Six stories in the news today, Oct. 26

Six stories in the news for Wednesday, Oct. 26

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N.L., ABORIGINAL LEADERS MAKE PROGRESS IN MARATHON MEETING

Indigenous leaders and the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government came out of a marathon meeting early Wednesday touting significant progress made on the Muskrat Falls project. Premier Dwight Ball announced in the early hours of the morning that an independent expert advisory committee — made up of provincial, federal, municipal and indigenous groups — will be created to monitor the mutli-billion-dollar hydroelectric project in Labrador and look at ways to reduce possible methylmercury contamination.

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1 IN 18 HOSPITAL PATIENTS SUFFER HARM: REPORT

A report released Wednesday has found one in every 18 patients — or 138,000 people — admitted to a Canadian hospital in 2014-15 suffered some kind of harmful event that could potentially have been prevented. Of those 138,000 patients, about 30,000 had more than one adverse event that compromised their care says the report Canadian Institute for Health Information.

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NEB REVISES DOWN OIL PRODUCTION OUTLOOK

The National Energy Board has revised down its long-term outlook for oil prices and Canadian production in the face of lower global industry costs and stricter environmental regulations. In an update released Wednesday, the regulator projects inflation-adjusted oil prices rising to US$68 a barrel by 2020 and US$90 by 2040, $12 and $17 a barrel lower, respectively, than in its January report. The lower prices are expected to translate to lower long-term production for Canada, where costs are comparatively high.

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FEDS STUDY NICKEL COIN, NO PLANS TO DITCH IT

An internal federal analysis shows the government has studied the pros and cons of the nickel — but Ottawa insists it has no plans to force the five-cent coin into retirement, as it did the penny. When the Royal Canadian Mint yanked the penny from circulation in 2013, the nickel became the country’s smallest circulating coin and many have expected it would only be a matter of time before Ottawa also eliminated it. Earlier this year, a Finance Department memo to senior officials examined the nickel’s purchasing power, usage and production costs.

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AUSTRALIAN COURT REFUSES BAIL FOR 3 CANADIANS

Three Canadian cruise ship passengers who were charged in Australia with drug smuggling were refused bail Wednesday after making a court appearance in Sydney. Andre Tamine, 64, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberge, 23, were arrested in late August after the MS Sea Princess, operated by California-based Princess Cruises, berthed in the Australian metropolis. Detection dogs helped police allegedly find 95 kilograms of cocaine in their suitcases, according to Australian Border Force commander Tim Fitzgerald.

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ROCK SLIDE INJURES 2 AND CLOSES HIGHWAY

Two workers have been injured in a rock slide in Yoho National Park that has closed the Trans-Canada Highway for an extended period. RCMP say the slide happened Monday west of Field, B.C., and that traffic has been stopped in both directions. Parks Canada said a update on the duration of the highway closure is expected to come this morning and will be posted to the Drive BC website.

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