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

Mar 9, 2017 | 12:45 PM

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, March 9

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JUDGE SHOULD BE TURFED FROM BENCH: A judge who asked a sexual assault complainant in a trial why she couldn’t keep her knees together is resigning.  Justice Robin Camp’s decision follows a report from the Canadian Judicial Council that called for his removal from the bench. The report said Camp’s conduct was “manifestly and profoundly destructive” to the integrity of the bench. Camp found the accused in the case not guilty.

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TAXI DRIVER ACQUITTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT QUESTIONED ABOUT SIMILAR ALLEGATIONS IN THE PAST: Court documents indicate a Halifax cab driver who was found not guilty of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in his taxi in 2015 was questioned about similar allegations three years ago.  The allegation from 2012 is part of a search warrant relating to the 2015 charge against Bassam Al-Rawi, 40. The documents state that the woman in the 2012 incident alleged she was driven to an apartment by a cab driver, taken upstairs and sexually assaulted. The document says Al-Rawi was questioned and told police he did not recall the incident and would not force someone to have sex.  Al-Rawi’s lawyer had no comment on the allegation.

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PRINCE OF POT ARRESTED: Well known marijuana activists Marc and Jodie Emery were charged with multiple drug-related offences in Toronto on Thursday after police in several cities raided pot dispensaries associated with the couple. The self-styled “Prince” and “Princess of Pot” were arrested at Toronto’s Pearson airport Wednesday evening. They appeared in court Thursday on the allegations. A lawyer for the Emerys said taxpayer dollars are being wasted on police raids to enforce an outdated and harmful law.

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VANCOUVER FIRST RESPONDERS DEALING WITH LARGE NUMBER OF OVERDOSE CALLS: Officials in Vancouver say emergency crews have been dealing with an “extremely high” number of overdose calls, including 174 last week.  Police also reported 14 suspected overdose deaths in the city last week, six more than the previous week. Mayor Gregor Robertson says the city is shouldering a huge burden of the drug overdose response.

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CANADIAN ENERGY GIANT SCOOPS UP OILSANDS ASSETS:  Canadian Natural Resources is buying up Alberta oilsands assets from Royal Dutch Shell and Marathon Oil.  The $12.74-billion deal announced Thursday will see Canadian Natural buy Shell’s 60 per cent stake in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, which includes a mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta., and the Shell-operated Scotford bitumen upgrader and Quest carbon capture project northeast of Edmonton. Meantime, Houston-based Marathon is moving to sell its 20 per cent stake in Athabasca to Shell and Canadian Natural, who would pay US$1.25 billion each.

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TRUDEAU TO TALK RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN TEXAS:  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Texas where he’ll try to sell investors on putting money into Canadian natural resources — while protecting the environment.  He was to speak Thursday night at an influential global gathering of politicians and oil and gas executives. His visit comes as the energy industry is coming to grips with a dramatic shift in American politics. The former Obama administration had emphasized the global fight against climate change but U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to boost fossil fuel production through easing regulations and building more pipelines.

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SENATOR UNDER FIRE FOR COMMENTS ABOUT RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SYSTEM: Conservative MPs are distancing themselves from a senator who suggested this week there were positive aspects to Canada’s residential school system. Senator Lynn Beyak told the upper chamber Wednesday that the government-funded, church-operated schools where indigenous children endured widespread sexual and physical abuse were not all bad. Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett calls the comments unfortunate and misguided, while NDP indigenous affairs critic Romeo Saganash, a residential school survivor, says Beyak should resign.

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CANADIAN MAYORS SOUND ALARM OVER AMERICAN BUDGET CUTS:  Several Canadian mayors are speaking out against proposed budget cuts in the United States that would gut programs designed to help protect the Great Lakes. Budget proposals drafted by the Trump administration include slashing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by 25 per cent. The proposed cuts would all but wipe out the budget for efforts to combat invasive species, clean up pollution and otherwise preserving the lakes.

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TRUMP TRAVEL BAN FACES MORE CHALLENGES: There were additional legal challenges Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Washington state says it will renew its request to block the original ban, hoping to have that order applied to the revised ban as well. The move comes a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the administration thinks the revised ban will stand up in court.

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FOX HUMBLED BY GOVERNOR GENERAL’S PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS: Actor Michael J. Fox says he was both surprised and humbled to be a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards.  He said he has already celebrated the honour with another newly minted laureate: Martin Short. The acclaimed actors lead the 25th anniversary class for the lifetime artistic achievement honour, which is presented annually to Canadians whose accomplishments have enriched the cultural life of Canada.

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The Canadian Press