In the news today, Sept. 27

Five stories in the news for Thursday, Sept. 27

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TRUMP LETS LOOSE ON NAFTA, FREELAND, TRUDEAU

U.S. President Donald Trump let Canada know how he really feels Wednesday — sharpening his tariff threat, calling out Chrystia Freeland and claiming he denied Justin Trudeau a bilateral meeting, all because of the federal government’s hard bargaining on North American trade. Trump made the comments late Wednesday during a free-wheeling news conference at the end of his two days at the United Nations General Assembly. Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office disputed the president’s statement — insisting for the second time this week that they did not request a meeting and declining further comment.

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ONTARIO TO INTRODUCE POT LEGISLATION TODAY

The Ontario government is poised to introduce legislation today governing the licensing and regulation of the province’s private cannabis retail marketplace. The Progressive Conservative government says the bill will make the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario the regulator for the recreational pot marketplace. It will have the power to grant — and potentially revoke — licences as well as enforce provincial rules on cannabis sales. The province said Wednesday that anyone looking to open a pot shop will have to apply for both a retail-operator licence and a retail store authorization for each potential location. Breaching provincial rules on cannabis sales would preclude someone from ever obtaining a licence in the future, it said.

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FEDERAL COURT TO HEAR PIPELINE SPY CASE

Federal lawyers want closed-door hearings in a high-profile court case about allegations of Canadian Security Intelligence Service spying on anti-pipeline activists. The civil liberties group behind a complaint about the purported CSIS wrongdoing opposes the federal secrecy request, saying it blatantly violates the principle that justice must be seen to be done. The matter is slated to be heard today in an open session of the Federal Court of Canada. The judge’s decision will determine how much the public gets to see and hear in the coming months when the court looks at the central issue: whether Canada’s spy agency overstepped the law in monitoring environmental activists.

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HOMELESS CAMPERS TO BE EVICTED NEXT WEEK: MINISTER

The B.C. government says a plan is in place to provide shelter and housing for all homeless campers currently staying at Goldstream Provincial Park, and those who remain past Tuesday will face eviction. In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Housing Minister Selina Robinson says people will transition into housing and shelters in the coming days and B-C Parks will notify the public when the campground is ready to reopen. Robinson says transportation and storage for the campers’ personal belongings are also being co-ordinated for Monday.

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TORONTO FIRM LAUNCHES CLASS ACTION AGAINST TICKETMASTER

A Toronto-based law firm has launched a proposed class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster, alleging the ticket-selling giant has been taking “double-dip commissions” on the resale market for years. Sotos Class Actions accuses Ticketmaster of allowing professional resellers to buy “massive volumes” of tickets to concerts and other events, then resell them on the secondary market “at significant markups.” None of the allegations contained in the statement of claim have been proven in court and Ticketmaster has not filed a statement of defence. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien will hold a news conference to discuss his annual report, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament.

— Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz will give a speech to the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council and Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce.

— Romeo Dallaire will testify before the House of Commons committee on national defence about Canada’s contribution to international peacekeeping.

— B.C. Finance Minister Carole James and Attorney General David Eby will announce government action to address money laundering in real estate.