News for Youse: Heed supports marijuana legalization, Peace Arch reopens, XL Foods plant management shuffle

Heed supports legalization Former solicitor-general Kash Heed has announced his support for the legalization and taxation of marijuana. In a statement for Stop the Violence B.C., Heed said, "In the early 1990s, I began to fully recognize the futility and the social, economic and public health costs of continuing marijuana prohibition. And I came to one inescapable conclusion – cannabis prohibition fuels gang violence in B.C. "

Peace Arch reopens The Peace Arch border crossing has reopened after a shooting earlier this week. The shooting suspect, identified as 32-year-old Washington resident Andrew Michael Crews, fatally shot himself at the crossing on October 16 as well as injuring border guard Lori Bowcock .

XL Foods gives up plant In the wake of an E. coli outbreak, Alberta-based XL Foods is ceding control of its Brooks, Alberta, plant to the Brazilian-based company, JBS USA.

Environment Canada questioned Reports are surfacing that Environment Canada was aware of Haida Salmon Restoration Corp.'s plan to dump 100 tonnes of iron-laden material into coastal B.C. waters, although it warned the company and its president, John Disney, that such an action would contravene the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. According to the Guardian, this dump may have caused "an artificial plankton bloom as large as 10,000 square kilometres" off the coast of Haida Gwaii.

Romney still leads Despite a strong performance by Barack Obama at the second presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York on October 16, the most recent Gallup polling data shows Mitt Romney leading, with support of 52 percent of likely voters. Obama is currently polling at 45 percent support.