Five stories in the news today, March 22

Five stories in the news today, March 22, from The Canadian Press:

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FIRST LIBERAL BUDGET CASTS OFF FISCAL ANCHORS

The Liberal government will cast off into a sea of red ink with its first federal budget today, ushering in a bold — critics will say foolhardy — expedition in search of government-fostered economic growth. Finance Minister Bill Morneau has already said the budget will contain spending far beyond the campaign pledge of a “modest” $10 billion shortfall.

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BID TO SAVE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OFFICE FAILS

The Liberals all but flipped off the lights on Canada’s Office of Religious Freedoms by voting against a Tory motion to keep open the controversial post. Funding for the office expires at the end of this month and the Liberals have signalled there will be no new funding for it in today’s budget. The office was established by the Conservatives in 2013 to promote religious freedoms around the world.

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RESTORE UNRWA FUNDING, FORMER CHIEF URGES

The head of the UN refugee agency came to Ottawa this week to talk to the government about Syrian refugees, but didn’t ignore the state of his former organization. Filippo Grandi, who spent 10 years with the UN agency serving Palestinians, says he encouraged the Liberals to restore the group’s funding which was cut by the former Conservative government.

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ROB FORD’S TREATMENT ‘PALLIATIVE IN NATURE’

Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford remains in hospital battling cancer and receiving care that a family spokesman describes as “palliative in nature.”Dan Jacobs says the 46-year-old politician has not been transferred to a palliative care unit, although his family remains by his side around the clock. Ford was diagnosed with cancer in September 2014.

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B.C. SCIENTIST POKES HOLE IN HEALTHY BOOZE THEORY

A new study is throwing cold water on the widely held notion that drinking a small amount of alcohol regularly has a positive impact on one’s personal health. Research spearheaded by the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. re-analyzed data from a slew of studies on alcohol and mortality and found that a bias in their design overestimated the benefits of drinking, while possibly underestimating its dangers.

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