By Canadian Press

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

Aug 17, 2016 | 2:55 PM

Highlights from the news file for Wednesday, Aug. 17.

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FEDS PONDER MANDATORY PEACE BOND COUNSELLING: The Liberal government is looking at making counter-radicalization counselling mandatory for people under anti-terrorism peace bonds. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale floated the idea one week after jihadi sympathizer Aaron Driver was killed by police in Strathroy, Ont. Driver, 24, was under a court-ordered peace bond intended to limit his activities but he was able to obtain explosives, plan an apparent attack and film a martyrdom video. Police got wind of his plans through a tip from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and intercepted him as he was leaving his southwestern Ontario home in a taxi.

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GOODALE URGES TALK ON POLICE AND PASSWORDS: The federal public safety minister says Canadians need to consider how far police should be allowed to go in accessing their electronic devices and communications. Ralph Goodale says a federal review of cybersecurity will provide a chance to discuss a proposal from Canada’s police chiefs for a new law that would compel people to hand over passwords with a judge’s consent. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says the measure is needed to fight criminals in cyberspace who increasingly use tools to hide their identities and communications.

time served

Nanaimo man caught with over 30g of illicit drugs avoids additional jail time

11h ago

big return

Senior women's box lacrosse returns to Nanaimo after 10+ year absence

11h ago

environmental impacts

Accidental pump activation causes minor oil slick in Nanaimo marina

13h ago

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CHINESE IMMIGRANTS NEEDED ACROSS CANADA, SAYS MCCALLUM: Canada’s immigration minister says the country needs more newcomers, but as housing prices skyrocket in Vancouver and Toronto the government hopes to attract them to other cities. John McCallum recently returned from China where he lobbied officials to double or even triple the number of visa application centres in the country, in an effort to court Chinese students, workers and visitors. He says Canada’s aging population means more young blood is needed, but the government wants to spread immigrants relatively evenly across the country, using tools such as a pilot program to attract newcomers to Atlantic Canada.

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PROMINENT WOMEN STILL WAITING FOR NAMES ON BUILDINGS: The federal government has a list of 29 prominent Canadian women it thinks deserve to have buildings named in their honour. So far, not one has been chosen, but the Public Works Department says the list remains available for future use. The list was prepared for more than four years ago and features historic female figures such as women’s rights activist Nellie McClung, former Supreme Court justice Bertha Wilson and nuclear physicist Harriet Brooks.

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DISCUSS ’60S SCOOP: Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says she’d like to see a lawsuit over the ’60s Scoop taken out of court and discussed at a table. The scoop between the 1960s and the 1980s saw thousands of aboriginal children taken from their homes by child-welfare services and placed with non-aboriginal families. Bennett said she is open to finding a solution to legal cases over the scoop.

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CASE OF TEENS ACCUSED OF SHARING INTIMATE IMAGES IMPORTANT, SAYS PROSECUTOR: A prosecutor says the “large-scale” case of six teenaged boys accused of keeping intimate photos on a Dropbox account will be an early test of a law designed to combat the unwanted online sharing of naked images. Outside youth court in Bridgewater, N.S., Crown prosecutor Leigh-Ann Bryson said it was the first time that her region has laid charges of distributing intimate images without consent against a group of youths. It’s an important trial both in Nova Scotia and nationally as case law is still being developed for the law passed March 10, 2015, she said.

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NWT TO PROBE DEATH OF ELDER CALLED DRUNK WHEN HAVING STROKE: The Northwest Territories has promised an independent investigation into the death of an aboriginal elder assumed to be drunk when he was suffering from a stroke. Hugh Papik, a 67-year-old Inuvialuit man from Aklavik in the northwest corner of the territory, suffered the stroke Aug. 3. His niece said she found out about what happened when staff at the elder’s home called her saying her uncle was drunk on the floor. Papik was removed from life support last week.

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TRUDEAU, OTHER MPS PAY TRIBUTE TO LONGTIME MP MAURIL BELANGER: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other MPs gathered on Parliament Hill to pay tribute to Mauril Belanger, a Liberal member of Parliament for more than two decades. Belanger, 61, died Tuesday after a fight with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Trudeau was among those signing a condolence book set up at the House of Commons, writing that Belanger’s legacy would continue to inspire. Belanger had hoped to be elected Speaker after last fall’s election, but he was forced to withdraw from the race after being diagnosed with ALS.

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B.C. GARDEN EJECTS PAIR DRESSED IN HISTORICAL GARB: A Washington state couple expelled from a well-known Vancouver Island tourist destination for wearing Victorian-era clothing says they’re hoping to put the past behind them. Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman say they were shocked last week when they arrived at Butchart Gardens to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary and were told the period clothing, which they wear on a daily basis, was forbidden. The well-known tourist site has issued a news release saying it doesn’t allow costumes on the premises in order to ensure visitors’ safety and enjoyment, similar to other international attractions, such as Disney Parks and SeaWorld.

The Canadian Press