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Five stories in the news for Thursday, June 27
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ORDER OF CANADA GROWS BY 83 WITH NEW MEMBERS
Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette is naming 83 more Canadians to the Order of Canada. The list out this morning from Rideau Hall includes athletes, researchers, teachers, scientists, artists, jurists and actors, from all across the country. Among the notable names on this year’s list is former National Hockey League player Reggie Leach, one-time Montreal Expo Claude Raymond, former commissioner of Nunavut Edna Elias, chef Michael Smith, and Moya Greene, who was once chief executive at Canada Post before running the U.K.’s Royal Mail. Each of them say they are surprised and touched to receive appointments.
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POT EDIBLES MAY DRIVE UP LIFE INSURANCE COST
Canadians looking to enjoy soon-to-be-legalized pot-infused edibles could get hit with higher insurance premiums — depending on the size of their appetite. Many insurers no longer treat cannabis users as cigarette smokers — who pay much higher premiums due to the high-risk activity — provided there is no tobacco or nicotine in the products they use. The shift came in recent years as Canada moved to legalize pot for recreational use, starting with dried flower, oils, plants and seeds. However, to avoid paying more, cannabis usage must stay below a set number per week and many insurers count any kind of pot, whether it is smoked or sipped or chewed.
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RUSSIAN STUDENT CRIES FOUL OVER VISA REFUSAL
A Russian student who was invited to present her research at an upcoming academic conference in Canada says she believes her visitor visa was unfairly rejected — an issue scholars say is a growing problem for academics from certain areas of the world trying attend conferences in Canada. Marina Dubova was all set for a conference on cognitive science and artificial intelligence in Montreal next month, but was recently informed her application for a visa was rejected. Canadian officials indicated they were unconvinced she would return to her home country at the end of her visit because she has no children, owns no property in her home country and has limited employment.
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N.B. INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS STIGMA AROUND POLE DANCE
The case of a New Brunswick pole artist who saw her performance at a Moncton, N.B., ribfest abruptly cancelled last weekend is drawing attention to the lasting stigma around an activity once associated mainly with strip clubs. Christine Johnson wrote in a Facebook post that her scheduled show at the festival, organized by the Rotary Club of Moncton West and Riverview, was cancelled minutes before she was set to go onstage and she was told her act was not family friendly. She says she chose to share her experience for other female performers who face challenges because their art incorporates their bodies, commenting on the misconceptions people have about her “aerial art.”
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GOODWOOD, ONT., DRAWS CROWDS AS ‘SCHITT’S CREEK’
Goodwood, Ont., is the Schitt and couldn’t be prouder. The picturesque bedroom community north of Toronto, population 663, is also known as “Schitt’s Creek” for being the site of many key locations in the hit comedy series of the same name. It has attracted busloads of international tourists hoping to see the sets and stars. Locals have also rallied around the show, setting up lawn chairs to watch filming, bringing baked goods and pizza to the stars on set, and holding “Schitt’s Creek”-themed spirit days at the primary school.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS:
— Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette participates in the unveiling of stamps celebrating Apollo 11 and Canadian contributions to the mission.
— Michael Karas, previously imprisoned for grisly 1996 killing in Thailand, jury trial for multiple bank robberies around Toronto.
— Federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan announces a new collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada and the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences.
— Inquest into the death of Joshua Megeney. On October 6, 2016, the Saskatoon Police Service was called to a home for a reported break and enter in progress. Officers came upon a locked and barricaded door. Megeney, 28, was found dead after a standoff with police.
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The Canadian Press
