In the news today, June 5

D-Day commemorations are beginning today in the British port city of Portsmouth, where thousands Allied troops embarked for the 1944 invasion of Europe. Then, several dozen Canadian veterans will be returning to the stretch of French coastline known as Juno Beach to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack. The events culminate Thursday with a Canadian-only and an international ceremony at Juno Beach. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his counterparts from the United States, the United Kingdom and France will also be on hand to voice their gratitude to the troops who sacrificed so much for the causes of liberty and freedom.

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PRISON BILL SEEN AS WAY TO MEET INQUIRY CALLS

The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies says proposed changes to a bill that aims to end solitary confinement in prisons would help address many recommendations from the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Savannah Gentile, the group’s director of advocacy and legal issues, says a package of amendments to Bill C-83 would give government the opportunity to take action on some of the inquiry’s key findings. Gentile says the bill if passed without the amendments would do little to address concerns raised in the inquiry report about the over-representation of Indigenous people, and especially Indigenous women, in Canadian jails.

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CANADA’S SINGLE-USE PLASTIC HABIT HARD TO SHAKE

An new Canadian analysis shows the industry producing plastic dwarfs the industry trying to recycle it. The report, completed by consulting firms Deloitte and ChemInfo Services, says Canadians produced 4.8 million tonnes of plastic to be made into manufactured goods in 2016, and 3.3 million tonnes of it ended up in the trash. That’s 12 times the amount of plastic that was recycled. The production side of the industry in 2017 counted $35 billion in sales and 93,000 jobs, while the recycling side had $350 million in revenue and about 500 jobs. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says Canada is throwing out billions of dollars of plastic, but the federal government is developing a plan to reuse or recycle all plastics or burn them for energy within 20 years.

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PARENTS GUILTY IN TODDLER’S DEATH TO LEARN FATE

A Calgary mother and father convicted in the death of their 14-month-old son are to learn their sentences today. A jury found Jennifer and Jeromie Clark guilty last fall of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life. Court heard their toddler, John, didn’t see a doctor until the day before he died from a staph infection in November 2013. Prosecutors argued the Clarks waited too long to take the gravely ill boy to hospital and their sentence should send a message of denunciation and deterrence. The Crown has asked Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Jeffrey to impose a prison sentence of four to five years.

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JUDGE TO SENTENCE KILLER OF CALGARY CFL PLAYER

The killer of a Calgary Stampeders football player is to find out today how long he must wait before he can seek parole. A judge found Nelson Lugela guilty earlier this year of second-degree murder in the death of Mylan Hicks. Hicks, a 23-year-old player on the practice roster of the Canadian Football League Stampeders, was shot outside Calgary’s Marquee Beer Market in 2016. Lugela faces an automatic life sentence and the court must determine how long he should serve before he can apply for parole. The Crown has asked for an ineligibility period of between 17 and 19 years, while the defence said 14 years is appropriate.

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McCARTNEY SHOUTOUT SURREAL FOR NOVA SCOTIA TEEN

A Cape Breton teenager said she was almost moved to tears when she learned her Mi’kmaq rendition of The Beatles’ classic song “Blackbird” had earned her a shoutout from none other than Paul McCartney. Emma Stevens said she and her music teacher, Carter Chiasson, first heard McCartney had singled her out for praise through comments on YouTube. They didn’t believe it until they saw video of the comments. The McCartney moment was surreal for the 10th grader, who said she learned to love The Beatles thanks to her father, whom she described as a “superfan.” In concert footage published Sunday on Twitter by the United Nations’ human settlements and youth branch, McCartney praises Stevens’ recording and encourages his fans to look it up online.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Liberal MP Neil Ellis holds a media availability to discuss Motion M-225, which calls on the federal government to set a goal of ending veteran homelessness with a plan and deadlines.

— The trial begins for Joey Crier and Tasha Mack, charged with second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Crier’s 19-month-old son, who was found outside an Edmonton church.

— The City of Moose Jaw, Sask., will remove the antlers of Mac the Moose today to replace them with larger ones in order to reclaim the title of world’s largest Moose statue.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, June 5

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