By Canadian Press

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

Jan 18, 2017 | 2:30 PM

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, Jan. 19

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TRUMP PREPARES TO TAKE THE HELM: On the eve of his inauguration, Donald Trump is already taking on more of the trappings of the presidency. After arriving at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on a military plane Thursday, Trump gave a salute to the Air Force officer who welcomed him. Meanwhile, the White House is quickly emptying out. President Barack Obama’s schedule was clear beyond his daily briefing and his final weekly lunch with Vice-President Joe Biden.

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ANTI-TRUMP VOICES WILL BE HEARD IN WASHINGTON:  Donald Trump’s supporters won’t be the only ones in the streets of Washington on Friday for his inauguration. Filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore will speak at an Inauguration Day protest downtown, after Trump is sworn in. Permit applications show about 20,000 people are expected to attend the rally. Moore was one of few prominent voices on the left to predict a Trump victory, saying his message resonated with working-class voters in Rust Belt states that Trump ultimately won. Protest organizers have vowed to “disrupt” Trump’s inauguration and risk arrest by interfering with security checkpoints.

CONCENTRATED HOUSING

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

2h ago

HOUSING TARGETS

Nanaimo named in new group of communities for provincial housing targets

15h ago

unprovoked attack

Vulnerable man blasted with bear spray in quiet Nanaimo neighbourhood

17h ago

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HARPER PREDICTS BIG FOREIGN POLICY SHAKEUP UNDER TRUMP:  Former prime minister Stephen Harper says the presidency of Donald Trump will mark a landmark shift in U.S. foreign policy not seen since the end of the Second World War.  Harper says it’s not clear what direction Trump will take, but predicts the next president is “going to reverse the cornerstone of seven decades of American foreign policy.” The comments are from speaking notes for a speech Harper gave in New Delhi on Thursday.

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INDIGENOUS LEADERS CONDEMN OTTAWA OVER SUICIDES IN NORTHERN ONTARIO COMMUNITY: Indigenous leaders are angry with the federal government saying it’s unacceptable that Health Canada officials were aware last year of concerns about a suicide pact in a northern Ontario community, but did not provide financial assistance. Wapekeka First Nation presented documents detailing challenges with mental health last July and asked for $376,000 to tackle the problem. Health Canada says it told community members last fall that it would pursue funding opportunities for Wapekeka, but community leaders say a cumbersome bureaucracy didn’t move fast enough.

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PM’S CHOICE OF LANGUAGE DRAWS COMPLAINTS:  More than a dozen complaints have come into the official languages commissioner over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s choice of English or French when answering questions at recent town hall meetings. Spokesman Nelson Kalil said Thursday that 11 complaints stem from an event on Tuesday in Sherbrooke, Que., where Trudeau angered some anglophones by answering English questions in French. The others are related to a previous town hall gathering in Peterborough, Ont., where Trudeau responded in English to a French question. Kalil said it could take three to six months for the office to investigate the complaints.

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MOTHER OF CANADIAN JAILED IN BAHAMAS SPEAKS OUT: The mother of a Quebec woman jailed in the Bahamas for allegedly having sex with a teenage boy says her daughter misses her three young children. Chantale Auclair says her daughter Karine Gagne, 23, was on a cruise ship when she met a young male who supposedly told her he was 18. Auclair tells The Canadian Press the two had a sexual encounter before the boy’s mother filed a complaint with police. Auclair says Gagne is trying to keep up her morale but finds it hard to be away from her children, aged three, four and five.

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TWO ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING OLAND BEHIND BARS: Two men face assault charges in connection with an alleged attack on prominent New Brunswicker Dennis Oland while he was in prison.  A New Brunswick court official says the two suspects are alleged to have attacked Oland at Atlantic Institution in Renous on July 31. The 48-year-old Saint John financial planner was jailed for 10 months after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the 2011 bludgeoning of his multi-millionaire father, Richard Oland. New Brunswick’s appeal court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial and Oland is free on bail.

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PEI WANTS TO GET TOUGH ON BIKERS:  Prince Edward Island wants to stem a biker invasion, proposing legislation to ban gang colours in bars, outlaw fortified buildings and regulate the sale of body armour. Premier Wade MacLauchlan said Thursday that islanders should be concerned about the growth of biker gangs. Members affiliated with an Ontario Hells Angels chapter set up shop on Prince Edward Island last month.

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CONTROVERSIAL AUTHOR CURTAILS PUBLIC APPEARANCES:  Author Joseph Boyden has cancelled a couple of events, amid controversy over his indigenous heritage. The University of Ottawa says Boyden has backed out of a conference set for May while the City of Edmonton says he has scrapped plans to attend a conference in the Alberta capital next month. A firestorm of debate was sparked after an Aboriginal Peoples Television Network piece questioned claims of indigenous ancestry Boyden has made throughout his life.

The Canadian Press