Last of victim impact statements submitted in Humboldt Broncos trial
The last of 75 victim impact statements have been submitted in court in Melfort, Saskatchewan at the sentencing hearing for the truck driver who pleaded guilty in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
Paul and TanyaLaBelle of Sasktoon are the parents of a hockey player who was misidentified after the crash and who only learned that their son hadn’t been killed while they were attending a vigil honouring him and others who died. It isn’t clear if truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu will address the court.
Canada withdrawing staff from Cuba due to illness
Canada is pulling more of its embassy staff out of Cuba after a 14th Canadian fell ill with an unexplained illness in Havana.
A source says Global Affairs is looking at reducing its diplomatic presence by half, leaving only eight people in the embassy to deliver only essential consular services. The Mounties are leading the investigation into the cause of the mysterious illness.
Netflix condemned by MPs for using footage from Lac-Megantic disaster
MPs have passed a unanimous motion condemning Netflix for using images of the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster in two fictional dramas, the hit movie “Bird Box” and the series “Travelers.”
They are demanding Netflix remove the images and that it compensate the community for using the disaster for entertainment purposes with no concern for the trauma it would cause to survivors and victims’ families. Netflix has apologized for using the images, saying it was not aware of the source of the footage, but has refused to remove the images from “Bird Box.”
Canada to pay more to be part of fighter jet program
The price tag for the F-35 fighter jet development program is about to cost Canada more.
As a partner in the program, the federal government is expected to pay an amount based on the number of the stealth-fighters it’s expecting to buy. A Defence Department spokesperson notes that when the Trudeau government increased the country’s intended fleet size from 65 to 88 planes, the cost of participating in the development program increased as well.