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

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Dec. 30

B.C. OPENS MORE OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITES: More overdose prevention sites are opening in British Columbia as health officials try to come to grips with a growing overdose crisis. Vancouver Coastal Health said Friday it has opened its fifth site in a modified first-aid trailer in the troubled Downtown Eastside. Teams of trained staff at the five Vancouver sites are providing people who use illicit drugs with a safe space to be monitored while they take their drugs. Staff are equipped with naloxone and are trained in overdose response.

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AUTHORITIES CALL ONTARIO HOUSE EXPLOSION A DOUBLE SUICIDE: Investigators have concluded a house explosion in Mississauga, Ont., last summer was a double suicide. The bodies of Robert Nadler and Dianne Page, both 55, were found following the blast. Investigators say natural gas lines to the water heater had been disconnected, causing gas to build up in the home prior to the “intentional” explosion. The blast forced the evacuation of nearby dwellings and Mayor Bonnie Crombie says 33 families are still displaced because their homes had to be demolished due to damage from the explosion.

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CONCENTRATED HOUSING

Single-family builds down in Nanaimo while denser housing units increase

3h ago

HOUSING TARGETS

Nanaimo named in new group of communities for provincial housing targets

16h ago

unprovoked attack

Vulnerable man blasted with bear spray in quiet Nanaimo neighbourhood

18h ago

DOZENS OF CANADIAN NAMED TO ORDER OF CANADA: Gov. Gen. David Johnston named 100 Canadians to the Order of Canada Friday. They include Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq Gillis, author Jan Andrews, former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Morris Fish, former federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and former Ontario lieutenant-governor David Onley. Johnston hopes everyone will be inspired by the examples set by the Canadians.

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FEDERAL OFFICIALS PONDER USING TRUDEAU TO SELL PEACEKEEPING: Federal officials considered using the personal “brand” of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sell the world on the merits of returning Canada’s military focus to peacekeeping. The Canadian Press has learned that using the prime minister’s personal appeal was seen by senior foreign ministry officials as one of the possible “framing” techniques for explaining Canada’s decision to devote more military resources to UN peacekeeping operations. Trudeau promised during the 2015 federal election that Canada would focus more on UN peace operations

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TRUMP PRAISES PUTIN: Donald Trump says he always knew Russian President Vladimir Putin was very smart. The U-S president-elect gave his approval to Putin on Twitter this afternoon for holding off on retaliating against new sanctions imposed by the Obama administration over its alleged interference in the American election. Trump tweeted “Great move on delay.” Trump’s move to side with a foreign adversary over the sitting president is a dramatic departure from typical diplomatic practice. It’s further fuelling the growing controversy over what the Obama administration says was a cyberattack against the U-S political system.

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HONDA RECALLS ODYSSEYS: Honda Canada says it will take until the spring to get the parts required to fix thousands of Odyssey minivans that are being recalled because second-row seats may not lock into position. The Japanese automaker says the Canadian recall covers 52,710 Odyssey minivans from the 2011 to 2016 models. The problem was discovered through warranty claims and there have been no injuries linked to the problem. A similar recall was launched in the U.S. on Thursday.

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The Canadian Press