In the news today: Regimental funeral today for B.C. Mountie, NDP victory in Manitoba

By The Canadian Press on October 4, 2023.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Funeral today for B.C. Mountie Rick O’Brien

A regimental funeral, including a procession and final salute, will be held for RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien today in Langley, B.C.

O’Brien, who was 51, died Sept. 22 while he and other officers were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam.

He was shot and died at the scene, while two other officers and the suspect were injured.

A 25-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in O’Brien’s death.

NDP to form government in Manitoba

Manitobans are waking up today to a new government and the first First Nations provincial premier in the country.

The New Democrats and Leader Wab Kinew defeated the Progressive Conservatives to form a majority government, which resulted in the resignation of the other two main party leaders.

Heather Stefanson announced she would step down after leading the Tories for nearly two years, after several of her cabinet members lost their seats in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont resigned after he lost his Winnipeg riding and his party was reduced to one seat from the previous three.

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Here’s what else we’re watching …

Indigenous leaders reflect on Kinew’s historic win

Indigenous leaders across Canada say the election of a Manitoba NDP government under Leader Wab Kinew is historic.

Kinew is to be the first First Nations premier of a province in Canada.

Eric Robinson, a former Manitoba NDP cabinet minister and deputy premier, says Kinew’s win is gratifying.

He says hard work, perseverance and participation in mainstream politics has paid off for Indigenous people.

Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says Kinew’s victory signifies a huge accomplishment and a new chapter for First Nations in the province.

London attack accused’s trial continues

A police digital forensic expert is expected to continue his testimony today at the Ontario trial of a man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in an alleged act of terrorism.

Windsor police Sgt. Liyu Guan told the jury he found an early version of what prosecutors have described as a white nationalist manifesto on a laptop linked to Nathaniel Veltman.

Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting five members of the Afzaal family with his truck in June 2021 while they were out for a walk in London, Ont.

Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

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Tories try to win support, and trust, from Muslims

When Pierre Poilievre pitches the Conservative party to Muslim Canadians, he talks about “faith, family and freedom.”

In mosques, at community celebrations, with businesses and in conversations with ethnic media, he is highlighting what he sees as overlapping values with the Conservatives.

Poilievre is doing so in an effort to build the party’s support in larger cities.

He is reaching out to racialized Canadians whose support for the Conservatives plummeted during the final months of Stephen Harper’s government, and his divisive 2015 campaign.

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In-person visits halted at N.L. jail due to mould

Inmates at Newfoundland’s oldest and largest provincial jail say the facility’s visiting room has been condemned because of mould.

Jesse Lewis, an inmate at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, says guards announced Friday that they could no longer allow people in the room for in-person visits.

The provincial Justice Department confirmed Tuesday that in-person visits were “temporarily suspended,” but it said virtual visits were being arranged.

Her Majesty’s Penitentiary was built in 1859, and though it has been upgraded, the building’s crumbling infrastructure, mould and rodent problems are well documented.

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Tensions flare over new Montreal bike lanes

Plans to eliminate 250 on-street parking spaces for new protected bike lanes have stirred fierce debate in the Montreal neighbourhood of Park Extension.

Opponents say the measure will diminish mobility in the dense area northwest of downtown, and they accuse the borough of imposing the bike paths with little notice or consideration of residents’ needs.

Groups of residents have organized protests, and some are raising funds for possible legal action against the city.

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Michelle Good shortlisted for Balsillie Prize

Michelle Good is among the finalists for the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.

The author of acclaimed novel “Five Little Indians” made the list for her collection of essays “Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada.”

The $60,000 award, which will be handed out Nov. 28, goes to a book of non-fiction that advances policy debates.