By Canadian Press

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

Jan 20, 2017 | 1:30 PM

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Jan. 20

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TRUMP LOOKS TO ‘HEAL OUR DIVISIONS’: U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting that his election will lead to a “new national pride” that will “heal our divisions.” Trump, after beginning his inaugural speech with a dark accounting of America, says “the time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.” Trump suggested that Americans from different backgrounds are united by the same goals and hopes. He says kids in cities such as Detroit or rural areas like Nebraska “look up at the same sky” and that soldiers of different races “bleed the same red of patriotism.”

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TRUMP’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS SPARKS OILPATCH CONCERNS: Donald Trump’s fiercely protectionist inaugural address is a clarion call for Canada to nurture its relationships with other countries and do everything possible to access markets abroad, the head of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said Friday. Tim McMillan said he made it a point to attend Trump’s inauguration as president in Washington in part due to concerns that U.S. policy changes could threaten Canada’s energy industry. He said he also met later with U.S. industry and Canadian government officials. “He spoke about his administration will put America first every time and he was very deliberate about that,” McMillan said in an interview

murder trial

Closing arguments scheduled in trial of Nanaimo woman accused of dismembering ex boyfriend

8h ago

SAFE DIGGING

Nanaimo leads the Island region in underground gas line damages in 2023

10h ago

early morning spraying

Aerial spray treatments for invasive months coming to Vancouver Island

11h ago

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SMASHED WINDOWS, CHAOTIC CONFRONTATION NEAR INAUGURATION: Police have used pepper spray and made a number of arrests in a confrontation with protesters in downtown Washington, D.C. At one point, police gave chase to a group of about 100 protesters who smashed windows of downtown businesses including a Starbucks, Bank of America and McDonald’s as they denounced capitalism and Donald Trump. Police in riot gear used pepper spray from large canisters and eventually cordoned off the protesters. They say the demonstrators damaged vehicles, destroyed property and set small fires while armed with crowbars and hammers. According to police, “numerous” people were arrested and charged with rioting.

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TRUDEAU SENDS BEST WISHES TO TRUMP, STRESSING CLOSE CROSS BORDER TIES:  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reminding the 45th president of the United States about Canada’s historically close ties with its southern superpower neighbour. He made the reference in a congratulatory message as Donald Trump took the oath of office Friday. His statement noted the two countries have built one of the closest relationships between any two nations in the world and adds that “this enduring partnership is essential to our shared prosperity and security.”

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BIG CITY MAYORS PUSH PM FOR HOUSING BUCKS: The mayors of Canada’s major cities say the Trudeau government should unleash more federal resources to help municipal governments combat the growing problem of fentanyl overdoses. The majors met with Trudeau in Ottawa on Friday and called the opioid crisis a national emergency that can only be solved with federally co-ordinated national, provincial and municipal efforts. The mayors tied the drug crisis to affordable housing, with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi saying a lack of housing is a root cause of social problems.

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THREAT PROMPTS CLASSES TO BE CANCELLED IN LA LOCHE:  A threat of a school shooting prompted officials in La Loche, Sask., to cancel classes Friday.  The threat came one year after a deadly shooting in the community in which four people were killed and seven wounded. Police say they looked into the threat and determined it was not legitimate. No charges have been laid.

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MOUNTIE STAYS OUT OF JAIL: A former British Columbia Mountie won’t serve anytime behind bars after pleading guilty to buying cocaine on three separate occasions. Randi Love was handed a conditional discharge after she was initially charged with three counts of trafficking. Love, 41, was placed on 12 months probation and must serve 50 hours of community service within the first five months. She pleaded guilty last week to a single count of possession, telling a judge she knows she made a mistake but that she’d faced significant hurdles over the last five years.

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OTTAWA GIVES MONEY TO OPPONENTS OF NUCLEAR WASTE BUNKER:  A federal agency has given 10 groups and individuals another $146,000 to help them weigh in on the wisdom of burying hazardous nuclear waste in a bunker close to the shore of Lake Huron. Most of the money from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is earmarked for indigenous people to take part in the review of the safety of the contentious project proposed for near Kincardine, Ont. The funding is aimed at allowing recipients meaningful input as the agency moves toward coming up with a final recommendation to federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna on whether the Ontario Power Generation project should be allowed to proceed and, if so, under what conditions.

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INFLATION SLOWED IN DECEMBER:  Inflation continued to rise in December but the increase was smaller than expected as food prices continued falling, offsetting gas price hikes at the pump. Statistics Canada said Friday the consumer price index in December was up 1.5 per cent from where it was a year ago, a higher rate of inflation compared with November’s increase of 1.2 per cent. Economists had expected a rise of 1.7 per cent year-over-year in December. Prices were up in seven of the eight major categories tracked by Statistics Canada, with food the one exception. Food prices declined 1.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis, the third consecutive month prices slipped compared with a year earlier.

The Canadian Press