| June 29th News Update |
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MLA Mike Allen will present his findings in how to improve safety on Highway 63 this morning. Allen was given six weeks to study the issue and come up with recommendations. In 2006, the province announced it would twin a 240-kilometre stretch of Highway 63. To date, 33 kilometres have been twinned, with the province estimating 50% will be completed in the next three years. Cenovus Energy has released its corporate responsibility report for 2011. The report includes information on the companys efforts to protect the health and safety of employees and the communities where it operates, improve environmental performance and more. Cenovus has lowered emissions intensity by almost 27%. Investments in Aboriginal-owned and joint venture businesses tripled to $245 million in 2011 and now represent about 9% of total company spending. A newly released binational privacy charter says the United States is to be allowed to share information about Canadians with other countries under a new border deal. The U.S. won't have to explicitly tell Canada about its plan to pass along personal details in many cases. Canada and the U.S. jointly released the 12-point statement of privacy principles yesterday, covering areas including sharing, data quality, information security, effective oversight, and redress for people whose privacy is infringed. The principles say Canada or the U.S. may transfer information received from the other to a third country. The Supreme Court is allowing a $19-billion class-action lawsuit against the country's biggest cellphone companies to proceed. Bell, Rogers and Telus —are named as defendants, along with a number of smaller companies. The suit alleges that Canadians have been misled by the carriers into thinking the access fee — typically between $6.95 and $8.95 a month — was a tax by the government or the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, when in fact it was simply extra revenue for cellphone companies. The suit filed on behalf of more than 14 million monthly cellphone subscribers, seeks the return of an estimated $12 billion, plus interest. It could result in a total claim of $19 billion, or $600 to $700 per customer. In Sports… Keyano Huskies basketball have signed Thompson Rivers University WolfPack shooting guard Connor Dolson. Huskies head coach Mike Connolly said of Dolson: "He has the ability to really score the basketball… Connor will bring a work ethic and commitment to the Huskies that will help with the development of our young guys." The NBA draft took place last night, the Wildcats became the first school to go 1-2. The New Orleans Hornets selected Kentucky forward Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick while Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Penguins are finalizing a new contract with Sidney Crosby that’ll be worth $104.4 million over 12 years. The contract will carry an average salary of about $8.7 million a season, although it will be front-loaded. The new contract would go into effect for the 2013-14 season. Crosby played just 28 games in the past 18 months after sustaining a concussion in the Winter Classic against the Washington Capitals in January 2011. |