Reach

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday. 

The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday. 

This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday. 

The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights. 

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan. 

By now in our Christian walk we hardly need the reminder that life is not a cloud-nine utopia. It is a terribly unrealistic view to think that Christ helps you live happily ever after; it's downright unbiblical! Most of life is learning and growing, falling and getting back up, forgiving and forgetting, accepting and going on.

We know the sovereign Potter is working with our clay as He pleases. 

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The campground report is sponsored by Happy Trails Campground and Cabins.  

North of Grande Prairie  

Happy Trails Campground and Cabins (https://htcampground.com)  

August 21–  81 sites 

 
Moonshine Lake Provincial Park (shop.albertaparks.ca)  

August 21 – 88 sites 

Dunvegan Provincial Park (shop.albertaparks.ca)  

August 21 – 48 sites 

Focus on the Family's founder James C. Dobson passed away Thursday morning. 

"Today we remember a hero of the faith," says Focus on the Family on their Facebook page. "Our Founder, Dr. James C. Dobson, passed away this morning."

Focus on the Family radio programs that often include the voice of Dobson are played on over 3,000 radio facilities in North America and in twenty-seven languages in approximately 4,130 additional facilities in over 160 other countries.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is meeting in Saskatoon today with Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Cody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, along with representatives from the canola sector. The focus: responding to China’s steep tariffs on Canadian canola products.

Last week, China announced a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola seed, adding to the 100% tariffs placed in March on canola meal and oil. 

After undergoing hip surgery earlier this week, Pastor Greg Laurie, lead pastor of Harvest Church in California, is giving thanks to God for allowing him to share his goodness, even before the procedure took place. 

"From the moment I walked into the hospital, God surrounded me with believers — the receptionist, the nurses, even my doctor, who asked me to pray for him before his surgeries that day," said Laurie in a post on social media. "My anesthesiologist was also a Christian. What a blessing!"

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to meet today with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, along with industry groups, to discuss the steep Chinese tariff on Canadian canola seed. 

Kody Blois, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison are also to attend the meeting in Saskatoon.

A press conference is scheduled following the discussion. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to have her first official meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today amid ongoing tensions in the bilateral relationship.

Anand and Rubio have previously spoken by phone, including in June ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc cycled through Washington in July looking for a tariff offramp but instead U.S. President Donald Trump boosted duties on Canada to 35 per cent.