Six stories in the news today, March 17

Six stories in the news for Friday, March 17:

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O’LEARY ALLEGES ‘VOTE RIGGING’ IN LEADERSHIP RACE

The Conservative party is investigating allegations from leadership hopeful Kevin O’Leary that one of his rivals is engaging in fraud and vote-rigging. He is accusing an unnamed campaign of using untraceable prepaid credit cards to sign up fake members, which he said runs afoul of party rules and potentially the law. Sources told The Canadian Press it appeared the campaign of Maxime Bernier is the one under scrutiny.

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ALBERTA PCs SET TO ELECT NEW LEADER

Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives gather in Calgary tomorrow to select a new leader, capping a campaign defined by the question of whether the party should even exist. Candidate Richard Starke says the exchange of ideas was eclipsed in the race by debates over the plan put forward by rival Jason Kenney to wind up the party and seek a new coalition with the fellow right-centre Wildrose to defeat the NDP in the next election.

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CANADIAN CHARGED IN YAHOO HACK TO APPEAR IN COURT

The case of a Canadian charged in connection with a massive hack into Yahoo’s email system comes before a Hamilton judge today.Karim Baratov, who maintains his innocence, will appear via video link.Baratov was one of four people indicted in California in the case and was arrested in Ancaster, Ont. at the behest of American authorities.

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CLASS ACTION SEEKS DAMAGES AFTER MONTREAL STORM

Lawyers on behalf of motorists left stranded in their cars on a suburban Montreal highway after Tuesday’s snowstorm have applied for a class action lawsuit against the Quebec government and City of Montreal. Plaintiffs are seeking $2,000 for each of the 500 people they estimate were caught in a traffic bottleneck. Many motorists spent the night in their vehicles during the storm. Allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.

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‘BALLOONATIC’ TO BE SENTENCED FOR LAWN CHAIR FLIGHT

A man who strapped 120 helium balloons to a lawn chair and soared above the Calgary Stampede grounds in July 2015 is to be sentenced today. Daniel Boria, 27, pleaded guilty in December to dangerous operation of an aircraft. Floating into Calgary airspace was part of a publicity stunt for his cleaning company and earned him the nickname “balloonatic.”

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B.C. TEMPORARILY SIDESTEPS HIGH HEEL BAN

A private member’s bill that would make it illegal for employers to require female workers to wear high heels on the job died when the British Columbia legislature adjourned on Thursday. But Green party Leader Andrew Weaver, who presented the bill, says he is confident the Liberal government is preparing to make changes to regulations without requiring legislation that bans footwear requirements.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets with G20 counterparts in Germany.

— Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen makes an announcement about humanitarian assistance in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

— The Bank of Canada will release its weekly financial statistics of key banking and money market stats.

— The NHL is expected to announce plans for an outdoor game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.