News for Youse: Bieksa's Buddies help kids, Cummins soldiers on, and Harper heads to Africa

Bieksa's Buddies will take to the ice Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa has organized a charity hockey game with several teammates and L.A. Kings blueliner Willie Mitchell next Wednesday (October 17) at UBC's Thunderbird Arena. The match against UBC's team sold out in two hours and proceeds will go to the Canucks Autism Network, Canucks Family Education Centre, and the Canuck Place hospice for children.

Granville 7 closure affects festivals Numerous local film festivals will lose a key venue when Empire Theatres closes the Granville 7 movie house on November 4. More information is available here.

Cummins under fire Two B.C. Conservative constituency-association presidents have released a letter calling on leader John Cummins to resign "for the sake of the party".

Tanker meeting called The Wilderness Committee, Tanker Free B.C., and Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion will continue trying to draw attention to Kinder Morgan's plan to twin its pipeline to the Lower Mainland at a town-hall meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at Confederation Community Centre (4585 Albert Street) in Burnaby.

Stunning price of mental health A report by the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences and Public Health Ontario has pegged the cost of mental health and addictions as exceeding all cancers by 1.5 times, and all infectious diseases by seven times.

Military official pleads guilty to spying Halifax Sub-Liet. Paul Delisle has admitted in court to passing sensitive information from five countries, including Canada, to the Russians in return for cash. He won't be sentenced until early next year.

Harper goes to Africa Prime Minister Stephen Harper will stop in Senegal before attending La Fracophonie this weekend in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alex Karras dies The TV father on Webster and former Detroit Lions football star Alex Karras has passed away from kidney failure at the age of 77.