--Sixteenth NewsWatch--

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(Prison-Assault-Pickton-Custody)

A former prison judge at British Columbia's Kent Institution who went on to be Speaker of the B-C legislature, says he thinks he knows why serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred to Quebec.

While correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy, Darryl Plecas says Pickton's safety was likely at risk.

Pickton is now in a Quebec City hospital with what police there called life-threatening injuries. (16)

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(War-Family-Reunification) (Audio: 121)

The N-D-P is accusing the Trudeau government of bungling measures meant to evacuate relatives of Canadians from conflict zones.

New Democrats say even months after launching programs for Canadians to get their relatives out of those emergency situations, not a single person has been resettled from Sudan and it's unclear if any have arrived from the Gaza Strip.

N-D-P immigration critic Jenny Kwan says the Liberals haven't learned from the mistakes made during the emergency resettlement of Afghans, and bureaucratic hurdles are leaving people to die in conflicts. (16)

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(Cybersecurity)

The federal government's new cybersecurity strategy is aimed at addressing gaps in its online defences.

The strategy says cyber threats are growing at an exponential pace, even while the government has made progress on improving its cybersecurity in recent years.

One of the gaps identified in the strategy includes a lack of different tools, methods and services to monitor systems, which can make it difficult to obtain a comprehensive view of security threats. (16)

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(Mba-Green-Cuts) (Audio: 116)

The Manitoba government is partially walking back a cut to a program that funds summer jobs for teens and young adults.

Municipal Relations Minister Ian Bushie says 300-thousand dollars is being moved into the Green Team program, a decision that comes after hearing from some of the affected organizations.

The N-D-P government has been facing criticism for reducing Green Team funding this year by four-million dollars to 5.6-million. (16)

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(Maple-Leaf-Plant)

Maple Leaf Foods says it's closing its aging poultry plant in Brantford, Ontario and consolidating production into its existing network through early next year.

The company says it determined that the 100-year-old facility would likely need significant ongoing investment to continue operating long-term.

President and C-E-O Curtis Frank says it was a decision the company took seriously and the closure will happen in a phased manner to maintain business continuity and meet customer demand.

Affected employees will be supported by the company, with potential opportunities at other Maple Leaf facilities. (16)

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(US-Uvalde-School-Shooting) (Audio: 099)

The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde (yoo-VAL'-dee) elementary school shooting in Texas have filed a 500-million-dollar federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers.

The officers named in the suit were part of the botched law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U-S history, and comes two days before the two-year anniversary of the massacre.

The families say they have also agreed to a two-million-dollar settlement with the city, under which municipal leaders promised higher standards and better training for local police. (160

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(NewsWatch by John Kennedy)

The Canadian Press