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

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, May 5:

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EFFORTS CONTINUE TO HELP ALBERTA FIRE EVACUEES: The Alberta government hopes to use aircraft to get evacuees who are north of Fort McMurray out of the area. Some 25,000 people are sheltering in oilfield work camps. The fire has cut off the only road through Fort McMurray so oil companies in the area are prepared to use their aircraft to fly the evacuees out. A military transport plane is also on standby.At least 16-hundred structures have been destroyed in the Alberta city.

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ALBERTA WILDFIRE MAY SEND RIPPLES ACROSS ECONOMY: The massive wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alberta has caused shutdowns to oil production and experts say there could be broader consequences for the entire Canadian economy. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic says in the past the effects of sudden shutdowns in the oil industry have echoed beyond the oilpatch. He points to the 2011 fire in the Alberta community of Slave Lake when the real gross domestic product in Canada’s energy sector fell 4.2 per cent. It was enough to help pull overall Canadian economic growth into negative territory for one month. Kavcic says the size of production cuts this time look to be much bigger.

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ORDEAL JUST BEGINNING FOR WILDFIRE VICTIMS:A social science professor says those who lose everything in a wildfire experience an emotional roller-coaster that can last for years in some cases. University of Lethbridge professor Judith Kulig has studied the aftermath of four major wildfires in western Canada.She says initially there was shock, disbelief and then a denial to what is happening. She says that gives way to elation that stems from survival and from the acts of kindness from strangers. However when residents return to their community children struggled in the classroom because of anxiety that went unnoticed at home. She says studies have also suggested that adults can be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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QUEBEC TOWN HELPS ALBERTA FIRE VICTIMS:Residents of the disaster stricken town of Lac-Megantic, Que. are trying to raise money for the victims of the wildfire in Fort McMurray. Megantic-L’Erable MP Luc Berthold and Lac-Megantic Mayor Jean-Guy Cloutier are encouraging locals to donate to the Red Cross. Berthold says residents in the Quebec community are grateful for the support they received in the wake of the 2013 rail disaster that killed 47 people and wiped out much of the city’s downtown core. Cloutier says locals understand how the Fort McMurray victims are feeling and want to show their solidarity.

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PRIVATIZATION NOT ON TABLE IN POSTAL REVIEW: The minister responsible for Canada Post says privatizing the Crown Corporation is not in the cards. Judy Foote made the comment as she announced a four member panel that will look at the future of the Crown corporation. There was an outcry from seniors groups and advocates for the disabledwhen Canada Post announced a plan to phase out home mail delivery and switch millions of Canadians to community mailboxes. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during last year’s election campaign that door-to-door delivery would be restored. Foote says it remains to be seen what form that will take.

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NDP URGES PM TO REACH OUT TO FIRST NATION: New Democrat MP Charlie Angus says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should get in touch with the chief of the Attawapiskat First Nation as it continues to deal with a mental health crisis. Angus calls it unacceptable that the community is still without a permanent mental health worker despite a recent flurry of international media attention. The isolated, poverty-racked northern Ontario reserve made headlines around the world last month when it declared a state of emergency amid a spike in suicide attempts. The Liberal government has pledged $8.4 billion for aboriginal programming in its fiscal blueprint, including funding to address issues including education, reserve water and child and family services.

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TIM HORTONS CO-FOUNDER CONTESTS COURT RULING: A lawyer for Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce says his client is appealing a court decision that allows a woman’s sexual-assault lawsuit against him to go to trial. Chris Kostopoulos says the judge was mistaken to conclude Joyce had tried to trick the woman into believing the matter had earlier been settled. In her statement of claim, the woman, in her mid-30s, alleges Joyce sexually assaulted her at his home in Burlington, Ont., on May 19, 2011. The pair had known each other for a decade and, for one period, had an intimate relationship. Joyce has painted his accuser as a “pathological extortionist” and wanted the suit thrown out on the grounds that it was launched too late.

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NOVA SCOTIA THINKING OF STEPPING BACK ON JAYWALKING: The Nova Scotia government is thinking about delaying a controversial pedestrian fine for jaywalking that was approved last fall. The change would boost the fine for jaywalking to nearly $700 from $410 — more than the penalty for using a cellphone behind the wheel. Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan says the fine portion of the legislation hasn’t been proclaimed yet because it may be reviewed ahead of the release of a road safety strategy in June. Critics have called the fine “disproportionate and counterproductive.” Last fall, MacLellan said raising the pedestrian fine to a level equivalent with the highest fine for drivers sends the message that road safety is a shared responsibility.

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LOBLAW HEAD CALLS FOR PHARMACIES TO DISTRIBUTE POT: The head of Canada’s largest pharmacy chain says there is a critical role for drugstores to play in dispensing medical marijuana. Loblaw President Galen Weston says will benefit more if marijuana is delivered through a pharmacist as opposed to receiving it through the mail, as some do now. He says pharmacists are already trained to deal with managing controlled substances. He says Loblaw is open to dispensing medical marijuana in all forms, at its Shoppers Drug Mart and grocery locations.

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REPUBLICANS WRESTLE OVER WHETHER TO SUPPORT TRUMP: Republicans — from former presidents and rank and file — are trying to decide whether to support Donald Trump if he becomes the party’s presidential nominee as expected. Former presidents — the two George Bushes — as well as the previous nominee Mitt Romney have refused to support Trump. The majority position within the party establishment appears to be to avoid mentioning Trump and work on protecting Senate seats.