Deadly collision at LaGuardia airport kills 2 pilots, injures several others

An Air Canada Express passenger jet collided with an emergency vehicle on the tarmac of New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, killing the two pilots on board and injuring several others, officials said. 

What's happening: Flight AC8646, ⁠operated by Air Canada's partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying ‌72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal to New York. A Port Authority spokesperson says it hit a "rescue and firefighting vehicle" that was crossing the runway. Forty-one passengers and crew were taken to hospital, and nine remain there.

Air traffic audio indicates the fire truck was cleared to cross the runway before the collision. "I messed up,'"a controller can be heard saying afterward. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all planes at the airport, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are on site.

– This section compiled by Andrew Davidson

Days before deportation, Ottawa pauses removal of refugee's son, husband

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has stepped in to temporarily stop the deportation of a Montreal father and son, a last-minute decision the family's lawyer says underscores growing concerns that Canadian authorities are increasingly and abruptly separating the families of recognized refugees.

What's happening: CBC News reported last week that Ravi Chauhan and his young son were set to be deported today, leaving behind his wife, who is the child's mother and is an accepted refugee in Canada, without the possibility of seeing her family for what could be years while they await permanent residency.

Why it matters: Advocates say the case is not isolated. Several immigration lawyers and community groups told CBC News they have in recent weeks seen an increase in deportation orders involving the spouses and children of protected persons — a shift they say risks undermining Canada’s commitments to family reunification.

Dual citizens weigh Trump, taxes in decision to renounce U.S. citizenship

Every year, thousands of dual citizens living abroad choose to renounce their U.S. citizenship. Some say U.S. President Donald Trump is a major factor in their decision — but not the only one.

What's happening: In recent years, Alex Marino, leader of the U.S. tax practice at Moody Tax Law in Calgary, says he's seen a 40 to 60 per cent increase in requests from those wanting to surrender what he calls "one of the most coveted passports in the world." One reason, he says, is the strict U.S. tax rules: regardless of whether a dual citizen has ever lived or worked in the U.S., they still need to file annual tax returns to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and in some cases pay American taxes on Canadian investments.

The background: The U.S. State Department recently announced that starting in mid-April, it will reduce the fee to renounce U.S. citizenship to $450 US from $2,350. The process also requires a brief interview, when the dual citizen must take the "oath of renunciation," though wait times for one of those interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, or at a U.S. consulate in Toronto or Vancouver, is from six months to well over a year. Other options include going abroad for what Marino calls a "renunciation vacation."