Five stories in the news today, May 6

By The Canadian Press

Five stories in the news today from The Canadian Press:

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CREWS SCRAMBLE AS FORT MCMURRAY FIRE GROWS

Crews fighting to save Fort McMurray from rampaging flames water bombed the Alberta city Thursday to try to keep away a wildfire so intense it has spawned its own weather. Chad Morrison of Alberta Forestry said the fire continues to grow, but at a slower rate than before, and the spread was happening in forested areas away from the community. Morrison said there were 22 water bombers at work and more were coming in, including four from Quebec.

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PREMIER NOTLEY LOOKS AT WHAT’S NEXT FOR FIRE VICTIMS

While fire crews continue battling the massive wildfire in Fort McMurray, the premier of Alberta is turning at least part of her focus to what comes next. Rachel Notley says plans are in the works for concrete support for the more than 80,000 evacuees, including financial aid and transitional housing. But as for when the evacuees might be able to return home, Notley said that won’t happen until it is safe to do so.

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MINISTERS MEET TO TALK ABOUT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Federal and provincial ministers responsible for emergency preparedness meet in Toronto today. The meeting was planned before wildfires in northern Alberta forced a massive evacuation of Fort McMurray, but Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale notes the irony of the timing. He says this week’s wildfire disaster provides a “powerful case study” for today’s discussions.

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FIRE COULD FORCE SOME FOREIGN TEMP WORKERS OUT OF COUNTRY

Advocacy groups say temporary foreign workers displaced by the raging wildfire engulfing Fort McMurray are at even greater risk than the rest of those who were forced to flee the northern Alberta city. They say many of them could face an immediate accommodation crisis, since they often lack friends or family in the area to put them up. Advocates are calling on the federal government to make allowances for those workers under the circumstances.

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DOCUMENTARY DETAILS UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS FOR MIGRANTS

A documentary by Canadian filmmaker Min Sook Lee tells a dismal tale of the life some migrants face when they come to Canada under the temporary foreign worker program. The film says they sometimes find unsafe working conditions, substandard living arrangements and are forced to pay exorbitant fees to deceptive recruiters. The documentary makes its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Statistics Canada will release the unemployment figures for April.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit a subway yard in Toronto.

— Hydro One Ltd., Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility, releases its first-quarter results.

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