Five stories in the news today, Dec. 16

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TWO PROVINCES CONFIDENT HEALTH DEAL IS CLOSE

A pair of provincial finance ministers say they are optimistic that a long-awaited deal with Ottawa on a new health-care funding framework is close. The Trudeau government is set to meet the provinces and territories on Monday to hash out a new health accord and funding formula. The two sides appear to be many billions of dollars apart but both the Quebec and Saskatchewan finance ministers say they believe a deal is near.

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AUTHORITIES PROBE SASK. PRISON RIOT

Police and the Correctional Service of Canada are investigating a riot at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary this week that left one inmate dead, eight injured and a large part of the institution uninhabitable. The dead inmate, Jason Leonard Bird, was 43 and had been serving a sentence of two years and seven months since February for break and enter and theft convictions.

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SKI OWNERS DREAMING OF BIG BUCKS

An early snowfall and the weak Canadian dollar are giving ski resort owners dreams of profits this year. The senior vice-president for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies says hotel and skiing packages booked by U.S. customers at its four Alberta and B.C. resorts are up 80 per cent over the same time last year.

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COMPANIES OPTING FOR WHITE NOISE FOR REVERSING VEHICLES

B.C.’s worker safety agency says the beep-beep backup alarm for vehicles is going out of fashion. WorkSafeBC says more employers are opting for a white-noise broadband alarm which emits a sound that is more focused in an area where people may be at risk. The agency says people tend to ignore conventional back-up alarms when they’re used to hearing them so much.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Five stories in the news today, Dec. 16

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