In the news today, June 4

Five stories in the news for Monday, June 4

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GROUP CALLS FOR HEP C TESTING OF ALL BABY BOOMERS

New guidelines recommend that all Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 — baby-boomers — be tested for the potentially liver-destroying virus hepatitis C. The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver published its new guidelines in today’s edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It says more than 250,000 Canadians are believed to be infected with hep C, but 40 to 70 per cent don’t know it because they aren’t showing any symptoms yet.

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CANADA URGED TO TARGET ZERO PLASTICS BY 2025

Dozens of environmental groups are urging Canada to set a much higher bar for recycling plastics at home. They want Ottawa to set national targets for how much Canadians should recycle. The aim is to boost the recycling rate to 85 per cent by 2025 — it’s now about 11 per cent. An estimated 10-million tonnes of plastic pollution ends up in the oceans each year. Prime Minister Trudeau has said he hopes this week’s G7 leaders’ summit in Quebec will include the signing of an anti-plastics charter.

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CANADA QUIZZED U.S. ON TRAVEL BAN: DOCUMENTS

Not only were Canadian officials scrambling to limit problems for travellers, they were simply trying to grasp what was going on when the Trump administration issued an order last year banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Internal notes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reveal the Canadian government fired off a list of 16 questions in the hope of figuring out the order’s impact on everything from refugee claims to biometric tracking.

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LAST WEEK OF CAMPAIGNING IN ONTARIO

With just days to go before Ontario votes, two of the three main party leaders are hitting the campaign trail hard. Kathleen Wynne, who has conceded that her Liberals have little chance of forming the next government, plans a Toronto media blitz this morning. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will be on the stump across southwestern Ontario, while PC Leader Doug Ford will be making a single announcement in Toronto. Ontarians go to the polls on Thursday,

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PROPOSED EDMONTON RAVE BAN COMPARED WITH “FOOTLOOSE”

Critics of a city report in Edmonton that recommends banning raves are comparing the idea to the plot of a popular 1980s movie. The report argues electronic music parties are linked with “widespread consumption of drugs” and “drug-facilitated sexual assaults” that tie up emergency services. Some people have responded on social media, suggesting the move would be similar to the storyline of “Footloose,” where a teenager battles a small town ban on dancing and rock music.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals.

— Protesters opposed to the Kinder Morgan pipeline rally at MP’s offices across Canada.

— Independent Nova Scotia human rights board of inquiry continues in Halifax in disability rights case.

— Four of Bertrand Charest’s sex-assault victims hold a news conference in Montreal.

— Parliamentary Secretary Veterans Affairs makes an announcement regarding improved mental health services for military families.

— Sentencing decision in Winnipeg for teenage girl who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the beating death.

— Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell to receive honorary degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

— Pre-trial hearing in Victoria for former Olympic rower Harold Backer, facing fraud charges linked to an investment deal.

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