Seven stories in the news today, Dec. 22

Seven stories in the news for Thursday, Dec. 22

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A WHITE CHRISTMAS ON THE WAY FOR MOST CANADIANS, SAYS METEOROLOGIST

The Weather Network says most Canadians dreaming of a white Christmas will have something to celebrate this year. Chief Meteorologist Chris Scott says large swaths of the country will see at least two centimetres of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. Regions likely to experience a white Christmas span the country and include Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Fredericton and the three territorial capitals.

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rental rules

Thousands of short-term rentals go back to long-term May 1: B.C. government

3h ago

sweet sounds

Nanaimo woman tries to coax trapped killer calf out of tidal lagoon with her violin

7h ago

grow local

'People can literally get their hands dirty:' Earth Day event to highlight Nanaimo food security

10h ago

LATEST INFLATION NUMBERS OUT TODAY

Statistics Canada will release the consumer price index for November today. The October index was up 1.5 per cent compared with the same month a year earlier. Higher prices in six of the eight major components were offset in part by lower food prices — the first year-over-year drop in food prices since January 2000.

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CRTC CALLS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET A BASIS SERVICE

Canada’s telecom regulator has declared broadband Internet access a basic service across the country, just like current landline telephone service. The goal is to ensure service providers (ISPs) offer Internet services nationwide at speeds of at least 50 megabits per second for downloading data, and 10 Mbps for uploads. Currently, about 82 per cent of households and businesses have that level of service.

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ACCUSED IN AMANDA LINDHOUT KIDNAPPING TO FACE TRIAL

A man charged with taking Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout hostage in Somalia is slated to face trial by judge alone next October. Three weeks have been set aside for the trial of Ali Omar Ader, which will come more than nine years after the abduction. Lindhout and an Australian photographer were seized near Mogadishu in 2008 and released the following year. A Hollywood film of Lindhout’s story is in development.

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ADOPTION UP, EUTHANASIA DOWN AT CANADIAN PET SHELTERS

Adoptions are up, euthanasia is down and the number of homeless pets in Canada’s animal shelters is lower, according to a report by the Canadian Federation of Humane Socieites. It says more than 82,000 cats and 35,000 dogs taken into shelters in 2015. Adoption rates are up with 48 per cent of dogs and 57 per cent of cats adopted in 2015 — the highest level observed for cats in the two decades the charity has been collecting data.

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QUEBEC UNIVERSITY TO LOCK OUT VETERINARY TEACHERS

The University of Montreal says clinician teachers at its faculty of veterinary medicine will be locked out indefinitely as of noon today as the two sides try to negotiate a first collective agreement. The teachers based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., rejected a contract offer on Tuesday and have staged a series of one-day strikes. Management says the facility will operate in “emergency only” mode until further notice.

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CFIA: NO QUICK END TO BOVINE TB DISASTER

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to test thousands of animals, but has not found any new cases of bovine tuberculosis in the last week. Cattle ranchers in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan have been rocked after a cow from Alberta that was slaughtered in the U.S. in October was found to have the disease. About 26,000 cows have been quarantined on dozens of ranches, and around 10,000 are set to be slaughtered to ensure the disease doesn’t spread.

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The Canadian Press