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

Apr 5, 2017 | 1:45 PM

Highlights from the news file for Wednesday, April 5

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FACTS OF SYRIAN ATTACK NEEDED, FREELAND SAYS: The facts behind the Syrian chemical weapons attack must be clearly established so those responsible can be held accountable, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday. Freeland stopped short of blaming President Bashar Assad’s government, but she says it will be a “damning indictment” of him if that turns out to be the case. “It is extremely important to hold accountable, at an individual level, the people responsible for this heinous attack,” Freeland said Wednesday from Brussels, where she was attending an international conference on the future of Syria. The minister chose her words carefully, saying the investigation into the Tuesday’s chemical attacks in Syria must essentially be bulletproof, so there is no doubt who is responsible. Canada and the U.S. are the two leading funders of the United Nations organization that investigates the use of the chemical weapons, which will play a role in establishing the facts of the attacks, she said. Freeland urged all permanent members of the Security Council to support a resolution by the U.S., Britain and France condemning the use of chemical weapons and threatening consequences.

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BAIL HEARING UNDERWAY FOR ALLEGED YAHOO HACKER: The father of a Canadian man accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails told an Ontario court he would keep all electronic devices locked away and out of his son’s reach if his child is released on bail. Akhmet Tokbergenov was testifying in a Hamilton courtroom at his son’s bail hearing, saying he and his wife are prepared to do whatever the court orders if their 22-year-old is released from custody. Karim Baratov was arrested under the Extradition Act last month after U.S. authorities indicted him and three others — two of them allegedly officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service — for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes. American authorities have alleged in court documents that Baratov, who was born in Kazakhstan, poses an “extremely high flight risk” in part due to his alleged ties to Russian intelligence agents and his financial resources. They’ve also noted that Baratov did not appear to have any “legitimate employment.” Baratov’s lawyer has called the allegations against his client unfounded. He’s seeking to have the young man released on bail as he awaits an extradition hearing.

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HUDSON’S BAY STILL EYEING ACQUISITIONS: Hudson’s Bay Co. says it’s focused on cutting costs as it faces a challenging retail environment in Canada and abroad, but that doesn’t mean it has completely shut the door on acquisitions. HBC’s top executives, who spoke to analysts Wednesday from the Netherlands where the Toronto-based company plans to open 10 Hudson’s Bay department stores by the end of this year, wouldn’t identify any potential targets, but said it’s keeping an open mind. Rumours have been swirling for months that the owner of various banners including luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue is looking to acquire struggling U.S. retail chains Neiman Marcus or Macy’s. Baker said Wednesday that acquisitions remain a part of HBC’s strategy, but the company doesn’t comment on rumours or speculation. He also said the company continues to believe that there is still “tremendous value” in its real estate holdings, which include some of the most valuable retail properties in Toronto, New York and Europe.

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TORONTO HOME PRICES CONTINUE UNABATED CLIMB: Toronto home prices continued to rise at a breakneck pace last month, according to the latest data from the city’s real estate board, as policy-makers contemplate options aimed at cooling the country’s hottest housing market. The average selling price for all properties in the Greater Toronto Area jumped by 33.2 per cent from $688,011 in March 2016 to $916,567 last month, the Toronto Real Estate Board said Wednesday. Demand for housing continued to exceed supply in March, one of the underlying causes for the soaring prices, TREB said. Politicians, particularly in Ontario, have been under growing pressure to do something about housing prices that have far outpaced fundamentals such as wage growth. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa has indicated there will be measures in the upcoming budget to address the housing market. Toronto Mayor John Tory weighed in on the situation on Wednesday, calling it “deeply troubling” for anyone trying to purchase a home.

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TRUMP REMOVES BANNON FROM NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: U.S. President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing a controversial early decision to give Bannon access to the high-level meetings. A new memorandum about the composition of the NSC was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principal’s Committee, a group of high-ranking officials that convene to discuss pressing national security priorities. The new memo also restores the director of national intelligence and the Joint Chiefs chairman to the Principal’s Committee. Bannon’s addition to the NSC sparked concerns from Trump critics, who said it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role on national security matters. Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was heading the NSC at the time, but the official said Bannon’s role had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was asked to resign in early February for misleading the administration about his communications with Russian officials.

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PEPSI PULLS WIDELY MOCKED AD FEATURING KENDALL JENNER: Pepsi on Wednesday pulled an ad after it was widely mocked and criticized for appearing to trivialize protests for social justice causes. “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said. “Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize.” It said it was “removing the content and halting any further rollout.” The ad shows Kendall Jenner, a member of the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” reality TV family, stepping away from a modelling shoot to join a crowd of smiling, young protesters. The protesters cheer after Jenner hands a can of Pepsi to a police officer, who takes a sip. The Purchase, N.Y., company had stood by the ad late Tuesday. By Wednesday, it was apologizing to Jenner for putting her “in this position.” Critics say the image of Jenner handing the officer a Pepsi evoked a photo of Black Lives Matter protester Ieshia Evans approaching an officer at a demonstration in Baton Rouge last year. Others criticized the protesters’ signs for being comically innocuous, with messages like “Join the Conversation” and heart and peace signs.

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SNUFF OUT HOMEGROWN POT, POLICE CHIEFS SAY: The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is urging the federal government to exclude personal cultivation from its plans to legalize marijuana. A task force on legalization recommended allowing people to cultivate up to four marijuana plants for personal use, but association president Mario Harel says enforcing such limits can be very difficult. Harel, who is expected to testify Thursday before the Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs committee, says it’s impossible to ensure such pot isn’t being cultivated for the black market. The association says the dangers of “grow-ops” have long been clear, and that allowing home cultivation would make it impossible to control THC levels, pesticide use and perils such as mould. The government is expected to introduce legislation as soon as next week ahead of annual “Weed Day” celebrations on April 20 to regulate the use of marijuana. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says marijuana will remain illegal until a new framework is in place to protect young people and prevent criminals from profiting off the drug.

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NEW DEMOCRATS TELL PM TO APOLOGIZE FOR PHOENIX BONUSES: Senior executives who helped launch the federal government’s problem-plagued civil service pay system could still collect bonuses once a review of what went wrong with the system is complete, the deputy minister responsible said Wednesday. Opposition MPs called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to apologize for the debacle after Marie Lemay acknowledged some lower-level Public Services and Procurement Canada executives received performance pay last year, even though thousands of government workers weren’t properly paid. Documents tabled this week in the House of Commons show the department paid 340 executives nearly $5 million in bonuses and performance pay over the past fiscal year. In response to a question from Conservative MP Kelly McCauley, Liberal parliamentary secretary Steve MacKinnon told the House that $4,827,913 was paid out to executives in the department, with most of them receiving payments in December. That amount did not include general wage increases that had already been scheduled to come into effect Jan. 1. The average payment amount was $14,199.74 between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, according to MacKinnon.

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MOUNTIES ADMIT THEY CAN SPY ON CELLPHONES: The RCMP has admitted it possesses a controversial high-tech spy device that allowed it to track cellphone data in 19 criminal investigations last year. RCMP Chief Supt. Jeff Adam tells the CBC, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail that the force owns 10 of the so-called mobile device identifier tools, which can gather “high-level data” about a phone’s location. It’s believed to be the first official public acknowledgment by the RCMP that the force uses surreptitious devices to collect such information, known as metadata. Adams says the RCMP’s devices do not capture private communications, in keeping with department policy. He would not identify the model of the device in question. He calls the technology a very important investigative tool, one the Mounties use to identify and locate suspects under investigation. The briefing, a rarity for the RCMP, follows a CBC report that someone in downtown Ottawa has been using a device known as an “IMSI catcher,” which can intercept and identify cellphone metadata. The devices mimic a cellphone tower to interact with nearby phones and read their unique IDs — the International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI — which can then be used to track the phone and identify the owner.

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TORY CANDIDATE CONFUSED ABOUT HIS YANKEES: Conservative leadership candidate Steven Blaney mixed up two famous New York Yankees on Wednesday as he tried to put a positive spin on his lacklustre polling numbers and tepid support. “You know, to paraphrase the famous baseball player, Babe Ruth, it’s not over until it’s over,” he told reporters. Reporters immediately corrected the would-be Tory leader, telling him the quote came from renowned wordsmith Yogi Berra. “Ah, well we can take the words of Yogi Berra!” he responded. “There is another expression, but I hear it’s not ‘politically correct,’ so I’ll stick to Yogi Berra — or Babe Ruth,” he added, laughing. Blaney’s campaign to replace Stephen Harper as party leader has just two endorsements from the Conservative caucus and polls suggest he is trailing badly in the 14-candidate race. But the former public safety minister says people are responding to his campaign with a lot of enthusiasm ahead of the May 27 vote.

The Canadian Press