CANADA IN BRIEF

Saskatchewan man pleads guilty to Amber Alert charges

NORTH BATTLEFORD — A man accused of a child abduction that sparked an Amber Alert in northcentral Saskatchewan has pleaded guilty to several charges.

Johnathan Gunville, who is 19, has admitted to abandoning a child, theft of a vehicle, operation of a vehicle dangerous to the public and driving while disqualified.

Other charges including abduction and unlawful confinement are expected to be dealt with when the case returns to North Battleford court for sentencing on Jan. 9.

The six-year-old girl had been left in the back of her parents’ running Mercedes when it was taken last month from outside a strip mall in North Battleford.

The girl, who is autistic, epileptic and non-verbal, was found safe almost 14 hours later — still inside the SUV — a few kilometres away from where it was stolen.

Bill Archer, Gunnville’s lawyer, has said his client is a troubled kid with intellectual challenges.

WorkSafe BC report cites safety failures in derailment

VICTORIA — Decaying railroad ties and the failure of a safety mechanism to prevent a train derailment are cited in a report by B.C.’s workers’ safety agency as factors in a crash that killed three people and injured two others.

The accident in April 2017 happened on the nowabandoned Western Forest Products rail line at Woss, a community of about 200 residents on Vancouver Island.

The WorkSafeBC report says the failure of a device to stop the movement of rail cars resulted in 11 cars loaded with logs running away down the track until it crashed into five members of a work crew.

It says the safety device was intended to derail free-rolling cars, but it was affixed on decaying ties with fewer spikes than required, and when the first rail car passed by, it easily dislodged the device.

The report says Western Forest Products Inc., which was not immediately available for comment, was cited with one violation of the Workers Compensation Act for the failure to ensure the health and safety of its workers.

B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena, who represents the residents of Woss in her North Island riding, says the accident has been devastating for the community.

Federal Liberal government to release economic update

OTTAWA — The Trudeau government will release its fall economic update on Nov. 21 as part of a plan that Ottawa insists will help keep Canada competitive.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who made the announcement on Thursday, told the House of Commons that the economy is still on a roll and the unemployment rate is hovering near four-decade lows.

There are concerns, however, that Canada has lost some of the advantages it once boasted as an investment destination.

Corporate Canada and, more recently, a Senate committee have been pressing Morneau to slash business taxes to keep the country from falling behind after major tax and regulatory reforms in the United States.

In the U.S., the government has been forced to borrow more cash — and run deeper deficits — in order to cover President Donald Trump’s tax cuts.

Sources with knowledge of Ottawa’s competitiveness plan have said Morneau is looking at targeted measures rather than broad-based corporate tax cuts.

The fall update will also contain fresh projections on economic indicators and on the path of the federal books, which posted a $19-billion deficit last year.

In this year’s federal budget, Morneau projected a shortfall of $18.1 billion for 2018-19, with annual deficits set to shrink each year to $12.3 billion in 2022-23. The projections include annual $3-billion cushions to offset risks.

“I’m pleased to say that on Nov. 21 we’ll introduce our fall economic statement so we can update Canadians on further actions we’ll take to keep our economy growing, to keep people investing in our country and creating jobs,” Morneau said.

Supreme Court clears way for price-fixing lawsuit

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada and British Airways to proceed by dismissing an appeal by Canada’s largest airline.

Air Canada had sought to overturn an October 2017 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that the class action could include foreign claimants despite playing out in Ontario courts.

The decade-old lawsuit from three companies alleges price fixing by major airlines involved in air freight shipping between 2000 and 2006.

Linda Visser, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, says they have reached settlements totalling more than $29 million with all 14 defendants except Air Canada and British Airways.

Visser says the lawsuit involves up to tens of thousands of class members, many of them exporters and freight forwarders that handle shipments ranging from flowers to zoo animals.

The plaintiffs are Ontario’s Airia Brands Inc., Britain’s Startech.Com Ltd. and Germany’s Quick Cargo Service.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands visits Canada

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hosting the prime minister of the Netherlands in Ottawa.

Trudeau and Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus welcomed Mark Rutte with full military honours.

Trudeau then held a meeting with Rutte in his Parliament Hill office.

Later this morning, Trudeau and Rutte will address the House of Commons.

They are also holding a business lunch on Parliament Hill.

This afternoon, Trudeau and Rutte will participate in a town hall with students at Gloucester High School.