Five stories in the news today, April 18

Five stories in the news for Tuesday, April 18

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MEETING OF THE MINDS TODAY ON TORONTO HOUSING

The federal finance minister is set to meet today with his Ontario counterpart and Toronto’s mayor to discuss the hot housing market in the Greater Toronto Area. The gathering comes as the Ontario government readies a much-anticipated package of housing affordability measures. The provincial government has been facing growing pressure to take action on soaring real estate prices in Canada’s most populous city and its surrounding areas.

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B.C. POLYGAMY TRIAL TO START TODAY

A decades-long legal battle lands in a British Columbia court today with the start of a trial for a breakaway Mormon leader charged with polygamy. Winston Blackmore of Bountiful is accused of having two dozen wives over a 25-year period. The legal battle dates back to the early 1990s when police first investigated allegations that residents of an isolated religious community were engaged in multiple or so-called celestial marriages.

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JURY SELECTION STARTS FOR HALIFAX MURDER CASE

Jury selection begins today in a high-profile Halifax case involving a Dalhousie University medical student accused of murdering another student in 2015. William Sandeson is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of 22-year-old Taylor Samson of Amherst, N.S. Sandeson was charged on Aug. 20, 2015, four days after Samson was reported missing.

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EX-OLYMPIAN TO APPEAR IN COURT ON FRAUD CHARGES

An investment dealer and former Olympic rower who went missing for nearly a year and a half is scheduled to appear in court in Victoria today. Harold Backer is facing two counts of fraud over $5,000. Backer, 52, disappeared on Nov. 3, 2015, when he told his family he was going for a bike ride and failed to return home. He turned himself in last week.

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NATIONAL FLOUR RECALL EXPANDS — AGAIN

A national recall of flour due to E. coli contamination first announced last month has been expanded yet again. The initial recall on March 28 affected Robin Hood flour sold in Western Canada and was later expanded across the country. Last week, more products were added to the recall, and still more products were added to the list on Monday. Complete details can be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— The Canadian Real Estate Association will release resale housing statistics for March.

— Media company Rogers Communications Inc. will release its first-quarter results.

— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan continues a series of meetings with officials in India.

— Sentencing for Sarah Allt Harnish, 36, who pleaded guilty to invitation to sexual touching while she was a teacher in Nova Scotia.

— Hearing in Brampton, Ont., for Joseph Galaska, accused of bringing fake IED on flight. He will not appear in person.

— In Winnipeg, university students will protest rising tuition fees as outlined in the Manitoba budget.