomas convicted Vader of second-degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann. In passing judgment, Thomas used a section of the Criminal Code that was declared unconstitutional in 1990. Vader’s lawyers are pushing for a mistrial, something the Crown is not justified in this situation.

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TRUMP ACCUSES CLINTON OF BEING TOO TOUGH ON PUTIN: Donald Trump is criticizing rival Hillary Clinton for being too tough on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking at a rally in Springfield, Ohio, Trump took issue with Clinton’s criticism of the Russian strongman, who has been denounced for his military assertiveness and anti-democratic tendencies. Trump said: “She speaks very badly of Putin, and I don’t think that’s smart.” Trump has been repeatedly criticized for failing to denounce the Russian leader or Russian hacking.

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INMATES GRUMBLE ABOUT HIGH COST OF PHONE CALLS: Advocates for inmates are unhappy that some Canadian jails are charging exorbitant rates to use the phone. Manitoba jails recently began charging inmates new phone rates, including a $3 flat rate for calls that last up to 15 minutes. That amounts to a day’s pay for a prisoner who has a job on the inside. The calls used to be essentially free. The John Howard Society says once someone is sentenced to jail time they shouldn’t be punished further once they’re inside. Manitoba signed a five-year contract Texas-based Synergy Inmate Phone Solutions which also provides service to jails in half a dozen other provinces.

The Canadian Press