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Stories we’re watching: Laying blame for Lac-Mégantic

Five of the top stories making headlines this afternoon

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Here are five of the top stories making headlines this afternoon:

Railway company, Transport Canada, found at fault in final report on Lac-Mégantic disaster. Many factors contributed to the deadly train derailment and explosion in Lac-Mégantic last summer, the Transportation Safety Board found in its final report, released today. Specifically, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway had a litany of problems, including a poor safety culture, poor training and insufficient equipment. Transport Canada is also on the hook for not auditing railways frequently enough. Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said she would review the report and has directed her department to “develop concrete actions to address the TSB’s recommendations.” Here, Paul Wells examines why Transport Canada is at fault.

Alberta cracks down on government plane use.  Alberta Finance Minister Doug Horner announced changes to rules on how the Alberta government uses its planes. Going forward, any family members or guests will have to be pre-approved for travel and commercial flight options must also be taken into account. Any further action is up to the incoming premier, he said. The changes come after a report from auditor general Merwan Saher that found former premier Alison Redford and her staff had improperly used government aircraft for both personal and partisan trips.

Up to half of severely disabled veterans not getting disability cheque. Canada’s veterans’ watchdog released a damning report Tuesday, indicating that half of Canada’s most severely inured soldiers are not getting payments from a government fund meant to compensate them for mental and physical injuries. Even the veterans who are receiving the benefits are getting them at a lower level than they should qualify for, veterans ombudsman Guy Parent found.

St. Louis police officers shoot and kill a second man, not far from Ferguson. Tensions between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri don’t show any sign of abating, especially upon the news that St. Louis police have shot and killed a second black man suspected of robbery. St. Louis Police Capt. Ed Kuntz confirmed that police shot and killed a man who was waving a knife, not far from the site where Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed last week. Brown was unarmed at the time, and his death set off a series of protests and clashes with police in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, which have lasted all week.

Steve Moore gets settlement in suit against former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi. Ten years later, former Colorado Avalanche NHL player Moore is finally getting a payout from Bertuzzi, whose hit-from-behind during a game in 2004 ended Moore’s NHL career. Bertuzzi has already pleaded guilty to criminal assault causing bodily harm for the hit, which left the rookie player Moore with a concussion and fractured vertebrae. At the time, Moore alleged that Bertuzzi made the hit as retaliation for an earlier hit that injured Canucks captain Markus Naslund. A civil suit was destined to go to court Sept. 8, but will not go forward now that the matter has been settled for an undisclosed amount.

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