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Canada bars Boeing from fighter race, indicates bid hurt by airliner row

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Canada on Wednesday excluded Boeing Co from a multi-billion-dollar race to supply 88 new fighter jets and indicated a previous clash between the U.S. company and a Canadian aircraft maker influenced the decision.

The move means only Lockheed Martin Corp and Sweden’s Saab AB can compete. Ottawa says it intends to make a decision next year on a contract that could be worth up to C$19 billion ($14.8 billion).

Reuters reported the decision to bar Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet on Nov. 25, citing a defense source. The formal announcement came from the federal procurement ministry and did not mention Boeing.

Boeing said it was “disappointed and deeply concerned” by the announcement. “We are working with the U.S. and Canadian governments to better understand the decision and looking for the earliest date to request a debrief to then determine our path forward,” it said in a statement without giving more details.

Defense analysts had expected Ottawa would exclude Saab’s Gripen plane, given Canada and the United States only fly U.S. military jets. Unlike Canada, Sweden is not a member of NATO or NORAD, the North American defense organization.

Saab said in a statement that the Gripen had passed all aspects of the evaluation, including security and interoperability requirements.

Canada belongs to the consortium that developed Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet, which defense sources say is the preferred choice of the air force.

The procurement ministry made clear one reason for the decision was Boeing’s formal complaint in 2017 to the U.S. Commerce Department that Ottawa was unfairly subsidizing a passenger jet made by Montreal-based rival Bombardier.

Canada responded by saying it would look less favorably on a bid from a company that had had a negative economic impact on Canada‘s interests.

The procurement ministry on Wednesday said proposals had been assessed on elements of capability, cost and economic benefits.

“The evaluation also included an assessment of economic impact,” it added. A spokesman for Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi declined to comment.

The procurement ministry said it could now either decide which bidder offered the best plane or offer Lockheed Martin and Saab a chance to improve their proposals.

Lockheed Martin said: “As a cornerstone for interoperability with NORAD and NATO, the F-35 will strengthen Canada’s operational capability with our allies.”

($1 = 1.2825 Canadian dollars)

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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