Six stories in the news today, March 30

Six stories in the news today, March 30 from The Canadian Press:

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EX-CABINET MINISTER JEAN LAPIERRE, RELATIVES DIE IN PLANE CRASH

Investigators will today begin looking for the cause of a plane crash in Quebec that claimed the lives of seven people, including former federal Liberal cabinet minister Jean Lapierre. Lapierre, his wife, three of his siblings, and two pilots were killed when their twin-engine plane crashed on Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They were on their way to attend their father’s funeral.

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NO PAID ADS IN FIRST LIBERAL BUDGET SALES JOB

Federal cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, continue to pitch the virtues of their first Liberal budget across Canada this week. With Trudeau in Edmonton today talking up the spending plan his government released last week, one thing noticeably absent from the annual post-budget sales job is a government advertising blitz.

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TORONTO SET TO SAY GOODBYE TO ROB FORD

Mourners will have one last chance to say goodbye to former Toronto mayor Rob Ford today. His casket will be taken in a procession from city hall to St. James cathedral downtown for a funeral service. Ford died from cancer last week at the age of 46.

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KPMG: CANADA RANKS SECOND IN COST COMPETITIVENESS

Accounting giant KPMG says Canada has proven to be second most competitive market in a comparison test of 10 leading industrial countries. In its report, KPMG says Canada lags only behind Mexico when it comes to how little businesses have to pay for labour, facilities, transportation and taxes.

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TV WOES TOP COMPLAINTS TO TELECOM WATCHDOG

Consumer complaints about TV services to the country’s telecom watchdog outnumbered issues with their cellphones, land lines and Internet providers, according to its mid-year report. The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) says it received 4,651 complaints about broadcasting services between Aug. 1, 2015 and Jan. 31, 2016.

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LOCKHEED MARTIN DEAL TO SELL HYBRID AIRSHIPS

The long-held vision of giant airships nearly the length of a Canadian football field delivering workers and supplies to the oilsands and the North’s mining sector is a step closer to reality. U.S.-based Lockheed Martin has announced it has a letter of intent to sell 12 hybrid airships to Straightline Aviation of the United Kingdom.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau will speak at a New York luncheon hosted by the Canadian Association of New York.

— Statistics Canada will release national tourism indicators for the fourth quarter.

— Canadian companies releasing quarterly reports include discount retailer Dollarama and yoga wear retailer Lululemon Athletica.