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In the news today, May 7

May 7, 2018 | 2:30 AM

Six stories in the news for Monday, May 7

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NEW BRUNSWICK FLOODING RAISING HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS

Water levels are expected to continue rising in southern New Brunswick over the next few days — and with them, concerns about health and safety. Emergency officials are warning people about potential contamination from sewage systems that have been compromised by flooding. They say people need to be mindful of the health risks posed by sewage contamination, including infections and gastrointestinal illness.

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TEST OF MOBILE EMERGENCY SYSTEM BEGINS TODAY

Mobile devices across Canada will be buzzing a little more than usual this week as emergency management officials test a new national public alert system. Test signals are to be sent to millions of mobile users in Quebec around mid-morning today and across Ontario in mid-afternoon. Cellphones, tablets and other devices will receive the signal in most of the rest of the country on Wednesday. Radio and TV stations will also run the tests.

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MOURNERS ATTEND VISITATION FOR TORONTO VAN ATTACK VICTIM

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a chapel Sunday to sing songs and say prayers in remembrance of one of the 10 people killed in last month’s van attack in north Toronto. Renuka Amarasingha, 45, was an active member of Toronto’s Sri Lankan community and a single mother who leaves behind a seven-year-old son. A eulogy delivered at the visitation described her as an incredibly generous person who lived for her son.

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B.C. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO SUFFERED DEPRESSION NOW HELPING OTHERS

Students at three Vancouver high schools are educating their peers about depression after struggling with their own mental health. Ashley Currie, a former youth worker, says she’s trained about 70 students at three high schools in public speaking about depression, suicide and related topics. The long-term plan for the project is to expand training to every high school in the city over the next five years.

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FATHER OF DEATH ROW INMATE RONALD SMITH HAD FINAL WISH  

Ronald Smith’s father still had a bedroom and a vintage car waiting for the day his son might come home to Alberta from the Montana prison where he’s been on death row for 35 years. But Nelson Smith will never know if Ronald, who pleaded guilty to two murders, will ever sleep in his old bed or take the mint 1948 Chrysler out for a spin. Smith died last month just weeks after voicing what would be his final wish — to see his son beat the death penalty.

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RED TAPE THREATENS GROWING ARCTIC SPACE INDUSTRY

Years of federal bureaucratic delay may cost the North millions of dollars in investment in an emerging high-tech industry. A Norwegian company has been waiting since 2016 for Ottawa to grant an operating licence for a satellite ground receiving station in Inuvik, N.W.T. The delay has limited services the company can provide to its increasingly restive clients, and its partner is now considering moving the lucrative business.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Halifax trial for taxi driver Farset Mohammad, who pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a female passenger.

— Federal government ministers in Montreal to provide an update on irregular border crossings.

— International trade and tourism ministers make infrastructure funding announcement in Trois-Rivieres, Que.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prince Albert II of Monaco discuss environmental issues in Ottawa.

— Grand opening of the Panda Passage exhibit at the Calgary Zoo.

— GEWEX, the Global Energy and Water Exchanges project, holds its 8th annual Science Conference in Canmore, Alta.

— 3,500-year-old bust of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut arrives in Victoria before the Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs exhibition opens to the public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canadian Press